How Charlise Rookwood Is Reimagining Caribbean Cuisine In Her Sexy Debut Cookbook ‘Vegan Soulicious’ [Exclusive] - Page 2

Rookwood wants her readers to not only cook up some delicious dishes but to make it an experience with cocktails and a curated ‘Vegan Soulicious’-approved playlist. 

The cookbook features a list of cocktails, juices, and smoothies that embody her Jamaican cultural roots, including Sorrel, Carrot Juice, and Guinness Punch. 

However, the experience isn’t complete without a Spotify playlist that Rookwood curated for readers and beginner cooks to enjoy while preparing a dish. The playlist features a diverse range of genres, including old-school reggae, dancehall, Mauritian music, and R&B classics.

“I had to try and incorporate as much of that as I could in flat pages,  which is why I did things like creating a playlist,” she added. “Sunday morning Beres Hammond’s [Tempted to Touch] playing, a little bit of spliff, turned up the music, set out the utensils, and Ackee, saltfish, and fried dumpling. That is the standard setup.”

WHAT INSPIRED THE COOKBOOK?

Although Rookwood’s cookbook encompasses all the cultures that have shaped her into the woman she is today, the Chef dedicates the book to her father, Whylie Rookwood, who passed away in 2011. 

“Every page is dedicated to my dad because, without him, there was no ‘Vegan Soulicious.’ There was no ‘Black Vegan Cooking Show.’  You know, there is no me,” Rookwood said.  

Rookwood’s father was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer and died shortly after his discovery. Following his passing 18 months later, three of his siblings also died of a similar illness. 

“Our family had hereditary cancer, which is a Lynch syndrome, and the doctors were saying that if you have Lynch syndrome and it’s below the waist,” Rookwood explained. “Daughters of the deceased are really at high risk of ovarian cancer. That’s when I was like, ‘Oh my goodness gracious.'”

The sudden loss of her dear family members convinced Rookwood to make a major change in her life. 

“That’s when I literally just did cold turkey, went from one day to still consuming cheese,  fish, to just going right, it’s out, it’s gone,” Rookwood added.

TIME FOR A CHANGE

Despite what many people think, transitioning to a plant-based diet was not a difficult challenge for Rookwood. She grew up consuming many meals that didn’t have meat.

Some of her family members are Rastafarians, who adhere to a strict vegetarian diet. Her Mauritian grandmother is a Seventh-day Adventist, a vegetarian who often encouraged eating fish and soy. Because of these influences, Rookwood found the transition to veganism to be a walk in the park.

“My situation is a little bit unique because my mom’s from Mauritius, [an Island off East Africa] and they naturally are not vegans, but they naturally eat a lot of lentils and a lot of okra and pumpkin,” Rookwood unveiled.

Rookwood adds that she also grew up eating a plate full of vegetables from her father’s family in Jamaica.

“I was eating soy mock chicken when I was four or five years old, so I’ve been eating those substitutes already for a long time. So the transition, it really didn’t feel like a big jump in regards to recreating meals from my culture,” Rookman shared.

In her cookbook, Rookwood shares how her family “has been practicing this beautiful, natural way of eating since the 1930s. So for me, living off the land and cherishing every bit of natural goodness isn’t new. It’s a legacy.”