Yamuna Devi
Yamuna Devi (also Yamunā Devī Dāsī; 19 May 1942 – 20 December 2011), born Joan Agnes Campanella in Butte, Montana, was an American cookbook author, best known for her 1987 International Association of Culinary Professionals/Seagram winning cookbook, Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. She was a senior member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Yamunā Devī Dāsī | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joan Agnes Campanella May 19, 1942 |
| Died | December 20, 2011 (aged 69) |
| Occupation |
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| Notable work | Lord Krishna's Cuisine (1987) Yamuna's Table (1993) |
Yamuna Devi (also Yamunā Devī Dāsī; 19 May 1942 – 20 December 2011), born Joan Agnes Campanella in Butte, Montana, was an American cookbook author, best known for her 1987 International Association of Culinary Professionals/Seagram winning cookbook, Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking.[1]
She was a senior member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).[2][3]
Life
[edit]Yamuna Devi was part of the early 1960s Beat Generation in North Beach, San Francisco[4] before meeting A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in New York City in 1966; she became an initiated disciple in 1967.[5][6] In 1968, with five other Hare Krishna followers, Devi flew to London to establish ISKCON in the United Kingdom.[7] There, she helped introduce Beatles guitarist George Harrison to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy and practice.[8] She sang co-lead vocals on the 1969 Apple Records "Hare Krishna Mantra" single,[9] which reached number 12 in the UK Chart.[10] She also sang lead vocals on the 1970 Apple Records "Govinda" single, which reached number 23 in the UK Chart.[10] Both appeared on The Radha Krsna Temple album.
From 1970 to 1974, she lived and travelled in India with Srila Prabhupada as part of the World Sankirtan Party.[11]
She has been cited as an inspiration by figures such as Jahnavi Harrison.[12][13][14]
Cookbooks
[edit]Food writer Russ Parsons wrote in the Los Angeles Times in 1999 that Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking "is an absolutely fabulous book and certainly not for vegetarians only. The food here is that of traditional Indian vegetarian cuisines--from Gujarat to Bengal, Kashmir to Kerala. It is inventive, exotic and subtle."[15] Publishers Weekly described it as an "impressive volume" of "elegant dishes [that] might easily grace the most sophisticated table without a whisper of the pedestrian connotations sometimes associated with vegetarian cooking. A prodigious, 800-page labor of love illustrated with lovely, delicate line drawings."[16]
- Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. Dutton, 1987. ISBN 978-0525245643.
- The Best of Lord Krishna's Cuisine: Favorite Recipes from the Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. Penguin, 1991. ISBN 0-452-26683-1.(abridged version of Lord Krishna's Cuisine)
- Yamuna's Table: Healthful Vegetarian Cuisine Inspired by the Flavors of India. Dutton-Penguin Putnam, 1992. ISBN 978-0525934875.
Awards
[edit]| Year | Awards and honors | Book |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | James Beard Foundation Award: International | Yamuna's Table: Healthy Vegetarian Cuisine Inspired by the Flavors of India (1992)[17] |
| 1988 | IACP/Seagram Award: Cookbook of the Year | Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking (1987)[1] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Balsley, Betsy (1988-04-14). "Indian Cookbook Takes Top Award : IACP/Seagram Winner Is Both Thought-Provoking, Vegetarian". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
- ^ Bryant, Edwin and Maria Ekstrand (2004). The Hare Krishna movement : the postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 301. ISBN 9780231122566.
- ^ Rochford, E. Burke (2007). Hare Krishna Transformed. New York, NY: New York University Press. p. 128. ISBN 9780814775783.
- ^ Devi, Dinatarini (2014). Yamuna Devi : a life of unalloyed devotion. Alachua, Florida: Unalloyed. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-9914350-0-5.
- ^ Devi, Dinatarini (2014). Yamuna Devi : a life of unalloyed devotion. Alachua, Florida: Unalloyed. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-9914350-0-5.
- ^ "Disciples of Srila Prabhupada". Krishna.com. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Oakes, Philip (February 1, 1969). "Chanting Does Wonders For New Missionary Group". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta: 25. ISSN 0828-1815. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Greene, Joshua (2006). Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison. London: Bantam. p. 152. ISBN 9780553817966. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Greene, Joshua (2006). Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison. London: Bantam. p. 175. ISBN 9780553817966. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ a b "UK Official Charts – Radha Krishna Temple". UK Official Charts. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Berne, Suzanne (November 1993). "Last Morsel: East Meets West". Vegetarian Times (195). Active Interest Media, Inc.: 120. ISSN 0164-8497. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Jahnavi Harrison's First Album Takes Us On an Introspective Journey". ISKCON News. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "On being a voice in the global kirtan choir: Jahnavi Harrison". Hindu American. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Episode #13 – Jahnavi Harrison, part 2". The Late Morning Program. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Parsons, Russ (June 9, 1999). "Cookbook Watch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "James Beard Awards: Yamuna Devi". James Beard Foundation Award. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Yamuna Devi Passes Away
- Devotees Say Their Goodbyes to Yamuna Devi at Alachua Memorial
- From a forgotten Indian cookbook, a deeply flavored chickpea curry- Washington Post, May 5, 2024.
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