Isa Chandra Moskowitz is an American

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

chef, cookbook author, former host of the vegan community access cooking show '' Post Punk Kitchen'', and restaurateur.

Early life and education

Raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, and having dropped out of

The High School of Music & Art The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" (or "M&A"), was a public specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the High ...

, where she majored in

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

, Moskowitz found herself drawn toward the punk rock scene of the Lower East Side of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in the late 1980s, embracing first a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

diet, then

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet (nutrition), diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is kn ...

. She also volunteered with Food Not Bombs. an anarchist organization that provides free vegan meals to the homeless and needy.

Career

In 2023, ''

Tasting Table ''Tasting Table'' (incorporated as ''TDT Media Inc.'') is a digital media company focused on food and drink. The brand's website and email newsletter report on food and drink trends in the categories of dining, wine, cocktails, cooking and food ...

'' named Moskowitz as one of the “21 Plant-Based Chefs You Need To Know,” and

VegNews ''VegNews'' is an American magazine that publishes content about and relating to veganism, including news, health information, recipes, global events, vegan products, media, and more. History and profile It was founded in 2000 as a newspaper, and ...

listed her as one of the "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food."

''Post Punk Kitchen''

The inspiration to create her own cooking show, the '' Post Punk Kitchen,'' came while watching the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

and wondering to herself why there were no vegan shows.Moskowitz, Isa Chandra.''Vegan With a Vengeance''. Marlowe & Company, 2005, p. 3. According to Moskowitz, the show used the title ''The Post Punk Kitchen'' to signify the feeling of being "older and facing the conundrum of growing up and making compromises that their eighteen-year-old selves might hate them for".

Restaurants

In April 2008, she relocated from New York to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, then to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. Her restaurant, Modern Love, has locations in Omaha and Brooklyn.Post Punk Kitchen's Isa Chandra Moskowitz Talks Opening Modern Love in Brooklyn
/ref> Her first restaurant, Modern Love, opened in Omaha in 2014 and a second location opened in Brooklyn in 2016.

Cookbooks

The success of ''The Post Punk Kitchen'' led to the compilation of a cookbook, ''Vegan with a Vengeance'', in late 2005, and a number of additional cookbooks over the years. In 2023, '' Food & Wine'' listed both ''Veganomicon'' and ''Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week'' as 16 best vegan cookbooks for the year, and also named ''Isa Does It'' as one of “The 18 Best Vegan Cookbooks for Every Type of Meal."

listed ''Veganomicon,'' ''Super fun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook,'' ''Vegan Brunch,'' ''Isa Does It,'' and ''I Can Cook Vegan'' as "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024. *''Vegan with a Vengeance''. 2005. *''Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World'', with Terry Hope Romero. 2006. *''Veganomicon'', with Terry Hope Romero. 2007. *''Vegan Brunch''. 2009. *''Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar'', with Terry Hope Romero. 2009. *''Appetite for Reduction''. 2010. *''Vegan Pie in the Sky''. 2011. * *''Vegan with a Vengeance, 10th Anniversary Edition: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock''. 2015. *''The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook: Entertaining for Absolutely Every Occasion''. 2016. *''I Can Cook Vegan''. 2019. *

Activism

Moskowitz is a vocal opponent of "humane meat", promoting animal rights through what she calls "Culinary Activism" or "Baketivism": After the

2010 Haiti earthquake A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's c ...

, Moskowitz posted on her blog a call for vegans to host bake sales in their home cities to fundraise for relief which resulted in over $75,000 being raised.

Notes

External links

*
Isa Chandra Moskowitz
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CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...

Make It Articles *
10 Essential Pantry Staples, According to Chefs
',

Vegetarian Times ''Vegetarian Times'' is an American publication focused on food, culture, health and lifestyle for vegetarians, vegans, and all people interested in plant-based eating. ''Vegetarian Times'' promotes an eco-friendly lifestyle with recipes, and he ...

, May 17, 2022. *
Don’t fear the vegan at your Thanksgiving table
',

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

, November 21, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Moskowitz, Isa 1973 births Living people American food writers 20th-century American Jews Chefs of vegan cuisine Punk writers Writers from Brooklyn American television chefs American veganism activists American women chefs Vegan cookbook writers Chefs from New York City 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American women Women in punk