Isa Chandra Moskowitz is an American

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

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 Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 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 Sc ...

, where she majored in

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

, Moskowitz found herself drawn toward the

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

scene of the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

in the late 1980s, embracing first a

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

diet, then

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

. She also volunteered with

Food Not Bombs Food Not Bombs (FNB) is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, sharing free, usually vegan and vegetarian food with others. The group believes that corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of ...

. an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

organization that provides free vegan meals to the homeless and needy.

Career

In 2023, ''

Tasting Table Tasting Table (incorporated as TDT Media Inc.) is an American 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 fo ...

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

VegNews VegNews is a media brand focused on a plant-based lifestyle, encompassing a flagship magazine, a website, and a podcast, among other properties. VegNews covers content relating to veganism, including news, recipes, and celebrity interviews. His ...

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 unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

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 the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, then to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. 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 2024, ''

Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and sea ...

'' included both ''Veganomicon'' and ''Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week'' in their list of "the 20 Best Vegan Cookbooks for Every Type of Meal" in 2024.

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 The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...

, 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
-

CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...

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 Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, 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