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
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]
- Vegan with a Vengeance. 2005. ISBN 1-56924-358-1
- Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, with Terry Hope Romero. 2006. ISBN 1-56924-273-9
- Veganomicon, with Terry Hope Romero. 2007. ISBN 1-56924-264-X
- Vegan Brunch. 2009. ISBN 0-7382-1272-5
- Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, with Terry Hope Romero. 2009. ISBN 1-60094-048-X
- Appetite for Reduction. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60094-049-1
- Vegan Pie in the Sky. 2011. ISBN 978-0-7382-1274-6
- Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week. Little, Brown. 2013. ISBN 978-0-316-22190-0.
- Vegan with a Vengeance, 10th Anniversary Edition: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock. 2015. ISBN 978-0738218335
- The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook: Entertaining for Absolutely Every Occasion. 2016. ISBN 978-0-316-22189-4
- I Can Cook Vegan. 2019. ISBN 978-1419732416
- Fake Meat: Real Food For Vegan Appetites. Abrams. 2023. ISBN 978-1419747458.[8]
- The 29-Minute Vegan: Real Food, Real Vibes, Anytime. 2026. ISBN 978-1419770128
- Foreword
- Schinner, Miyoko (2015). The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples. New York: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1607746775.
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.
| Year | Awards and Honors | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Favorite Vegan Chef: Chloe Coscarelli & Isa Chandra Moskowitz (tie) | VegNews: 2020 Veggie Awards[25] |
| 2012 | Reader Picks: Favorite Cookbook Author – GOLD – Isa Chandra Moskowitz | VegNews: 2012 Veggie Awards[26] |
| 2011 | Reader Picks: People & Media – Favorite Cookbook Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero | VegNews: 2011 Veggie Awards[27] |
| 2010 | Reader Picks: Favorite Cookbook Author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz | VegNews: 2010 Veggie Awards[28] |
| 2009 | Reader Picks: Favorite Cookbook Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero | VegNews: 2009 Veggie Awards[29] |
| 2008 | Post Punk Kitchen Blog | VegNews: 2008 VegBloggy Awards[30] |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c Moskin, Julia (2007-01-24). “Strict Vegan Ethics, Frosted With Hedonism”. The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ^ “Vegan Baking & Vegan Cooking”. Post Punk Kitchen. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ^ Moskowitz (2005). Vegan with a Vengeance. Da Capo Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-1569243589.
- ^ Kramer, Rachel (2005-11-03). “Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Creator, Post Punk Kitchen, Author, Vegan With a Vengeance”. Gothamist. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
- ^ All Hail the Vegan Queen
- ^ “Secrets of the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook”. NPR. Archived from the original on 2022-07-26.
- ^ NEW RELEASES IN LIFESTYLE BOOKS: WINTER 2023
- ^ Post Punk Kitchen’s Isa Chandra Moskowitz Talks Opening Modern Love in Brooklyn
- ^ Chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz Makes Vegan Work, from Omaha to Brooklyn
- ^ Brooklyn’s Modern Love Brings Vegan Punk Ethos to the Table
- ^ Baker, Lindsey Anne (2014-12-03). “Modern Love”. Omaha Magazine. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ^ Lynch, Scott (2016-10-11). “Williamsburg Gets A Vegan Restaurant For Grown-Ups With Modern Love” (article). Quick Bites. Gothamist. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
- ^ 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) - ^ Moskowitz, Isa Chandra (June–July 2007). “Vegan Culinary Activism in 10 Yummy Steps”. Satya. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ^ a b Castoria, Elizabeth. “Vegan MoFo Returns”. Vegnews.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ^ “Vegan Bake Sales For Haiti”. Post Punk Kitchen. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Kot, Anna (2023-06-02). “21 Plant-Based Chefs You Need To Know”. Tasting Table. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Pointing, Charlotte (July 27, 2023). “37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food”. VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Makhijani, Pooja (2024-08-22). “The 20 Best Vegan Cookbooks for Every Type of Meal”. Food & Wine. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). “The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time (1–24)”. VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). “The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time (25–49)”. VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). “The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time (50–74)”. VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Pointing, Charlotte (January 10, 2024). “The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time”. VegNews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ “The 2020 Veggie Awards”. VegNews. April 2, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ “The 2012 Veggie Awards”. VegNews. December 2, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ “The 2011 Veggie Awards”. VegNews. October 27, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ “The 2010 Veggie Awards”. VegNews. October 31, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ “The 2009 Veggie Awards”. VegNews. November 2, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ “The 2008 Veg Bloggy Awards”. VegNews. October 8, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
External links
- Official website
- Isa Chandra Moskowitz at IMDb
- Isa Chandra Moskowitz – CNBC Make It
Articles
- 10 Essential Pantry Staples, According to Chefs, Vegetarian Times, May 17, 2022.
- Don’t fear the vegan at your Thanksgiving table, CNN, November 21, 2014.
