[00:00:00] Hello Ellen, and welcome to The World Vegan Travel Podcast.
I am so excited to be here, Brighde. Thank you.
I am so pleased to have you on because we are going to be talking about a destination in the US that I've never been to. I've heard so much about it. I've seen it on TV shows. There's a lot of stereotypes, I guess, about the place, some of which may be truthful or have an element of truth, but I'm sure there's a lot of other things about the city that just make it so unique and a great destination. And that is, of course, Miami in Florida. 
But before you tell us about Miami as a destination, Ellen, would you mind telling us a little bit about what it is that you do in the vegan space? 
Well, as you know, there are so many good reasons to go vegan. Whether it's health or sustainability, which matters a lot in [00:01:00] Miami because we are dealing with climate change, actually, I think everywhere is, or you're passionate about animal rights. But I find the best way to keep people there is with great food. And so as much as I am a storyteller, and a presenter, and a culinary educator, I just like to create recipes that go, 'Oh, if this is vegan, yeah, I can totally do this.'
And how do you do that work?
I do have a new cookbook, Miami Vegan- plant-based recipes from the tropics to your table. I love experimenting in the kitchen and ,you know, has such great tropical flavors and produce that it makes it, I think, very easy to be vegan, that you don't need processed food. This is stuff you can pick off the tree, that you can use stuff from your own pantry and really [00:02:00] create a lot from a little.
I love it. Well, I definitely want to dig into like the food availability in Miami. Just fun, vegan stuff, but also talk more about what is available in Miami. But I would love it if you would tell us more about your cookbook, which, for people watching this video, watching the podcast, they'll see behind Ellen's shoulder there. Can you tell me how this cookbook came to be and what people can expect if they were to have a look at it?
Well, I hope you do, and thank you, Brighde. That's a that's a great question. The title is, 'Miami Vegan.' I am a fifth generation Miamian, which is almost unheard of.
Really.
Yes. Most of my neighbors come from somewhere else, and I kinda love that about us, that we are such a mix of cultures and cuisines. I've [00:03:00] got family going back generations here, and I'm a long time vegan. When someone said, 'Hey, it's time you write another cookbook,' I tend to want to recreate the wheel. There are two things that you are really an expert in; the city, and being vegan. I thought,I'd love to run with that. I really do have a bunch of tropical flavors. Some of the dishes that are different cultures and communities brought to this. And I made it vegan, and I tried to make it super accessible.
I love it. And would you mind, I'm putting you on the spot a little bit here, but could you tell me your favorite recipe from the book and your favorite sweet recipe from the book?
Okay. There has been a recipe I made long before I even thought of the cookbook, and it's a good example of local cuisine. Rice and beans are my love language. And it's true. And also, they're so [00:04:00] pantry-friendly. They're so wallet-friendly. Every culture and cuisine, I think, has a rice and beans recipe that kind of gets you through hard times. I have a couple, but the one I really love is, I call it Caribbean pigeon peas and rice. And it looks like a party and it tastes like a party, and it's not that complicated. You just saute some onion and garlic, and chili, and sweet pepper. Add some rice and beans, and you're done. And it's fabulous. I make it for parties often because it feeds a crowd.
Fabulous. And your favorite sweet option, I'm sure you have a dessert section.
I have to because Miami does have a sweet tooth. I have to say, it's the last recipe I developed, and that's key lime pie. 
Oh.
Iconic Miami recipe. It has dairy, it has eggs. And to get this right .To earn cookbook place, I [00:05:00] needed to make sure I could do it vegan. And my husband; I wouldn't say suffered through every iteration, but he certainly was with me every step of of the way. It's like, 'Okay, no, this one's not right.' Also, I have had to train him. Usually he'll just nod and say, 'That's good.' Okay, that's not enough. What is good about it? Is it the flavor? Is it the texture? Is it too creamy? So I need good feedback. I think with that one, I nailed it. That was a point of pride for me.
I love it. I love it. Yes. Both of those dishes sounds absolutely delicious, and people listening to this should definitely go and check out Ellen's book. I love this idea. We have so many countrywide or cuisine focused cookbooks, Italian cookbooks or Thai cookbooks. But to have a cookbook centered around a particular city, I mean, that's quite unique. I love it. Great. 
 So, for people [00:06:00] that maybe, do not know much about Miami, and certainly for our listeners outside of the US, would you be able to get us oriented a little bit about Miami. So I'll probably break it up a little bit. Like, where is Miami situated geographically? And maybe you can talk a little bit about the climate. Because I think, the two things are very connected.
