VP#136: Laser-focused from age 12! Chef/Restaurateur Tara Punzone, founder of vegan Italian restaurant Pura Vita, with bestselling author Gene Stone on their FAB new cookbook Vegana Italiana

Help make vegan novel Marrying Myself an Amazon bestseller! ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Marrying-Myself-Christine-Melanie-Benson/dp/1685130763/⁠ Chrissy Benson's author website: ⁠https://christinemelaniebenson.com/⁠ For coaching - email [email protected] Tara Punzone: Vegana Italiana: Traditional Italian the Plant-Based Way; A Vegan Cookbook by Tara Punzone & Gene Stone https://puravitalosangeles.com/vegana-italiana-cookbook Ever wish you could whip up vegan versions of fresh cheese ravioli or meatballs? As the owner and chef behind the first 100% plant-based Italian restaurant in the United States, Tara Punzone knows how to transform classic Italian staples into delicious vegan dishes without sacrificing any flavor. Growing up in a big Italian family in New York, food was always at the heart of Punzone's community and gatherings. Her debut cookbook, Vegana Italiana, offers more than 100 vegan Italian recipes inspired by her family’s meals and fan-favorites from her Los Angeles-based restaurant Pura Vita. When Punzone decided to go vegan when she was twelve years old, she learned how to follow a vegan lifestyle without compromising her traditions, heritage, or love of bold flavors, and this cookbook shares her tips to help you do the same, while also embracing new techniques and flavors along the way. She also shares her personal stories and memories from growing up in New York and moving to California as well as the culinary inspiration she received from her family. With tips for stocking your pantry and strategies to replicate Italian essentials like mozzarella and ricotta cheese, Vegana Italiana includes delicious recipes like: • The Basics: Macadamia Parmigiano, Alfredo Sauce, and Roasted Garlic Aioli • Antipasti: Bruschetta, Garlic Parmigiano Potato Wedges, and Strawberry Almond Ricotta Crostini • Insalata e Verdure: Caprese, Peppas, and Stuffed Artichokes • Soups and Stews: Minestrone, Sicilian Red Lentil, and Roasted Garlic Creamy Tomato Soup • Pasta: Ravioli Pomodoro, Pesto Calabrese, and Cacio e Pepe • Secondi: Eggplant Parmigiana, Meatball Parmigiano Hero, and Heartbeet Risotto • Dolci: Tiramisu, Panna Cotta, and Lemon Mint Granita BIO: Chef Tara Punzone is an Italian American from New York, who has thrived on a vegan diet for over 35 years. Her passion for healthy southern Italian food has been evolving since her childhood when she made the decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle. It was then Tara began converting all her family’s traditional dishes to vegan versions of the same, without compromise. Chef Tara opened Pura Vita in West Hollywood, California in 2018. Pura Vita is the first 100% Plant-Based Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in the USA! Now everyone can also enjoy her recipes from home with her new book, Vegana Italiana. Gene Stone: BIO: A graduate of Stanford and Harvard, Gene Stone (www.genestone.com) is a former Peace Corps volunteer and newspaper editor for such companies as the Los Angeles Times, Esquire, and Simon & Schuster. He has written more than a dozen books under his own name on a wide variety of subjects, and has also ghostwritten or co-written another thirty-five books for a very diverse lot of people, many of which have been national bestsellers. However, for the past fifteen years he has concentrated mainly on writing or ghostwriting books about plant-based diets and their relationship to animal protection, health, and the environment. Among these books are such titles as Forks Over Knives, 72 Reasons to Be Vegan, How Not to Die, Living the Farm Sanctuary Life, Eat for the Planet, The Engine 2 Diet, and Animalkind.