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FALL 2012
celebratedliving.com
82
W
Want tomake a foodie’s eyes glaze over?Herald theglories
of vegan cuisine. Expositions onportobello-mushroom
steaks, veggieburgerswith sprouts, andmilk shakesmade
from soywill not get ameat lover particularly stoked. And
there is good reason for this. Traditionally, vegan foodhas
not beenall that tasty.Whileyou canargue that eating
healthy comeswith its own reward, there is alsoaview that
lifewithout sirloin steak, cremebrulee, andbuttery risotto
isnot exactlya lifeworth living.
TalRonnenunderstands.He’sa long-timevegananda
classically trained chefwho’s createdgourmet vegetarian
menus for the likesofOprahWinfrey, EllenDeGeneres, and
SteveWynn. In theprocess, he’s transformedveganeating
fromdreaded todelicious. But thingsdidnot start out that
way. “Bothofmyparentsare foodies, and Iwasexposed to
good foodat ayoungage,” saysRonnen,whonow resides ina
swanky loft indowntownLosAngelesand toolsaround the
cityonaTriumphBonnevillemotorcycle. “I had chopsticks in
myhandbyage four. I ateFrench, Italian, Spanish, Israeli
foods—and I loved themall.”But inhis late teenshedecided
to change thewayheate. “Iwent vegetarian.Myparents
were supportive, but they stillwent to their restaurantsand I
FOOD
TheGreensGourmet
Celebrated chef
TAL RONNEN
is turning
the vegetable plate into amouthwatering
masterpiece.
BYMICHAEL KAPLAN
Vegan truffled arancini
from Lakeside at the
Wynn Las Vegas
BOTTOM:
©MATT PRESCOTT
