People wait in line in the rain for a shuttle to go see Cirque du Soleil on Sunday, March 25. 2012. 

Tanica Henning sells balloons at the Pacific Park on Sunday, March 11, 2012.

Tamboura Babtiste plays, "Hallelujah" (by Leonard Cohen) at the Santa Monica Boardwalk on Wednesday, March 14, 2012.

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium volunteers Caitlin Mc Clure and Sarah Anne walk along the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, March 8, 2012.

Chef Chloe Coscarelli signs her  cook book entitled, “Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way” during a book signing event that celebrates the release of her first book at Barnes & Noble on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.

Classically trained Chef Chloe Coscarelli brings fun and energy to this healthful, animal-free cuisine by reinterpreting 125 of America’s favorite foods with great-tasting ingredients and clever techniques. Chef Chloe burst onto the culinary scene by winning the Food Network’s hit reality show Cupcake Wars—the first time a vegan chef captured the top prize—which delighted her many fans who had been loyally following her on chefchloe.com. The new face of vegan cooking, Chef Chloe is luring foodies of all stripes to try her ingenious, accessible recipes for delicious, vibrant, beautiful food.

Chef Chloe’s first-ever cookbook is illustrated throughout with gorgeous full-color photography of the mouthwatering dishes. She begins with helpful advice on how to set up your own kitchen for stress-free, healthful eating. Chef Chloe also explains how to get all your nutrition from a plant-based diet and why it’s so healthy, with support from the foreword by renowned physician Neal D. Barnard, M.D. Then, in her fresh, dynamic style, Chef Chloe provides a huge array of incredibly appetizing, inventive recipes she has created, from savory starters to decadent desserts. Her comforting macaroni and cheese, creamy Fettuccine Alfredo, crave-inducing sliders and fries, and adaptations of the most popular Chinese, Indian, and Mexican dishes win over carnivores, omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike.

With Chef Chloe, eating vegan doesn’t mean giving up your favorite treats and flavors. With instructions throughout for making these meat-, egg-, and dairy-free recipes without gluten and soy, here’s how you can enjoy family favorites and her renowned, coveted desserts—including the first publication of the recipes for her Cupcake Wars– winning vegan cupcakes—without busting your belt.

Chloe Coscarelli recently took home first place in the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, making her the first vegan ever to win on a Food Network competition. Chloe is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute of Health and Culinary Arts NYC, the University of California, Berkeley, as well as Cornell University’s Plant-Based Nutrition Program. She lives in Los Angeles.


Spring de Haviland gives a red gift wrapped carnations to Hailey Bylo at the Santa Monica Pierin celebration of the first day of Spring and the launch of her "Spring Into Kindness" Campaign on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. Spring Into Kindness" encourages everyone to support the www.onemillionactsofkindness.com and thekindnessbustour.com created by Bob Votruba and his Boston Terrier dog Bogart from Ohio

Environmentalists give a group hug to the historic 80 foot-tall land marked Moreton Bay Fig Tree at The Fairmont Hotel during Alliance for Survival Peace and Environmental Group's 4rth annual 'Tree-Hugging Day' on Monday, March 19, 2012. The tree hugging day was in celebration of the spring equinox when day and night are equal, poised and balanced, but about to tip over on the side of light.

Thousands of runners cross the finish line in Santa Monica during the 27th annual Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 18, 2012. The "Stadium to the Sea" course kicked off at Dodger Stadium and finished on Ocean Avenue at the intersection of  California Avenue.