Updated February 20, 2025, at 7:07 PM.
Anne Lynch is a self-proclaimed Kitchen Witch. She is a practitioner of kitchen magic, a form of witchcraft that centers around the hearth and home. Kitchen Witches believe that the kitchen is a sacred space where they can work their craft, weaving magic into everyday tasks like cooking, baking, and brewing. Herbs and spices are the tools of their craft. Lynch said, “I use herbs and spices that have healing properties and infuse every meal with love.”
As the author of five vegan cookbooks, Lynch has been creating magic in the kitchen for years. Her newest book, “Seasonings of the Witch: A Culinary Exploration of Witchcraft across the World,” explores Witchcraft around the world. Lynch notes that Witches are found in every culture and have been around for millennia. Lynch honors history’s Witches with 130 international vegan recipes.
She finds her joy in cooking and baking for others. Lynch spends a good portion of her free time, finding recipes, experimenting with them, and modifying them, putting a vegan spin on classic meals. Lynch said, “My mother put us in the kitchen when we were really young. She believed that if you have to eat, you have to learn how to cook.” She started her culinary journey making and decorating Christmas cookies with her brother.
The author grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, but calls Pittsburgh home. “I went to the University of Pittsburgh [studying anthropology], and I remember stepping onto the Oakland campus for the first time. I knew I was home.”
Lynch grew up watching Lidia Bastianich, the Italian celebrity chef, and other Food Network shows. Lynch joked, “Back when they actually went through the recipes step-by-step. Not like it is now. It’s all cooking competitions.” Her current influences include Chloe Coscarelli and Diane Kochilas. The flavors of Italy and Greece inspire her.
Her book Quod Dea Vegan, which roughly translates into “Vegan Goddess,” features recipes from Greece and Italy. The book connects her favorite hobby, cooking, with her other passions, history, archeology, mythology, and photography.
She has been vegan for years. Lynch cited the Moosewood Cookbook as another important culinary influence. Mollie Katzen hand-wrote, illustrated, and locally published a spiral-bound notebook in 1974. The book became famous for its vegetarian recipes. Her mom had the original, and Lynch has the 25th Anniversary issue.
“Vegan Pride!: Exploring the Intersection of Veganism, Food, and Queerness” is a colorful celebration of compassion and pride. It features recipes with a rainbow theme, including rainbow donuts, pride pasta, and a colorful, kaleidoscopic sangria.
Lynch said, “Before I wrote ‘Vegan Pride,’ I was feeling intimidated. I considered myself a cis-straight white woman, but I learned more and more about demisexuality and realized there was a name for my sexual orientation.”
She came out as demisexual.
People who identify as demisexual are individuals who do not experience a primary sexual attraction. A demisexual person can only experience a secondary sexual attraction, the type of attraction that occurs after the development of an emotional bond. The amount of time a demisexual individual needs to know another person before developing a sexual attraction varies from person to person.
There’s always something cooking in Lynch’s kitchen, even before a recent trip to New Orleans to see her family. Lynch said, “Right before I go away, I like to use up all the veggies in my kitchen. I take whatever vegetables I have and throw them on a baking sheet with gnocchi, olive oil and herbs and roast them. Then, when they come out of the oven I drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinegar on top.”
If you find yourself talking to Anne Lynch, I recommend you don’t do it on an empty stomach. She will have you salivating.
Lynch has five more cookbook ideas in her head. “I’ve been doing more and more research for the next one.” You can grab a copy of her latest book, “Seasonings of the Witch: A Culinary Exploration of Witchcraft across the World” at Amazon, alongside her other extraordinary cookbooks.
