About
Hello! I’m Lolo. I’m 25 and I live in Boston with my husband, Stewart, and my two kitties, Dory and Pekoe. I quit my “day job” and am now busy writing a cookbook. If you’re a publisher, send me an email! I’m not a chef, I’ve never been to culinary school, and I’m certainly not a professional photographer. I have a lot of fun pretending, though!
I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and when I went vegan four years ago the kitchen became my favorite room in the house. I love experimenting with all sorts of food. Except for beets. And garlic. And pretty much anything that has been pickled. But hey! We all have our weird preference and dislikes, right?
If you like flickr, you can check my page out here. You can StumbleUpon me here. If you’re a knitter and on Ravelry, say hi to me here.
I do my best to make vegan food tasty and appealing to vegans and non-vegans alike. It seems to be working! See the press section to read what people are saying about VeganYumYum!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of camera do you use?
I use a Canon EOS 30D; any photos taken after June 2007 use the 30D. Before that, I used a Canon Rebel XTi, and way back when I first started I useda point-and-shoot Sony cybershot. With the Canon cameras, I use two lenses: Canon EFS 60mm/2.8F Macro and Canon USM 50mm/1.4f. If you’re really curious as to what camera/lens combination I used for a particular photo, click on the photo. You’ll be taken to my flickr page. If you click the “more properties” link on the bottom right of the screen you can see all the juicy technical data for that picture.
How do you get such nice photos? Any tips?
Practice, forethought, and a few easy tricks. I use colored backgrounds (spray painted foam boards or large sheets of construction paper), and take care to use natural light. I buy a fun dish or two whenever I go to Target. I think about what the setting should look like, how I’ll plate the food, and what colors would go nicely with it before I even start cooking. I don’t have a studio, so all the food you see is made by me in my kitchen, placed next to the window, photographed, then eaten. I use a tripod (never a flash!) and shoot a LOT of photos. I’d say that I take over 100 for every blog post you see, and then I delete the vast majority during the editing process. I use Adobe Lightroom for corrections (cropping, color boots, contrast, white balance, etc). I have a simple rule: if I don’t have a good photo of it, it doesn’t go on the blog. Period.
Can I use your images on my blog/in my magazine/to advertise my product?
If you have a blog and you’re not selling anything, you’re free to repost my images there as long as you link back to my blog and identify the photos as mine.
If you want to use my images for any other reason, contact me first. I generally do not allow my images to be used for commercial purposes, as stock photography, or to advertise your company/product/whatever. I suppose there are exceptions to every rule, so if you’re really interested in them email me.
What is Earth Balance/That weird ingredient you called for?
Earth Balance is a vegan margarine. It’s my favorite! I call for it in a lot of recipes, but sometimes I forget to specify what exactly it is. If you see a confusing ingredient, most likely google will answer your questions, but I’m always happy to chat via email if needed.
Press
On February 25th I was a guest on the Martha Stewart Show! Here’s the clip:
It’s official, VeganYumYum.Com is the Best Food Blog of 2007! Thanks to everyone who voted for me in the Blogger’s Choice Awards!
Mojito Cupcakes have been seen on Slashfood, Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen, Metafilter, Tastespotting and several blogs.
Knit Night Cupcakes have been featured on BoingBoing, Craft Magazine Blog, SuperVegan.com, and several knitting blogs.
Ellen on AOL.com even featured them as some of the Best Cupcakes in America!
The mini donuts were featured on theVegan Cupcakes Take Over the World blog, and they were one of PETA2’s “Things We Love” in April, 2007.
These were featured on Slashfood
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at lolo AT veganyumyum DOT com
I’ve closed comments on this page because there were getting to be too many, so please email me instead!
47 Comments
1. selina | June 18th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Your Kitties are Adorable!
2. jamie | June 19th, 2007 at 9:16 am
hi! love this site.. have you done or do you plan on doing anything low carb?
3. yarngineer | June 20th, 2007 at 8:54 am
You are an inspiration. I am not a trained chef either, but my friends and neighbors all think I should either start my own line of homemade salad dressings or write a cookbook. I get a little scared because I do not have a background in it. But I am so happy to see you are so successful. Your work is beautiful, and I am going to forward your site to my vegan and vegetarian friends.
4. Wendy | June 20th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
So, when is this cookbook going to be coming out? Because reading all these posts without the recipes is really killing me. Seriously. Everything is so gorgeous.
5. Kathleen | June 20th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
I love these! I am not vegan, but I am vegetarian, so it’s wonderful to be able to pour through a website with beautiful looking and delicious sounding food and know that it is all good for me to try!
Seriously, the presentation is amazing… I want to try everything! Hurry up on that cookbook so I can get it!
6. Mary | June 22nd, 2007 at 10:56 am
You are amazing. I found this blog through a cupcake blog, and I am so impressed. And very inspired to cook more vegan food! I cannot wait to buy your cookbook!
7. Jason Das | June 22nd, 2007 at 8:17 pm
We do love you, and thanks so much for the link! But, one little correction - there is a “g” in SuperVegan.com. (We’re not saying what it stands for though!)
