Isa Chandra Moskowitz is the creator of Post Punk Kitchen, a punk-inspired vegan cooking show that aired in Brooklyn from 2003 to 2005. She’s also the author of Vegan with a Vengeance and the co-author of the award-winning cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World. With a mission to empower others to fill their kitchens with yummy vegan food, Isa’s upbeat and do-it-yourself approach to compassionate cooking has garnered the attention of the New York Times, Washington Post and New York Magazine, among other media outlets.

Q: How long have you been vegan and what were the strongest influences that helped you make that transition?

A: My vegan story is a two part one, but I’ll try to keep it brief. I went vegan at 16, which was 1989. Things were really different then—we didn’t have all the vegan options that supermarkets do now. But my influences at the time were my cats, my vegan friends and punk rock songs about animal oppression. I also read Animal Liberation by Peter Singer, which took all these things that I was thinking and feeling and put it into cohesive words. I was mostly cooking for myself and my friends and family. I joined an anarchist youth group, and we spent a few years being activists together. Most of us were vegan and that was great for support. But in my twenties, I grew really disenfranchised and drifted away from that community. Being vegan became too difficult for me, although I was still vegetarian and cooked vegan. Later on when I got myself together and began to care about things again, I transitioned back to veganism, and here I am!

Vegan with a Vengeance: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes that Rock
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz
2005, Marlowe & Company

Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
2006, Marlowe & Company

Be sure to also visit the Post Punk Kitchen online to get loads of vegan recipes, join Isa’s forum, link to her cooking show, and, of course, listen to the PPK theme song!

Q: Your Post Punk Kitchen shows and cookbooks can debunk myths about vegan eating by making veganism both fun and delicious. Have you always enjoyed cooking or did you discover the joys of cooking after becoming vegan?

A: Before I was vegan I liked cooking but I didn’t really get it. My desire to go back to being vegan came with the caveat that I wanted to make sure that I could be completely satisfied with what I was eating. I know that sounds a little bit selfish, and I suppose it is. But I think most people have the struggle of taste buds versus ethics and taste buds often win out. I was determined not to let that happen. The thing I didn’t realize then was that your taste buds often do catch up to your ethics. I lost the taste for the things I thought I could never give up, namely cheese.

Q: What are some tips you can offer vegans who are less skilled in the kitchen but still want to create that unforgettably delicious meal to impress their non-vegan friends or family?

A: The best advice is to just cook. Read the recipes carefully, follow the directions and you’ll learn something new with every recipe you make. Don’t be afraid and don’t tell yourself that you’re a “bad cook.” Thousands of years ago, someone created bread! If someone could create bread, then no one in the 21st century, with all of our resources (fire whenever we want it! Pots and Pans! Olive oil at our fingertips!) has any excuse to not learn how to cook. Skill will come with time. On a more practical note, you could join the Post Punk Kitchen message boards and get a little guidance and feedback.

Q: As the saying goes, the best way to reach someone’s heart is through their stomach. If there’s any truth to that, then introducing others to good vegan food should be a priority. What are some simple ways that each of us can do this in our everyday lives?

A: Have vegan potlucks, even if you don’t have vegan friends most people will be willing to cook vegan for a day. Bring vegan baked goods to work, host a dinner for no reason, give vegan cookbooks to your friends, make your own vegan zine and give them to friends and family.

Q: Vegan food has come a long way in recent years. It’s not only increasingly available in stores and restaurants everywhere, but it’s also better-tasting. What do you see as the next frontier in vegan cooking?

A: I just see a continuation of what we have been seeing for the past decade; more vegan restaurants, more vegan options everywhere, more vegan cookbooks, more vegan products in supermarkets. I think that vegans are becoming a “small but vocal” minority and it has a snowball effect. I love to watch vegan blogs pop up with innovative foods, I especially love when I think “I wish I’d thought of that!” because it makes me feel like we won’t hit some sort of brick wall where the last tofu recipe ever has been invented. Food is constantly evolving.

Q: Your vegan recipe creations have landed you several well-deserved awards as well as features in various newspaper and magazine articles. Do you have any future plans to open up a restaurant (in Washington, DC, of course)?

A: I really want to open a restaurant, but, as with most things, I have the plans but not the cash. I wish that the myth that vegans are all rich liberals were true, because then maybe I could get some investors. I’d even move to DC if you can find me a sugar daddy.

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