I'll never forget the moment I first stepped into The Present Moment Café, an uplifting raw-food restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida. I recall how my heart beat faster than normal when my husband and I were driving there that Saturday. I was excited and just knew that we were about to get a "taste" of a restaurant vibrating on a different level than many other eateries we had experienced.

The Present Moment Cafe While The Present Moment's food was indeed delectable and certainly helped convince my husband that live lasagna could truly look similar to cooked lasagna and be tastier than it, too, I was equally as intrigued by the energy that has brought this cafe into existence. It's the brainchild of Yvette Schindler, owner of The Present Moment Café. However, it was Schindler's 20-year-old son, Nathan, who helped plant the raw-food "seed" in his mom after he read and suggested she read "Nature's First Law: The Raw Food Diet" by Stephen Arlin, Fouad Dini, and David Wolfe.

Schindler became inspired to increase her raw-food intake, and she quickly noticed how much better she felt in mind, body and spirit because of it. "My experience has been that the more one can eat of this food, the more one feels better and wants to eat more -- especially if it's tasty," she explained. Schindler's creative energy expanded and reached a point where it needed to be unleashed. She just couldn't keep all of that newfound raw-food joy to herself; she visualized giving the community an ongoing opportunity to experience what she was feeling from raw food. The rest, as they say, is history! Schindler turned the warehouse to her boat store on West King Street into what is now my favorite place in town -- the Present Moment Café!

Both Schindler and her son "have studied under the tutelage of some of the best national and international chefs including famous raw food chef, Chad Sarno, in the art of raw food preparation." In fact, at the time this article was being written, Schindler was preparing to travel to Healthy Adventure, a "leading vegetarian vacation travel company specializing in natural health and fitness" located in The Florida Keys "to assist Chad in the kitchen for seven days. "Chad Sarno will be the chef down there and Gabriel, Victoras, Clemens and a lot of the raw food heavies will be speaking," Schindler informed me.

But back to what she has manifested in St. Augustine, Florida! Schindler and her son "seek to share their knowledge, intention and compassion with those who dine at The Present Moment Café," as explained on the cafe's web site.

"We welcome everyone into the café to experience the joy in taste and good feelings that come from live foods," said Schindler who eats about a 95 percent raw diet. That small portion of cooked food that she partakes of often gives her new ideas for raw variations of it. "I don't judge myself or others on their percentage of live foods consumption," she explained, "but rather support their desire to eat nourishment from God/Nature in the form it was meant to be given. As happens, the more natural we become, the more life moves brilliantly through and around us and we are able to hear and see the call of Nature/God."

Schindler's call to raise the health consciousness of the community is evident when talking to her and observing the flow of her cafe space. Health shines on just about every level there -- from the food to the music to the staff to the availability of health books to health events and more.

Schindler's deep passion for bringing a raw-food lifestyle to the community mixed with "food served with love and gratitude" undoubtedly makes PMC a wonderful dining experience for customers. "On Saturday, Dick and I visited Present Moment Café and enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere a lot," said Alexander, a friend of mine who decided to give PMC a try after I raved about it. "We also found the spirit of the waitresses remarkable," he noted.

Since that visit, Alexander has increased his raw-food intake and has been trying to duplicate a salad dressing he tasted at PMC. In an e-mail to me, he asked: "Could you email me a recipe for a raw salad dressing? The Present Moment Café has a lemon-olive oil base dressing that is delicious. I wonder if you know the ingredients and portions. I am transiting to 50-80% raw diet and can use some good dressing recipes if you can share your favorites with me."

As far as my first visit to PMC, perhaps it's needless to mention that I didn't want my time there to end. I longed to linger in the present moment. (At times, however, my mind did jump out of the moment as I wished my son was there experiencing all of that raw-food goodness with Mommy and Daddy.)

The Present Moment Cafe Note: My wish soon came true a few days later (details below). This picture was taken with my cell phone and did not come out so clear. However, it captures "something" and "someone" special to me. At the time of the picture, more than half of my son's raw lasagna was gone. Take note of his lasagna-stuffed cheek. :-)

After my husband and I finished our meal on our "date night" at PMC, I perused a variety of pictures and other literature hanging in the café's hallway. Collin had to literally coax me out of the quaint and dimly-lit setting. "She doesn't want to leave," he said to Schindler as she passed by the juice and smoothie bar, the area of the restaurant where my divine Universal Smoothie had been made.

The Present Moment Cafe Eventually, we had to leave, though. Life outside of the café was calling. Plus, I needed to go and tell people all about this new treasure in St. Augustine. But, since I just couldn't get enough of the place that Saturday night, we took the 45-minute drive back there three days later. This time, as I had imagined, we had our son and my husband's parents with us. I was thrilled for us to get a taste of PMC together -- as a family.

During that visit, Collin ordered two servings of the Veggie Sushi which he had thoroughly enjoyed during our prior visit. My in-laws and Caleb ordered the Live Lasagna special while I opted to try the Portobello Croquettes which consisted of "Portobello mushrooms and walnut pate.....served over zucchini spaghetti noodles with a red pepper marinara sauce and topped with pine nut parmesan."

The Present Moment Cafe We were not going to leave without trying some of the desserts, too. Each of us enjoyed our selections, but Collin's "Warm Live Pecan Apple Cobbler" with a scoop of home-made live ice-cream certainly captured much attention at our dinner table. It was as delicious as it looked.

“I agree with Hippocrates," says Schindler: “'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food!' Only, I would like to add -- and let it not taste like medicine! So, that is what I strive to bring to the table. Healthy, live, tasty medicine!"

And that's precisely what The Present Moment Café is dishing up on 224 W. King Street in St. Augustine, Florida!

The Present Moment Cafe' is located at 224 W King St, St. Augustine, FL 32084. Their phone number is (904) 827-4499.

Reviewed by Penny from PearMagazine.com

Penny is a freelance writer and editor of www.PearMagazine.com. She writes a weekly blog at www.rawmom.com.

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