I am a huge fan of entrepreneurs who pursue their creative
talents and passions to successfully promote a healthier lifestyle.
That is why I am thrilled to tell you about my recent visit with
Sarma Melngailis, 37, at her creation One Lucky Duck.
In this raw food boutique (also available on-line), you’ll find
tantalizing raw vegan snacks that are handmade in the kitchen of
one of NYC’s most acclaimed raw vegan restaurants, Pure Food and Wine. Sarma does raw with such
style!
I am a devoted foodie. Living in Manhattan, my taste buds are spoiled by frequenting some of the world’s top restaurants. Not only that, I love all types of food. However, there is one type of food that is not as popular with my friends. When I talk about raw or vegan food, I’m usually met with a frown or look of confusion. The response may as well be, “Huh? Do you also go to Burning Man in your stilettos?”
The fact of the matter is that raw food is still a relatively foreign concept in mainstream America. Maybe still on the fringe. And I am so excited that Sarma and her team at One Lucky Duck are paving the way to help integrate raw food into everyday life. With their considerable talents, I’m convinced that one day soon we’ll all be in awe of raw.
Sarma's well-versed staff explains: Raw food is defined by plant-based foods cooked at temperatures under 118 degrees, ensuring that the enzymes and nutrients do not get destroyed or depleted by heat. Fruit and vegetables grow naturally from the earth. In their natural state is when food is at their freshest. No facial or spa treatment can beat putting good clean food into your body.
About One Lucky Duck:
One Lucky Duck was “hatched” in July 2005 by Sarma,
the co-creator of Pure
Food and Wine. She is the co-author of Raw
Food Real World (Harper Collins,
July 2005) and Living Raw Food (Harper Collins,
May 2009). Sarma, who dons a duck tattoo on her
arm, created One Lucky Duck to bring raw, vegan, and organic
lifestyles out of the underground into the mainstream
light.
One Lucky Duck is a world-wide online boutique
where you’ll find raw vegan snacks, handmade in small batches in
their kitchen at Pure
Food and Wine. They also offer a wide
variety of organic and eco products (including clothing and beauty
products) for your lifestyle. If you are in Manhattan, you can
visit One Lucky Duck Juice and Takeaway, a café and juice
bar in Gramercy Park, which I like to do from time to
time.
Sarma’s Story: Financier Turned Raw
Foodie
So who is the mastermind behind this raw food mecca? After
graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with in 1994,with a
B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School and a B.A. in Economics
from the College of Arts and Sciences, Sarma began her career at
the now defunct Bear Sterns Inc. specializing in Mergers and
Acquisitions, a far cry from the
kitchen.
Over the next few years, she worked for Bain Capital Inc. and joined a high-yield investment fund at CIBC. Quickly, she realized that she wanted to be doing something else, something she really loved. She left the world of high finance in 1999 to pursue a degree from the renown French Culinary Institute in downtown NYC; thus began her illustrious career in the food world.
In 2004, after learning about raw food, she and a partner decided to open a raw food restaurant, Pure Food and Wine. She was the co-executive chef for two years, and when her co-executive chef left, she founded OneLuckyDuck.com in 2005. Her culinary team creates everything on the menu.
Green Scout Recommends:
Although a big fan of their fresh juices, I was a little suspicious
about some of their packaged products like Blonde Macaroons,
Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Cookies and Chees-y Quackers, which I
thought defied the raw food rule. I was even more wary of their raw
Mallomars (photographed above)! However, as they are cooked under
118 degrees, and use only organic ingredients--like dried almonds,
flax, cocounuts, agave, and Himalayan crystal salt—they are bone
fide raw. It was love after my first Mallomar
bite, and the snack of choice here at the office.
To start shopping or to learn more, go to One Lucky Duck or visit Sarma and her crew at Pure Food and Wine Restaurant located at 126 E. 17 th St.
Photo: Courtesy of Papermag, One Lucky Duck, and Kathy Patasky.
