Revive your love of cooking

Jeremy Dixon

When Jeremy Dixon first opened Revive Cafe in central Auckland in 2004, it took a stressful 12 months of menu amending, roster changing, marketing and staff training until he got it right. After a successful four years in operation, Jeremy then opened a second cafe. He again faced tough challenges when he tried to find a publisher for his first Revive cookbook. He took it into his own hands, self published, and has two bestsellers and a third now on the market. Jeremy talks to Colleen Thorpe about his busy life

WITH SO MANY COOKBOOKS OUT THERE, WHAT MAKES YOURS DIFFERENT? Healthy cafe food. Also the recipes are simple and quick using easy-to-find ingredients.

WHAT WAS YOUR OBJECTIVE WHEN OPENING REVIVE CAFE? Providing people with genuinely healthy food so they can have more energy and vitality.

GIVE US THREE OF YOUR TOP HEALTH TIPS Just do the basics and avoid the fads. Eat wholefoods - keep your food as simple as possible to provide your body with great fuel. For most people, drinking two litres of water a day and doing some exercise would have massive improvements to their energy and vitality!

WHAT SWEETENERS CAN BE USED IN PLACE OF SUGAR? We use date puree (blend dates and water) for most of our sweetening. Honey is also great. Agave or maple syrups are good but quite expensive to use on a regular basis.

TELL US FIVE INGREDIENTS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR FRIDGE AND FIVE INGREDIENTS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR PANTRY? Fridge: Date puree, crushed ginger, Thai curry pastes, fresh coriander, frozen berries. Pantry: Canned tomatoes, Indian spices (like cumin, turmeric, coriander), onions, quinoa and tahini.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT DECIDING WHAT RECIPES TO INCLUDE IN THIS BOOK? Just things that were popular with customers in my cafes.

WHICH RECIPE IS YOUR FAVOURITE IN THIS BOOK? Thai Ginger Slaw. Quick, fresh and tasty.

WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE RECIPE? Pumpkin, spinach, ginger and tofu curry from my first book. Quick and delicious.

WHERE DID YOU TRAIN TO BE A CHEF? I considered training to be a chef when I started Revive, however, I discovered that in the training I would spend most of my time learning how to prepare meat, how to combine lots of sugar, chocolate, white flour and butter to make desserts, using copious amounts of processed foods and matching wines. So I instead crafted my skills by starting a cafe and working with my experienced chefs over the years, honing my food principles and creating dishes. There were plenty of failures but after much persistence I think we have ended up with a unique blend of tasty wholefood recipes.

DO YOU HAVE A GUILTY PLEASURE? Do berry smoothies count? Sorry, I am not all that exciting.

WHAT WAS THE VERY FIRST THING YOU COOKED? First memory would be making pikelets with my grandma when I was around 4.

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOUR LOVE OF COOKING? Going flatting and trying to impress my future wife.

WHAT DID YOUR SCHOOL REPORT SAY? Nothing special - just an average kid who could "try harder".

IF YOU WERE ON MASTERMIND, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR SPECIALIST TOPIC? Healthy cooking alternatives.

TELL US THREE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WOULD SURPRISE
1. I love early mornings.
2.When on safari in Africa two years ago I got out of the car and stroked a cheetah that I thought was tame from the resort, but later discovered was actually wild.
3.I would love to write some children's books one day.