Plant-Based Powerhouse: Inside the World of Celebrity Chef Lauren Von Der Pool

by Frank Roller

Sometimes the universe brings people together in the most unexpected, magical ways. That’s exactly how I met Lauren Von Der Pool, famously known as the Queen of Green. It was during an ayahuasca ceremony in Costa Rica—a powerful, sacred setting where true energies reveal themselves. I remember being completely smitten by Lauren’s presence—her grace, her vibrant aura, and the way she carried herself with effortless strength and beauty.

Lauren’s story is as rich and powerful as the energy she radiates. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., amidst intense environments, Lauren always felt a special calling—an inner knowing that she was destined for more. After a life-altering near-death experience at the age of 15, she began her journey of transformation through food, healing, and spiritual connection. Lauren’s journey took her from selling raw pies outside Howard University to becoming a celebrated culinary artist, personal chef, and healer for some of the world’s most influential figures—Stevie Wonder, Common, Venus and Serena Williams, Erykah Badu, Anna Wintour, and Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign .She curated menus for the Met Gala, catered the Oscars, Grammys, SAG Awards to mention a few . But Lauren’s work goes far beyond celebrity kitchens.

Today, she fuses culinary artistry with sound healing, frequency medicine, and deep intention—turning meals into full-body, multisensory healing journeys.

She’s preparing for her first TED Talk, curating retreats, and writing a culinary memoir that shares her wisdom from a place of victory, not pain. In this heartfelt conversation, we dive into Lauren’s roots, her path of awakening, and her philosophy of living moment-to-moment—trusting, surrendering, and creating beauty wherever she goes.

Get ready to meet the soul behind the Queen of Green.

POH – Frank: I want to find out a little bit more about Lauren—who you were before the world knew you as the “Queen of Green.” Where did your journey begin? Where are you actually coming from?

Lauren: It started in Washington, D.C., but I’ve always felt like there was something special—like a calling. I think everyone should feel this in their own way, but for me, it was like a very specific calling on my life. It doesn’t really matter where I’m from or where I am.

As you know from doing the medicine, that frequency is everywhere—at all times. It’s just about being tapped in.

So yes, born and raised in Washington, D.C. I’m second-generation American. My family—both sides—are from overseas: Guyana, China, India, and the Netherlands on one side, and Afro-Cuban and Native American on the other. So even though I grew up in D.C., my experience was very culturally diverse.

POH – Frank: And how was your upbringing? Because Washington D.C. can be a pretty intense environment to grow up in, right?

Lauren: From the outside, yes—that’s what someone would see. They’d say it looked like hell. And honestly, it was. But I truly believe it was the perfect set of ingredients to give me the virtues I’ve found. It was the perfect recipe to activate what was already inside of me. I’m grateful for it—the tumultuous times really shaped me. They gave me heart. They gave me wisdom from a young age. D.C. is not for the weak. Not everyone can survive that place. Speaking from my own path, though—it was made for me.

POH – Frank: So when did your journey into healing and veganism start? Was it a conscious choice, or something that kind of found you? Were you always interested in food and cooking?

Lauren: I think it was always in me. My great-grandmother—really all the women in my family—they were medicine women and artisans.

A lot of my clothes as a little girl were handmade. My aunt would sew my dresses. My great-grandmother, Mommy Sue, made beautiful outfits for me. I grew up with that kind of care and creativity. But she also gave me homemade medicine and taught me how to make natural remedies.

Some of it was disgusting and outrageous (laughs), but that was my first introduction to food as medicine. I grew my first watermelon, cucumbers, squash, and herbs with her—right in our backyard.

I cooked with her a lot, but she wasn’t vegan. There came a point where I stopped eating any of our traditional cultural foods. And now—after 25 years of being vegan—I’m no longer vegan.

I want to remember my grandmother’s hand. I want to enjoy my life. Simple as that. I want to explore flavor, smell, taste—really soak in life, moment by moment. That’s why I’m no longer in that vegan “box.”

POH – Frank: And you started this journey at 15?

Lauren: Yes. At 15, I had some serious sense knocked into my head—literally—and it broke me wide open. It made me realize how precious my life is because I almost lost it. It made me believe in magic. Because truly, it was only the miracle of God, of source, that got me through.

If we look at it from an energetic perspective—I was in a very low, thick vibration. That’s what the hood is. That’s what poverty is. That’s what that thought-atmosphere is.

And only through the grace of source, of nature, the Creator, the universe—all of it working together—was I able to rise up and see: Wait… I have a purpose. There’s something more here.

