Sam Okamoto's Incredible Vegetables

Sam Okamoto, one of Vancouver's premier chefs
and restaurateurs, has developed a unique approach to food-one that combines
his vast knowledge of the health-giving aspects of food with traditional
Japanese cooking techniques, Western-style cuisine, and a vegan vegetarian
menu. In Sam Okamoto's Incredible Vegetables, readers get an
encyclopedia of nature's gifts for the body and how they should best be
prepared for their full curative and health value.
Originally trained as a French chef, Sam returned to his Asian roots several
years ago, searching for an alternative to the typical North American diet:
high in saturated fat, refined, and with an excessive amount of animal protein.
His research into fats and oils, additives, preservatives, and sugar
irrevocably altered his direction in cooking.
"The more I studied, the more I understood the completeness of Asian
food," he says. "The foods that I was accustomed to eating while I
was growing up had a long history and wisdom to go with them. They were very
simple, pleasant, tasty, and nutritious."
Okamoto begins with basic ingredients; he lists all of those that can
provide the necessary balance of vitamins and minerals for healthy living.
Cooking techniques and how they affere the foods we eat are also on his agenda.
He covers the pros and cons of steaming, boiling, frying, etc. Finally, there
are more than 225 practical applications of this wellness program in the form
of savory dishes that ward off any fears that healthy eating is dull and lacks
flavor.
Chef Osamu (Sam) Okamoto has earned a reputation as an innovator in food
styles and nutrition. Beginning his training at Hakata Imperial hotel in Hakata
City, Japan, he later studied under master chef Marcel Kretz at La
Sapini 1/2re in Quebec. In 1972 he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia,
where he began as a restaurant owner and consultant, revamping menus to
incorporate new recipes and cooking styles.