4: Vegan Cooking and Entrepreneurship with Chef Lauren Kretzer

Mar 22

Episode 4: Lauren Kretzer

Lauren Kretzer is a professionally trained vegan chef and recipe developer. She is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City, and holds a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell. Lauren has worked throughout the tri-state area in Michelin starred kitchens, privately in the kitchens of families and celebrities, and currently as a recipe developer for international wellness brands, restaurants, NY Times best-selling authors, and popular media outlets such as Vogue, Well + Good, and VegNews. She is an advocate for eating seasonally, locally and believes that food can be our greatest healer.

Lauren currently lives in Northern New Jersey with her husband, two young daughters and rescue dog. When she’s not cooking, she enjoys being out in nature with her family and reading. She can be found on Instagram at @lauren_kretzer and online at www.laurenkretzer.com.

What we talked about:

4:15- Lauren’s plant-based journey and her decision to become a vegan chef

9:30- Lauren’s journey to going from the corporate world to entrepreneurship

14:25- Tips to people that are interested in becoming entrepreneurs

17:05- When and why she transitioned to a vegan lifestyle

23:55- Simple cooking tips

26:30- Favorite spices to use while cooking

27:30- Tips for buying food in bulk and storing them freshly

30:10- Best ways to store nuts

30:30- Vegan staples to keep in the kitchen

33:00- Thoughts on using the Instant Pot for cooking

35:00- Taking time to connect with your food