Interview with Murielle Banackissa

@muriellebanackissa

Murielle is a food photographer, recipe developer and educator based in Canada. Through her various platforms she aims to make food photography accessible to everyone while also trying to democratize veganism!

You talk a lot about photography on your platform and part of photography is telling a story! How do you go about planning a shoot for a cultural dish that is particularly special to you?

When I shoot a recipe that is close to my heart or one that I grew up with, I always think of the emotions that dish evokes for me first. I think about how the dish made me feel and try to remember any memories associated with it. Let’s say I am shooting a frozen dessert I used to have as a kid growing up in Africa: memories of sunny warm days will come to mind. This will influence the aesthetic I choose for my shoot. I will incorporate a warmer light, use tropical fruits as props and maybe incorporate some of my Congolese patterned fabrics to convey those childhood memories.

Why did you go vegan? How did going vegan affect both the cultural dishes you enjoy and how you share that food with other people?

I went vegan after watching Earthlings, a movie about industrial farming and the horrors that happen to animals behind closed doors. I realized I could no longer support a system that was so violent towards sentient beings. Going vegan definitely made it harder for me to eat childhood classics, but as a recipe developer, it also gave me a wonderful opportunity to recreate some of my favorite childhood foods and make them vegan.

Have you ever felt like there was a stereotype for veganism? Did that stereotype ever affect what you chose to eat or share?

Absolutely! That stereotype for me was a smoothie bowl lover, living in California who ate jumbo salads every day! Trust me, I tried that and it left me hungry so at some point, I just decided to turn away from that stereotype. I sought out other creators of color (which was sometimes much harder to find, especially a few years ago!) who were vegan and that helped me with redefining veganism. The vegan stereotype did affect the type of food I shared on social media for sure. Although my food is not super culturally rooted, I did question if there would be a market in the vegan community for recipes that were not as veggie forward as other creators or that did not contain tons of superfoods. However, with time, I realized that there is a place for everyone and as long as I stayed true to my vision, I would connect with like-minded people.

Who did you learn to cook from? What inspires your current creations?

My mom and the internet! My mom is an incredible cook. She is very intuitive, cooks with tons of spices and is not afraid to try new things and that has definitely inspired me in the type of dishes I create. The internet, especially as I became a vegan, because no one in my family or my circle was vegan. The internet taught me how to replace eggs in different recipes, which ingredients were vegan and which were not. It also taught me that veganism does not mean lack of flavor and that even people who are omnivores could be convinced of that with a very good chocolate chip cookie ;)

What is your favorite cultural dish to veganize?

My vegan Napoleon. It is made of layers of vegan puff pastry and a silky rich vanilla cream and it is one of those childhood delicacies that I am so happy I veganized because it is truly a crowd pleaser and my go to for any special occasion.

What inspired you to start your platform? What message do you want to send to your audience?

I started on Instagram at first without any real plan for it. I never thought my account would grow as much as it did and that one day I would be part of such a wonderful community of like minded people. With time though, as my business as a photographer grew and so did my platform on Instagram, my purposes became a little clearer. With my platforms, I want to (1) help people realize that food photography is accessible to anyone; (2) share my knowledge about food photography with aspiring food photographers and content creators; and (3) help change the image of veganism. I want people to realize that vegan food does not have to look a certain way! Vegan food can be as beautiful, as appealing, as sophisticated as nonvegan food without any animals being hurt and while being absolutely delicious!

Vegan Napoleon Cake

www.muriellebanackissa.com/blog/vegan-napoleon-cake