3 Black Vegan Chefs that are Changing the Game

From best-selling books to Oscar worthy horderves, and everywhere in between, a generation of black vegan chefs are coming into their own and blowing the game wide open. Classically trained, ambitious, inventive and full of flavor, they are working with high profile black celebrity vegans to share their love of food and spread the word on the plant based diet in the community.

Lauren Von Der Pool

Source: Vonderpoolgourmet.com

Lauren Von Der Pool, is the celebrity chef behind raw vegan athletes Venus & Serena Williams and vegetarian rapper Common. She's been bringing vegan food to black folks since she was 15 years old, when she started her first business selling vegan food to students at Howard University. Today she travels the globe as a Cordon Bleu trained celebrity chef, soaking up recipes, meeting fellow chefs and generally being fabulous. When she's stateside, she works to combat the food deserts that plague urban centers by teaching high school kids about nutrition in her home town of DC and has become a spokesperson for Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign against obesity. She is inspired and inspiring as an author, advocate,chef and entrepreneur with a genuine passion for plant based cuisine.

Ayinde Howell

Source: ieatgrass.com

Chef Ayinde Howell has many strings to his bow. Not only is he a successful chef who has mastered the art of the mac n' yease, but he is also a poet, actor, writer, musician and czar of his own vegan web mecca, I Eat Grass. Growing up in a vegan household, he's been practicing his skills for years and he's made lots of friends along the way. His Hillside Quickies Sandwich Shop was favorite with Def Jam vegan Russell Simmons and his first e-book venture, 10 Ways to Get Your Protein, includes a foreword by vegan songstress India Arie. And his Kickstarter funded, Wildflower Pop-Up Vegan Restaurant, was the talk of 2012 in towns like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. His passion for food and drive adventure definitely make him one to watch.

Bryant Terry

Source: The Nail That Sticks Up

Bryant Terry is probably the best known chef on this list. His bestselling book, Vegan Soul Kitchen lays out a blueprint for how to cook the food that you grew up on, without the flesh, and has helped him spread the word on ham-hock free collard greens on television, at universities, and online. He describes himself as a 'food activist' and works tirelessly against obesity and food injustice that causes what he calls a 'quasi apartheid in the food system' in America. With his most recent book, The Inspired Vegan, he took an interest in gardening and became a spokesperson for urban farms with food education initiative Nourish Life. There is much anticipation around his upcoming title, Afro Vegan, and with Terry's track record it's sure to be a next level read.

Serena Williams Killing it a Wimbeldon 2013 on a Raw Food Vegan Diet

Number One ranked and easily one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Serena Williams, is currently treading the grass at Wimbledon 2013. After more than 10 years in the game and five Wimbledon plates on the mantle, just about anyone who's watching knows that she's flipping fantastic with the racket. But what a lot of people don't know is that this year, her power serve is powered by a raw vegan diet.

Back in November 2011, Serena joined sister Venus in a raw vegan diet in order to fight symptoms of Venus' Sjogren’s Syndrome.  Since then, pundits and opponents have been noticing that she's been leaner and keener on grass, clay and concrete, playing some of the best tennis of her life. As of writing, she's on a 34 game winning streak and in 2012, she won 'the most WTA singles titles of the season with seven titles which included two grand slam titles at Wbimbledon and the US Open. She also won the WTA Championships and her first singles Olympics gold.'  So far this year, she's been killing it on the WTA tour with 6 titles including the French Open and is looking in fine form at Wimbeldon, strolling into the 4th round without dropping a set.

Obviously, 18 years of professional tennis and countless hours of practice with a superstar sister go a long way, so it cannot be conclusively said that her raw food vegan diet is the secret to her latest her competitive edge BUT it is clear that it ain't hurtin' nothin either. With simply fabulous private raw food vegan chef, Lauren Von Der Pool, in tow we wish her all the best in this year's tour. 

Celebrity Chef Lauren Von Der Pool