Jackie Kearney is a British cook specialising in vegetarian and vegan street food, drawing especially from Asian cuisine. Kearney works as a chef and food development consultant, as well as running The Hungry Gecko dining club. She has a food trailer called Barbarella,[1] and has published several vegan cookbooks.[2]
Career
editKearney worked for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence before taking a year-long trip around South East Asia. Upon her return, she was a finalist in the British television cookery competition MasterChef.[3][4] Kearney participated in the 2011 series of the programme, finishing fourth.[2] The Hungry Gecko, Kearney's dining club, was established in the same year, and she launched food truck called Barbarella.[1] With her vegetarian street food truck, Kearney was a finalist in the British Street Food Awards in 2012.[5]
Kearney went on to publish her first book, Vegan Street Food, in 2015. Though she is a vegetarian, not a vegan, the book ended up being predominantly vegan, and she removed the non-vegan elements at her publisher's suggestion.[3] The book won the PETA UK Vegan Food Award for Cookbook of the Year 2016.[6] Further vegan cookbooks followed, including books focused on comfort food, mock meat, and Christmas food.[2]
Critical response
editKearney's books have been reviewed by critics. In 2018, Coach Mag named Vegan Street Food one of the Best Vegan Cookbooks.[7] In reviewing Vegan Christmas Feasts, the American journalist Avery Yale Kamila said "Kearney calls upon her British heritage and her travels for a collection of celebratory recipes that feel nostalgic yet a wee bit novel".[8] The journalist Selene Nelson listed My Vegan Travels on a list of her three favorite vegan cookbooks.[9] In 2016, the MasterChef winner Tim Anderson said he was cooking from Vegan Street Food.[10]
Books
edit- Vegan Street Food: Foodie Travels from India to Indonesia (2015, Ryland Peters & Small)
- My Vegan Travels: Comfort Food Inspired by Adventure (2017, Ryland Peters & Small)
- Vegan Mock Meat Revolution: Delicious Plant-Based Recipes (2018, Ryland Peters & Small)
- Vegan Christmas Feasts: Inspired Meat-Free Recipes for the Festive Season (2019, Ryland Peters & Small)
- Plant-based Burgers: And Other Vegan Recipes for Dogs, Subs, Wings and More (2022, Ryland Peters & Small)
- Healthy Vegan Street Food: Sustainable & Healthy Plant-Based Recipes from India to Indonesia (2022, Ryland Peters & Small)
References
edit- ^ a b "About | The Hungry Gecko". thehungrygecko.com. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ a b c "Jackie Kearney". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ a b Heward, Emily, Emily (January 27, 2016). "MasterChef star Jackie Kearney publishes vegan cookery book inspired by travels around Asia". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Mastering the vegan kitchen with Jackie Kearney". the Guardian. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
- ^ Johnson, Richard (10 August 2012). "British Street Food | BSFA + Vibe + Jamie + @Tweat_Up = Fifteen Street". British Street Food Association. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Vegan Food Awards 2016". PETA UK. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "The Best Vegan Cookbooks". Coach. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
- ^ Kamila, Avery Yale (2019-12-08). "Vegan Kitchen: From mac 'n' cheese to holiday roasts, these books cover the waterfront". Press Herald. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
- ^ Nelson, Selene (2018-12-18). "How to have a vegan-friendly merry Christmas". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
- ^ Stewart, Victoria (2016-02-08). "My Foodie London: Tim Anderson". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-12-27.