About

I’m a foodie loving raw and living in the greater Orlando, FL area with my husband, George, our children affectionately known as the PB’s (”punk-bastards” - any child between the ages of 10 to 23, or until they become financially independent), Little Georgie the wonder-maltese, and Gorilla the 25-pound beast that is a black cat. (Why did I go raw?)

Besides being a wife and mother and tending to the madness that is family business, I’m totally obsessed with gastronomy and foodie-ism and I always seem to be reinventing myself and my personal choices.  Therefore, I’m manifesting my enthusiasm for it all into this blog. I have a tremendous passion for travel, which plays a big role in my culinary world, so I try to apply as much of these amazing experiences as possible to a raw lifestyle.

Career life in a nutshell: I have a B.A. in Communication Arts from Palm Beach Atlantic University, and a B.S. in Media Arts & Animation from the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale. My early career began in radio in West Palm Beach, FL, interning for syndicated talk show host Todd Schnitt, and shortly thereafter I was a field news reporter for CBS-affiliate, WPEC in West Palm Beach. I parlayed into the world of multimedia, eventually taking a role as creative director for a TV production company where we produced documentaries on subjects like Marilyn Manson, Korn, alien cults, and technology programs for networks such as CNN and CNBC. Around came the dot.com wagon and I was picked up and fabulously overpaid as an art director at a fast-growing start up which quickly got too big for its britches (and its pockets) and blew up like many of the rest. Flying through the air, I was caught by Hitachi and landed as a brand manager to start up their newly formed IT consulting division. Those were some good times, but I eventually settled down to adapt to a less volatile career life.

Congruent to my attention to my health, by 2003, I became a certified Raja-hatha yoga instructor. I taught yoga and healthy cooking classes, wrote freelance, designed a line of yoga wear and sold some paintings. After relocating to Orlando from South Florida to work on a real estate development project, I started dating the man who is now my husband, and my life today.

7 Responses to “About”

  1. Yaa Mcfarlane, on May 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 am Said:

    Hi julie,

    I just moved to the Orlando area, actually near the airport and was given your website by a GITMR member living in Italy. I’m so glad she did. would love to connect and meet you. am on my own raw journey to becoming completely raw.

  2. jaimecru, on May 7th, 2008 at 9:12 pm Said:

    Hi Julie. My name is Jaime, and I found your blog through my friend Rawleen. I’ve just started my own blog (well, I haven’t gotten past a brief intro paragraph) to try to encourage me to up the ante on my raw food journey. I’ve really enjoyed reading your super fun narrative and you’ve created some great-looking recipes. I live in Satellite Beach, so I really should make a trek into Orlando to some of the great places you’ve spotlighted. Thanks for all the great info. J’aime cru!

  3. Matthew, on May 28th, 2008 at 3:21 pm Said:

    Hi Julie

    Olive Mackey sent me a link to the Orlando message board the other day - I noticed that some people were wondering about our opening date - It will likely be at the end of June or just after the July 4th holiday. We want to have everything fine tuned when we open. I’ll be sending out a link to our revised website and an exact date once we finalize everything. Also, your website is fantastic.

    All the best

    Matthew Kenney

  4. juliesrawambition, on May 29th, 2008 at 11:53 am Said:

    Hi Matthew,

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking the time to update me on the opening. I’ll be traveling the Med throughout the month of June into the 1st week of July, so it sounds like I may be back just in time. I look forward to it, and hope to meet you as well!

    Take care!
    Julie

  5. Amy, on June 17th, 2008 at 3:53 pm Said:

    Hello Julie,
    Found your blog via We LIke It Raw. I am a recent raw food convert having become Raw Food Coach in Switzerland where this lifestyle is practically unknown. If your travels via Europe take you to Switzerland, do come and see me. I am thinking of running a raw bed and breakfast on Lake Geneva!
    My family and I are traveling to your part of the world this July, staying in Miami Beach, Orlando and then Fort Lauderdale so am looking for raw food tips while there. I am so looking forward to finding wonderful food there. Many thanks ahead, and keep well, Amy

  6. akeorlando, on June 27th, 2008 at 8:12 am Said:

    You have a really great blog! I haven’t spent too much time looking around at the content yet, but I really like the layout. Very appealing to the reader.

  7. Emma, on July 3rd, 2008 at 5:05 pm Said:

    Hi Julie,

    We noticed that you are following “No Reservations” on Twitter and like your blog, so we wanted to get in touch with you regarding Anthony Bourdain’s season premiere of “No Reservations” which airs Monday, July 7th. We thought you and Julie’s Raw Ambition readers would love the inside information.

    We have access to an exclusive video about the new season and chose just a few bloggers to send it to:
    http://www.viddler.com/explore/TravelChannel/videos/2/

    We are also giving a few lucky bloggers some Bourdain swag (hat, signed posters, DVDs) to keep, give to a neighbor or use to run a giveaway contest to your loyal readers. You make that call. Let us know if you are interested in any of the promotional items – we have a very limited number.

    In the premiere, Bourdain finds himself in picturesque Laos, with exotic cuisines and mysteriously haunting history. Anthony visits a completely different world that experiences the benefits of being non-Wessternized, a place that doesn’t need another Starbucks or KFC. It’s sure to be a crowd pleaser and unlike any of his other travels.

    If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you would like to receive an email before each show airs with a special preview to keep your blog updated, just let me know.

    On another note, as we are putting more online community platforms in place we would love your feedback. Join in on the conversation on Anthony’s blog, or follow him on Twitter to receive the latest updates. Tell your readers about them, too!

    On a more personal note, I hope this email is not offensive to you. I maintain my own personal blog, and am familiar with the annoyance of spammy messaging. If you have ideas on how Travel Channel or Anthony Bourdain might be able to promote your blog or better contribute to your interests – please be sure to let me know.

    With Appreciation,

    Emma Sefton
    Room 214, Inc. on behalf of the Travel Channel
    http://www.room214.com
    http://www.travelchannel.com

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