Eleven Madison Park is the only Michelin three-star restaurant whose menu is exclusively vegan. Before the pandemic, it was not vegan and was considered by many to be the best restaurant in the city. It was number one on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In 2020, chef Daniel Humm closed the restaurant and devoted his energy to preparing over a million meals for frontline pandemic workers and underserved communities, distributing them to churches, shelters, and food banks.
Eighteen months later, he reopened with an entirely plant-based menu. It would be understatement to say critics didn’t like it. Scathing reviews in the NY Times and many other publications nearly drove it out of business. But Humm and his team persevered, and today EMP has kept its three stars and is thriving.
Sarav 