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Lauren Von Der Pool

@queenofgreen

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Culinary Alchemist, Founder, Author, Artist & Curator. @harvardhbs As seen in Vogue,Bon Appetit,Forbes, Essence,Food Network,Met Gala,Oscars,Olympics

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Baby, I have been COOKING… and I’m not talking about dinner. 😂
I know while in the jungle it looked like I took my foot off the gas for a minute… mostly so I could put on a better shoe. 😂
Anywho, my website got a little facelift.
We’re not finished yet, but I wanted to give you a taste of what’s to come. (Link in bio)
I know I’ve been quiet. But quiet doesn’t mean still. Sometimes quiet means building. Refining. Listening. Remembering. Becoming.
One of my biggest reminders lately: it’s time to let my cup overflow and share from there.
For so much of my life, I’ve poured into my work, my community and people I may never even meet. I love that about myself. But I’m realizing that before I pour into the world, I have to pour into ME — my mental and physical health, my joy, my peace, my creativity.
Then, the people who pour into me deserve my pour, too. The ones who have loved me, lifted me, protected me, prayed for me and simply BEEN THERE.
And my clients — the people who have trusted me, invested in my gifts, supported my life and helped make my dreams possible — deserve the very best of me, too.
I’m not closing my heart to the world. I’m learning that generosity without discernment can become depletion.
I’ll always love, teach, share, create, serve and give. I’m just becoming much more intentional about who, what, when, where and how.
And baby… the cup is getting FULL. 😂
I’ve also been reminded: this life is not a dress rehearsal.
Wear the thing. Say the thing. Make the art. Take the chance. Love your people. SHOW UP.
Be you. Be bright. Be brilliant. Be weird. Be beautiful. Ruffle a few feathers if you must. It beats crying in a corner trying to be digestible for everybody else. 😂
Every moment is meant to be savored, and as a flavor master myself, I intend to squeeze the juice out of ALL OF IT. 🍋
So if you ever thought I was “too much,” my dear…
Prepare yourself.
I’ve arrived with more seasoning, more audacity and some EXTRA STANK ON IT. 😂
I’ve been building. I’m here.
And as my girl @tiffanyhaddish would say…
WE READY.
The new site is just the first taste. 💚 by @queenofgreen

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a month ago

Raw Vegan Black Sopote Moment

Intention : Honoring the tongue as a sacred place.

I enjoyed playing around in the kitchen with this piece. She’s like a beautiful woman fragrantly flavored in layers of mango and passion fruit. I intended for the palate to experience the pleasure of her essence on the breath by adding the peaking notes of star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, pink pepper and roses. The depth and richness of the sweet and slightly bitter ceremonial cacao is the foundation that holds everything together. It is what roots her. She’s not as simple as she seems. The chocolate component is folded with pecans, cinnamon, coconut milk, pink salt, nutmeg and dates syrup. The splashes of dragon fruit and sweet turmeric nectar is me simply exercising my boundlessness. Lol! Oh and the blue magic dusting because you know I had to sprinkle em!

Btw I made this while on my first day of liquids week for the @eatyourselfsexyjourney and honestly I enjoy making food while I’m fasting! I’ve actually made some of my most beautiful and delicious recipes while fasting! However, for those that are fasting on the @eatyourselfsexyjourney with me or just fasting in general, stay strong we got this! Let’s keep our eyes on the prize!

Oh the tropical fruit was provided by @iheartfruitbox

Love ya! by @queenofgreen

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4 years ago

Apparently, I wasn’t done eating myself sexy. 🍒
I recently started revising Eat Yourself Sexy and somewhere between correcting old typos, questioning my younger self, and realizing I have a LOT more to say… I thought:
Wait. Maybe this isn’t Eat Yourself Sexy anymore.
Maybe it’s EAT YOURSELF SEXI-ER.
Because apparently we can get sexier.
And wiser. And freer. And more confident. And much less concerned with everybody else’s opinion.
I’m digging DEEP into this book—revisiting what I believed then, what I know now, what I’ve learned about food, fasting, pleasure, our bodies, confidence, sensuality, healing and what it means to have a delicious relationship with LIFE.
And yes, I’m finding some typos along the way. 😂 At this point, I’m calling them vintage editorial choices.
But what I’m really finding is myself—the woman who wrote that book and the woman reading it today.
I want to bring you guys into this process with me because I have a feeling this revision is going to get juicy. 👀🍒
Eat Yourself Sexi-er.
Hell, even the title got an upgrade. 😂
Stay close… we’re just getting started. 🍒 by @queenofgreen

