CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A Chicago lawyer of 17 years who found a new career on the internet has a cookbook and memoir coming out next week.
Joanne Molinaro is a lifelong Chicagoan, a law firm partner, a marathon runner, a child of Korean immigrants and a storyteller.
She's also a vegan, but that's one of the more recent developments. She started her vegan diet in 2016 and now she has millions of followers on social media under her pseudonym, the Korean Vegan.
"When I went vegan, I had to cook because there just weren't a lot of vegan options, or at least ones that I felt comfortable eating. So, with that, I was like, 'alright, I've gotta do a bit more cooking in the kitchen.' And I found that I really enjoyed it. It really helped me to take my mind off my job, which was stressful,” Molinaro told WBBM Newsradio.
Molinaro's stories set her apart from other influencers.
She cooks beautiful dishes like kimchi cheese fries while telling stories about her family and her upbringing.
She started posting cooking videos on TikTok in the heat of the pandemic last summer. Nearly 3 million followers later, she's become the Korean Vegan full time after scaling back her caseload as an attorney. This was a difficult decision for Molinaro since it represented a goal she said she’s worked her whole life toward. It was also challenging since she became the firm’s first Korean American female partner.
"Being a lawyer has helped me to understand the importance of structuring my communication in a way that's maximally effective," Molinaro said.
Molinaro said she veganizes Korean food and Koreanizes everything else. Her cookbook and memoir is coming out on Oct. 12, two days after she runs the Bank of America Chicago marathon.
"Seeing so many different colors in the city allowed me to feel not too different,” she said.
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