Miyoko Schinner

Schinner was born in a town outside of Tokyo, Japan as Miyoko Nishimoto.[3] She came to the United States when she was seven,[3] grew up in Mill Valley, California,[4] and at age 12 decided to become a vegetarian (which led her to cooking her own meals).[5] She began college at the Pratt Institute in order to study graphic design, but dropped out after a year.[5] She eventually transferred to St. John's College in Annapolis,[3] and graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy in 1979.[5]

After moving to Japan,[4] Schinner transitioned to eating vegan in the mid-1980s.[6][7] In 1994, she opened the vegan restaurant Now and Zen in San Francisco. It eventually expanded into a natural food company of the same name, and was sold in 2003.[8]

Schinner has launched a number of vegan brands, such as UnTurkey, which she exhibited at the 1995 Natural Products Expo alongside competitor Tofurky, and Hip Whip.[7]

In 2014, Schinner launched vegan cheese company Miyoko's Kitchen, later renaming it Miyoko's Creamery.[9] Tofurky founder Seth Tibbott was the company's first investor.[10] In 2016, the Specialty Food Association reported the company had "grown 300% year over year," and "they recently signed on to a new 28,000+ square-foot headquarters in Petaluma."[10]

In 2015, Schinner founded the nonprofit Rancho Compasión farmed animal sanctuary in Nicasio, California.[18][19]

In 1991 The Book Publishing Company published her first vegan cookbook The Now and Zen Epicure.[20] In 2012, it published Artisan Vegan Cheese. That same year she began co-hosting PBS cooking show Vegan Mashup, with Toni Fiore and Terry Hope Romero.[21]

Ten Speed Press published Schinner's The Homemade Vegan Pantry in 2015,[22] and The Vegan Meat Cookbook: Meatless Favorites. Made with Plants. in 2021.[23]

Schinner is married to Michael Schinner, with whom she opened "Rancho Compassion." They have three children, a son (a basketball player in Japan) and two daughters.[4] In 2023, Schinner defined herself as an "Epicurean activist out to end cruelty to animals and climate change by connecting our palate to our future."[24]

In 2018, Melaina Juntti of New Hope Network described Schinner as a "vegan rock star".[6] Schinner was among 28 women featured in PopSugar's "28 Women Changing the World Right This Second" list, a project backed by UN Women.[25]

In 2019, The Homemade Vegan Pantry was named one of the Best Vegan Cookbooks by Good Housekeeping magazine.[26]

In 2021, Schinner was included in the inaugural Forbes 50 Over 50 list.[1][27]

• Nishimoto, Miyoko (1991). The Now and Zen Epicure: Gourmet Cuisine for the Enlightened Palate. The Book Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0913990780.
• Nishimoto Schinner, Miyoko (1999). Japanese Cooking: Contemporary & Traditional [Simple, Delicious, and Vegan]. The Book Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1570670725.
• Nishimoto Schinner, Miyoko (2001). The New Now and Zen Epicure: Gourmet Cuisine for the Enlightened Palate. The Book Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1570671142.
• Schinner, Miyoko (2012). Artisan Vegan Cheese. The Book Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1570672835.
• Schinner, Miyoko (2015). The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1607746775.
• Schinner, Miyoko (2021). The Vegan Meat Cookbook: Meatless Favorites. Made with Plants. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1984858887.

• Miyoko Schinner on Instagram
• "The Vegan Good Life With Miyoko" on YouTube
• Former Miyoko’s Creamery CEO countersues Petaluma company’s board, alleges gender discrimination and retaliation - The Press Democrat, March 17, 2023.