Joanne Lee Molinaro | |
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Born | Joanne Lee April 24, 1979 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Occupation |
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Alma mater | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BA) University of Chicago (JD) |
Genre | Plant-based/Vegan cookbooks |
Notable works | The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen |
Notable awards | James Beard Foundation Award |
Website | |
thekoreanvegan |
Joanne Lee Molinaro (born April 24, 1979) is an American attorney, and Vegan/Plant-based author and blogger. Her cookbook, The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen, won the 2022 James Beard Foundation Award.
Molinaro was born on April 24, 1979, in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were born in present-day North Korea, and escaped when they were young.[1] She was raised in Skokie, Illinois,[2] with her younger brother Jaesun.[3] She earned her B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,[4] and J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.[5]
Molinaro is currently a firm partner at Foley & Lardner LLP's office in Chicago,[6] where she is a member of multiple practice groups in the firm, including Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations. As a specialized practitioner in bankruptcy, she defended the liquidating trustee against almost $1 billion in claims in the second-largest Ponzi scheme case in United States history.[7] She has also prosecuted frauds, avoidance actions, and breaches.[8][9]
Molinaro started her food blog, The Korean Vegan, in 2016,[10] which consists of recipes that re-imagine traditional Korean meals through plant-based adaptations.[11][12][13][14] She began posting to TikTok in 2020 under the same name, and sharing recipes along with personal stories [15] that focus on how her family escaped North Korea and adjusted to life in the United States, how it feels to be a Korean woman living in the diaspora, her law journey, and her abusive first marriage.[16] She also includes discussions on racism, sexism, and xenophobia.[17][18] She has been featured in numerous publications, including CNN,[19] CBS,[20] The Atlantic,[21] and the Food Network.[22]
Her first cookbook, The Korean Vegan, won the James Beard Foundation Award: Vegetable Focused Cooking in 2022.[23] The New York Times listed it as one of the best cookbooks of 2021,[24] Runner's World named The Korean Vegan one of the "6 Best Vegan Cookbooks to Get More Plants in Your Diet" in 2022,[25] and Food & Wine named it one of the 18 best vegan cookbooks for "every type of meal" in 2023.[26]
VegNews listed Molinaro as one of the "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food" in 2023,[27] and named The Korean Vegan one of the "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024.[28]
Year | Awards and Honors | Event |
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2023 | Streamy Award | 13th Streamy Awards: Creator Honor[29] |
2023 | Food & Wine Game Changers for 2023 | Food & Wine[30] |
2022 | James Beard Foundation Award | James Beard Foundation Award: Vegetable Focused Cooking[23] |
Molinaro resides in Chicago,[31] and has run several half and full marathons.[32]
Shortly after graduating law school, Molinaro married her first husband. While his name is unknown to the public, she has described the marriage as emotionally abusive. They have since divorced.[33] On July 21, 2018, she married Chicago-born concert pianist and music professor Anthony Molinaro in Rome.[34][35][31]