8. Jenny | June 24th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
I just found your blog today and added the LJ feed to my friends list so I could keep up. I’ve recently started blogging too and admire your photography skills and recipe ideas! Can’t wait for the cookbook!
9. Mihl | June 25th, 2007 at 5:50 am
I am so happy that there will be a whole book. Which means I could order it online in my country too. Great. I hope you have great fun working on your book. It will definitely become a success!
10. Kandiss Powell | June 26th, 2007 at 10:25 am
I can’t believe I’ve never seen your website before! I’m in love. In LOVE, I tell you! I am going to buy your cookbook when it comes out, and copies for my mom and dad. So glad you exist!
11. Raina | June 30th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
I love this. I have been Vegan one year and I get a little dull sometimes.Thanks, I knew it was ways to get of the traditional way we grew up eating veg. I will buy that book as soon as it gets out.
12. Bonnie | July 3rd, 2007 at 3:30 pm
What will be the name of your cookbook? I’ll watch for it. You’re a natural, good luck. b b
13. Erica | July 8th, 2007 at 9:23 am
Hello! I just found this blog as well and wanted to say hi and you’re amazing!
14. sarah | July 10th, 2007 at 1:56 am
Please. if you have a mailing list for this site add me to your list.
Thank you so much for all that you are doing.
15. Nick Ribush | July 14th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Please open a vegan restaurant in Boston.
Also check out Kurukulla Center: http://www.kurukulla.org
16. kathleen | July 15th, 2007 at 3:33 am
I love your website, and cannot wait to get your cookbook and make absolutely every recipe in it.
Anyway, I have been searching for years for vegetarian marshmallows. They used to sell them in a specialty store near my house, but I think the manufacturer went out of business. No one seems to know… I’ve tried making homemade marshmallows, but using gelatin-substitute doesn’t allow them to gel the same. Marshmallows are the ONLY thing I miss about being vegetarian, and I though, if anyone knows where to get them/ how to make them, it would be you!!
17. Haroldo Kennedy Clebicar | July 16th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Olá,
Eu passei aqui para conhecer seu blog. Seu site é literalmente muito delicioso!!
Parabens pela criatividade e empenho, principalmente não sendo uma pessoa do ramo de comida e de fotografia (o outro site do Flickr).
Até logo.
Hk
18. Keisha | July 16th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Your pictures and recipes are amazing. I’m not a vegan but I’m choosing healthier foods. I just need to learn how to prepare them. I’m looking forward to getting one of your cookbooks.
-Keisha
19. cornflake s.pecially | July 16th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Can’t wait for the book! I stumbeld on this blog & just in time- i felt bad returning diet for a new america and mosseied on over only to find your blog!! Now, I’m heading home to fix me some fixins and sigining up for your wisdom!
20. Brianna | July 17th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
As a fellow vegan-food-experimenter, I can’t help but idolize you/be in awe of your amazingness. I adore everything you do!! Your recipes and photos are just, flawless and classy. I can’t wait until your book comes out!
21. Emily | July 17th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
My goodness, you’re brilliant!
22. melissa | July 18th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
i love your website!
would i be able to add you to my fav links section? thanks!
23. Yum DC Emily | July 19th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Hey Lolo! The knit night’s were on Slashfood, too!
http://www.slashfood.com/2007/06/20/food-porn-knit-some-cupcakes/
You probably already knew; it was so long ago.
24. nicole underhill | July 19th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
this is a great website! can’t wait for your book…i’m inspired by the fact that you’ve had no formal training–there’s hope for me yet!
25. Joe | July 31st, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Love your site! Everything looks so delicious!
26. Patricia | August 1st, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I was curious about the recipes to all of these wonderful prepared goodies and all. I assume they will be apart of the cookbook which why they are not posted?
27. Lolo | August 3rd, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Thanks everyone! Your comments are all so sweet!
Patricia - If you don’t see a recipe posted, you’ll be able to find it in my cookbook in November!
28. Agnès | August 5th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Everything on this site is so brilliant and looks so delicious!
I’m really looking forward to buying your cookbook :-). Will it be available outside the US?
29. Molly | August 5th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Hi Lauren! It was great to see you at the movies the other day! This blog is great! I’ll be coming back and trying your recipes for sure! Good luck with the cookbook! Molly
30. Molly | August 5th, 2007 at 9:10 am
(wait! i didn’t realize that would be public. how to edit out personal info?)
31. Deanna Balestra | August 13th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I’m very glad I found your blog! I did a review of it on my own
http://24hourkitchen.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/vegan-yum-yum-not-just-any-food-blog/
I can’t wait to try mini donuts for my kids!
And I’ll be checking back for cookbook updates because I know I’ll be ordering one!!
