L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano B orn and raised in New York, Chef Tara Punzone s p e n t m u c h o f her childhood in the kitchen of the sandwich shop her grandparents ran in B r o o k l y n , w a t c h i n g a n d learning the art of cooking. Both grandparents were Ital- ian, hailing from Campania and Calabria, so when Pun- zone became vegan at just 12 years old and later decided to open her own Italian restau- rant, the choice to open one that was both vegan and Ital- ian came naturally. "I've been vegan since 1990. Back then, h a r d l y a n y o n e k n e w w h a t that word meant. Few people in New York were on board with the movement — it was- n't taken seriously yet — and the kitchen was limited to chickpeas and sprouts. Kind of hippy food, really. Which is f i n e s o m e t i m e s , b u t n o t always." Now, Punzone lives in Cali- fornia, and one of her main goals with her West Holly- wood restaurant, Pura Vita, is to change people's minds about vegan food. "Nowa- d a y s , i t ' s e a s i e r t o m a k e plant-based foods tasty. Plus, we have more people's atten- t i o n , s o t h e r e ' s f i n a l l y a c h a n c e t o s h o w t h e m t h a t vegan cuisine isn't just about sprouts." Her Pura Vita is the first Italian restaurant and wine bar in the United States to be 100% vegan. Adapting Ital- ian food to veganism was a process that required Pun- z o n e m u l t i p l e t r i a l s a n d errors, but she was naturally aided by the fact that many o f t h e t r a d i t i o n a l d i s h e s f r o m h e r g r a n d m o t h e r ' s kitchen were vegan. "Aside from the deli meats that are abundant in Calabria, many of the things my grandmoth- er cooked were plant-based, like pasta and beans or the other pasta dishes that were all vegetable-based. I think that, simply, my grandpar- ents didn't know the word 'vegan.' They would probably have been intimidated by it." W h a t w a s y o u r p a r - ents' reaction when you told them you wanted to o p e n a v e g a n I t a l i a n restaurant? My dad rolled his eyes, but then, as time went on and he saw that I was seri- ous, he tried to change my mind because his parents, who had a sandwich shop, worked from morning till night. For a while, I took his advice and did something e l s e , b u t u l t i m a t e l y , I couldn't stay away from the kitchen. What did you admire about your grandfather? I l o v e d t h e w a y h e b r o u g h t t h e c o m m u n i t y together through food. Peo- ple would come to his shop, meet, and socialize. It was a very relaxed and comfortable place. I think he changed the community through food. I ' v e a l w a y s s e e n t h a t a s something very special, and I wanted to do the same thing. What's your goal? I see that people are very i n t i m i d a t e d b y t h e w o r d 'vegan.' I want to make non- vegans try my dishes and understand that just because something is plant-based, it doesn't mean it isn't good. You'll be full, and you'll be satisfied. How do you approach cooking traditional Ital- ian dishes with plant- based ingredients? It's something I've been w o r k i n g o n s i n c e I w a s a teenager. When I became vegan, my parents supported me but didn't know how to help. I started by copying what they would do but leav- ing out the ingredients I did- n't want to eat. Of course, t h e r e s u l t w a s t e r r i b l e . There's only so much you can do with tofu! So, it took years to figure out how to get those flavors and textures right. Has there ever been an epiphanic moment in your career as a chef? D e f i n i t e l y w h e n I w a s w o r k i n g i n a N e w Y o r k restaurant where we began making cheeses from nuts. That changed everything I was doing. Until then, it had never occurred to me to use nuts. They're not very fatty, so it's easier to achieve the consistency and creaminess of cheese. After that discov- ery, I revisited all the old dishes I had been trying to m a k e , l i k e l a s a g n a , a n d adapted them by adding the creaminess of nuts. And that worked out! W h a t ' s y o u r m o s t important ingredient? I t h i n k S a n M a r z a n o tomatoes are crucial. They're probably the thing we use the most in the restaurant. If you ask for a specific vegan i n g r e d i e n t , I w o u l d s a y n u t r i t i o n a l y e a s t . J u s t a s m a l l a m o u n t o f i t c a n change everything you're trying to do. It gives that rich, cheesy flavor to all the cheeses and creams. Without it, the result can be a bit flat. Do you have a favorite dish? I would say carbonara. T h e r e a s o n I s a y t h i s i s because I've never actually eaten carbonara in my life. My family isn't from Rome. But when I lived in Rome, it w a s e v e r y w h e r e . I c o u l d smell it, see it, I could under- stand the difference between various restaurants and... I don't know ... it must have seeped into my brain. After opening the restaurant here, I dreamed of making car- bonara with avocado and macadamia. So I did and, to this day, it's our best-selling dish. It literally came out of my subconscious because I have no idea what carbonara is supposed to taste like! How do you tackle the challenge of introducing vegan alternatives with- o u t c o m p r o m i s i n g o n taste? I stick to tradition. I have immense respect for Italian cuisine, I believe it's the best in the world. I don't use any kind of fake meat, so I don't have the pressure to make it taste like the real thing. Let's take meatballs, for example. I u s e d t o l o o k a t h o w m y mother would make them when I was younger, and I just made them the same way. I simply replaced the meat with lentils and mush- rooms because they're the closest in flavor. Do you have any plans for the future? I'm working on a book. It will be a cookbook featuring all the favorites from the restaurant, but it will also i n c l u d e s t o r i e s f r o m m y c h i l d h o o d , h o w I b e c a m e vegan, and how my family reacted. What's your relation- ship with animals? I love animals and have t w o c a t s , n a m e d P r i n c e Rigatoni Spumoni Punzone and King Louie Lorenzo. Chef Tara Punzone's unique concept behind her vegan Italian restaurant SILVIA NITTOLI Chef Tara Punzone photographed by Heidi Calvert (Photo: Heidi Calvert) LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY Tara's beloved vegan carbonara (Photo: Roxyrockstv)

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