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Photos by Asia Morris.<\/em><\/p>\n Rainbow Juices<\/a> co-founders Dawna Base and Chrissy Cox are changing perceptions of what a plant-based diet can be through Under the Sun<\/a>, Long Beach\u2019s first raw vegan food eatery. Whether you subscribe to a vegan, vegetarian, raw food or ravenously carnivorous lifestyle, the pair\u2019s creative take on preparing satisfyingly healthy meals for everyone has been the talk of the town since their soft opening in late April.<\/p>\n Take the Spicy Papaya Roll (pictured below) as an example. The papaya mimics the texture of fish meat, and also provides a subtly sweet and sometimes tangy flavor. To focus on both the flavor and texture may seem like a no-brainer to any chef, raw vegan or not, however, the pair\u2019s extensive experience trying out other raw vegan food restaurants has not always been up to par, ultimately giving them the confidence to try out their own culinary venture.<\/p>\n \u201cI can see a photo of a veggie roll and know that doesn\u2019t have any flavor, nothing in there is seasoned, but [for] some people that\u2019s enough for them, but that\u2019s not enough for me,\u201d said Base. \u201cIt\u2019s not ever going to be enough for me for my food to just be decent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also a little technical to try to make something we don\u2019t want to taste like meat, because it\u2019s not meat, but we want people to have an experience of being fulfilled and full and like it\u2019s not just a bunch of lettuce on a plate,\u201d Cox added.<\/p>\n The Celestial Rose smoothie.<\/em><\/p>\n From the bread, to the pates, to the kale chips, to the \u201ccheese\u201d everything is made inhouse and nothing is prepared over 118 degrees, in order to keep every nutrient possible within the food. It\u2019s a similar concept to their first business, serving cold-pressed, nutrient-rich juice, as opposed to using a more common and heat-producing method which doesn\u2019t retain as many nutrients within the produce-turned liquid. At Under the Sun, the food you\u2019re eating is still very much \u201calive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything takes a lot of time and care,\u201d Cox said. \u201cIt\u2019s holding it to the highest standard. It\u2019s selfless and selfish, we want all the people around us to feel good and it\u2019s nice to be around people that feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n The LBC Sandwich and the Tu-Nah Wrap.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s certainly not inexpensive to maintain a raw food diet, especially if you\u2019re paying experts to prepare your meals every day. Ordering the LBC Sandwich and a Solstice supercharged smoothie will cost you about $25. However, obtaining the best quality, organic, local and regional ingredients, and not to mention, when everything is hand crafted to the enth degree onsite, like how Under the Sun does it, your meal ought not to be cheap. Comfortingly, it\u2019s an investment in your health and well being, and a delicious one at that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have hard times that we have to live with a lot more stress […] on our bodies that we don\u2019t even realize,\u201d Cox said. \u201cWe need the most vital medicines to protect us and that\u2019s the super foods. And you get more nutrients in a smaller dose, you get some help with your cells and you get some energy and the flavor is there and all that vibrancy tells you how potent the food is.\u201d<\/p>\n In the near future, the two look forward to having Under the Sun be a place of education, where demos will be held, such as simple culturing and smoothie-making classes, said Cox. And as far as the empty shelves you see to your right when entering, those will soon be filled with health-minded products from local makers and business owners (those interested should contact the owners).<\/p>\n \u201c[…]I want people that aren\u2019t vegan or vegetarian or raw foodist or whatever to still feel like they want to come here and eat the food,\u201d said Base. \u201cI don\u2019t want people to [think that] vegan food tastes basic. That\u2019s not what we\u2019re about. I want to get it out there that it\u2019s another type of cuisine, it\u2019s just Italian food, or there\u2019s Mexican food or there\u2019s raw food. It\u2019s another type of cuisine, and I want people to realize that they can try it and not have to be vegan.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the Sun is now open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00AM to 7:00PM. For more information on the grand opening celebration, set for May 28, visit the event page here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"underthesun2\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/underthesun2.png\")
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