Lavender Lunch
Lavender Lunch is a podcast for anyone interested in the culinary world and, more specifically, veganism in the culinary world. Your host, Lavender, aka Sami Pollak, interviews people from all walks of life, vegan and non-vegan, for a window into their life and careers around the food world. To find more on Lavender Lunch, visit lavenderlunch.com. Thank you for joining us on this adventure. :)
Episodes
March 25, 2021 • 36 mins
Oh, little Lavender Flowers, how we have missed you! We hope you aren’t too mad about our little hiatus and that you are ready for who we have to bring to the mic. Today, Lavender hangs out with the fierce entrepreneur, chef, and fellow cookbook author, Krimsey. Owner of the beloved and dearly departed Cajun Vegan restaurant, Krimsey’s and author of the soon to come out Cajun Vegan Cookbook, Krimsey shares her journey as a cookbook...
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December 8, 2020 • 41 mins
Happy Hoo-lidays Lavender Lads and Ladies! Today, Sami chats with Davin Waite (@davinwaite) about not one, not two, but the THREE restaurants he owns and operates. Yeah. He's a badass. An Oceanside born and bred chef, Davin is breaking barriers with his work, committing to zero-waste prep, production and consumption. Wanna' try a banana-peel taco? I know you do. I can only scratch the surface here. Dive into the episode! And check ...
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December 1, 2020 • 49 mins
Welcome back Lavender Lunchies! Today we have Lisa Marie Johnson on the show. Lisa has 30+ years of restaurant and cheffing experience, including cooking on every continent. Yup, that includes Antarctica. Want to hear what that's like? So do I! Tune in for the low down on what living and working in the South Frigid Zone is like. Lisa has a wonderful energy with endless cooking stories. She shares her time working on a private yacht...
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November 24, 2020 • 36 mins
Happy days Lavender Lunchies! Today, Sami chats with Chef Roy (@royelam): chef, entrepreneur and owner of Donna Jean - a plant based restaurant in San Diego. Seasonal. Sustainable. Plant based. Rustic. Comforting. Donna Jean thrives off those 5 words. Sami digs into the start of Roy’s career and the Donna Jean restaurant.
Check out their dope website here: https://donnajeanrestaurant.com
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lesson...
Check out their dope website here: https://donnajeanrestaurant.com
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lesson...
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November 17, 2020 • 57 mins
Welcome back Lavender Lunch-babies! We’re rolling on with season 3, bringing you different guests from around the globe to continue this culinary-chef-cooking-cuisine-kingdom of kings and queens extravaganza! This week, we have Virginia Combs (@vcspice5). Virginia joins us from her master’s program in the UK. She is part of the close-knit “Vegan in a Weekend” cookbook team. She is a multi-talented, multi-hyphenate creator with skil...
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October 27, 2020 • 32 mins
Welcome one, welcome all! Today's episode, we switch it up a bit. Our favorite return guest Josh takes lead mic and interviews Lavender. We explore part of her journey to chef-dom and where she plans to go. Stay tuned for only the hottest and hippest restaurant and music recommendations.
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lessons, chef tips, and the Vegan in a Weekend cook book, visit www.lavenderlunch.com. Lavender Lunch is cre...
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lessons, chef tips, and the Vegan in a Weekend cook book, visit www.lavenderlunch.com. Lavender Lunch is cre...
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October 20, 2020 • 43 mins
Goodbyes can be so hard sometimes. That’s why we’re not saying them! But this is our LA-Chef Special Season Finale, and it’s a doozy ladies and germs! Sami has a great chat with Ilan Hall (@ilanhall) and Rahul Khopkar (@rajamafool), the creators of Ramen Hood (@ramenhood) - a Vegan Ramen Spot in the Grand Central Market of DTLA. They discuss everything from starting the business, to the craziest, gamiest, exotic meats they’ve tried...
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October 13, 2020 • 29 mins
Welcome one and welcome all, Lavender Lunchies! This week, Sami chats with Paola Guasp, creator and head of Amara Kitchen (@amarakitchen) - specializing in delicious and casual food. Paola shares her cooking origin story, from nanny to chef, and the trials and tribulations of starting a cafe from the ground up. She's a wonderful chef who believes if you cook, you're a chef. Check out more about Amara Kitchen at their website: https...
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October 6, 2020 • 32 mins
We're giving you some great home-cooking straight from the kitchen of Cena Vegan (@cenavegan) today! Please check out that Instagram. Your eyes will melt with the cheese. Put in your Postmates order now. You'll thank me later. This week, Sami chats with Carmen about Cena Vegan - an incredible spot for Vegan-Mexican street food in Los Angeles. Carmen shares her early days of learning cooking from her mom, starting Cena Vegan with he...
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September 29, 2020 • 43 mins
Happy Day, Lavender Lunchies! This week, we spoke to Jeremiah about his company Jarring (@jarringfoods): a purveyor of locally-sourced gourmet fermented foods. Ever wondered how that Kombucha is made (Or 'Booch' as the cool kids call it)? Well tune on in! You can find his ferments at the farmers' markets in Highland Park, Echo Park, and Atwater Village. Head over to the Jarring website for pretty pictures: https://www.jarringfoods....
