Vegan Desserts with Brazilian Diva Fernanda Capobianco

Fernanda Capobianco, owner of baked goods store The Vegan Divas in NYC, is a Brazilian ex-pat with a lifelong sweet tooth and a passion for healthy cooking. Now, she is sharing her favorite recipes in the new The Vegan Divas Cookbook: Delicious Desserts, Plates and Treats from the Famed New York City Bakery. TLK caught up with Fernanda, who told us all about her vegan lifestyle, her easy pantry must-haves and how she incorporates Brazilian flavors into her cooking. As a bonus, she shared her recipes for Mango Pineapple Cake and Spicy Carrot Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. 

Can you explain what being vegan means for someone who maybe has never heard of the term?

Vegan means someone who doesn’t eat any animal products or any food that comes from any animal product. Any dairy, or honey, or white sugar, or cheese. White sugar, they say that has shark bones, and that is not considered vegan and not too many people know that. For people who are normally vegan, it is very strict. It is a very big deal. That is why you have be very careful.

How long have you actually been vegan?

Twenty years. When I was a kid, I never liked meat but, if I went to a doctor or nutritionist, they would say “you need the animal protein”, so I started reading and learning by myself and I realized that we really don’t need the animal protein. We can have that protein in plant based foods as well, you don’t need to eat meat or dairy. People say yeah, you need protein, but how come the horse and the cow are so strong when they just eat grass? So it’s something that really doesn’t make sense.

If someone wanted to go vegan, where do you think is a good place to start?

It’s not just about being vegan. You really should start to eat more foods that are natural, like non-processed foods. No GMOs, just natural, because if you eat all of this processed food, it’s not good for you either. I think you need to eat as much natural as you can.

So, you’re not a big fan of tofu turkey?

No, I hate that. I don’t eat that. I don’t like foods where I don’t know what is inside, vegan or not. I think that if you eat natural or cook your own meals, it’s better for you.

Next up, Fernanda shares her go-to ingredients…

What are your go-to vegan pantry items for quick and easy meals?

My way of eating is very similar to Italian because Italians eat a lot of vegetables. Everything is very simple, but they have the best olive oil and they use a lot of olives. I cook with olives and avocados. I love avocado because you can make savory dishes. I love lentils since they are a source of protein, too. I love kale and Brussels sprouts, all of the dark green vegetables because they have a lot of calcium.

Growing up in Brazil, was it difficult to switch to vegan? Did you have any problems with your family or any of your friends for going meatless?

No, my mom never let me have French fries or Coca Cola. I was never allowed to even have cookies! I had to sleep at my best friend’s house to eat cookies. I think that’s why I found it very easy to be healthy. Brazil is a very meat oriented country, but at the same time there’s not as much processed food as we have here. It’s easier to have more natural food there.

Speaking of Brazil, are there any kind of Brazilian foods you make vegan? Any spices or flavors you incorporate into your diet?

In the desserts, we use passion fruit. We use tofu, too. There is a typical Brazilian dish with rice and beans where you cook the beans with the pig and parts of the cow, so I do my version without any version of meat. You cook the beans for a very long time.

In terms of your life here in New York, what prompted you to make the big move?

I knew that here I would be able to do something vegan. In Brazil, I wouldn’t be able to. It’s still something very new there. Even here, when I started, it was a little shocking for some people. There, I wouldn’t be able to succeed.

Next up, Fernanda shares some of her inspirations…

What inspired you to do the healthy Vegan Divas initiative and store?

When I moved here, I was a board member for a coalition for healthy school foods. We went to all the public schools in Harlem. I saw the way all these kids eat in the public schools. They have a budget of $1 to eat every day. The first time I went to the schools I was crying because those kids were eating chicken fingers and cheese sticks. This is really sad because these kids are eating that every day. When they go home, their parents don’t want to cook broccoli or vegetables. It’s easier and cheaper to get fried food. So this program was really very interesting. Then I realized, if I wanted to keep working with food, it had to be something I believed in. In Brazil, I used to have a restaurant and it wasn’t vegan. I can’t sell something that I don’t believe in. My business is more the result of my lifestyle. It’s not just a business, it’s something that I live every day. It’s the way I’ve been eating my whole life. The cookbook, the products, everything is part of my lifestyle. It’s much more than a business.

Vegan Divas serves a lot of desserts, right?

Mmm-hmm!

Many vegans seem to gravitate toward savory foods. What inspired you to go the sweet route?

In Brazil I used to own pastry shops and when I moved to America, in New York, I realized there weren’t a lot of vegan desserts. It was very hard to find them. Plus, I have a sweet tooth.

How long did it take you to develop some of the recipes you are using now?

We are always changing. It’s a constant thing. It’s not like we do one thing and that’s it. We are always changing every day. I’m constantly researching the best ingredients, making recipes healthier. We are always trying new things, so it’s something that is always in progress, we never stop.

Next up, Fernanda reveals her favorite recipes…

Do you have any favorites, maybe seasonally?

I do! We are doing this apple cake and it’s really, really good. We sell it on the website and in the store too. It comes in a beautiful tin. It’s not too sweet, so you can eat it in the afternoon or for breakfast. It’s very nice.

In the book, you have many dessert recipes. Are there any that you think people will love?

Definitely! Coconut macaroons, the carrot cake, the chocolate cake, the brownies, the cookies. Of course, it’s much more than what we have in the store. The great thing about this book is that it’s for meat eaters, too. It’s for people that are not vegan. It’s for people who like the good stuff but are not necessarily vegan. It’s to show people you can have all the things you like and throw a party for your friends and they won’t even know it’s vegan.

Now that your store is open and your book is out, what’s next for you?

The next project we are working on is to grow the website, because we are shipping across the country.