Born in Washington D.C., Von Der Pool describes herself in her early life as a “bad girl” and “gangster.” When a stab wound to the head at the age of sixteen proved almost fatal, Von Der Pool decided to make a new life for herself with a complete lifestyle change. She began to transform her relationship with food, and she experimented with raw and vegan cooking. With the advice from a mentor, Von Der Pool enrolled at the Le Cordon BleuLos Angeles and Paris Culinary School.
One of the most significant highlights of her career occurred in 2009 when First Lady Michelle Obama invited Von Der Pool to serve as an executive chef for “Let’s Move!”—the First Lady’s childhood obesity prevention campaign. As Von Der Pool has dedicated much of her own career as a chef conveying the importance of healthy eating, she was honored to accept the position, stating, “working with Michelle Obama spiraled into such a beautiful thing because I’ve been able to help so many people. The whole movement has been very good to me, and I’m just grateful to be part of it.”
Von Der Pool made a television appearance on the popular Food NetworkTV Show Chopped. According to The Food Network, she repeatedly rolled her eyes and called out contestant Sarah Pouzar. After being chopped in the second round, Von Der Pool said about her competitor - "Her s*** was soggy!" This came after she strategically plated her food for the ultimate enjoyment and convenience of the eater. She ended her outburst, stating things like, "How the hell did I get chopped?" and "You will see me again, all over your television screens”. Von Der Pool appeared on a Redemption episode of Chopped but was eliminated after the first round, when she served professional chefs raw red onions and cucumber skins. She, again, had an outburst saying, "I'm embarrassed! I'm so embarrassed!"
Cookbook
Von Der Pool released a successful vegan cookbook, Eat Yourself Sexy! The Goddess Edition, to demonstrate how eating fresh, locally grown, environmentally sustainable food can still be very tasty. It also serves as a guide for “glowing skin,” “healthy hair,” “weight loss” and "wellness." Overall, consumer reception has been positive. Civil rights activist and comedian Dick Gregory said, “Eat Yourself Sexy! Is one of the best vegan and living foods books I have seen in a long time.” On Amazon, the carrier of the cookbook, 90% of customer reviews give the book 5 stars. However, some customers complain that the cookbook does not have an index and that a couple of the recipes fail to list a comprehensive set of all the ingredients at the start of the recipe.
