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 is currently a firm partner at
Foley & Lardner LLP's office in Chicago,[7] 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.[8] She has also prosecuted frauds, avoidance actions, and breaches.[9][10]
Social media and cookbook
Molinaro started her food blog, The Korean Vegan, in 2016,[11] which consists of recipes that re-imagine traditional Korean meals through
plant-based adaptations.[12][13][14][15] She began posting to
TikTok in 2020 under the same name, and sharing recipes along with personal stories [16] 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.[17] She also includes discussions on
racism,
sexism, and
xenophobia.[18][19] She has been featured in numerous publications, including
CNN,[20]CBS,[21]The Atlantic,[22] and the
Food Network.[23]
VegNews listed Molinaro as one of the "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food" in 2023,[28] and named The Korean Vegan one of the "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024.[29]
The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen (Penguin Publishing Group, October 2021,
ISBN9780593084274)
Personal life
Molinaro resides in Chicago,[32] and has run several half and full marathons.[33]
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.[34] On July 21, 2018, she married Chicago-born concert pianist and music professor Anthony Molinaro in
Rome.[35][36][32]
^"BOV Contributor: Joanne Molinaro". Best of Vegan. February 8, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021. Joanne adopted a plant-based diet in January 2016 and began The Korean Vegan as a passion project later that year. Since then, her recipes have been featured in Thrive Magazine and in 2017, she appeared on the hit Food Network show "Cooks vs. Cons" as the only female and vegan contestant.