Absolutely they are. You are exactly right. Miami is situated at the tip Florida. So it is pretty much as far south as you can get in North America. Much further beyond that, and you're just hitting the Atlantic Ocean. So we are coastal. We are tropical, and in the introduction to the book, I quote two of my friends. It is very warm here. It is tropical. And my Northern friends love to come visit in the winter. And one of them [00:07:00] said, 'Wow, Miami is really sexy.' And the other one who comes from a little more of a proper upbringing said, 'Miami is a lot.' And I think both are true. I think, taken together, you're getting a little taste of what Miami is. We are very dynamic. 
I'd love to delve into that a little bit more. What does it mean, what was your friend referring to when she said that Miami is so sexy?
Because we are. The climate absolutely feeds on that. And when when it's not too hot, makes people happy. And there's very lush produce, and foliage. It feels tropical. Because we have such a mix of Latin and Caribbean cultures. You're going to hear lots of different languages. You're going to see big smiles from people. It really is unique.
And can you tell me what your friend was saying when she said that [00:08:00] Miami is a lot.
I think it's pretty much thing the same thing, that you're either open tothis multiplicity of language and culture, and everything coming at you at once or you're not. And I think maybe she just not ready for it. By the end of the time, I think she got acclimated, and I tried to be a good guide for her.
i'm sure you were. Okay, great. I know of course that Miami is very hot, or can be very hot. Can you explain like the climate over the course of a year so that people can choose when would be a good time to come?
For example, I had no choice in this. There was no choice, but I was just in Las Vegas and it was like, 40, 44 degrees Celsius. I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit, but it was very hot, and I would not recommend that. So would you give us your recommendations and when is the best time to go, depending on what you want to do?
We have two seasons here- mosquito and [00:09:00] tourist. You could actually third- that would be hurricane season. You probably don't want to come here now because it's very hot. We are in the throes of summer. And hurricane season lasts until the end of November. Actually, if you want to play your odds a little bit, I'd say the best time to be here is from October- assuming no hurricanes, through to March. The humidity, which can be like walking into a wet towel, sometimes, is much less. The flocks of tourists have gone away, so everyone's, 'Ah, yeah, we can do things now.'Fall is actually our planting season because now it is so hot. Things burn up.
Oh, that's interesting.
Yeah. We do things differently here.
I love it. 
You've been in Miami for your entire life, and all of your parents and grandparents, et cetera. How do they see that the city [00:10:00] has changed over that time? I get the sense that it probably has grown a lot in the past 50 years or so. Is that fair to say?
It is more than fair to say. You know, I'm not that old, I go out with my friends or my husband. It's like, 'Oh, didn't that used to be something else? Wasn't that restaurant, that other restaurant? Don't you remember? Oh, this high-rise used to be a park.' My father, I remember walking with him and I said, 'Does Miami look the same as you remember as a kid?' He said, 'You could plop me down here and I would not recognize it.' We're always thinking, 'Oh, what's this like? Let me try that. Let me, let me try silver nail polish. Let me try this, let me try that.' Although we have a very old history, we like the new. 
Would you mind talking a little bit about the history of Miami? I assumed, and of course, I don't know so much. I assumed that it was [00:11:00] quite a new city.
It is a new city, but we have some archeology that proves that there were folks living here thousands of years ago. They were Native Americans. The Miccosukee, the Seminole, the Tequesta, and they did not leave much of a trace. And I'm thinking, okay, what is an archeologist or a historian going to say about us now because there's big chunks of buildings everywhere.
Okay. Very interesting. 
What is it that Miami has to offer for vegan travelers? We don't have to just specifically talk about vegan restaurants, but just generally speaking, like what are the things that people would come to Miami for?
It is a very city, city, or it can be, but I think if you really want to know Miami, be by the water. So, a day at the beach, a boat trip. [00:12:00] We have a wonderful local historian here who runs these walking tours that really give a sense of the city. And you're also walking somewhere beautiful and exciting too. So you get a lesson in what the city is on two different levels. I like that.
Oh, okay. So the beach is a must-see. Do you know the name of your friend who's a historian?
 His name is Dr. Paul George.
So like two of the Beatles.
Oh, Love it. Okay, so there's gotta be more than just the beach. I know the beaches in Florida, Miami are very special indeed. Are there any other things that people would love to check out whilst they're in Miami?
