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Letter to the editor

Glass Onion: artful, meatless

By ARLEEN SPENCELEY Times Staff Writer
Published September 28, 2007

Nick Scalise, front, and Alfredo Llana do free-form abstract painting to the music of Sunset Bridge at the Glass Onion this month.
	[Kathleen Flynn | Times]

Upstairs, the owner serves key lime pie, guacamole and salad from a kitchen that looks out over an organic garden.

Downstairs, artists use paint and a canvas, acoustic guitars and an upright bass to entertain in the gallery, where guests learn yoga and tai chi.

Glass Onion is the brainchild of Clint Corfman, a 34-year-old glass blower who is passionate about both art and veganism, and has made this place a magnet for those with similar leanings.

"A lot of people in a lot of places are healing themselves of very serious illnesses by incorporating raw food in their diet," said 34-year-old Curtis Whitwam, who teaches raw food preparation classes at the Glass Onion. "There's a lot of evidence to support that."

The food Corfman and Whitwam prepare is strictly vegan - without animal or dairy products.

"Raw food gives us the responsibility to know that our food is healthy," Corfman said. "In a holistic sense, raw food encourages our connection with the earth."

Corfman's connection to the gallery dates back to 2000, when he met glass blower Drew Smith while waiting tables at Viva la Frida restaurant in Seminole Heights. When Smith retired in 2002, Corfman invested in his property, a gallery at 6310 Nebraska Ave.

Today, Corfman wants local artists to help run the place, which he describes as a co-op. He declined to say how he supports himself, but the Glass Onion accepts donations at most of its events.

Guests can take a tour and sample raw food on Friday nights and listen to live music Saturdays while learning a little about what it's like to live the raw food lifestyle.

"It's nice to have an alternative community gathering," said Josh Tabalone, 21, owner of a raw chocolate company called Empowered Foods. "This is a true community center."

Tabalone, a friend of Corfman's, has been a raw foodist for two years.

"As far as I'm concerned, what (we) do isn't out of the ordinary," he said. "What makes more sense: eating something out of the ground or out of a box from the grocery store?"

Lesli Menendez, 40, came across the Glass Onion in a blurb on a Seminole Heights neighborhood blog. The creativity drew her to it.

"You know, they say onions have many layers," she said. And here, "there's something different everywhere you look."

[Last modified September 27, 2007, 07:49:17]