POH – Frank: And talking about purpose. From selling raw pies at Howard University to suddenly cooking for major celebrities like Serena Williams and Michelle Obama. How did that even happen?

Lauren: The grace of God. Only the grace of God. I really believe that from a vibrational standpoint, I did certain work quietly. I sat with myself long enough, stayed still, and developed a vibration—connected with God and non-physical beings.

Even when things felt so hard, I stayed still. And I still led with love. I really did the work. I’ve been on this path for 25 years. Even before that, just by changing my life and listening, it felt like there was a conversation happening between me and God.

When I was stabbed—that was the moment. It was like a quick, peripheral conversation between God and me: either you go this way, or you’re done. And I said, Oh, I will absolutely go this way.

Now, looking at it from the bird’s eye view, that whole phase—the cleansing, the healing, the veganism, learning about being a medicine woman—was just training for this new era I’m moving into. It was the training grounds. I feel like I’ve graduated in some way. All the hell, the karma, the things that needed cleaning up within my physical body and around me—because we’re reflections of our outer world—that phase was necessary.

It was a magical part of the process. I learned how to listen in the moment. That’s where the magic was. It wasn’t in planning. It wasn’t about my agenda.
It was listening—moment by moment—with complete confidence.

POH – Frank: Beautiful. And this listening—this is what brought all these opportunities?

Lauren: Yes. If God said, Go this way, I just went.

That’s how the magic unfolded. I was randomly on a bus, got off, walked into a bookstore, picked up Heal Thyself—read the whole book in a day. The next day, I was a vegan and a raw foodist. I was so excited, I shared it with everyone. I was that annoying person saying, Listen! You have to eat this! (laughs)

Healing myself naturally made me want to help others—especially influential people. So I played behind the scenes, supporting Serena and Venus Williams, Michelle Obama… all while continuing my own healing and alchemizing.

POH – Frank: Did they find you? Or how did the connections happen?

Lauren: They found me.

POH – Frank: Basically, you attracted them. Your energy drew them to you.

Lauren: Exactly. They called me themselves. It was magic—just like this moment with you right now. Pure magic.  Normally, you wouldn’t expect certain connections to happen, but by the grace of God, they do. Everyone came through word of mouth.  Dr. Sebi—one of my clients and mentors—spoke highly of me publicly. He connected me to Common while Common was filming a movie.  Common introduced me to Serena and Venus Williams. And then it just grew. Stevie Wonder, Anna Wintour, Erykah Badu, … I curated the menu for the Met Gala, catered the Oscars, Grammy’s…It just kind of happened.

POH – Frank: What’s your approach to cooking now?  Is it more art? A ritual? Or is there a kind of science behind your creations?

Lauren: It’s a combo. I specialize in creating a multisensory experience where it becomes a healing process—including sound.

I’m also a singer, but beyond singing, I use frequency as medicine—whether it’s my voice, singing bowls, or sometimes bringing in other musicians depending on how elaborate the experience is. I take people on a journey through pleasure and taste.

Sometimes, it feels like meditation. For example, during one of the courses, I might blindfold you and guide you to open your hand to receive your first amuse-bouche—just one or two bites to open the journey.  I like to tell a story through the food. I want to give people the smells, the textures, the flavors. More than just delicious food—I want to create a full sensory experience.

POH – Frank: I also read that you meditate before you cook. So, do you intentionally infuse energy into the food when you prepare it?

Lauren: Absolutely. It’s a mindfulness practice—a moving meditation.

Food is powerful. It becomes part of our cellular structure. When you understand the power of words, sounds, and intention—especially with water—you realize how deeply everything communicates. Since our bodies are mostly water and our food is often water-rich, there’s a natural interaction between the energy we emit and the food we prepare.

So why not be intentional? Why not center yourself before touching anything?

It’s a gift and an honor to create something that will nourish someone—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I want to nourish hearts and souls. And you can’t give what you don’t have. So I need to embody the vibration first, to flow it through me and into the food. That’s the point of the pre-cooking meditation.

Even in the process—tuning into the vegetables, the fruits, the meats—you can turn anything into beauty with pure energy. That’s how powerful we are.

POH – Frank: It’s beautiful when you think about it—how even back in the day, cooking was celebrated. Women and men sang in the kitchen, blessing the food as they prepared it.  You’re just taking that tradition to another level—setting intentions, energizing the food you prepare. It’s fascinating.

Another thing I’m curious about—something I sometimes struggle with myself: How do you balance living in the now and listening to guidance, versus actively manifesting things? Do you trust everything will find you, or do you also practice conscious manifestation?