There is an area, an artsy area called Wynwood. And it is so new that until a few years ago, it didn't really have a name. It was just like, 'Oh, that place over there.' And it's full of restaurants and bars, and we have [00:13:00] a lot of great graffiti artists, so you can just see walls painted these wild colors. It's great for walking around. It's great great for people watching. It really, I was going to say, it comes alive night. It comes alive by early afternoon. We all want to get out and do things.
I love it. So you've described some really great places to hang out and of course that's such an important part of a vacation. Just relax and enjoy, and just be in a place. Are there any like special activities to check out, that could be like museums or tours or anything like that, that people might like to see?
Absolutely. There is a world class tropical garden called Fairchild. And even on the hottest day, the foliage, the trees, it is so lush, that it's a delight to walk around there. We have events there [00:14:00] frequently because we're in the heart of mango season now. We just had a mango festival where you get to taste all kinds of different fruits. There's something like 500 different varieties of mango and a lot of them grow here. So that's a really fun thing to do. And if you don't feel like walking, if the heat gets to you, there's a tram there. It is a beautiful day though. I'm trying to think what else I would want people to do. And if you're short on time and you're on Miami Beach, there is a little tropical oasis called Miami Beach Botanical Garden. In fact, I teach culinary classes sometimes there. You could do that in just about an hour. We have some wonderful art museums, Pérez Art, Pérez Art Museum of Miami .For a deeper dig into to what our city is, you can go to History Miami. It's a local history museum. And it's not just Miami. It has to delve into the Caribbean and Latin America [00:15:00] because we are a gateway to those places.
I would love to talk about that, actually, because I'm aware that Miami is a city where it has a large Cuban population, 
but I'd love to know more about the diversity of the city because of course, this is what makes the city. And probably there's a connection between the food, and the culture, and the community of a city. So, what is Miami? What types of people is Miami made up of? I'm guessing a lot of Hispanic people. Tell us about that.
Well, I called my book Miami Vegan, but Miami, you're right, isn't one thing. It's many. So, we're not even just like Latin and Caribbean. There are Cubans, there are Nicaraguans, there are Guatemalans, there are Costa Ricans, there are Jamaicans, there are Bahamians, and [00:16:00] Venezuelans. If I think about it, I could keep going for a long time. And all that winds up. We're a great community mix and all that winds up on the plate too, because we learn from each other. We adapt to each others food ways. Miami even has; according to grammarian, its own dialect. I guess I speak it because don't know what's particularly unique about it. We borrow a little Spanish, we borrow a little Caribbean Patois, and that just sort of makes our language a little rich. If you do come to Miami for the first time, do expect - we do speak English. But you might hear Spanish, you might hear Creole from Haiti, you might hear a bunch of different languages.
Oh, that's amazing. 
And so how does this incredible diversity, how is that reflected in the food that is available or some of the favorite Miami dishes that people can [00:17:00] find?
There are a few dishes that every culture claims.I have some vegan ceviche recipes. Ah. And the Peruvians say, 'Ah, that was ours.' And the Nicaraguans say, 'No, we did it first.' And really, to me food is meant to be shared. And also for rice and beans.There's a dish called Gallo Pinto It means spotted rooster. The story goes; there was a farmer about a hundred years ago and he was of slender means, but he wanted to invite his neighbors and be a good host. So he was going to fatten up a rooster for them. Right. And even before the days of Instagram, word got out that he was having a party. And people were coming to him and saying, 'Hey, really looking forward being at your house.' And he started to panic. Because even feeding one rooster was not going to cut it. So he made big pots of rice and beans and there [00:18:00] was plenty for everyone. 
I love it. So, 
people have decided that they're going to go to Miami, maybe for the first time. What are some tips that you could recommend to people? I just basically did a big whole stint in Vegas. I was just there in Vegas for a week, and I learned so much, that I wish I had known before I went. So maybe, you'll be able to help some listeners not make the same mistakes that we made. So would you mind sharing some tips for some travelers? First time travelers?
Okay. Very good. Miami is more spread out than you realize. It looks it looks like this on the map. You want to have good transportation, whether you want to grab an Uber, rent a car or have a bike. But absolutely factor in timing. We do have a metro rail that might get you where you want to go.
Oh. 
But Miami and Miami Beach are separated by Causeways, and people think, 'Oh, you [00:19:00] know, it's, just like a like a 15 minute drive.' It should be. We have terrible traffic. I'm warning you now. Don't lose your temper. You will get where you need to go. And that is another Miami concept. Things do not always start when you want them to. Like people come to an event when they're going to come, and you just with it.