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a month ago

Sound off the trumpets for this one baby!
Turmeric, mango butter, cocoa butter… sounds like I’m making something delicious. This time, the recipe is for your shower.
Meet my Kojic Acid & Turmeric Soap by Von Der Pool Essentials. A little kitchen inspiration, a little cosmetic chemistry, and a whole lot of pleasure in your everyday ritual.
Let’s talk ingredients, because you know this chef wants you to know what’s in the mix:
✨ TURMERIC
That golden color has chemistry behind it. Turmeric contains curcumin, a naturally yellow compound studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. A beautiful example of how an ingredient can inspire both food and skincare.
✨ KOJIC ACID
Here’s where food science enters the chat: kojic acid can be produced by fungi during fermentation. In skincare, it’s used to help address uneven-looking pigmentation by slowing the activity of tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in making melanin. This is especially good for those with hyperpigmentation. Fermentation has range, honey.
✨ THE BUTTER ENSEMBLE
Shea, mango, and cocoa butters bring richness to the formula, alongside coconut oil. Because texture matters—in a beautiful sauce and in a beautiful bar.
✨ GLYCERIN + SORBITOL
These are humectants: ingredients that attract water. Think of them as the moisture-minded members of the ensemble.
✨ LEMON OIL
A citrus finishing note. Even the shower deserves a little zest.
As a chef, I think about ingredients, balance, texture, and how an experience makes you feel. That same curiosity follows me into everything I create.
Wet, lather, rinse. Take your time. Enjoy yourself.
Your shower deserves good taste, too. Just don’t eat the soap. 😉
Shop the Kojic Acid & Turmeric Soap at vonderpoolessentials.com. by @queenofgreen

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4 days ago

Oh it’s just me in @voguemagazine hehe!

Happy Met Monday family!!! Who remembers when I curated the menu for the @metmuseum alongside these incredibly talented Chefs @marcuscooks @chefmelissaking @amirahkassem

Anna @voguemagazine @marcuscooks @metmuseum thank you so much for this opportunity!

I hope I’ve made the home team proud but even if no one is or was, I am!

I’ve come a long way from Kennedy Street and still going, blessings still flowing!

Gonna post the entire journey in a few! by @queenofgreen

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2 years ago

Creating this composed Watermelon Salad made me so happy! Here’s why! 👇🏽 it basically taste like a fruit cup you get from a stand in the Caribbean or Latin America.
Inspiration: The women around the world slangin fruit on the block to feed themselves and their family.
Musical Inspiration @erykahbadu Clevaaaaa
Organic Components:
Watermelon
Mango
Strawberry
Blueberry
Kumquat
Sorrel Leaf
Sprouted Pecan
Chive Flowers
Violas
Spicy Pimento Dust
Lime Juice
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Slab
I plated it on two platforms, the white plate and my pink Himalayan Sea Salt Slab to see which one looked better. Clevaaa right!? 🤔😂 which one do you like best? Leave a comment below! 🧚🏾‍♀️✨😘
#chefsofinstagram #vegansofig #vegan#finedining #vegansofig #veganfood #chefs #chefplateform #chefplate #chefplating #chefclub #cheftalk #cheflife #jamesbeardaward #queenofgreen #eatyourselfsexy by @queenofgreen

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8 years ago

Last year curating the menu for the #metgala @metmuseum was a dream come true! Still pinching myself so you know I had to throw it back! You also know that I had to represent for my indigenous family across the globe!
I represent for every little girl coming up in the hood like me. Just know that you not only can get a deserving seat at the table, baby you can to also serve the hand of GOD at the table as well! When you’re rolling with God all the right doors open!
This is also for my plant based hotties, ya’ll know everything I brought to the people was vegan, 6 lovely hor d’ oeuvres! Let’s gooo! by @queenofgreen

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3 years ago

Is her name Yemaya? Hell nah… it’s got to be OSHUN!

Food as poetry, as rhythm, as my favorite love language… you consume me in my very consumption of you! It’s a ceremony, a union, a marriage between the prey and the prayer. In a place where nothing separate remains!

Oh all of my cravers of delicious foods get your life because the @eatyourselfsexyjourney is always open for sign ups. Link in bio!

This was another one of my whimsical creations. I had a craving for French Fries 🍟 and so I decided to make this!

Components -
Purple fingerling Potatoes (smashed air fried)
Crispy Onion Skins (a whole vibe and a great way to repurpose and not to waste food)
Crème Fraiche (fancy cream sauce made with coconuts and cashews)
Crispy Chives (I thinly sliced the tops to create a broom like effect, came out cute)
Truffle Oil
Pansies by @queenofgreen

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4 years ago

Can we just talk about how sweetly Anna Wintour is smiling at me! 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💅🏽

As soon as I walked into the @metmuseum I was greeted by Anna, @tomford @blakelively and @vancityreynolds before walking into the cocktail party. They were so sweet! We had a cute little chat about my gown and the food of course. Did I mentioned I curated the menu for the entire cocktail party? Yep 6 delicious vegan hors d'oeuvres. How revolutionary is that! This is an opportunity that at one point in time wouldn’t be offered to a person that looks like me. Beyond being a woman, a person of color, a second generation Guyanese American, but also a person that was deemed too much, too sexy, too, weird, too spicy, too VEGAN, too, too, too much of everything. I never fit into the food industry standards because I have always walked to the best of my own drum. I have waited patiently for moments like these not just because it’s the MET, yeah that too but it’s the rewards that are surfacing from my diligence and perseverance. It’s been 20 plus years in the game grinding as a single mother from the inner city of Washington DC. In my humble opinion that’s huge! I never thought that going raw/vegan at 16 years old would lead me here and to be honest that wasn’t my intention. It was to live in my purpose and help my community both locally and globally. So yeah this is a big deal but @marcuscooks is a G for letting me to take it to the next level and serve not 1 but 6 plant based options! That is just outright incredible! I’m still cartwheeling!

Anyway this photo just came in from the sweet angel @costumer.shirlee who came to the rescue when my dress took an interesting down south the day of the Met. Lol! You’re extremely sweet! Thank you! 😘 by @queenofgreen

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4 years ago

Calling all herbalist and healers that are interested in being apart of a really cool project I’m working on.

DM me!

This here is a Pineapple Ginger Smoothie sweetened with a Lavender and Chamomile infused Agave Nectar.

Let your food be medicine and let’s definitely not forget to let it food be Art!

Shout out to my boo @bluenefertiti @lesnubians for making such great music! by @queenofgreen

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5 years ago

New York Studio Vibes✨

Today I’m sharing this beautiful Charcoal Cornbread Waffle topped with Dragon fruit butter. I paired it with a shaved fennel and navel orange salad tossed with umeboshi pickled onion, champagne vinegar, agave and sea salt. Theeeen lol, I added oyster mushrooms cooked in our traditional Guyanese casareep which I had on hand because I’m cooking pepper pot today.

As you can see there’s a lot going on with this piece. It’s like when I start playing I know no bound.

I actually didn’t get to taste one bite of it because I’m fasting until tomorrow but my client said it was banging!

I hope you enjoy the visual!

Have a wonderful day! by @queenofgreen

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4 years ago

Last night, the lab got a little lawless. 😂

I’ve spent years practicing food combining: melon on its own, certain fruits kept apart. But last night, I let curiosity have the floor.

Watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, lime, peach, and agave. Jujube, cinnamon, and fennel fronds. A little ashwagandha and lion’s mane toward the end, because you know the alchemist in me had to enter the chat.

Sweetness, acidity, a little bitterness, warm spice, and that delicate green perfume of fennel. Ingredients I might once have kept apart found a delicious rhythm together.

And honey… she was GOOD.

My friend @indiashawn came over, and I made the kind of food that brings me home to my Guyanese roots: soft, flaky paratha, buss up shut–style, with curry potatoes, pumpkin, micro cilantro, arugula, chive oil, and curry–red pepper oil.

Because if you know about a vegan roti plate, you know we need that pumpkin on the side, honey. 😂

We ate. We sipped. I played.

And it reminded me how easily a practice can become a boundary we stop questioning.

Artists, this is for us:
Who made the rules you’re creating within?
Do they still serve the work?
Do they leave room for who you’re becoming?

Study your craft. Then stay curious enough to experiment.

One of the most beautiful ingredients in that glass was the courage to make it. To follow a little “what if” all the way to the first sip.

Life gives us room to play.
Some of our most beautiful discoveries begin with something we thought was a mistake.

Shift the lens.
Make the thing.
Taste what happens. by @queenofgreen

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9 days ago