The Storied Recipe

Murielle is one of those people that redeem social media for me. When I first found her account, she was so warm in welcoming me to the food photography community, she even generously agreed to take time to get on the phone with me to talk about her experiences as a brand photographer and recipe developer. That conversation was pivotal in my decision to go in a different direction and start this podcast. As I saw Murielle post about her childhood in Congo, her transition to Canada, being vegan, and the love and admiration she has for her mother, I knew I wanted to have her on as a podcast guest. Given the limited knowledge that I had of her life experience, I was shocked when she sent over neither a Congolese nor Canadian dish. Instead, I received a recipe for Vegan Shuba - a version of a classic Ukranian dish! Quick note before we begin - this episode will focus on her story and this dish and Friday I’ll be releasing an episode that is solely our conversation about veganism. I’m equally excited to share BOTH of these episodes! Highlights Life and food in Congo Murielle's transition to Canada Her journey to self-acceptance as a woman of color Living in a bilingual city Murielle's amazing mother Grocery shopping with her mother Becoming a food photographer Listen to Murielle Murielle's Storied Recipe: Vegan Shuba https://thestoriedrecipe.com/shuba-recipe/ More Guests with African Heritage More Vegan Recipes / How To Contact Murielle Email: [email protected] Website: www.muriellebanackissa.com YouTube: Murielle Banackissa Facebook: www.facebook.com/murielle.banackissa Instagram: @muriellebanackissa

Ever wonder what it’s like to work inside the finest restaurants in the world? I have! Today, Michelin-starred pastry chef Monique Chan is giving us a firsthand look inside two famous restaurants completely across the globe from one another. At the The French Laundry in California, which was called “The best restaurant in the world, period” by Anthony Bourdain. Monique was tasked with the all-important chocolate station and granted creative freedom to completely redesign their bon-bon menu. From there, Monique moved to Hong Kong, a homecoming of sorts for this daughter of two immigrants to the US from Hong Kong. Monique was part of the “start-up team” launching Ecriture with the immediate goal of achieving 2 Michelin stars - a goal which they achieved. As fascinating as this insider look into the restaurant may be, I promise you’ll be most captivated by Monique’s humility and vulnerability. We explore the spiritual journey that accompanied the journey of her career, as well as her most recent efforts to raise money for racial justice through her personal brand, Chez Momo. And finally - look out for a bonus episode this Friday where we explore to uneasy relationship between creativity and productivity. (Oh, and p.s. Monique shared her croissant recipe with us and wraps up the conversation with some helpful feedback about what I did wrong!) Thank you, every single listener for being here, and welcome Monique! Highlights The spiritual journey that accompanied her career journey LA -> Paris -> LA -> Hong Kong -> LA – Australia -> Current “I see you running, running hard. Maybe you need to rest.” The democratic nature of the kitchen The physical and psychological toll of working as a chef What gave Monique the ability to function well under stress Reconciling a Secular/Liberal/Caucasian Environment and Christian/Conservative/Asian Environment Moving to Hong Kong, a home culture that wasn’t “home” The Michelin Review Process – How do you earn stars? Earning 2 Stars in a record-breaking 7 months Love expressed as “an unrelenting provision of food” Why Monique, as an Asian-American woman, chose to start a non-profit baking business to support Black Lives Matter Listen to Monique Now Monique's Storied Recipe: How to Make Croissants at Home https://thestoriedrecipe.com/how-to-make-puff-pastry-croissants-at-home/ Related Episodes Monique's Bonus Episode https://thestoriedrecipe.com/ep-061-creativity-vs-productivity-with-michelin-starred-pastry-chef-monique-chan-bonus-episode/ Related Recipes How To Contact Monique Chan, Owner of Chez Momo YouTube: The Real Chez Momo Website: www.therealchezmomo.com Instagram: @therealchezmomo

