The Korean Vegan Is Back With A K-Beauty Line And A Brand New Cookbook

Radio Cherry Bombe

The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network

Restaurants, 591312, Business, Arts, Food Radio, Interviews, Kerry Diamond, Female Chefs, Radio Cherry Bombe, Entrepreneurs, Society & Culture, Women, Careers, Women In Food, Food, Cherry Bombe Magazine, Talk Radio, Chefs, Restaurateurs

4.6 • 592 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Korean Vegan was born when lawyer Joanne Lee Molinaro started veganizing the beloved dishes she grew up eating, including kimchi. (Yes, she cracked the code for vegan kimchi!) Her TikTok account blew up, her debut cookbook became a bestseller, and today, Joanne is a full-time content creator with millions of followers. She joined host Kerry Diamond to talk about her second cookbook, “Korean Vegan Homemade” (out 10/14), which is filled with personal recipes and playful takes, from Kimchi Mac ‘n’ Cheese to Spicy Rice Cake Skewers to Sesame Chocolate Cake. They also discuss Joanne’s recent expansion into K-beauty with Korean Vegan Beauty. The collection launched with two star products, a vegan collagen face cream and collagen smoothing shampoo. Joanne also shares insights on her relationship with her mom, handling online criticism, the inspiration behind some of her most beloved dishes, and her love of “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” This episode was recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. Thank you to Square and Ketel One for their support. Learn more at square.com/big Don’t miss Joanne in conversation with Eric Kim at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan on Wednesday, Oct. 15th. Tickets are on sale now. Subscribe to our Substack Jubilee NYC 2026 tickets here Check out Cherry Bombe on ShopMy More on Joanne: Instagram, Korean Vegan Beauty, website, “The Korean Vegan: Homemade” cookbook, Joanne on Radio Cherry Bombe in 2021 More on Kerry: Instagram

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, everyone. You are listening to Radio Cherrybaum, and I'm your host, Carrie Diamond,
0:08.9	coming to you from New Stand Studios at Rockefeller Center in the heart of New York City.
0:13.9	Today's guest is Joanne Lee Molinaro, who so many of you know in love as the Korean vegan.
0:19.8	Joanne is a best-selling author,
0:21.3	content creator, lawyer-turned entrepreneur,
0:24.2	and now Beauty Founder.
0:26.2	She just launched Korean Vegan Beauty,
0:28.6	a line inspired by her own plant-based journey
0:31.0	and her love of Kay Beauty.
0:33.5	Her second cookbook,
0:34.8	The Korean Vegan Homemade,
0:36.5	recipes and stories from My Kitchen,
0:38.5	will be out next week on Tuesday, October 14th. We talk about all of it. Her new book,
0:43.5	her recipes, her photography, how she weaves family history and Korean history into her work.
0:48.9	Joanne also opens up about her relationship with her mom, how she handles criticism and
0:53.6	online haters, and why she
0:55.3	feels compelled to tell the difficult stories behind the food we eat. We also get her favorite
1:00.2	NYC eats, the inspiration behind her best-loved tofu dish, and what's next for her brand. It was so great
1:06.6	to catch up with Joanne, who I had not seen in person in so long. And we also caught up at last
1:11.3	week's Jubilee, L.A., when she introduced author and social media sensation, Sarah on. If you'd
1:17.2	like to see Joanne in person, her book tour kicks off October 15th at the 92nd Street
1:22.1	Y in New York City. She'll be in conversation with Eric Kim, and you can buy tickets for in-person
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.