Miyoko Schinner


Miyoko Schinner is an American chef, cookbook author, animal sanctuary founder and owner of dairy-free cheese brand Miyoko's Creamery. She is a leading advocate for the right of vegan food products to use traditional meat and dairy terms on their labels.

Early life and education

Schinner was born Miyoko Nishimoto in a village outside Tokyo, Japan. At age seven, she moved with her family to the United States. She graduated from St. John's College in Maryland, where she majored in philosophy and minored in mathematics.

Career

Schinner transitioned to eating vegan in the mid-1980s. During the 1990s, she taught vegan cooking classes, and in 1991 The Book Publishing Company published her first vegan cookbook The Now and Zen Epicure. In 1994, she opened the vegan restaurant Now and Zen in San Francisco, which eventually expanded into a natural food company of the same name, which was sold in 2003. Schinner has launched a number of vegan brands, such as UnTurkey, which she exhibited at the 1995 Natural Products Expo alongside competitor Tofurky, and Hip Whip.
Book Publishing Company published her Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook in 2012. That same year she began co-hosting PBS cooking show Vegan Mashup, with Toni Fiore and Terry Hope Romero.
In 2014, Schinner launched vegan cheese company Miyoko's Kitchen, later renaming it Miyoko's Creamery. Tofurky founder Seth Tibbott was the company's first investor. In 2016, the Specialty Food Association reported the company had "grown 300% year over year," and "they recently signed on to a new 28,000+ square-foot headquarters in Petaluma."
In 2015, Ten Speed Press published Schinner's The Homemade Vegan Pantry. In 2019, the cookbook was named one of the Best Vegan Cookbooks by Good Housekeeping magazine.
In 2015, Schinner founded the nonprofit Rancho Compasion farmed animal sanctuary in Nicasio, California.
By 2018, Schinner was being called a "vegan rock star" and the brand Miyoko's was making 19 vegan cheeses, spreads and butters and selling them across the country. Schinner was one of 30 women featured in 2018 The Future of Women project, backed by the United Nations.
Schinner has been involved in legal challenges over product laws that regulate vegan food labeling, with Schinner arguing the laws violate free speech.

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