Isa Chandra Moskowitz

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Moskowitz in Omaha, Nebraska, 2010
Moskowitz in Omaha, Nebraska, 2010
Born
Occupation
  • Vegan chef
  • activist
  • cookbook author
  • cooking show host
EducationHigh School of Music & Art (dropped out)
SubjectVeganism cookbooks
Notable worksVegan with a Vengeance (2005)
Veganomicon, with Terry Hope Romero (2007)
Isa Does It (2013)
I Can Cook Vegan (2019)

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is an American vegan chef, cookbook author, former host of the vegan community access cooking show Post Punk Kitchen, and former restaurateur.[1]

Early life

Moskowitz was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She majored in fine art at the High School of Music & Art, but eventually dropped out.[2] She became involved with the punk rock scene of the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the late 1980s.[2] During this time, she became a vegetarian, then later turned to veganism.[2] She also volunteered with Food Not Bombs.[3]

Career

Post Punk Kitchen

The Post Punk Kitchen began as a vegan cooking show that aired on Brooklyn and Manhattan public-access television cable TV from 2003 to 2004, and later became a recipe website.

Cookbooks

Moskowitz at a Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti event

The success of The Post Punk Kitchen led her to become a cookbook author, beginning in 2005 with her first cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance.[4][5][6][7]

Foreword

Restaurants

For over a decade, Moskowitz ran an independent restaurant chain, Modern Love (2014-2025).[9][10][11] Her first restaurant opened in Omaha, Nebraska in 2014[12] and closed in 2024.[1] A second location opened in Brooklyn in 2016[13] and closed in 2025.[1]

Activism

Moskowitz is a vocal opponent of "humane meat",[14] promoting animal rights through what she calls "Culinary Activism" or "Baketivism":[15][16]

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Moskowitz posted on her blog a call for vegans to host bake sales in their home cities to fundraise for relief[17] which resulted in over $75,000 being raised.[16]

Awards and honors

In 2023, Tasting Table named Moskowitz as one of the “21 Plant-Based Chefs You Need To Know,”[18] and VegNews listed her as one of the "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food."[19]

In 2024, Food & Wine 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.[20] VegNews listed Veganomicon,[21] Super fun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook,[22] Vegan Brunch,[23] Isa Does It,[23] and I Can Cook Vegan[24] as "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024.

YearAwards and HonorsEvent
2020Favorite Vegan Chef: Chloe Coscarelli & Isa Chandra Moskowitz (tie)VegNews: 2020 Veggie Awards[25]
2012Reader Picks: Favorite Cookbook Author – GOLD – Isa Chandra MoskowitzVegNews: 2012 Veggie Awards[26]
2011Reader Picks: People & Media – Favorite Cookbook Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope RomeroVegNews: 2011 Veggie Awards[27]
2010Reader Picks: Favorite Cookbook Author: Isa Chandra MoskowitzVegNews: 2010 Veggie Awards[28]
2009Reader Picks: Favorite Cookbook Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope RomeroVegNews: 2009 Veggie Awards[29]
2008Post Punk Kitchen BlogVegNews: 2008 VegBloggy Awards[30]

See also

Notes

  1. Pointing, Charlotte (May 15, 2026). "Why Isa Chandra Moskowitz Is Done With Restaurants—and Turning Focus to Sandwiches and Tim Robinson". VegNews. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  2. Moskin, Julia (2007-01-24). "Strict Vegan Ethics, Frosted With Hedonism". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  3. "Vegan Baking & Vegan Cooking". Post Punk Kitchen. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  4. Moskowitz (2005). Vegan with a Vengeance. Da Capo Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-1569243589.
  5. Kramer, Rachel (2005-11-03). "Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Creator, Post Punk Kitchen, Author, Vegan With a Vengeance". Gothamist. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  6. All Hail the Vegan Queen
  7. "Secrets of the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook". NPR. Archived from the original on 2022-07-26.
  8. NEW RELEASES IN LIFESTYLE BOOKS: WINTER 2023
  9. Post Punk Kitchen's Isa Chandra Moskowitz Talks Opening Modern Love in Brooklyn
  10. Chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz Makes Vegan Work, from Omaha to Brooklyn
  11. Brooklyn’s Modern Love Brings Vegan Punk Ethos to the Table
  12. Baker, Lindsey Anne (2014-12-03). "Modern Love". Omaha Magazine. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  13. Lynch, Scott (2016-10-11). "Williamsburg Gets A Vegan Restaurant For Grown-Ups With Modern Love" (article). Quick Bites. Gothamist. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  14. Moskowitz, Isa Chandra (2007-05-14). "It's Wrong to Kill Meat-Eaters". Jewcy.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. Moskowitz, Isa Chandra (June–July 2007). "Vegan Culinary Activism in 10 Yummy Steps". Satya. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  16. Castoria, Elizabeth. "Vegan MoFo Returns". Vegnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  17. "Vegan Bake Sales For Haiti". Post Punk Kitchen. Retrieved 2011-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. Kot, Anna (2023-06-02). "21 Plant-Based Chefs You Need To Know". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  19. Pointing, Charlotte (July 27, 2023). "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food". VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  20. Makhijani, Pooja (2024-08-22). "The 20 Best Vegan Cookbooks for Every Type of Meal". Food & Wine. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  21. Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). "The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time (1–24)". VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  22. Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). "The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time (25–49)". VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  23. Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). "The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time (50–74)". VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  24. Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). "The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time". VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  25. "The 2020 Veggie Awards". VegNews. April 2, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  26. "The 2012 Veggie Awards". VegNews. December 2, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  27. "The 2011 Veggie Awards". VegNews. October 27, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  28. "The 2010 Veggie Awards". VegNews. October 31, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  29. "The 2009 Veggie Awards". VegNews. November 2, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  30. "The 2008 Veg Bloggy Awards". VegNews. October 8, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2026.

Articles