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September 22, 2020 • 44 mins
Hallo! Guten tag! Willkommen! In today's Lavender Lunch, Sami chats with Matthias and Eric, co-founders of Hinterhof (@hinterhof_la): a German kitchen and beer garden located in Los Angeles. Hinterhof is typically a backyard area in Germany where locals convene to cook, drink, serve and socialize. That's just one of the splendid things you'll learn in this week's episode. We discuss German culture, beer, Schnitzels, food, veganism ...
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September 15, 2020 • 38 mins
Hello Lavender Lunchies! Wow, we have a treat for you today. Sami chats with Chef Mollie Engelhart (@chefmollie), founder of Sage Vegan Bistro (@thekindsage) and owner of Sow a Heart Farm (@sowaheart). Chef Mollie drops some major knowledge on this episode. You don’t want to miss it. Before diving in, take a moment to think about what dominates you. Where do you find yourself spending a vast amount of your mental energy? Do you str...
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September 8, 2020 • 30 mins
We all love baked treats. From cakes to cookies and all the in between mini and massive versions. This week on Lavender Lunch, we're learning how they're made from the best. Sami chats with former Little Pine coworker Amy Noonan, a master vegan pastry chef (@peachesbakeshop). Amy is now full time into her own business - Peaches Bake Shop - a speciality bake shop looking to veganize any and all types of baked goods. It started with ...
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September 1, 2020 • 26 mins
Hello Lavender Lunchies! We have a special treat for you today. Sami catches up with her good friend and Little Pine co-worker Cindy Suk (@cindysuk). Cindy worked as the Sous Chef for Little Pine Restaurant. Sami and Cindy chat about Veganism and how COVID and the quarantine shifted their mindsets about the food industry. We also tap into Cindy's culture and travels in Thailand and some of her favorite Dad Meals. And of course, we ...
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August 25, 2020 • 40 mins
Welcome back to Season 2 all you Lavender Lunchies! We have a very special treat for this episode. Sami chats with Jasmine (@sharkyshimoda) chef and owner of Jewel (@eatatjewel), an LA plant-based restaurant. Jasmine chats about the inspirations starting and continuing her restaurant and a whole lot more. You can find more about Jewel here at www.jewel-la.com
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lessons, chef tips, and the Vegan in...
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lessons, chef tips, and the Vegan in...
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August 18, 2020 • 16 mins
The kitchen tables have turned in our Season 2 opener! Sami herself is interviewed about her first inklings of cooking love, including sneaking raw produce from the school cafeteria into her dorm to experiment with cooking homemade meals. We hear from 3 of her besties, roommates and fellow culinary curious cooks. How do 4 cooks work in one kitchen? Stay tuned!
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lessons, chef tips, and the Vegan ...
Thanks for listening! To find cooking lessons, chef tips, and the Vegan ...
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August 11, 2020 • 48 mins
Aah, forbidden love. Don't we all love the tales? Romeo and Juliet. Pyramus and Thisbe. Rachel and Joey... why did they do that? BUT, what if I told you a Vegan and a Butcher fell in love? What would happen? You're about to find out.
This week, Sami sits down with her partner Joshua Melara (@hijodereina), a cut-man, Harley rider and former butcher. He currently works for Japanese Knife Imports in Los Angeles. The pair talk passionat...
This week, Sami sits down with her partner Joshua Melara (@hijodereina), a cut-man, Harley rider and former butcher. He currently works for Japanese Knife Imports in Los Angeles. The pair talk passionat...
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August 4, 2020 • 33 mins
This week on Lavender Lunch, Sami chats with Chef Lou (@lauralouiseoates), a restaurant consultant and former Executive Chef at Little Pine. Chef Lou is a legend in the food industry, who was rocking and running her first kitchen at 16. She shares a beautiful story of what drove her to become vegan. Additionally, Sami and Chef Lou talk about their early food inspirations and favorite cuisines.
Thanks for listening! To find cooking ...
Thanks for listening! To find cooking ...
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July 28, 2020 • 28 mins
On this week's Lavender Lunch, we chat with Rivers Wilder Green (@_wildergreen), an activist, previous employee of Little Pine, and earth-conscious pop musician. Sami and Rivers discuss the cross over between activism, cooking, and the food industry. Stay tuned for River's latest track, "Met at a Protest," at the end of the episode.
You can find her music on Spotify at: https://tinyurl.com/y276sv9t
Thanks for listening! To find cook...
You can find her music on Spotify at: https://tinyurl.com/y276sv9t
Thanks for listening! To find cook...
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July 21, 2020 • 37 mins
This week, Lavender Lunch catches up with Chef Andy, aka Andrea Barbato. He's an Italian Masterchef, cheesemaker and teacher. He lived and worked in Naples, owned a restaurant in Germany, and landed in Los Angeles at Little Pine Restaurant. Italian cuisine conjures up dreamy and romantic images for everyone, especially when Andy talks about the foods he's worked with around the world. Thanks for listening! Lavender Lunch is created...
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