Miyoko Schinner has been a vegetarian for over forty years and vegan for over half of that time. She is the author of The Now and Zen Epicure and Japanese Cooking:Contemporary and Traditional. Miyoko, who has an on-line, whimsical cooking show called Miyoko's Kitchen, has been teaching, cooking, and writing about vegan foods for over thirty years. She shares her passion and knowledge of vegan cuisine in her classes, and will be co-hosting "Vegan Mashup," a public television cooking show, starting fall 2012. She lives in Northern California with her husband, children, dogs, cats and pet chickens.