Gaz Oakley

Gaz Oakley secured his first professional kitchen role at 15, swiftly leaving school at 16 to pursue cooking full-time. For several years, he honed his foundational culinary skills in various hotel and restaurant kitchens. A pivotal shift in his career came with his transition to a vegan lifestyle, which he subsequently channeled into a prominent online presence. In February 2016, Oakley launched his influential Instagram page, @avantgardevegan, as a platform dedicated to vegan cookery and activism.

Oakley continued to expand his literary contributions with the release of ‘Plants Only Kitchen’ in 2020. His impactful work and pioneering influence were further recognized in 2023 when VegNews honored him as one of the ’37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food.’ This significant industry acknowledgment underscores his consistent innovation and leadership in the plant-based culinary space. The lasting impact of his early work was highlighted again in 2024 when his book, ‘Vegan 100’, was named one of the ‘Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time’ by VegNews. Building on his continued success, Oakley released ‘Plants Only Holidays’ in 2024, offering fresh plant-based culinary inspiration.

He is scheduled to publish his next highly anticipated work, ‘Plant to Plate’, in 2025. Through his consistent output of popular cookbooks, engaging online content, and strategic collaborations, Gaz Oakley remains at the forefront of the global vegan movement, continually shaping the future of plant-based cooking and inspiring a diverse, worldwide audience.