The 2012 Second Edition of Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America acclaims: "…the raw food movement owes much to Dr. Aris LaTham, a native of Panama. He is considered to be the father of gourmet ethical raw foods cuisine in America. Dr. LaTham debuted his raw food creations in 1979, when he started Sunfired Foods, a live food company in Harlem, New York. In the years since, he has trained thousands of raw food chefs and added innumerable recipes to his repertoire."