The coast of Vietnam snakes in an “S” shape from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south, by the South China Sea. Bordering China, Laos and Cambodia, Vietnam draws its culinary influences from countries around the globe, among them neighboring China and Thailand, as well as France, whose era of colonization spanned parts of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Bright, light, fresh flavors characterize the cuisine, which often features a base of rice or noodles topped with seafood, meat, fresh herbs and fish sauce. According to Andrea Nguyen, author of Vietnamese Food Any Day (Ten Speed, 2019) and several other award-winning cookbooks, Vietnamese food is different from other cuisines because it is layered with sweetness, saltiness, spicy heat and cooling fresh herbs—a “fusion of cultures” resulting from a long history of interactions with other nations. Nguyen notes that in some parts of the country, Roman coins have been found (one theory is that Vietnamese fish sauce originated with the Roman fish sauce known as garum), and there has been influence from the Japanese, who occupied the country after the French, and from the American presence during the Vietnam War.

The Plant-Based Pioneer in Petaluma

Learn more about Miyoko’s Creamery, a phenomenally vegan company on the cutting edge of the plant-based revolution.

BY VICKI MARTINEZ

Overview

OVERVIEW

Plant-based products proliferate the aisle today. But Miyoko’s is a leading brand, on the cutting edge of the plant-based revolution. Using a combination of old-world creamery techniques and forward-thinking food science, Miyoko’s has “cracked the code to crafting authentic cheese and butter.”

When chef, restauranteur, cookbook author, entrepreneur, Miyoko Schinner adopted a fully vegan lifestyle, she soon found that meal choices and ingredients for vegan recipes were lacking. That set her down a path that would end with a nearly 48,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility, revolutionizing the dairy industry by making cheese and butter … without cows.

Mid-1980's

Mid-1980's

Miyoko Schinner transitions from vegetarian to full vegan

1991

1991

Schinner’s first cookbook The Now and Zen Epicure (Book Publishing Company) is published

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1994

1994

Schinner opens Now and Zen, a vegan restaurant in San Francisco (sold in 2003)

2012

2012

Schinner releases her fourth cookbook, Artisan Vegan Cheese (Book Publishing Company). The recipes are considered “groundbreaking” and “revolutionary,” taking the vegan culinary world by storm. This cult classic is considered the catalyst that began “the vegan cheese revolution.”

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2014

2014

The first cheese-making facility, Miyoko's Kitchen, begins producing artisan vegan cheeses for retail sale. Miyoko’s Kitchen was capable of mass-producing 40-pound batches a day.

2015

2015

Schinner co-founds Rancho Compasión, an animal sanctuary for rescued farm animals

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2017

2017

Due to an exponential increase in product demand, the company expands, opening a 29,000-square-foot facility. Rebranded as Miyoko’s Creamery, the company develops a cutting-edge process using traditional dairy-making techniques, 21st-century food science, and a proprietary method to craft cheese and butter on a large scale. The Petaluma plant churns out over 30,000 tubs and packages of cheese, butter, and other vegan dairy products daily.

Miyoko’s Creamery introduces its line of European style cultured vegan butters.

2018

2018

The international organization, UN Women, chooses Schinner as one of the dynamic female icons featured in their “The Future of Women” project, calling her a "Vegan Revolutionary.”

2019

2019

Miyoko’s Creamery attains Certified B Corp status

To date

To date

Miyoko’s Creamery has received more awards than any other vegan creamery in the country. As they’re fond of saying: “Miyoko's has won more awards than you can shake a cheese stick at.”

 

“People think that making Vietnamese food, if it’s not familiar to them, is going to be really difficult,” Nguyen says. “But all that they really need to start off with is fish sauce and rice.” One of the best features of Vietnamese food is that it is customizable to an eater’s personal tastes; what you put into your roll, soup or sandwich can vary based on your preference of meat, vegetables and garnishes. There are three “gateway foods,” as Nguyen calls them, for newbies to easily make and try: rice-paper rolls, pho (pronounced fuh) and banh mi sandwiches.

Rice-paper rolls are made with a thin rice-paper wrapper and can be filled with rice noodles; slices of pork, shrimp or tofu; and herbs and served with a peanut dipping sauce. Pho is a rice-noodle soup, made with a rich broth, plus a selection of meats, and topped with fresh herbs, jalapenos and lime juice. A banh mi sandwich is made using a French bread–style roll with distinctively Vietnamese fillings, including grilled pork, pickled daikon radish and shredded carrot, plus fresh cilantro and jalapeno slices.

In her latest book, Nguyen breaks down Vietnamese cooking so that it’s easily understood. She starts with a detailed guide of essential, readily available ingredients. “I want Vietnamese cooking to be a weekday thing, not a weekend project,” Nguyen says. “I want you to know you can do it any day, and all of the ingredients, like lettuce, cucumber, herbs, flour, sugar and butter, are available in a typical American pantry or supermarket.” Her hope is that some Vietnamese favorites will become part of every home cook’s regular meal roster.