Veganism is going high end! In a bold move New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park announced when it reopens in June, it will convert to a full plant-based restaurant. This announcement recently made headlines in the business and cuisine world.
What’s the reason for this iconic eatery that took the top spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017 to go from meat dishes to plant based? Its owner Daniel Humm wrote on his website, "It is time to redefine luxury as an experience that serves a higher purpose and maintains a genuine connection to the community.”
He added “A restaurant experience is about more than what's on the plate. We are thrilled to share the incredible possibilities of plant-based cuisine while deepening our connection to our homes: both our city and our planet."
During the height of the pandemic, Eleven Madison Park closed like so many New York restaurants but it switched gears to partner with Rethink Food and prepared close to a million meals for New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity. Humm said that experience changed his outlook on food.
This transition signals an encouraging societal embrace of the vegan and plant-based movement.
Another high-end chef is making waves in the vegan scene. Celebrity chef Matthew Kenney now has over 40 plant-based restaurants and opened up several during the pandemic. In addition to restaurants, he’s also trying to change people’s minds about eating plant-based foods by licensing his dishes and menus to hotel chains around the world.
“These partnerships enable his organization to gain a plant-based foothold around the globe, without the need for real-estate or infrastructure,” according to an article titled, “Cooking up a Storm: How Chefs Could Help us Beat Climate Change.”
Kenney also has an online cooking school, where chefs and home cooks can learn how to produce mouth-watering plant-based dishes from scratch.
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