In this episode of the Italian American Podcast, the crew explores the intersection of Italian American heritage and vegan cuisine with Tara Punzone, chef, author, and the force behind Pura Vita, Los Angeles’ first 100% vegan Italian restaurant and wine bar.
The conversation blends family history, cultural memory, and the challenge of preserving tradition while removing animal products from classic dishes.
Punzone reflects on her path to veganism, shaped by an early empathy for animals and a childhood spent in a family of devoted home cooks.
Rather than rejecting Italian foodways, she reframes them, pointing out how much traditional Italian cuisine is naturally plant-based—born of frugality, seasonality, and vegetable-forward regional cooking long before modern food labels existed.
HER CREDENTIALS:
Tara Punzone
Author Vegana Italiana
Chef & Owner of Pura Vita
www.puravitalosangeles.com
HER SOCIALS:
Instagrams:
@cheftarapunzone
@puravita_la
ORDER HER BOOK VEGANA ITALIANA :
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769027/vegana-italiana-by-tara-punzone-with-gene-stone/
HOSTS:
Patrick O’Boyle
John Viola
Marcella Martin
SPECIAL GUEST:
Tara Punzone
PRODUCED BY:
Nicholas Calvello-Macchia
2 Comments
That was a great discussion, and I look forward to seeing part 2. I just wanted to note that those communities around the world who live the longest in the Blue Zones eat a mostly plant-based diet. According to Dan Buettner, most of them are not vegans, but they only eat meat once or twice a week. Here in the U.S., we hear a lot of conflicting dietary opinions. However, the people around the world who live the longest eat a mostly plant-based diet. No one has found a Blue Zone yet where meat is on the daily menu or a primary facet of the diet, so that tells me that even if you don't want to be a vegetarian or vegan, the less meat you eat, the better off you will probably be in terms of health. Ultra-processed carbs are also horrible for us. Tara's cookbook looks great, and the banter between her and John was hilarious, so even if you have no interest in being a vegan, it would probably be beneficial to your health to only consume meat sparingly like the Blue Zones residents do. Her cookbook can be a tool to help make that happen, even if you only want to do it for half of the week. Every 30 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack, so we definitely have an obesity and saturated fat/cholesterol problem. Eating a whole food, plant-based diet, even part of the time, will likely help you to live longer. All the best from Minnesota.
Oj Gesu Cristu miu🤦♂️
It's official folks. By the time "beef talo" enteres into a polite conversation like this, influencers are officially more powerful than any accredited medical organization in the world.
The US population will believe virtually ANYTHING but the truth.