If there’s a food rule out there, chances are vegan superstar chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz will find a way to break it.
In August, Moskowitz’s punk rock sensibility inspired her to open Modern Love, a vegan restaurant in what’s virtually the backyard of Omaha Steaks. Just six months in, the Nebraskan city’s only restaurant for “swanky vegan comfort food” was named to OpenTable’s 2014 list of “Best Restaurants In America” — and it counts Omaha’s cattle ranchers and pig farmers among its customers.
“Veganism is seen as too hard to do or the butt of a joke,” Moskowitz told The Huffington Post. “Eating vegan is an ethical statement, but it’s hard to get through to somebody if they feel judged. Just chilling out a little about that is helpful. I believe in meeting people where they are. I’m not here to judge people.”
–
“Don’t give up something you’re not ready to give up,” Moskowitz says. Plus, since plenty of popular snack foods — think tater tots, falafel and hummus — are already vegan, Moskowitz says it’s better to focus on the vegan-friendly foods you enjoy rather than dwelling on the items you’re passing up. “Don’t start the conversation with what [foods] are out.”
Bestest Pesto
“There’s nobody who doesn’t love it,” Moskowitz says. “How do you take a big bite of basil and garlic and olive oil and lemon and not just calm your nerves a little bit?”
