The Team

Matthew Kenney

Director of Culinary Arts & Operations

Matthew is a chef, restaurateur and author, known for his unique brand of organic and vegetarian cuisine. His company, Matthew Kenney Cuisine, is focused on the development of products, books and businesses that reﬂect his passion for sustainable living. His partnership, Living Cuisine Collection, is involved in the management, development, and consultation of living and raw cuisine services, businesses, and products internationally. Matthew has appeared on numerous morning and talk shows throughout the United States. He was named one of Food and Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs, was twice nominated for the James Beard Rising Star Chef Award, and has received annual awards from The French Culinary Institute,University of Maine, VegNews Magazine and PBS Television. He is the author of several cookbooks, including Raw Food Real World, Everyday Raw and Entertaining in the Raw. Matthew has been the chef and partner of several well known restaurants and is currently involved in a number of projects,all of which blend his passion for health, environmental and culinary concerns. In his capacity as Director of Culinary Arts & Operations for 105degrees, he oversees the creative development of the Company, including each season’s menu and curriculum.

Dara Prentice

Director of Business & External Affairs

Dara@105degrees.com dara

Dara practiced law for many years, after graduating summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University School of Law. She worked in the public and private sectors, including the Ofﬁce of the Oklahoma Attorney General, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Crowe & Dunlevy, PC and Cox Communications. Throughout her life, she has sought meaningful ways to enhance her community through service projects and on-going volunteer work for a variety of causes and organizations. Since combining her professional skills with her passion for living cuisine, Dara has devoted her career to creating 105degrees and Living Cuisine Collection with Chef Matthew Kenney in an effort to bring the best in taste and nutrition to all who seek it. As the Director of Business & External Affairs for 105degrees, Dara leads the Company’s work in the following areas: investor relations, legal and regulatory affairs, including vocational school state licensing, marketing and public relations, community relations and outreach, external communications, business affairs, company expansion, and strategic planning.

Ladan Raissi

Academy & Kitchen Director

Ladan@105degrees.com ladan

Ladan is an accomplished chef and instructor, who values raw and living foods as the most dynamic source of nutrition that allows the highest form of aesthetic presentation. She ﬁrst developed a keen interest in the relationship between food and health while teaching at a New York private school. While there, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health and interned at the James Beard Foundation under the direction of award winning chefs. Ladan later served as the Chef de Partie at the Hotel Del Coronado, and then as the Chef de Cuisine at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort, where she ran the hotel restaurant and lounge, wrote seasonal menus, and taught summer classes to the guests. She has been featured in many publications as a rising chef. As the Academy and Kitchen Director of 105degrees, Ladan has returned to her love for teaching, now as a seasoned and professional chef. Combining her passion for living cuisine and her culinary training, she is dedicated to imparting clean flavors and modernized technique to living cuisine.