The Culinary Institute of America

Chef Sarah Hymanson and Iliana Loza Talk Plant-forward Cooking at Kismet, Los Angeles

Chef and Co-Owner of Kismet, Sarah Hymanson, and Sous Chef Iliana Loza, discuss plant-forward cuisine, sustainability, and the future of cooking. They also discuss finding those deeper flavor profiles and how to make vegetables shine.
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson are the chefs and owners of the popular Los Angeles restaurant, Kismet. They were named the 2017 Chefs of the Year by Eater, only two years after the two Brooklynites arrived in L.A. Kismet immediately earned high praise — especially from the late restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, who launched it into the echelon of his must-try list.

Chef Randy Leon Makes Root Vegetables with Green Goddess Dressing

Randy Leon was the Head Chef at Little Pine Restaurant in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Here he demonstrates a dish with aromatic root vegetables with green goddess dressing and pickled red onion, garnished with fennel pollen and chervil. He calls the dish Umbellifers, which is a family of plants that make umbrella-shaped flowers, and includes carrots, celery and parsley.
Watch the full documentary and find plant-forward recipes here!

Chef Randy Leon Makes Vegan Cabbage Stuffed with Apple “Sausage”

Randy Leon was the Head Chef at Little Pine Restaurant in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Here he demonstrates how he makes cabbage rolls stuffed with apple “sausage,” with a parsnip purée, three-bean salad, and garnish of crispy parsnip chips. The vegan sausage is made with jackfruit, caramelized apple, caramelized fennel and fennel pollen. When ground up, the jackfruit’s texture closely resembles ground pork.
Watch the full documentary and find plant-forward recipes here!

Chef Randy Leon Makes Pasta with Oyster Mushrooms

Randy Leon was the Head Chef at Little Pine Restaurant in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Here he demonstrates a fresh pasta with wild oyster mushrooms, tomato confit, and white wine butter sauce, garnished with chives and fresh parmesan.
Watch the full documentary and find plant-forward recipes here!

Chef Randy Leon Makes Sunchokes with Citrus Crème Fraîche

Randy Leon was the head chef at Little Pine Restaurant in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. He demonstrates his signature dish of Jerusalem artichokes that are roasted and fried, coated with white sage powder, and served with citrus crème fraîche, agave and a garnish of pomegranate arils. Chef Randy loves the potato-like texture and artichoke flavor of the Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes. 
Watch the full documentary and find plant-forward recipes here!

Veggie Sushi with Wolfgang Puck and Hiroyuki Fujino at Merois

Chef Wolfgang Puck and Chef Hiroyuki Fujino demonstrate some vegetarian sushi from the menu at his newest restaurant, Merois in West Hollywood. This vegetable sushi is no cucumber roll! Chef Hiroyuki Fujino shows us how he makes crispy sushi rice topped with braised eggplant, shiitake, carrots and beets brushed with a sweet soy miso sauce. This unique offering has become a popular dish at Merois. 
Watch the full documentary and find plant-forward recipes here!

Veggie Sushi with Wolfgang Puck and Tetsu Yahagi at Merois

Wolfgang Puck and Chef Tetsu Yahagi demonstrate some playful and beautiful vegetarian sushi from the menu at his newest restaurant, Merois. Chef Tetsu Yahagi prepares the sushi “omakase style,” meaning that the guests are in the hands of the chef and receive a seasonal, elegant, and artistically crafted meal using the best ingredients available. All of his vegetable sushi preparations are a play on traditional sushi. He makes sashimi with slow-roasted red pepper to resemble tuna, as well as avocado made into pearls and soaked in basil oil to resemble fish eggs. For a vegan twist on uni, he roasts butternut squash in miso and adds a scoop to the top of a ribbon of cucumber.
Watch the full documentary and find plant-forward recipes here!

Wolfgang Puck Talks Plant-Forward Cuisine at Merois Restaurant

Wolfgang Puck talks about what inspired the vegetarian sushi on the menu at his newest restaurant, Merois in West Hollywood. He also talks about the first time he tried the produce at Chino Farms, the importance of supporting local farmers, and how there’s nothing better than fresh, local vegetables. His restaurant, Merois, sits perched atop Pendry West Hollywood, and features a sophisticated menu of global flavors with a decidedly plant-forward point of view.
Watch the full documentary and find plant-forward recipes here!