Known to millions as “The Korean Vegan,” Joanne Molinaro began her blog of the same name in 2016 after adopting a plant-based diet. What began as a personal motivational tool to “veganize” her favorite Korean recipes in an attempt to maintain a connection to her family and culture quickly grew into something much bigger. She created Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram accounts to post photographs of her dishes together with their recipes. In less than a year, she cultivated a modest following of approximately 10,000 and landed her first television appearance on the Food Network show Cooks v. Cons.

In 2017, Molinaro expanded the objective of her social media platforms to...