REC019: Alissa Barthel - From Punk Rock to Science Lab & Raw Cheeses

The Raw Chef Experience: Conscious Living, Natural Health, Spirituality, Wellness, & Fitness.

Alissa Barthel is the Founder/Cheesemaker at raw vegan cheese company, Punk Rawk Labs. PRL arose organically from her quest to heal herself with food. It started initially as a blog where she chronicled her efforts to eat healthier after a toxic exposure compromised her immune system and led to some significant complications. Through her blog, she met Matthew Kenney (a world renowned chef specializing in plant based cuisine) under whom she later studied. She also chronicled her culinary training on her blog. Shortly after becoming certified as a professional chef, she was involved in a serious car crash for which she was in physical therapy for about eighteen months. It was during this time, that she perfected PRL’s cheese recipe. She posted a picture of the cheese on her blog, a store in Manhattan picked the cheeses up, they sold out right away, and the rest is history. Alissa is a former microbiologist with over twenty years experience in the restaurant/food business. She is PRL’s Kitchen Manager/Cheesemaker. She is trained as a raw vegan chef, but she eats other things as well. Raw vegan food agrees with her immune system issues and is always a base of support for her. She eats a mostly clean diet avoiding dairy, gluten, and processed foods most ardently. Though her artistic temperament precludes her from absolutism about pretty much anything. There’s always room for a wild streak in her book.