Danish-born Birgitte Antonsen has been cooking for as long as she can remember. At the ripe-old age of 12, she became a vegetarian and started preparing her own meals, so it’s only natural that she would later pursue a career as a chef. After graduating from the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in New York City, Birgitte migrated to the West Coast, where she was the head chef at Seattle’s Café Ambrosia for two years. These days, lucky visitors to the deli at the Greenlake, Washington, branch of PCC Natural Markets can sample some of Birgitte’s delectable vegan creations. She also prepares meals for clients though her personal-chef company, Nature’s Way Foods. Many of her clients have special dietary needs and benefit from Birgitte’s training in nutritional therapy. Birgitte enjoys sharing her wealth of knowledge in nutrition and vegan cuisine through her popular cooking classes at PCC Natural Markets.

Chef Spotlight:
Chef Birgitte Antonsen

Chef: Birgitte Antonse

Age: 42

Restaurant or Company: Nature’s Way Foods

Do you have companion animals?
I have a cat. His name is Rumi, but often I call him “the prince.”

How long have you been a chef?
I started very early, helping my mom cook, and eventually I started cooking my own meals at the age of 12. I have always cooked, helped out with parties, catering, etc. But professionally, I have managed various kitchens in Denmark, Sweden, Australia, and the U.S. since 1993.

What type of cuisine do you focus on?
I focus on vegetarian whole-food cuisine, emphasizing the use of organic, plant-based, unprocessed foods.

Do you have a specialty?
I combine my creative skills as a professional whole-food chef with a degree as a certified nutritional therapist. I show people how to choose wholesome ingredients and how to cook for optimal health. I create lots of recipes to help my clients with special dietary needs, such as wheat- and gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, etc.

What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian cuisine?
Organic vegetables give more flavor to the final dish, therefore I recommend using those. Also, I choose organic for another reason, namely how it reflects on a cleaner environment.

What is the key to getting meat-eaters to enjoy vegetarian food?
When I was the head chef at a gourmet vegetarian restaurant, people came to eat at the restaurant who weren’t vegetarian or vegan, and they just loved it. I do use the techniques and methods of traditional cooking, but I emphasize the whole-food approach. It very often means planning ahead and cooking from scratch, [without] refined foods and using slow cooking methods. It takes longer, but I always suggest making double the recipe when you cook so that you can freeze meals for later use.

What, in your opinion, does the future of plant-based cuisine hold?
People are getting more interested in organic vegetarian foods—and for a good reason. With all the diseases that commercially raised animals have from being raised in a poor environment with poor food, lots of medication, etc., people are looking for alternatives, and plant-based food is a good alternative. Fruits and vegetables have lots of fiber and promote healthy digestion and have a lot of phytochemicals and antioxidants, which prevent and fight cancer, heart disease, inflammations, etc. I think that the future of plant-based foods is [bright]. I just think there are some cooking methods that have been lost in today’s cooking preparation, which our ancestors knew about but that we need to incorporate into our cooking.

Where did you train to become a chef?
I went to the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in New York City. I also have a degree as a nutritional therapist from the Nutritional Therapy Association in Olympia, Washington.

What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
I enjoy working with a variety of fresh, organic, biodynamic fruits, vegetables, and herbs—then making them into tasty meals that people enjoy.

In your opinion, what vegetarian dish or type of food is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
Pasta dishes. If you go out to eat at a nonvegetarian restaurant, the only thing they can offer is pasta. They leave out the meat and toss in some sauce and vegetables with no creativity. Where is the protein to make the dish a complete meal? All you get is lots of starch and carbohydrates.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one kind of ethnic food, what would it be?
Coconut. The misleading information that has been around since the 1980s—that coconut is bad for you—has finally started to be [cleared up]. Coconut gives you lots of fiber and good fats (medium fatty acids), which have a boosting effect on metabolism and the immune system.

Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don’t have to face?
As long as the kitchen is loyal to its customers and uses fresh and nonprocessed produce, I think they will do good. Often, vegetarians have awareness beyond the dish they eat—thinking organic, locally, globally—and are interested in environmentally right living.

Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Use organic as much as possible and fresh produce. Take the time it takes to create a dish. That often involves good planning.

What are some ingredients that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
Use dried herbs that are not old. Try to buy from your local co-op or health food store that has bulk herbs. Buy just what you think you need for two to three months. (You need to know that the store replaces the herbs frequently.) Make stock from scratch, or buy organic vegetable broth. Use the appropriate amount of fat/oil in your cooking. If you have not yet tried it, try virgin coconut oil for replacement of any butter in baked goods, and use coconut milk for replacement of dairy cream. Also, use lime or lemon juice or another acid in soups, stews, and bean and lentil dishes. It is amazing how just a tablespoon can enhance the flavor.

Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
Unfortunately, I find that there is a lot of processed food on the market—and vegetarian food is no exception. Just because it is labeled organic and vegetarian does not mean it is a balanced food. Imitation foods such as “sausages,” Not Bacon, and sliced nonmeat are very processed. Look at the ingredient list, and if there is any word you do not know, that is probably not a real food. I like to cook from scratch so I can control what goes in the food that I eat or prepare for others. There is a new drink called Kombucha that comes in a variety of flavors. It has lots of live enzymes and supports the digestive system and has many other good qualities.

Can you give us a specialty tip (e.g., the best way to prepare tofu or a specific vegetable)?
Green kale, like all leafy, green vegetables, is full of goodies for our bodies and provides a lot of fiber. I like to prepare kale in various ways: 1) Crispy kale, where you chop it up and dress it with a small amount of organic extra-virgin olive oil and a little salt. Place it on a cooking sheet and roast it in the oven at 300°F. It takes about 15 minutes. It is like chips. 2) Another way to incorporate kale is kale Waldorf salad. Use finely sliced raw kale mixed with fruits and dressed in an orange-cashew nut dressing.

Brigitte’s Guidelines for Soaking and Toasting Nuts
For further nutritional benefits, you should soak all nuts, seeds, and grains for at least 8 hours before cooking with them. Nuts, seeds, and grains contain phytic acid, which combines with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc in the intestinal tract to block some absorption. The soaking process allows enzymes, lactobacilli, and other organisms to break down and neutralize the phytic acid, making nutrients more easily accessed and absorbed. Also, soaked nuts are delicious. (For further information, see Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.)

• Soak 1 pound of raw nuts in a large amount of water and let sit for at least 8 hours. Rinse thoroughly, unless you used salt in the water. To toast the nuts, place the rinsed nuts on a baking tray and dry-toast in the oven at the oven’s lowest setting, about 150°F to 200ºF, for 3 to 4 hours, or until dry and lightly toasted.

• Tempeh Bolognese

• Tabouli Salad

• Fresh Herb Pesto

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