World Vegan Day gives me a reason to look at plant-based cooking from a chef’s point of view. I am not vegan, and my roots are firmly Mediterranean, but vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and olive oil have always been central to the food I understand best.
In the Maldives, plant-based cooking comes with a particular operational reality. Local agriculture is limited, much of the fresh produce is imported, and chefs have to think carefully about availability, seasonality and waste. That does not reduce the possibilities; it simply makes planning more important.
A good vegan dish still needs the same things as any other dish: balance, texture, seasoning and a clear idea. Removing animal products does not automatically make food interesting, healthy or sustainable. The cooking still has to work.
I am not vegan, but the emphasis on vegetables, variety and conscious food choices connects naturally with themes I explored in The Healthy Italian Chef.
The book highlights the importance of a healthy lifestyle and shares my journey towards achieving this goal. While I cannot provide medical advice, I strongly encourage you to consider the benefits of consuming simple and nutritious meals. Eating the right food is crucial for maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Choosing to live healthily can have a profound and positive impact on your life.
Cristian Marino
Vegan diets can be nutritionally adequate when they are planned carefully, but they are not automatically balanced simply because they are plant-based. From a culinary perspective, ingredients such as legumes, quinoa and buckwheat are useful because they bring different textures, flavours and nutritional profiles to the menu. For me, the interesting question is not whether everyone should eat the same way, but how chefs can make plant-based choices genuinely satisfying.
These ingredients are valuable because they give a chef options. Legumes can provide body, grains can create structure, and vegetables can carry far more flavour than they are sometimes given credit for. The work is in combining them well.
World Vegan Day is useful to me as a reminder to look beyond familiar habits. Even without becoming vegan, a chef can learn from plant-based cooking, question unnecessary ingredients and widen the range of dishes offered to guests.
For chefs, that curiosity is enough reason to pay attention. A broader kitchen is usually a better one.
About the Author
