Charity Morgan

Morgan grew up on a farm near Sacramento, California.[1][2] Her culinary interests began as a child, when she was influenced by the dishes from her "mother's Puerto Rican heritage," and Creole dishes made by her paternal grandmother.[1][2] Her mother's cooking was also influenced by friends from the Philippines, Mexico, and India.[1] In addition, her eventual shift away from animal products was partially the result of watching animals killed for food on her family's farm.[1]

She is a graduate of the Pasadena, California branch of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.[1]

After an externship through Le Cordon Bleu with a "very high-end restaurant off Melrose," in Los Angeles, Morgan worked as a chef for a few restaurants and catering companies, before becoming a private chef for people who can't cook.[1]

Although Morgan and her husband former NFL Linebacker Derrick Morgan tried going plant-based in 2015, they did not succeed.[1] A few years later in 2017, Derrick tried again after meeting with a nutritionist in order to improve his athletic performance. However, as he didn't like the food that was part of that program, Charity decided to become a plant-based chef in order to prepare his meals.[1] After helping Derrick transition to a fully plant-based diet, Charity then convinced several other Tennessee Titans into making the change as well.[3][2][1] Both Charity and Derrick appeared in the 2018 documentary The Game Changers, which is about plant-based athletes.[2][1]

Morgan describes her plant-based approach as "Plegan," which helped her move beyond traditional definitions of Veganism.[1] In 2023, Tasting Table named Morgan as one of the "21 Plant-Based Chefs You Need To Know,"[4] and VegNews listed her as one of the "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food."[5]

Esquire named her first cookbook, Unbelievably Vegan: 100+ Life-Changing, Plant-Based Recipes: A Cookbook one of the "15 Best Cookbooks of 2022,"[6] Forbes named it one of the "13 Of The Best Cookbooks To Keep You Inspired In The Kitchen" in 2022,[7] Runner's World named it one of the "6 Best Vegan Cookbooks to Get More Plants in Your Diet" in 2022,[8] Food Network listed it as one of the "10 Best New Vegan Cookbooks" for 2023,[9] and Food & Wine named it one of the "18 Best Vegan Cookbooks for Every Type of Meal" in 2023.[10] VegNews listed Unbelievably Vegan as one of the "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024. [11]

In 2024, VegNews listed Morgan as one of the "17 Black Vegan Chefs Redefining Plant-Based Food and Community." [12]

Morgan lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Derrick Morgan and their children.[2]

• Unbelievably Vegan: 100+ Life-Changing, Plant-Based Recipes: A Cookbook. Clarkson Potter, 2022. ISBN 978-0593232989.[1]

• Official website
• Charity Morgan at IMDb
• Biography from Penguin