Dr. Aris Latham – CTV’s new culinary and lifestyle chef, instructs a client in dietary strategies. - Contributed

FOOD NETWORK lovers will be in for a treat from CTV this summer. The local television station has commissioned Chef Aris Latham to do a series on food, health and wellness.

Aris Latham, listed in the Oxford encyclopaedia of Food and Drink as the father of ethical gourmet or raw food cuisine, will be disclosing the secrets of fresh food preparation to viewers.

Latham’s CTV show, titled ‘Healthy Lifestyles – A New Level of Wellness’, promises to bring into Jamaican homes the taste, texture and colour of delicious and nutritious plant foods - fruits, herbs, nuts, seeds, marine vegetation, flowers and spices.

Born in Panama, Latham has studied and lived in the U.S. for 36 years, and has appeared on ABC, Eyewitness News, Discovery Channel and in many publications including Essence magazine.

In the months of July and August, the host of the CTV food programme will do 13 shows featuring raw food recipes and a few with cooked food.

“The objective is to expose people to the variety of fresh foods available in Jamaica and how to incorporate them in meals,” Latham told Outlook.

“We want them to be more conscious in how they prepare fresh foods, creating different textures and tastes rather than frying and jerking.

“We want our viewers to be able and have a fresh salad every day and cook foods consciously without destroying the nutritional value.”

Each show on CTV should combine vegetarian gourmet cuisine with exclusive detoxification, massage, relaxation and meditation methods presented by experts.

The programme, which is aired every Friday on CTV, will also include the healing secrets of Jamaica with Dr. Donovan White.

According to Latham, viewers can also look out for a segment on mud masks, which features the use of clay from the Blue Mountain, which is quite similar to the mud from the Dead Sea. The clay is used to draw toxins from the skin and keep this organ tight and smooth.

Viewers will also be exposed to Egyptian yoga, taichi, meditation and visualisation.

Latham says his next project will be the filming of a segment for the Food Network. The Food Network is coming to Jamaica to cover the jerk festival as well as the ital and raw food experience in Jamaica.

Later this year, he will also be going off to do work shops in the United States and checking operations at his restaurant in Houston, Texas. His 2007 itinerary also includes many places in Africa.

– Outlook Team