February is Vegan Cuisine Month: An Interview with Imana of Magical Food Department

2/4/2021

If you’re coming off of a successful Veganuary, don’t stop now! February is National Vegan Cuisine Month, and we’ve got a special guest to bring a magical vegan recipe to our Protego table!

But first, here are some fast facts about National Vegan Cuisine Month:

The American Vegan Society, the organization behind NVCM, was founded by Freya Dinshah and H. Jay Dinshah in 1960. The power couple is credited with the honor of launching the vegan movement in the US.

In the role of president of the AVS, Freya wrote and published The Vegan Kitchen in 1965. This book made history as the first cookbook in the US to explain the ethics of veganism, use “vegan” in the title, and offer up vegan recipes for Americans.

February was designated National Vegan Cuisine Month soon after and continues to be celebrated in the US and worldwide.

To get you into the spirit, we had the opportunity to interview the sensational Imana Grashuis of Magical Food Department about how she conjures up the most magical foods the wizarding world has to offer, and about her own vegan journey.

Imana is a Dutch kitchen witch based in the Netherlands. The one-woman talent behind Magical Food Department, Imana is a professional recipe developer, food photographer, and food stylist.

Imana uses all of her extraordinary skills to create some of the most incredible foods imaginable. Some of her most intriguing culinary creations to date are her Luna Lovegood-approved Dirigible Plum Cake and her Dolores Umbridge Cheesecake, which makes use of a wild profusion of pink in its decorations.

Imana’s creativity, passion for the wizarding world, and stunning nature-inspired aesthetic have garnered her a community of over 6,400 fans on Instagram.

A lifelong Harry Potter fan and a proud Slytherin, Imana ambitiously recreates iconic recipes from the Harry Potter series, but with a twist:

They’re all vegan!

With her commitment to embracing all the magic of the wizarding world from a plant-based approach, Imana’s boundless creativity and enthusiasm show how accessible, fun, affordable, and magical vegan kitchen witchery can be!

We’ll let Imana take it away from here!

The Protego Foundation: So, Imana! Tell us about your journey to veganism.

Magical Food Department: While I was working as a chef a few years ago in several restaurants, I was a proud vegetarian. I was always looking for the best and [most] creative dishes for the veg[etarian] friends [I had] that wanted to enjoy my cooking. Unfortunately, there were still many other menu items that highly involved meat, fish, and dairy.
After quitting my job as a chef, my health took a turn, and I got diagnosed with IBS and dysfunctional dyspepsia, a chronic illness that has a huge impact on your digestive system. I wanted to heal my body, mind, and spirit naturally. The vegan lifestyle was waiting for me to explore and discover.

PF: What inspired you to take a wizarding world approach to your veganism?

Magical Food Department: I felt so empowered by creating vegan recipes from my childhood, bringing back nostalgia and memories with a plant-based outcome.
The next step was to spread the word, and that is why I started my Instagram account. But, because there are so many food bloggers out there, I had to find a way to stay true to my purpose and path. Harry Potter and the wizarding world is the world I live in.
So merging my veganism with that magical world was the beginning of the Magical Food Department.

PF: So why did you create your blog and the Magical Food Department?

Magical Food Department: I wanted to share my recipes so that I could inspire and build a Kitchen Witch coven community.
You can find the iconic recipes from the books and movies like Pumpkin Juice and my visions of character and book-specific recipes on my blog. For example, Philosopher’s Scones, Pulled Dragon Sandwiches, and so much more. You can even find a Witchy Potion section to try out the most magical and healthy potion making!

PF: What was the first Magical Food Department recipe you created?

Magical Food Department: Umbridge's porridge. She is my least favorite character of the HP series (obviously), so I thought it was a good idea to cover her first. I made a very pink raspberry porridge with vanilla, maple syrup, and acai powder. I topped it with marinated raspberries, kiwi fruit, and cinnamon.

PF: What has been your favorite recipe to create for the Magical Food Department?

Magical Food Department: It’s impossible to pick one. There are so many memories and emotions attached to every creation I make. I pour my soul into every recipe, and every recipe is a part of me.
But, my most recent creation is my current favorite: Bill and Fleur's Lunch at the Sea Shell Cottage.
I grew up near the seaside and always found peace in the waters. I decided to go out of my comfort zone and create vegan seafood. I created a vegan spread with vegan tuna salad (made from chickpeas), vegan crab salad (made from steamed hearts of palm), tomato caviar, and crispy baguettes. I paired it with a mystical merpeople potion.

PF: How have you grown as a vegan since you've launched MFD?

Magical Food Department: Food connects me with everything I love in life. Since I launched the Magical Food Department, my passion and excitement have only grown more and more.
I’ve found so much confidence in my cooking and skills. I can turn my thoughts and ideas into a visual story as I explore the world in food!
In this process, I’ve inspired my family and friends to live a vegan lifestyle! I’ve made it impossible for them to dislike this food and lifestyle. And now they are on a journey to inspire others to be more aware of their habits, make mindful choices, and bring more compassion to the table.
The Magical Food Department made me realize that I found my purpose and my art at the same time. I would never have found that if I did not turn vegan a few years ago.

PF: What (or who) from the wizarding world inspires your vegan cooking the most?

Magical Food Department: In general, I analyze every food moment in the books and movies. I read and play them over in my head again and again to absorb every detail of the scene or moment.
Everything I see from the wizarding world is already vegan in my eyes. I only have to recreate it for myself and physically cook the creation!
The character that inspires me to live my best kitchen witch life is Molly Weasley. Pouring cream sauce out of my wand is still a magical skill I am working on!

PF: What does being a vegan kitchen witch mean to you?

Magical Food Department: Being a vegan kitchen witch feels like my birthright. Usually, I am not a huge fan of titles or names that put artists in a box. But this feels meant to be! My act of service in love is cooking and comforting others with my food so that they can go back in time with the flavours, textures, aromas, and how it’s presented. It’s my pleasure to welcome everyone to my table.

PF: Beyond Instagram and your blog, where else can our readers find you and the Magical Food Department?

Magical Food Department: I recently started a TikTok @magicalfooddepartment to share more behind the scenes footage, I share all my recipes and blog links on Pinterest @magicalfooddepartment, and I’m launching my YouTube channel very soon. It’s going to be an immersive visual storytelling and magical cooking experience. It’s very exciting!

This isn’t the last you’ll see of Imana on our blog!
The kitchen witch is cooking up a little something for The Protego Foundation and our fantastic vegan community (that’s you!)

We’re sworn to secrecy but we can promise it’s something that will make any Magizoologist, aspiring or otherwise, giddy. So be sure to check back soon!

Written by Victoria Tomis

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February is Vegan Cuisine Month: An Interview with Imana of Magical Food Department

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