Interview with Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Isa Chandra Moskowitz is the most popular and highest selling vegan cookbook author in the world. She became vegan when she was in high school, briefly went back to vegetarianism, and then returned to veganism in her 20s. She connected with the punk community in the late 80s, and began volunteering with "Food Not Bombs", a grassroots movement dedicated to providing free vegetarian food to the hungry and to protesting poverty and war. For several years, Isa hosted a public access kitchen show in Brooklyn called the Post Punk Kitchen that combined cooking with her punk roots. Recently, Isa Chandra Moskowitz moved to Portland, Oregon, where she has a large kitchen to test her ever-expanding repertoire of recipes. She loves gardening, bird watching, and biking in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest. Isa's approach to food is that it should be fun to prepare and beautiful to look at, without having to use mock meats and heeses. She is gifted at pairing foods together to create new and exciting flavors, and combines that talent with a welcoming tone to make her cookbooks accessible to everyone. Vegan with a Vengeance was Isa's first book, and it showcases easy and fun meatless recipes. It quickly became an iconic book in the vegan community and has been reprinted multiple times. Isa Chandra Moskowitz co-authored Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World with Terry Hope Romero, and it is as fun as it sounds-- I mean, who doesn't love cupcakes? Every recipe is simple and delicious, and comes complete with full-color photographs of the cute little cakes. Veganomicon was written to serve as a vegan "Joy of Cooking," and it delivers. Again written with Romero, Veganomicon showcases vegetables and teaches how to cook them without turning them to mush. The recipes are full of complexity without being complex, and the instruction is witty and fun to read. Isa Chandra Moskowitz just released Vegan Brunch Questions for Isa Chandra Moskowitz:Most non-meat-eaters develop a quick answer to the most typical questions we get from meat-eaters. What's your go-to response when people ask why you are a vegan? If you are asked to elaborate, what else do you say?I don't think I say the same thing every time, but the short answer is that I love animals. The longer answer is that we have no need to take their lives. Wouldn't we freak out if someone tried to kill our dog or cat? That is the bottom line. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with that sentiment, so I will bring up the environmental and health benefits, too.
How did working with Food Not Bombs change your life, and are you still active with volunteer and charity organizations?
If you had to cook yourself one last vegan meal, what would it be? I would probably be too freaked out to eat if it were my last meal, and hopefully someone else would be cooking it for me.
On the same note, if you had one chance to sway non-believers with a delicious vegan meal, what would you serve? I don't know, it would depend on the season and who the people were and all that. But I often say, when in doubt - pesto! Everyone loves pesto.
Many people aspire to have the same level of success that you've had in the vegan world. Who do you look up to? I'm assuming you mean in the vegan cooking world. Well, my first vegan cookbook was Tofu Cookery by Louise Hagler. I don't know much about her other than that she brought my whole family together with her cookbook and made it possible for all of us to go vegetarian in 1989. There weren't many vegan cookbooks back then so hers was extremely helpful and have a special place in my heart. I suppose that means I look up to her!
What made you decide to move to Portland, and is the move permanent? How have your culinary horizons expanded since moving to "vegan mecca"? I moved because I had friends here and needed a change. I needed more space, less stress and a change of pace. I love how bike friendly it is and how great the public transportation is. Of course, it's also beautiful and surrounded by nature. Not to mention awesome affordable thrift stores. I don't know if the move is permanent but I will definitely be here for awhile. The biggest change in my cooking is that I have so much more space in my kitchen, not to mention a dishwasher. That really gets me to cook a lot more often.
Can you tell us more about your upcoming vegan brunch book? Well, brunch has always been my favorite thing to eat. I like to think of it as more of an event than a meal. The recipes are designed for crowds, usually pretty easy and always filling and satisfying.
What other exciting endeavors are in your future? Oh let's see....a few more cookbooks. A cookie cookbook is the next up. I'm redoing my website to be more user friendly too. And I'd like to start making new cooking videos soon.
Done with Isa Chandra Moskowitz? Return to Famous Vegans
|
and 
will be available in late 2009.
