September 2004 NW Palate Magazine - Raw Dinners August 2004 Willamette Week - Naked Lunch Portland Mercury - Baby, I Like it Raw May 2004 Herbivore Magazine - The Art of Raw Healing Lifestyles and Spas - Vibrant Living Foods February 2004 Portland Mercury - The Best Vegan Desert Ever December 2003 OPB - SmartMonkey Foods Radio Interview November 2003 SMF Press - Carnival Cruise Lines Features SMF SMF Press - SuperSet Tennis Nervy Girl - Green Cuisine SMF Press - Food Front's Living Foods Section October 2003 SMF Press - SMF Caters STOMP Event September 2003 Willamette Week - Raw Power Portland Tribune - Trendy Chefs Turning Off Fire March 2003 Daily PDX - Raw Foods Are Making a Revival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SmartMonkey Foods Press Contact: Ani Phyo Phone: 503-236-7878 Email: smartmonkeyfoods@yahoo.com URL: www.smartmonkeyfoods.com SmartMonkey Foods Press Release. FOOD FRONT DEDICATES RAW AND LIVING FOODS SECTION SmartMonkey Foods is the Largest Supplier of Gourmet Raw Items to the Local Cooperative Grocery November 08, 2003 PORTLAND, Ore. - With consumer interest strong and steadily growing, Portland's Food Front Cooperative Grocery announced the opening of a Raw and Living Foods Section. Buyer Erik Spande explains, "The movement is growing here in Portland and we had a lot of customer interest in it, so we decided it was about time to devote some permanent space to raw food products." The popular cooperative market designed a color coding system for grouping items within the raw food section. SmartMonkey Foods, Food Front's largest supplier of packaged gourmet raw fare, boasts it's own shelf. Food Front is proud to carry the full line of packaged SmartMonkey Foods, including Pizza Crust, Marinara, Italian Cheeze, Cosmic Herb Dressing, Lemon Coconut Bars, Brownies, and Pecan Pie. Says Spande, "Local companies like SmartMonkey Foods have a fairly loyal customer base here, so those products do especially well." SmartMonkey Foods chef and co-owner Ani Phyo explains how the company developed its initial line of packaged raw products, saying, "We want people to be able to build a whole meal, so they can have our Pizza Crust with Italian Cheeze and Marinara, or they can make a wrap using our Italian Cheeze and other vegetables with our Cosmic Herb Dressing as a dipping sauce. And then," she adds with a smile, "they can choose from three of our decadent but guilt-free desserts: Brownie, Lemon Bar, and Pecan Pie." Adidas Creative Services Manager Magdalena Pauna likes to top SmartMonkey Foods Pizza Crust with Italian Cheeze and Marinara as well as olives, marinated mushrooms, and other vegetables. She compares the combination to "a great antipasto plate." Pauna enjoys the treat with wine, which she's quick to point out is raw. Food Front rolled out its Raw and Living Food Section with a full day event on Saturday, November 8, featuring raw educators, chefs, and local purveyors of raw and living foods. Spande reports package raw food sales and customer interest in the raw movement have been increasing steadily since the event. "There's a lot of consumer interest in raw products," he observes, adding that cooking classes like those taught by SmartMonkey Foods chefs Ani Phyo and Ede Schweizer have generated even more interest. "People are just really curious about the whole movement," he notes, "I think it's very strong here and it's becoming more and more mainstream." With raw foods in the media spotlight, Spande sees local interest in the movement growing. "We do get a fair amount of questions from customers who are interested in it but aren't familiar with raw food concepts," he says. "I think people who are totally unfamiliar with the concept consider it very fringe, like the radical fringe of the whole foods movement." But Spande sees that image changing. "Especially here in Portland," he notes, "it's becoming more and more mainstream, and I think that's only going to continue." In addition to Food Front, which carries the complete line of SmartMonkey Foods packaged cuisine, Whole Foods Markets carries select SmartMonkey Foods items. The complete SmartMonkey Foods line is also available for shipping worldwide via the company's website, www.smartmonkeyfoods.com. Written by Emily Puro. For more information on gourmet raw cuisine by SmartMonkey Foods: Ani Phyo Phone: 503-236-7878 Email: smartmonkeyfoods@yahoo.com www.smartmonkeyfoods.com The health and nutritional claims made in this article are based on the personal experiences of the owners of SMF. Since your situation may be unique, it is encouraged that you perform your own research and make your own decision. This is not intended to be construed as medical advice.