The Post-Punk Kitchen
Sara Edmister
Ah, the delightful journey into vegetarianism. Veganism too of course, though I haven’t been on that adventure personally. Choosing to give up meat and dairy can seem challenging to some as finding alternatives to please the palate can be overwhelming to an inexperienced cook. It is therefore a breath of fresh air to happen upon web resources that help one attain just that – a meatless heaven.
The Post Punk Kitchen, one such haven, was originally a public access show in Brooklyn created by Isa Chandra Moskowitz who co-hosts with Terry Romero. It has led to an all-inclusive website as well as two cookbooks – one full of delightful vegan recipes, the other devoted entirely to vegan cupcakes! The show is inspirational and easy to follow, with an obvious edge of humor in every place possible.
The website itself is full of vegan-only recipes, and there is even a search feature that allows for one to seek out recipes by dietary concern (gluten-free recipes, for instance). There are also forums, where members can discuss everything from their dietary concerns to their faux leather clothing to the local news.
I had the fine opportunity of interviewing Post Punk Kitchen’s creator and co-host, Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Here is what she had to say.
You mention on the site that Post Punk Kitchen was created especially for vegetarians because cooking shows on television can be “gross.” Is there anything that inspired the show specifically – a certain show or conversation that came about?
Isa: Hmm. It was a while ago. The thing is I always have ridiculous ideas that I just fantasize about to pass the time, so at the time I was a cook at a restaurant and would just pretend I was doing a cooking show. It wasn’t a specific show, it was just my love for cooking shows and my longing for one that didn’t gross me out. Also, at the time I was living in a loft where we built our own kitchen so we built it in a way that would be conducive to a cooking show, although we ended up moving out before filming the first episode. There were just so many variables that were at work there, it would be tough to pinpoint one specific thing.
Where did your interest in cooking and cooking creativity come from?
Isa: I think it’s in part reactionary. Growing up on crappy food could either make you eat crappy food for the rest of your life or it could make you rebel against it. I guess I was lucky in that respect. As for the creativity, I have been working around food forever, vegetarian and not vegetarian, either as a waitress or cook or sandwich making, what have you. I just ingested a lot, no pun intended. Living in NYC you see a lot of fancy menus that tend to be both pretentious and not vegan, but they can be inspiring none the less.
How about your co-host Terry Romero? How did you two meet? How did you decide to work on this project together?
Isa: Terry and I met when we were both in our early twenties. She was sitting outside this bar on 5th street and Avenue A where all the skinheads hung out, and I was good friends with some of her friends. We weren’t fast friends but we always liked each other and would go to each other’s birthday events or whatever, she always brought amazing vegan food to potlucks and so I respected her a lot. She also always had great bangs and shoes. So I asked her to do the first show with me and since then we’re gotten a lot closer. We’re almost 3rd best friends now.
What is the “Brooklyn Vegnic”? Is it an annual event, and can anyone show up?
Isa: It’s just a picnic in Prospect Park where everyone eats vegan food and plays waffle ball. It’s now an annual event, even though we got rained out this year. Anyone can show up so long as they bring some vegan food. I’ve always loved picnics, there used to be awesome punk picnics in Central Park when I was a teenager and I wanted to rekindle that sort of thing in my life. Because my life is 78% nostalgia.
Tell us a bit about your first cookbook. Also, how do you go about getting a quote from Joan Jett?
Isa: I snuck into her pool and made her a mai tai. When she was drunk enough I just got her to talk. No, my literary agent actually got in touch with her and sent her the book. It’s not that exciting a story. My first cookbook – well, it’s mostly recipes that I’ve been making for years and years. Home cooking from various “ethnic” influences. I am actually grateful to have them all in once place because before they were scraps of paper all over the place. Plus, there are stories about my life. Which is a thrill a minute.
On perusing your journal, it looks as if you’ve picked up NYC’s recent affinity for the cupcake. What’s the deal?
Isa: Let’s see – I’ve talked about this a lot and thought about it a lot. I think the main fascination is the portability and the cuteness. Like I say in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, walk down the street eating a piece of cake and you look insane. Walk down the street eating a cupcake and you look sexy and adorable. But after writing the cupcake book I never want to see another cupcake again. I just want carrot sticks.
So now that we’re all excited about veggie cooking, what channel is it on? For people outside of the city, where can episodes of your show be obtained?
Isa: You can see it on google video and all future episodes will be on line. The public access stuff was too much for us, we couldn’t meet deadlines and all that, plus people couldn’t see it outside of NY. There were definitely cool things about it, like people just stumbling upon it, but doing things online will just work out better for us. Has Post Punk Kitchen led to minor amounts of fame or a cult following? If so, what do you think of that?
Isa: Yes, I guess so. Like, people want to meet me and stuff. It’s nice but I think it makes me self conscious because people expect me to be a certain way or they know stuff about me that I don’t expect them to. I know it’s just sub-lebrity status, but still. I have really bad self esteem so sometimes it’s disconcerting. I’m not complaining. Wait, yes I am complaining. The coolest thing about it is that I have met so many people that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s been life altering, that’s for sure. I don’t feel the angst I used to about having to do something with my life so that’s a relief.
And so there you have it! Check out theppk.com for Post Punk Kitchen goodness – recipes, forums, and news. The site also contains a section to buy Isa’s cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance, as well as other items.
Thanks to Isa for her time, thoughtful answers, and her fabulous meatless recipes!
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