Makini Howell

Makini Howell is a vegan chef and restaurateur in Seattle, Washington. Her flagship restaurant, Plum Bistro, was a vegan fine-dining restaurant in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood .

History Howell was raised vegan. Her parents have since the 1990s owned vegan sandwich shops and sold vegan sandwiches through co-ops in the region, and Howell grew up working in her family's sandwich shops.

Howell worked in New York City as a graphic designer and a clothing designer, including for Jay-Z's Rocawear, then moved back to the Northwest to pursue a renewed interest in the culinary world. In 2014 she appeared on the Queen Latifah Show. In addition to Plum Bistro, Howell also operates a catering company, food truck Plum Burgers, casual eatery Plum Pantry in Seattle Center’s Armory, and dessert shop Sugar Plum.

Howell supported Seattle's 2012 required paid sick leave law and 2015 $15 minimum wage hike. She spoke at the 2014 White House Summit on Working Families about her support of the minimum wage increase. In 2017 Tasting Table named Plum Bistro one of the eight best vegan restaurants in the U.S and called them "the OG of Pacific Northwestern vegan dining." James Beard award-winning food writer Karen Page featured Howell in her Kitchen Creativity (2017).

Selected publications

Plum: Gratifying Vegan Dishes from Seattle's Plum Bistro (2013)