Deliciously raw
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Chocolate haystacks, lemon balls and orange fudge at Fiddle Heads Cafe in Worcester. Jeb Wallace-Brodeur/Times Argus |
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By SYLVIA FAGIN
Correspondent - Published: July 20, 2010
“The chocolate I had yesterday made me sing and dance,” proclaims Linda Wooliever, owner of Vermont Fiddle Heads and the Fiddle Heads Café.
Wooliever, whose raw foods have piqued the interest of many, sings and dances often. And smiles and hugs and extols the flavor sensations of the creations that contribute to her great health and beautiful community.
In her vibrant cafe in the heart of Worcester — in a lavender house adorned with hand-painted trees and vines — Wooliever concocts an tantalizing array of lunches and treats solely from raw food.
Raw food refers to anything not heated over 105 degrees, at which temperature the phytonutrients in the food are destroyed by heat, Wooliever says. Raw food enthusiasts choose the diet for a variety of reasons, including a desire to eat whole and plant-based foods, increased energy and clarity, and in response to food allergies or illnesses.
One amazing offering on the café menu is a BLT. The “bacon” is made of eggplant, thinly sliced and marinated, then dehydrated to achieve a bacon-like texture. It’s served on a thin onion bread made of flax and sunflower seeds and sliced onion, also dehydrated. Add some local lettuce, tomato, and sprouts — along with an avocado-based “mayo” — and you’ve got the foundation of a great lunch. The sandwich, and all lunch offerings, are served with a side salad, Wooliever’s homemade kimchee, and “some really good olives,” she says.
Instead of a stove or grill, Wooliever’s tools include a pair of dehydrators, a juicer, and the Vitamix blender she uses to concoct smoothies, a staple of a raw diet. Her green smoothies contain kale and sprouts, bananas and berries, and a superfood supplement.
“Fruits are the cleaners, greens are the healers,” she says of the combination. When contemplating a raw diet, she says, people often get scared because they think they have to make huge dietary changes.
“I say, start small,” she relates. “Have a green smoothie instead of your afternoon coffee. It will re-mineralize you, rather than de-mineralize you.”
Plus, she adds, it tastes great. “All the food here tastes good, or why else would you eat healthy food?”
Wooliever’s raw offerings are about indulgence, not deprivation. Customers come for fresh juices bursting with flavor, truffle-sized lemon balls made of cashews, dates and apricots rolled in coconut, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
“Raw food sweets are unbelievable,” she says. She hand-rolls “super mint fudge” balls from cashews, cacao powder and cacao nibs. Her signature “goddess” and “god” butters — the former made of raw almond and cacao butters, the latter of raw cashew and cacao butters flavored with orange, cinnamon, and ginger — are a decadent alternative to fondue.
Fiddle Heads Cafe is part cafe, with tea and desserts and wi-fi, and part supply store for raw foodies. Wooliever sells raw nuts — the basis for many raw salads and spreads — by the pound, along with herbs, teas, and supplements. Upstairs, Wooliever’s husband Matt leads a team of sewers who make hemp and nylon bags for sprouting grains and making nut milk. The bags are sold through a variety of online sources, including the Vitamix website; monthly, Vermont Fiddle Heads sells about 2,000 bags.
Wooliever, who has eaten raw for almost nine years, teaches classes to guides newbies and veterans alike in choosing and creating the foods that are right for their individual bodies. “People come in to heal themselves, to feel better in their bodies,” she says.
On a recent afternoon, a neighbor recovering from dental surgery stopped in for a custom-made smoothie to enjoy during her recovery. Wooliever sent her off with enough for another drink and instructions on how to make more. The woman thanked her with a hug.
“That smoothie just nourished me,” she told Wooliever with gratitude.
Sylvia Fagin is The Times Argus Food & Dining correspondent. Contact her via her blog “Aar, Naam ~ Come, Eat,” at sylviafagin.wordpress.com, or via e-mail at sylviafagin@yahoo.com.
If you go
Fiddle Heads Cafe
18 Worcester Village Road, Worcester
223-2111
www.vt-fiddle.com
Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday noon - 6 p.m.
Saturday noon - 4 p.m.
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