No, they're con-men (and women) fooling idiots into thinking it's trendy to drop big change on a salad. Oooh, nothing's been heated over 120 degrees . . . . Not an opinion based on factual information. "raw" means not heated over 108 degrees. Some food fabrication leaders say 120 so they can use fermented products. But its just not raw. A con man gives you nothing for your money. That statement is coming from non fact based material. But everyones entitled to their opinion no matter how warped it may appear. Is the guy with the cheapest salad on the block the real mccoy? Or is serving the cheapest salad just that, serving cheap absurdity on a plate? Well, perhaps this belongs on another thread, but . . . To me, if, in fact, these folks are calling themselves "raw food technicians", it suggest that they're trying to use a fancy sounding name to cover up the fact that they're really just making salad. Just like the guy at Starbucks who calls himself a "register associate" (yes, that's true). But you are right, I'm just spouting off from ignorance -- I've never been to any of the raw food places. Although someone who's palate I admire went to Roxannes (in Marin) recently, and her reaction was, "it's not bad, but why all that money for a gimmick? It's not really cooking."