This week on Schnitzel and Stories, we speak with Amanda Cohen, the James Beard-nominated and Michelin-starred chef behind Dirt Candy, New York City’s pioneering vegetable restaurant.

Long before plant-based was trendy, Amanda opened Dirt Candy. A bold, unapologetic statement in an industry that rarely took vegetables, or women, seriously. What began as an 18-seat restaurant on the Lower East Side grew into one of the most influential dining spaces in America. Dirt Candy became the first vegetarian restaurant in 17 years to earn two stars from The New York Times, received a Michelin star, and continues to set the tone for what modern, thoughtful, radically fair dining can look like.

Amanda was the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef America, co-authored the first graphic novel cookbook in North America, and co-founded the Independent Restaurant Coalition. She also led Dirt Candy to become a leading NYC restaurant to eliminate tipping.

But her story isn’t just about breaking culinary ground - it’s about fighting systemic bias. Amanda speaks openly about the misogyny she’s faced as a woman in the industry, how her leadership style was questioned simply because it wasn’t aggressive nut thoughtful, and why success should never come at the cost of your values.

Only a Woman? That’s exactly what it took.