For Lauren and her sister Jenny, Purim is about two things: hamantaschen and remembering their mother, Maxine. Every year without fail, these two sisters gather to carry on their mother’s tradition of making hundreds of Hamantaschen to share with their expectant, grateful children and community. And I can see why their children and neighbors treasure this tradition - these soft, flaky, triangular cookies are three bites of perfectly balanced crust and sweet (but not too sweet!) filling. Highlights Maxine's adventurous, inclusive approach to food What Lauren did when other kids were coloring The annual Hamantaschen-making tradition The one time Lauren made hamantaschen in July Who eats all these hamantaschen? Food = stability for kids Listen to Lauren Lauren's Mother's Classic Hamantaschen Recipe https://thestoriedrecipe.com/best-hamantaschen-recipe/ Related Episodes Related Recipes

An American-born Ukranian named Lydia reached out to me in December. She wrote, “I love the concept of this podcast. Our memories are so tied up with food. I found my entire family in a Ukranian village. When I turned around, there on the table were the same foods I had grown up eating.” I was immediately intrigued and wanted to hear more of this story. As Lydia shared this beautiful story centered around Varenyky (otherwise known as pierogies), I learned why she is so very proud to call herself Piotr’s Granddaughter. I also came to understand how proud Piotr would be of his granddaughter Lydia. Highlights Verynyky/Pierogis Why Lydia keeps a piece of coal on her kitchen windowsill Working in Ukraine after the wall fell Finding long-lost family Trading shots of homemade vodka with a dying woman Lessons for adoptive families Listen to Lydia Lydia's Storied Recipe https://thestoriedrecipe.com/ukranian-varynyky-recipe-pierogis/ Related Episodes Related Recipes

/*! elementor - v3.11.2 - 22-02-2023 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} I know you fell in love with compassionate, confident, and humble Murielle AND the stories she shared in the episode I released Wednesday, “From Sunny Africa to Snowy Canada”. There was one portion of our conversation that I believed was too interesting and important to edit down into that episode, so I’m releasing it right here, right now as a bonus episode. Murielle shares the reasons she chose veganism, how this choice has affected her and her family, and candidly discusses the struggles and benefits of that choice. As a carnivore, I found plenty to challenge me, to research further, and even to which I could relate. Highlights Why she chose veganism Her family’s different responses to her choice Some common ethical questions Some common nutritional questions Struggles and benefits Phases of Veganism Listen to Murielle Murielle's Storied Recipe: Vegan Shuba https://thestoriedrecipe.com/shuba-recipe/ Related Episodes More Vegan Recipes How to Contact GUEST Website: www.muriellebanackissa.com YouTube: Murielle Banackissa Facebook: www.facebook.com/murielle.banackissa Instagram: @muriellebanackissa Email: [email protected] These are some resources suggested by Murielle for those considering Veganism: Documentaries Recommended by Murielle Documentaries- Earthlings (the documentary that made me go vegan) Cowspiracy (on Netflix) Best Speech you will Ever Hear - Gary Yourofsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4- Game Changers (on Netflix)- Land of Hope and Glory: https://www.landofhopeandglory.org/ Books- How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger (about the health aspect of veganism)- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (about the ethical & environmental aspect of veganism) YouTubers, Podcasters & Activists- Earthling Ed: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVRrGAcUc7cblUzOhI1KfFg- Mic the Vegan: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGJq0eQZoFSwgcqgxIE9MHw- Colleen Patrick Goudreau’s Podcast, Food for Thought, available on Apple Podcast, Stitcher & Spotify My Favorite Vegan Bloggers- Lauren Toyota (Hot For Food): https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/- Richa Hingle (Vegan Richa): https://www.veganricha.com/- Laura Wright (The First Mess): https://thefirstmess.com/- Alexandra Daum (Occasionally Eggs): https://www.occasionallyeggs.com/ ** I am not sure if she is 100% vegan but most of her recipes are- Natalie (Feasting on Fruit): https://www.feastingonfruit.com/