About Us

LIVE is so proud to present an array of dishes to exhilarate your energies, and stimulate your body, mind, and soul!

LIVE's cuisine is influenced by the flavours and styles of many cultures. We are committed to the essential stewardship of our Earth and land through sustainable organic food production and support for local farmers.

We believe that the only way food should be processed, is the human body.

We believe that flavour comes first and that vegan foods are just a different palette with which to create a gourmet dining experience!

You needn't be Vegan, nor Raw to dine here. Open mindedness, adventure, and love for oneself is all that is needed.

Sit back, relax, have fun, and enjoy being nourished!

We welcome you! Live it up!!!

Our History

Three and half years ago 'Live' Toronto 's first Raw Food restaurant was born.

Live Health café evolved out of an organic vegan juice bar when Jennifer Italiano, the current visionary/chef/owner behind Live, became involved in an existing venture on the ground floor of the Yellow Brick Road Wellness. Chris Italiano, Jennifer's brother, and his partner had transformed the space into an organic focused food spot few months before Jennifer came aboard. In her own words, "I was taking a break from the fashion industry and decided to help my brother's girlfriend with the menu. I would come in daily and experiment with cooking different dishes". Having always been a 'foodie' Jennifer quickly knew that she had found her niche and decided that the restaurant business was the place for her and that she would not be returning to the fashion industry. She became a business partner in the juice bar and was 'determined to give this place a go."

Around the time fate seemed to step in with a direction for all that determination. Any one who has asked Jennifer how she got involved with Raw food knows the answer is usually somewhat vague but grounded-as if it was the obvious and only option.

Suddenly Live food seemed to be everywhere," everyone we came in contact with at the time seemed to be on the same wave length", Raw foodists visiting from New York , local Torontonians interested in the lifestyle, visiting speakers and experts. Yet even though the energy and interest were here, there was nowhere to go and eat Raw food. Taking matters into her own hands Jennifer and her business partner started to research and experiment with living foods. The decision was quickly reached to keep only one cooked vegan dish and make the rest of the café's menu RAW.

Cooking is always a process of discovery and Live's foundation is based strongly on endless trial and error. In the basement of the kitchen in our old space bumping into low hanging water pumps and craving sunlight, Jenn knows that "to this day making mistakes have probably led to my best creations".

In January 2003 my business partner decided to pursue different interests, and six months to the day from Jennifer's arrival Live Café was officially born. Flying solo with the essential help from her mother each morning getting ready for the day Jennifer began to make Live her own. "I was the chef, the dishwasher, the accountant, the juice girl. I look back and don't know how I did it to tell you the truth" she says. "I use to think, 'Hey, I'll give it all I can, I have no where else to go."

Live Health Café was so successful that within about six months, Jenn decided to hire her first assistance. Always aspiring to create comfortable dining experience there is a history of chatty, friendly Live Juice Girls, in the new restaurant maybe some boys too.

Committed to creating fair and fun working conditions Live has a progressive employment policy stressing all staff's value and input in the business. Always expanding and challenging past achievements Jenn decided that with the help she could start to train people in the kitchen. The transition from successful one woman show to ensemble piece was smooth resulting in a small but growing family of Live Staff and moving from a four seater restaurant to that one that accommodates sixty.

And so they say, the rest is history.