Anytime you're hungry we'll be able to feed you. But I know for some of my friends who have visited us like six o'clock, we need dinner. I can get you dinner. But really we tend to eat later. We graze. So you'll be able to find something to eat almost anytime.
I think that's really smart. It sounds to me like a decision like that is based on the weather. It's much nicer and more enjoyable to eat and spend a long time eating with friends when it's later on in the evening and it's a little bit cooler. It makes perfect sense to me.
One of the stats I am not too happy with is, Americans spend less [00:20:00] time in the kitchen and at the table than any other culture. That's really where connection happens. There's a Spanish word, sobremesa which means pleasure at the table. And it doesn't just mean the food, it's the company. It's that sort of magical quality when you're having a wonderful evening with people and you just don't want it to end. So I think maybe we're getting a little better here at creating that.
I love it. 
I'm very curious to know what your top vegan restaurant recommendations are or places where you can get the best vegan food. It doesn't have to be a 100% vegan eatery. What are your favorite places in Miami? Just maybe the best food, but also the best vibe, and just the best place to have a delicious meal.
Thank you for asking this. My personal favorite is a place called L'Artisane. It is a French bakery [00:21:00] where everything in it is vegan, and it is amazing. In fact, my husband and I go there every Saturday morning before errands, just to have a little treat to get us going before we go to the grocery store and the dry cleaner and all the things you gotta do. Her croissants are world famous and they don't have butter.She won in a blind tasting, and the French judges were like, 'How can you do croissants without butter?' It's magic. It's just vegan magic. We have a place called Love Life Cafe, that will give you a taste of it's vegan comfort food. So there's bowls, there's award-winning burgers. There's a vegan arepa that is a Latin American corn cake and it can stuffed with vegan cheese or all kinds of wonderful things. And really Miami has figured out that, 'Hey, vegans want to eat too.' So a lot of restaurants I like, may not be strictly vegan, but they have some [00:22:00] amazing vegan options. A place in downtown Miami, which until recently, you wouldn't even want to go to downtown Miami at night. But it's really happening now. And there is a Viet bar and street-food place called Tâm Tâm. I was just there with my husband the other day and they did an amazing vegan lettuce wrap with smoked tofu and pickled vegetables, and it was just so overstuffed. It was hard to wrap the lettuce around it. It was amazing. There is wonderful Chef called Niven Patel. He is Indian, and he's local and he grows a lot of the produce that's in his restaurants, including one I like called Ghee, which is Indian. And it's in Wynwood, as I mentioned. Beautiful space. Not a whole lot of vegan options, but a nice, zesty, green papaya [00:23:00] salad. And I think you might know chana masala, which is a curry house specialty. This is so elevated. It's got saffron in it. It's fabulous. There's another Mediterranean restaurant called Doya, which is all small plates, mezze. And there's Ä°mam bayıldı which means, 'The Imam fainted from pleasure because the dish was so delicious.' All kinds of wonderful dips and little bites. So yeah, you really, you can do pretty well here. 
And what about the nightlife? I have this idea in my mind that the nightlife in Miami is really, really good with great clubs and bars and live music.
This is true. My husband is not a late night guy, so I am not an expert and I don't want to say that I am. But, if you check out any Miami guide,[00:24:00] or ask like the last teenager who was here. They will give you names and places. But even like walking around Wynwood or South Beach, you'll just see, and you'll feel like all the energy and the music. So just follow it.
Do you have any recommended neighborhoods for travelers to book a hotel or vacation rental or something like that? So that, they're well situated for all of the great things, because before we met, I was looking on Google maps and, yes, I definitely saw that Miami is very thin and stretched out along the coast. So choosing a strategic place to stay might save a lot of time.
You might want the Wynwood area. There are some new boutique hotels. You can kind of go North, and then and then over to the beach and then come down near Coral Gables and Coconut Grove. Or if you really want to check out the South Beach [00:25:00] scene. Hotels there can be pricey, but not so much during summer. So if you want to risk the heat, it's not so bad.
And I'd love to ask your opinion on the price of coming to Miami. As I mentioned. And I've just finished recording a podcast on this, on Vegas. I was just in Vegas for a week and I really was surprised at how expensive it was, in terms of like hotels and meals, and just a lot of like nickel and diming you, and often much more than nickels and dimes in terms of value. So I'm curious, do you feel like Miami is a good value destination.
