Hi! Welcome to The New Baguette. So glad to have you here. My name is Alex and I am the writer, photographer, recipe developer, and chief vegetable cheerleader here at TNB.
Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or a total beginner, whether you cook every day or just every now and then, chances are, you’re used to cooking the “traditional” way – i.e. meals centered around meat, dairy, and processed ingredients. But if you’re curious about plant-based whole-foods cooking and need some creative ideas for how to incorporate more vegetarian meals into your life, you’ve come to the right place.
I created The New Baguette to be a resource for people exactly like you. Because, well… I am you!
As a Ukrainian immigrant, I grew up on the standard, eastern European meat-and-potatoes diet. And when I started cooking on my own, it was all about the meaty meat, gooey cheese, and melty buttah.
It wasn’t until way later (2013, to be exact) that I started to make the connection between food and health. It was thanks to the book Crazy Sexy Diet, in which the author, Kris Carr, provides a roadmap for how she manages her inoperable cancer through a nutrient-rich plant-based diet (along with other holistic wellness practices).
Her story completely blew my mind and made me rethink everything I knew about “healthy” food (i.e. the weight loss-focused fad diets I was always hearing about).
As I started to transition to a whole-foods, plant-centered way of eating, I noticed some changes almost immediately: my skin cleared up; I had better energy throughout the day; my immunity got stronger (my infamous two-week-long colds became a thing of the past); and, I no longer had uncontrollable cravings.
But reimagining my plate from one with a hunk of meat in the middle, to one full of plants, was a challenge. Like many others, I fell into the trap of thinking that all I could eat were smoothies and salads.
And then I started working at Natural Gourmet Institute, the legendary plant-based culinary school in New York City. Working alongside their brilliant chefs and nutritionists, I learned how vast and exciting the world of plant-based cooking can be. (…Salad, who?)
My mission with The New Baguette is to share approachable techniques and delicious, easy-to-follow recipes that you can get truly excited about eating. Yes, eating vegetarian is better for your health and the planet’s, but it’s not about sacrifice. It’s about seeing food in a whole new way and discovering all the possibilities.
Where to start?
If you’re new to TNB, I encourage you to browse my recipe index and try some of my most popular recipes, like this crispy tofu bowl with peanut sauce, soy-glazed pan-fried eggplant, creamy spinach pesto pasta, or sugar-free date brownies.
I also invite you to sign up for my mailing list so you can get each new recipe sent straight to your inbox (you’ll also get my Plant-Based Meal Prep Guide for free!). And of course, follow me on Instagram.
A bit more about me…
Aside from running this site, you can find me teaching plant-based cooking and food photography classes at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC, contributing to sites like The Kitchn, Food52, and The Spruce Eats, and working with clients on photography and recipe development projects (check out my portfolio here). I also wrote Friendsgiving (William Morrow, 2017) and co-wrote The Complete Vegan Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, 2019). I live in NYC with my boyfriend, Rene, and our cat friend, Fred.
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