Eleven Madison Park is going vegan when it reopens in June.
In a note posted on the restaurant's website Monday, CEO and chef Daniel Humm announced that when the high-profile restaurant reopens on June 10 after a year-long closure, it will do so without any meat- or seafood-based items on its menu.
"I'm excited to share that 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," Humm wrote.
The radical decision makes it the world's first three-Michelin-starred restaurant to exclude all animal products from its menu.
In an interview with NPR's "How I Built This," Humm said that the way people eat meat is "not sustainable." And while the chef acknowledged the risks of such a move, he also stated that he believes it is worth it.
The move represents a growing trend in the food industry, as more institutions shift toward more sustainable ingredients and food practices. Epicurious, a well-known online food publication, revealed only last week that it would no longer publish new recipes containing beef, citing the fact that beef production generates significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and thus has an effect on climate change.
As more plant-based choices have appeared on menus around the country, vegetarianism and veganism are no longer considered fringe diets. Humm has previously stated that he believes the future of restaurants is vegan.
The transition to an entirely plant-based menu (though milk will still be available for coffee and tea) isn't the only change taking place at Eleven Madison Park. Although the restaurant's doors have been locked, the remaining staff has assisted in the preparation of nearly a million meals for frontline workers and food-deprived families in New York City.
Eleven Madison Park's business model has been modified, Humm added, so that work can proceed. On the restaurant's first day back in operation next month, every dinner purchased by a customer will help provide meals for five at-risk New Yorkers, which will be delivered by the restaurant's food truck.