32. bethie | August 14th, 2007 at 10:59 am
can’t wait for the cookbook, hope it will be sold elsewear besides amazon.com as i don’t care for amazon.com, too mamoth and not great customer service
33. Eva | August 29th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Hey Lola,
I saw your website for the first time today, but your recipes really appeal to me! Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies too, and I started my weblog a few weeks ago. Ever since I was inspired by all the good dishes I could find on the Internet.
My site is in Dutch, but I will post in English in the future!
Good luck with your cookbook, I am looking forward to it!
34. Madhavi | August 29th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Your website address was in today’s edition of the Sacramento Bee. I decided to check it out since I’m lacto-vegetarian and been thinking about going vegan - I’m in love! Thanks for your website. It’s awesome!
35. cì | August 30th, 2007 at 3:32 am
hi, I’m from Italy, your blog it’s FANTASTIC, my compliments!
36. Laura Alfonso | August 30th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Would really like to have recipes. Photos are fantasic. How can I get the recipes? It’s great to post photos but should have recipes with them as well.
thanks you for sharing.
37. Elizabeth | September 2nd, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Your recipes and photos are just amazing! I love sites that show vegan food can be inventive & delicious & cruelty free all at the same time.
Greetings and best wishes from downunder!
38. Kassy Fisher | September 4th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
I just experimented with beets for my very first time– canned beets had me scared for years. 1. Preheat your oven to 425. 2. Get fresh, organic ones. 3. Quarter them (or cut them into eighths if they’re big). You can cut off any bad spots or peel them if you wish. 4. Lay them in a pan. 5. Add a clove (or two) of freshly-crushed garlic, salt & pepper. 6. Toss it all in a bit of drizzled oil. 7. Cover in foil. 8. Bake for 10 minutes. 9. Bake for another 7-10 minutes uncovered until a bit dried. Voila. They’re great hot and just fine cold as well. Lolo, you have to try this and see what you think. They’re quite photogenic as well. (Save the greens– they can be used in any recipe that calls for kale).
39. Kirsty Hall | September 12th, 2007 at 8:41 am
I got here after following a link for the delightful knitted cupcakes and I just wanted to say that your site is gorgeous.
40. Nicole | September 25th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Love the site. saw your knitting cupcakes on one of the knitting blogs i frequent. cant wait to try all the new things i found. excellent job!
41. Jude | September 26th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Hello!
I just wanted to drop a note to say I’ve enjoyed your blog and it inspired me to start my own at http://frogfood.peace.net
One problem I am having is getting decent photos. I have dozens of pictures of delicious food that just don’t look good enough to post. And as you can see, even the ones I have aren’t fabulous. I have a decent camera, but it seems to fail miserably anytime the flash is needed. Can you tell me something about your photo set-up and how you get such gorgeous pictures? Thanks.
42. Scott Myers | September 29th, 2007 at 4:50 am
Hello-
I am with my company this week at Natural Products Expo sampling our imported vegan cheese from Scotland called Sheese. Several folks asked me if I had heard of this blog and or you had heard about Sheese for your recipes.
I spent this morning before the show looking over the delicious recipes, so thanks very much for all your hard work.
We’ve been getting some good reviews about Sheese, so if you’d like to try some in your recipes, we’d be gald to send you a sample pack.
Regards,
Scott Myers
43. Lara | September 30th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Hello!
I just found this site looking for info about baby squash. I came home from vons were i bought some squash put it in the oven and then put some butter and honey on it but my kids did not like it so i am lost once again. I am thinking of stopping eating meat but i am confused about how to go about it whats good for me and whats not . So any info that anyone have and can help me i would love that, i hate cookbooks because it is always so hard to find all the thing that are in them so i always give up, i got this really good book for kids and it always asked for light brown self rising flour and i could never find it so i gave up once again. so please help me i need some more healty ideas. thank you
44. Annette | October 1st, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Hello! I stumbled on to your web site tonight and I’m hooked! I’ve bookmarked your site and I intend to refer to it often. The pix of your food are beautiful. Many Thanks!
45. Pam | October 2nd, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Do you ever do anything gluten free? I have celiac disease and most of the packaged mixes you can buy for baked goods are downright digusting. I also love to bake and am used to home-made items. I was one of the few kids in this world that didn’t like Twinkies and things like that growing up. I made a batch of cupcakes using a mix a while back and after eating a half of one I tossed the entire batch in the trash. If you could create tasty gluten-free bakery items there are thousands of us celiacs that would be eternally grateful.
thanks
46. Jonathan | October 5th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Hello, I was wondering how you felt about apricots. They’re my favorite fruit and I don’t know how to use them. I eat them and make them into a sauce. Other than being a great face scrub what else can they do? If you have any ideas e-mail me or post something lovely here.
Oh can you kind of explain what earth balance is. I’ve googled it and received missed messages.
P.S. Since you live in Boston too have you ever eaten cranberries and sliced apricots with a little sugar? Try it. It’s weird but the second time you try it you might just love it.
47. Kris Baskott | October 11th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Could I please have the recipe for the Tomato Mushroom Risotto and Roasted Eggplant. Please i am desperate for this recipe as it is exactly the one i am looking for.