For cookbook author Jocelyn Ramirez, going vegan was a lifeline.
Ramirez wanted to change the trajectory of her father’s health, who was diagnosed with cancer and diabetes. Ramirez knew this could possibly help her father while acknowledging that her family was not alone.
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series where Voice of OC works with local community photographers to offer residents a first-hand look at the local sites and scenes of Orange County.
“There are so many predominantly Black and brown communities who are dealing with preventable health issues, and a lot of it is lack of access to healthy food,” said Ramirez during her author talk at the Westminster Library in April.
Nationally, Hispanic/Latino individuals are 1.4 times more likely to die from diabetes compared to non-Hispanic white populations.
This realization led Ramirez to found Todo Verde, a small business that offers cooking classes and her very own vegan seasonings—while also creating a vegan cookbook. Ramirez brought one of her recipes to life during a live demo at the library, making a “veganized” version of the seafood dish, Ceviche.
Ramirez’s Ceviche was prepared with fresh cauliflower, instead of fish, and her homemade passion fruit salsa instead, while telling stories of her upbringing.
Ramirez’s family was so involved in the process of making food that at one point they became her “guinea pigs.”
Getting all of them on board was not easy, recounts Ramirez. But once they recognized the need for vegan Mexican cuisine, they knew there was no going back.
Now, with a growing fanbase, Ramirez revealed she’s working on her second cookbook.
In the room, which held over 80 people, many attendees went up to talk and ask questions about the free copies of “La Vida Verde.”
The audience was able to try Ramirez’s dishes—with many in the crowd curious about how veganism works while asking for second servings.
“I’m starting to get more interested in plant-based cooking. And I love Mexican food, so two things that I’m interested in,” said attendee Sally Arabian.
Many attendees found joy in eating the foods they grew up with, now veganized.
People like Valeria Ambriz.
“It is like the comfort food we grew up eating,” said Ambriz.
Which is exactly what Ramirez wanted and shared during her demo.
“I wanted to make great plant-based foods that still felt nostalgic, that still felt like things my family grew up eating.”
For monthly author talks at the Westminster Library, view the Orange County Public Library’s Event Calendar.
