Lauren Toyota facts for kids

Lauren Toyota is a vegan cookbook author. She also created the popular food blog called Hot for Food. Before becoming a food blogger, she was a television personality in Canada.

Early Life and Education

Lauren Toyota was born and grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. She is a fourth-generation Japanese Canadian. This means her great-grandparents moved to Canada from Japan. Her grandparents were placed in special camps during World War II.

When she was 12 years old, Lauren became a vegetarian. She started cooking her own meals at that time. In 2003, she finished her studies at Durham College. She earned a degree in Music Business Management.

Career Highlights

Lauren Toyota and John Diemer, "Hot For Food," 2013

Lauren Toyota started her career on Canadian television. She worked as a host for MTV Canada. She was also a video jockey (VJ) for MuchMusic. She co-hosted a TV show called 969.

In 2014, she decided to leave her television work. She wanted to focus on her vegan blog and YouTube channel, Hot for Food. Impact magazine in Canada recognized Lauren. They named her one of "Canada's Top Vegan Influencers."

Her cookbook, Hot for Food All Day: Easy Recipes to Level Up Your Vegan Meals, was published in 2021. Food & Wine magazine listed it as one of the best vegan cookbooks in 2023. Another of her books, Hot for Food Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face, came out in 2018. VegNews magazine called it one of the "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024.

In 2018, Refinery29 included Lauren Toyota on their list of "Canadian Women Killing It." OptiMYz magazine also featured her. They listed her among the "Top 100 Health and Fitness Influencers of 2019."

Awards and Recognition

• 2019: Gourmand Cookbook Award for Hot for Food Vegan Comfort Classics
• 2018: VegNews Veggie Award for Best Vegan Cookbook: Hot for Food Vegan Comfort Classics

Books by Lauren Toyota

• Hot for Food Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face. Ten Speed Press, 2018. ISBN: 978-0399580147.
• Hot for Food All Day: Easy Recipes to Level Up Your Vegan Meals. Ten Speed Press, 2021. ISBN: 978-1984857521.