A modern guide to vegan living

Get LAIKA in your inbox

Friday, January 3, 2014

How to Live to 100: According to Chef Jason Wrobel

There is no exact recipe for success. But Jason Wrobel, who graces the cover of our new issue along with Whitney Lauritsen, seems to have a pretty reliable one for a life well lived. “Keep trusting in your dreams and your unique vision for your life,” the star of the world’s first primetime cooking series How to Live to 100 told us when we spoke to him recently. “So many people told me for years that it “couldn’t be done” or that they “already tried and were told no” – but honestly, I didn’t listen.” It is lucky for us, and the rest of the world, that he didn’t.

(more…)

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The Intrepid Chef: Makini Howell

Chef Howell with Copper in front of her food truck, Plum Burgers.

Just try to keep up with Makini Howell. She has been running Seattle’s much-loved vegan hot spot Plum Bistro for a number of years now (along with its sister eateries, Plum Café, Plum Juice Bar and Quickie Too Tacoma); earlier this year she released her first cookbook, Plum: Gratifying Vegan Dishes from Seattle’s Plum Bistro; and now, she is quite literally on the move. That is because Makini recently unleashed Plum Burgers on the streets of Seattle—the city’s first vegan food truck, and the nation’s first vegan burger truck. She’s a bit of a trailblazer, this lady. “A food truck is not for the faint of heart! I have run out of gas on a hill, had to stand up to (really big guys) for my spot on the street, and work lightning fast to lock down all of the best spots to park in town,” Makini told us. “Once you get it on the road, though, you feel like girls rock!”

(more…)

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Interview with Bestselling Vegan Author Terry Hope Romero

Terry Hope Romero has been cutting into the mainstream with her unique style of vegan cuisine for years. I will never forget how back in 2010, when I was art directing an issue of the very mainstream and very popular women’s magazine Latina, the editors chose to open the entire Food section with a profile on Terry. The pull-quote they chose from her read, “Latin food has heart, soul and sabor. And vegan food is friendly to your body and the planet, and compassionate towards animals. Philosophically, the two are a great match.” I was floored. Juggling multiple media outlets is nothing new to Terry. In 2003, she co-hosted the lively DIY-style cooking show Post Punk Kitchen with her vegan partner-in-crime Isa Chandra Moskowitz. The 6-episode show led to the now-hugely popular site, and a vibrant cook book co-authoring career between the two women— long-time friends since their punk scene days. Some of their biggest hits include the vegan cooking bible Veganomicon and the baking must-have Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

(more…)