When one thinks of plant-based cheese, Miyoko’s is likely one of the first brands to come to mind. A pioneer in the vegan cheese market, Miyoko Schinner made tasty non-dairy cheeses that vegans and non-vegans actually liked. The founder and former chief executive officer of Miyoko’s, who parted ways with the company three years ago, is the author of a new cookbook, “The Vegan Creamery,” and will be at the Boston Veg Food Fest on Oct. 18. Schinner, 68, an award-winning chef, a frequent speaker, and the author of seven cookbooks, will present a cooking demonstration and hold a book signing of her newest release at the two-day event that is being held at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center. It is the organization’s 30th annual food festival. “It will be fun to be there for their anniversary celebration, and I’m looking forward to sampling the food and meeting other like-minded people,” Schinner said during a recent phone interview. “The Vegan Creamery” is, she said, “the most thorough book that has been written on the nature of plant milks and includes completely new techniques that I don’t think people are even aware of, like making yogurts out of chickpeas, or out of watermelon seeds, for example.” The Yokohama, Japan, native, a mother of three (and grandmother of two), is the founder and chair of the board of Rancho Compasión, a farm animal sanctuary in Marin County, Calif., that houses and cares for more than 100 animals. We caught up with Schinner, who lives in Nicasio, Calif., with her two rescue dogs and two rescue cats, to talk about all things travel.
If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go? This is likely a popular answer, but it would be Italy. The minute I land in Italy, no matter how chaotic it is at the airport, a smile creeps onto my face, and I can feel my stress level dropping. I head to one of the remoter parts of the countryside in Umbria, Puglia, or other places where English isn’t heard. I’m a US-Japanese dual national, but nowhere do I feel more relaxed than in Italy.
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Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own? I lead a lot of culinary tours to far-flung places when I work with tour operators who know their country better than I do, and have gone to places I wouldn’t have found on my own, such as producers of artisan products in remote villages. So I do appreciate the help of professionals, but I also enjoy just showing up somewhere, throwing myself into the culture, and discovering things on my own as well.
Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation? I think this is so necessary. We used to have a little cabin up in the Sierra Nevada that had no internet reception. We’d go several days without our smartphones, email, or doom scrolling, and not only is that relaxing to the core, it is a revitalizing experience that allows you to tap into a deeper part of the self. I think it’s incredibly important to do this at least once a year. Even now, when I am on vacation, I try to unplug for a couple of days and take part in the real world — not the one on my screen.
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What has been your worst vacation experience? Years ago, when my kids were young, my ex-husband thought it would be fun to do a road trip in a motor home, so we rented one. Only he got the cheapest one he could find. It was a hot summer, and, of course, the air conditioner was the first to go out. Then the shower. The cabinets didn’t lock, so dishes went flying. As we drove from the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon and back to California, everyone but him was miserable. It was the road trip from hell.
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What is your favorite childhood travel memory? My family didn’t travel much when I was a child, but one summer, in middle school, I was invited by a friend’s family to their cabin on a little lake in southern Washington state called Offut Lake. The month I spent there is one I still remember — the carefree days of swimming, wandering around the woods barefoot, baking treats. … I wanted to stay all summer and was really bummed when my parents drove up to pick me up.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all? I travel abroad for work (air quotes) on my culinary tours two to three times a year, and while these trips are work, they are often precisely what I would likely be doing. I do love to learn, discover new places and things, and have a few adventures as well. But I also enjoy a few days to do nothing at all except take an occasional walk, sip an Aperol spritz, or chat with my friends or locals.
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What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation? At home, I read a lot of nonfiction, be it about history, food systems, philosophy, or economics. But when I’m traveling, I like great fiction that can suck me in and get me as lost as the areas I may be exploring. One book I’ve been wanting to read is “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be? I like someone who would be lighthearted but also deep and a great conversationalist — maybe someone like Steven Colbert. It would be fun to traipse around and discover things together.
What is the best gift to give a traveler? I have often researched and given gift certificates to restaurants in the place they are going to — especially if there is one that is a “must go” place. We vegans are obsessed with finding hot vegan restaurants when we travel, so this is a great gift for many.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip? Well, I’m Japanese, so making and packing onigiri is a natural. I also like to make rolled-up sandwiches with flatbread or tortillas and whatever I have left in the fridge that needs to be used up. They are easy to pack and not messy to eat.
What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation? A traditional wooden vegetable grater from Kyoto. I use it for grating daikon, apples, or other tuberous veggies.
What is your favorite app/website for travel? Not sure I have a favorite. It depends on where I’m going. If I’m going to Japan, I often search on Japanese sites, and the same for Italy — I’ll try to find articles and recommendations for Italians — on Italian sites — because I figure I’ll get more of the real deal. On the other hand, when I look for great hotel deals in cities like New York, I’ve learned the trick that sometimes the prices are lower if I look on the Japanese Expedia site than on the American one. Luckily, I read Japanese, so I can find the deals.
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What has travel taught you? The first time I really traveled was when I took a gap year in college and backpacked through Europe and Egypt for six months. This was in the 1970s, and we even went behind the Iron Curtain to Czechoslovakia, where we were exposed to the evils (air quotes) of communism. That week there was a true adventure but one I will never forget, as I began to ponder the differences that different economic systems and regimes had on their populations. Today, whether visiting Japan, Cuba, or a European country, I try to learn as much as I can about their culture and social systems like health care, food system, job security … as well as seeing whether people are joyous and happy or not.
What is your best travel tip? Don’t obsess about the need to see the highlights of the place you’re visiting. Avoid where tourists flock, and discover the back streets, the places where life happens for the locals.
Juliet Pennington can be reached at writeonjuliet@comcast.net.