EPISODE 42 | TARA PUNZONE

Find Your Path Through Food: Chef Tara Punzone on Italian Roots, Plant-Based Cooking, and Community

“The food is great but it can’t just be that. People keep coming back because they want that feeling that they belong. And that’s the coolest thing to bring joy to people with something so simple that everybody needs.”

What happens when you go against the grain, do things differently, and follow what lights you up? Tune in to hear how curiosity, courage, and staying true to yourself can lead you exactly where you're meant to be.

Chef Tara Punzone is the chef and owner of Pura Vita, the first plant-based Italian restaurant of its kind in the United States, located in Los Angeles. She is also the author of Vegana Italiana, a cookbook that brings traditional Italian flavors to the plant-based table. Tara shares the moment that changed everything—watching a slaughterhouse video at just 10 years old and telling her Italian American family she would never eat meat again, a decision that eventually led her to becoming vegan and opening her groundbreaking restaurant. From growing up in a traditional Italian American family in Brooklyn to moving to Los Angeles, she reflects on the unexpected path that led her into the restaurant industry, despite her family’s hopes for a different direction.

Together, Christina and Tara explore what happens when you leave behind a strong Italian American community—and how distance from your roots can deepen your connection to them in surprising ways. They discuss growing up with Italian traditions, creating joy through food, and why plant-based eating isn’t as far removed from Italian cuisine as it might seem.

If you've ever felt pulled toward something different, questioned whether it's too late to change course, or wondered how to stay connected to your roots while creating your own path, this conversation is for you.

Find this episode on: