The Food Heals Podcast with Allison Melody and Suzy Hardy

  Today we’re coming to you from Pura Vita restaurant! We’re chatting about good food, the delicious world of eating gluten free, and going vegan with JJ Flizanes and chef Tara Punzone.   Tara has strong Italian roots. Her parents had a sandwich shop in Brooklyn, and both of them were amazing cooks. She’s always been into the food aspect of her culture, and as she grew up, she began to develop a stronger passion for it.   She started cooking at age 10 and found she was really interested in it. Around that time, Tara decided she didn’t want to eat meat any more and become a vegetarian. Even though she wanted to give up meat, she didn’t want to give up the foods her parents would cook. Thankfully her parents were very accommodating and jumped in the kitchen to make foods that worked for her!   After a few years of being vegetarian, she went fully vegan and eventually became the owner of Pura Vita, a vegan Italian restaurant in Los Angeles that offers tons of gluten-free options - Allison and JJ think it’