Lauren Toyota

Lauren is living the dream of her very own modern-day media outlet, having seamlessly transitioned from close to 10 years as a national television host to an independent, self-made content producer. Currently, she is devoted to creating authentic and engaging creative content on her YouTube channels, Lauren In Real Life and hot for food. She's part of Kin Community, the #1 lifestyle network on YouTube.

On her personal channel, you can find her vlogging what she eats in a day, traveling, and sharing more personal aspects of her life. She’s passionate about sharing lessons she’s learned, building inner strength and confidence, and encouraging others to follow their dreams, listen to their hearts, and be fearless when it comes to creating the life they desire. 

Lauren also shares gourmet vegan comfort food recipes on the hot for food YouTube channel, which now boasts nearly 460,000 subscribers and over 38 million channel views since launching in February 2015. Lauren is a bestselling author of two cookbooks with Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House, Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes To Feed Your Face and her recently released second cookbook, hot for food all day: easy recipes to level up your vegan meals. Among other accolades, Lauren Toyota was named Canada's Most Influential Vegan by IMPACT magazine in 2017 and one of the Powerhouse Canadian Women Killing it in 2018 by Refinery29.

Prior to becoming an expert in vegan living, recipe development, and digital content creation, Lauren was the host of MTV Canada's After Degrassi, where she riffed on one of her favorite shows that she's been watching forever! She even got to make a cameo in Season 12 of the cult series alongside Chaz Bono. Lauren was also featured on MTV News Canada as a host and producer.

Lauren started in television in 2005, moving to Vancouver to host and produce the youth lifestyle series 969 on Razer. This launched her career and helped nurture her insatiable love for music, fashion, and all things pop culture. She wowed young Canadians with her off-the-cuff interviews, bursting laughter, and quick wit and received a 2007 Leo Award Nomination for Best Performance or Host in a Youth or Children’s Program or Series. 

An intrepid go-getter, Lauren jumped on the opportunity to do more, including hosting the global music series Ethnosonic on CityTV Vancouver and regularly participating as a guest expert on CFUN 1410 and Breakfast Television. In 2007, Lauren landed a position at MuchMusic as VJ and Producer in Western Canada. She hosted the weekly music and lifestyle series, Going Coastal, and filed entertainment stories for Much On Demand, The New Music, and MuchNews. With her finger on the pulse of music, culture, and fashion, Lauren also became the west coast correspondent for Fashion Television.

In 2009 Lauren returned home to Toronto and remained at the forefront of Canadian media, hosting online content and branded initiatives. With so much poise, cool confidence, and spontaneity that shines no matter what’s thrown at her, it was only a matter of time before she ended up on live television. From 2010 to 2013, she was one of the most prominent MuchMusic VJs hosting the station's daily flagship show, New.Music.Live., interviewing some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Katy Perry, Will Ferrell, and One Direction. 

She stayed extra busy traveling to L.A., New York, and London to deliver the best coverage of star-studded events like The Brit Awards and the biggest blockbuster junkets. Lauren also hosted the MuchMusic Video Awards 4 years in a row with celebrity co-hosts like Selena Gomez, LMFAO, Psy, Kendall, and Kylie Jenner. In early 2013 Lauren Toyota was given the coveted spot of hosting the channel's hit reality series The Much VJ Search, which saw her travel across Canada challenging wannabe VJs with the toughest tasks and eliminating them along the way. 

While working for Bell Media Inc. as a host and producer for MuchMusic and MTV Canada, Lauren became a huge asset to the company's other specialty channels. She has been a guest host on InnerSpace on Space Channel and InFashion on Fashion Television; she's appeared many times on talk as a music expert and guest correspondent and had a weekly feature on the M3 Countdown with host Matt Wells.

After a successful decade on national television, running her own business, and authoring a cookbook, Lauren has conquered it all and is truly living her dream. She attributes focus, visualization, hard work ethic, perseverance, integrity, and a positive attitude to getting her where she is today.