Mani Latifi

BOV CONTRIBUTOR | HOUSTON, TEXAS

Mani Latifi is one half of Plant-Based Passport—a vegan food and travel blog—which he runs with his wife Val. They live in Houston, Texas with their crazy rescue pug Mango. On any given day, Mani leads three separate lives: a fiction writer in the early morning hours, a practicing attorney during the day, and a food and travel blogger by night.  

Val and Mani met in law school and bonded over a shared passion for The Beatles, a love of making a delicious mess in the kitchen, and a compulsive wanderlust. Their first trip together was to Washington, D.C. for President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. From there, they’ve traveled to thirty-three countries and five continents and are planning on transitioning to a full-time, digital nomad lifestyle in the near future. 

Val and Mani’s decision to go vegan was partially inspired by a tubby, gas-producing rescue pug named Tofu. Living with and loving this dog changed Mani’s perspective on animals and the natural world in general. 

Throughout the years, Mani has had a lifelong fascination with the creative process. He regularly painted in his teens and spent nearly a decade and a half writing and recording music. Over the last seven years, Mani has taken an interest in writing fiction. He has had some short stories published and is currently working on his debut novel. He views time spent in the kitchen as a delectable extension of his creative endeavours. 

An Iranian immigrant, Mani makes it a point to incorporate Persian representation in his fiction and his recipes. He feels that this is his way of celebrating and normalizing American diversity.