ABOUT VITA
About Vita
Culinary Artist, Curator, Consultant
I am here to share the joy and knowledge I have acquired over the past 25 years of preparing vegan cuisine. My vegan journey began in 1995 with my mother’s bout with cancer. I transformed loss into healing. Food is sustenance, art, culture, and history. I weave all of these elements together in demonstrations, interactive lessons, talks, and writing. I also explore a wide range of ethnic cuisines, including Soul Food, West African, Caribbean, Thai, and more. Make an inquiry, and I can design a delicious event that meets your needs.
The Adinkra Symbol As A Symbol of Endurance & Resourcefulness
My logomark, the fern or Nyame Nti, is one of the Adinkra symbols of the Akan people of Ghana, West Africa. Nyame Nti translates from the Twi language to English as “God’s grace” or “because of God.” The fern is a hardy plant that can grow in difficult conditions and represents overcoming adversity. The stalk that is my logo is considered the staff of life in many cultures. To the Akan, the fern symbolizes that our nourishment, lives, and survival depend on food that God provides here on earth. As a woman of African descent doing vegan food work, Nyame Nti reflects who I am, what I do, and why I do it.
“A vegan chef and teacher, Levita gave the teens a Zoom lesson she called “Love In The Time of Covid,” on how to cook her signature black bean burgers, made from beans, beets, onions, garlic, oats and more—and a special sauce! But the life lessons came when Levita put food in the proper context for the work the teens were doing. She talked to them about poverty, nutrition and food deserts, putting her Anacostia neighborhood, her family history as well as her lived experiences in the center of her story. The students were immediately engaged, and soon everybody was talking, tasting, laughing and raving about what they created. It cost just a few dollars, but Levita’s lesson will last with them a lifetime.”
Doug Fishman
Tikkun Hair-Ir, Repair the City
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the topics of your vegan cooking sessions?
- Pre-determined lessons will be posted on my website for clients to register for.
- I can design sessions around clients specific interests. Clients explain in the consultation form what they are looking for. Then, I curate a lesson that accounts for your interests.
Who are your clients?
Individuals who simply want to eat healthier, someone who wants interactive group fun for a girls night, birthday party, Mother’s Day, etc.; doctors who want a session for a group of their patients; corporations that want team building activities for their employees; schools that want a presentation, interactive activity connected to history, culture, Earth Day, etc.; universities who want a lecture/demonstration, for example, a talk on the history of soul food and my vegan revision of it plus food to samples.
How much are the sessions?
Cost of the sessions is determined by number of participants, number of dishes, length of session. Group sessions must have at least 6 participants. For example, a happy hour marTEAni session where we make a martini beginning with a tea bag would be $25 per person.