The ongoing pandemic has made people reconsider their food choices and has made them more conscious about the impact of their lifestyle on the environment and human health. Even companies, restaurants and cafes have started offering more vegan food options to their customers in tune with the changing food preferences.
Now, in what can be called an extraordinary and bold development, the highly reputed New York-based Madison Park restaurant has announced that it is going vegan. They would have moved to an exclusively plant-based menu when they reopen for patrons. The restaurant has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic.
Eleven Madison Park is considered as one of New York’s top fine dining restaurants. It also prides itself for having three Michelin stars. According to reports, the restaurant decided to eliminate all meat-centric dishes from its menu as a response to the havoc created by the pandemic. It is a bold move that could shock its elite patrons looking to go back to the restaurant for devouring their lavish dishes.
Chef Daniel Humm has been the driving force behind this decision to go vegan. According to his statement posted on the eatery’s website: “We have always operated with sensitivity to the impact we have on our surroundings, but it was becoming ever clearer that the current food system is simply not sustainable, in so many ways… It was clear that after everything we all experienced this past year, we couldn’t open the same restaurant.”
“We’ve made the decision to serve a plant-based menu in which we do not use any animal products — every dish is made from vegetables, both from the earth and the sea, as well as fruits, legumes, fungi, grains, and so much more,” he added.
The restaurant is set to reopen after 15 months on June 10, 2021. An Instagram post stated that while it is a “tremendous challenge to create dishes as satisfying as our classics”, “but we believe that it is a risk worth taking, and we cannot wait to share what we’ve been working on with you”.
This move by Eleven Madison paves way for a discussion on how big names in the HoReCa segment can make an impact of human health, environment and animals by switching to plant-based offerings.