I want it to be a good value destination. It is one of the more expensive citiesin the States. I am sorry to say that. It wasn't always, but it is now. So I want to make people aware of that. That said, you can still [00:26:00] find value. You might want to stay; I'm probably going to get hell from the visitors and tourist board for saying this, but sometimes being off South Beach, you can find better values in Miami, proper.
Got it. 
I'm curious, are there any extra destinations or places that you feel our listeners need to know about?
One of the things that I'm kind of passionate about. You know, there is a lot of glitz and bling in Miami, but I think the real glamor and the real, maybe one of the reasons I love it here, is the not so obvious. I was saying you need to go to the beach and you need to go out on the water. There is park called Bill Baggs State Park. It is a water park. So yes, you can go fishing and you can go out on the water, and you can go boating, but there's also a lighthouse at the end of it. [00:27:00] It's a very pretty walk. It was the site of what was known quietly as the 'Saltwater Railroad' during the Civil War. You might know the 'Underground Railroad.'That was where enslaved black people were shuttled North to freedom. Here, they were picked up on boats and taken back to the Bahamas or resettled in other Caribbean islands. The lighthouse was a meeting point, and it was where enslaved black people could be taken to freedom safely.
I did not know that. That is very interesting and very, very important place for visitors to go visit.
And I think you could walk right by it and not know. You'd obviously know the lighthouse, but not so much the history.
Thank you for sharing that one. 
One of the things that I'm passionate about, is this idea that you don't actually have to physically travel in order to [00:28:00] experience the world. You can do it through cooking food from a cookbook like yours. I'm curious about how can people bring a taste of the tropics to their table?
Wherever you are. I had really wanted these recipes to be accessible, whether you're in Melbourne or Miami or Minneapolis. Two natural things that can really bring the taste of the tropics, are chili. People like chili. Oh my goodness. It can be gently warming, and citrus, whether that's lemon or lime or orange. It just sort of sparks flavor and it does it without fat. It does it without animals. A little squeeze of this or that, a little chopped cilantro,a little bit of minced jalapeno, and you know, you're tasting the tropics.
I love it. Yes. 
Can you walk us through one perfect vegan day [00:29:00] in Miami?
Oh, okay. This'll be fun. You should start the day with a Cafecito. That is a Cuban coffee, and it is turbocharged. It is really condensed. It's coffee and sugar, and you should get it from a local vendor. I talk about Cafecito culture in Miami. It's not just like slamming down your latte, you know, you kind of talk to the barista and the whole process of making Cuban coffees is kind of elaborate. And if you want great travel hints, ask your barista as he's making your coffee. 'Where do you like to go for.' We have great vegan Cuban food. There's a place called Vegan Cuban Cuisine. So if you want a vegan Cuban sandwich, that's your place, and he can say, 'You should go here, you should go there.' It's very insidery. And that's fun. So you can have that. You might want to go to L’Artisan for more of a breakfast. [00:30:00] Then I think, because it'll be earlier in the day, you should go to the beach before it gets too brutal. And then, depending on how you're feeling, you can do a long leisurely lunch or you can go to one of our great museums, and see what's happening. We always have great events happening. We just had our mango festival. We have music, we have great concerts. I'm going to see David Byrne. We have classes, if you want to get a little more immersed in our culture. You can be as busy as you want or you can lounge on the beach, but wear sunscreen. I worry.
And how can people find out about what's on in Miami. Is there a particular website or a platform where people can find out where the shows, and the festivals, and the events are happening?
There's the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. There's a publication called Miami New Times for real foodies. [00:31:00] There's a publication called, Edible South Florida. I write for them.
Ah.
 So yeah, you'll find out what's happening there, that'll give you more. Edible South Florida also delves into our culture more, which is of course what I'm passionate about. So you'll get more of an insider taste by that.
I love it. 
Ellen, thank you so much for taking the time to talk about Miami on The World Vegan Travel Podcast. My listeners and I really appreciate it. Before we say goodbye, would you mind sharing your website and your social media profile, names and links, et cetera, so that people can follow what you are doing.
Oh, thank you very much. You can find me at the Substack -Broccoli Rising. My website is Soulful Vegan, and my Instagram is my name Ellen Kanner. And I'd love to hear from [00:32:00] all of you, and I'd love you to visit Miami.
I love it. And that's Kanner with a K, correct?
K-A-N-N-E-R. Yes.
Fabulous. Thank you so much, Ellen. It was lovely chatting with you.
Lovely also, Brighde. Thank you. You're a great host.