Italian American chef Tara Punzone has been vegan for more than thirty years, transforming her family’s traditional southern Italian recipes into plant-based classics without compromise. After cooking in New York and Rome, she opened Pura Vita in West Hollywood in 2018—the first 100-percent vegan Italian restaurant and wine bar in the U.S. Her deeply personal approach to food blends heritage, health, and hospitality, honoring the flavors of Calabria and Naples through a modern, compassionate lens.
Dining and Cooking