What set Pure Food and Wine distinct in the beginning was utterly unrelated to the food. The New York Times praised foie gras with cherry blossom marmalade and grilled dry-aged sirloin at Verbena, which used to be located at 54 Irving Place in Manhattan’s Gramercy area. The owner of Pure Food and Wine was a food-world celebrity with clients like Chelsea Clinton and Alec Baldwin.
‘Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.‘ is a Netflix documentary that follows a bizarre narrative involving millions of cash, claims of immortal dogs, and a romance that has turned not only sour but illegal.
After all, it revolves around Sarma Melngailis, who, after marrying Anthony Strangis, went from being the queen of vegan food to a convicted fraudster (also known as Shane Fox).
But, for now, let’s just look at her two enterprises – Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck – to see where they were formerly open for business.
Recommended:Â Where is Sarma Melngailis Now?Â
What was the Location of Pure Food and Wine?
Pure Food and Wine was founded in 2004 by Sarma Melngailis, her then-boyfriend, culinarian Matthew Kenney, and renowned restaurateur/financer Jeffrey Chodorow.
As a result, because the majority of them were New Yorkers, a fine-dining vegan, raw, and organic eatery opened in the region as well – at 54 Irving Place in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park district.
It was the city’s first of its sort, making Sarma a true leader in the field of uncooked yet nutritious foods, especially since Matthew was let go only a few months later.
Apart from the delectable meal, Pure Food and Wine’s true allure was its flawlessly cosy ambiance as well as the fact that it was a celebrity destination unlike any other. After all, not only did it have sitting in the wonderfully illuminated back garden, but it also had space inside the room that guests entered after descending a few steps from the pavement.
Furthermore, celebrities such as Owen Wilson, Bill Clinton, Anne Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Rooney Mara, Tom Brady, and Alec Baldwin, among many others, have dined here.
What was the Location of One Lucky Duck?
One Lucky Duck, launched in 2005, was Pure Meals and Wine’s sibling mail-order operation, which sold food from the restaurant as well as organic skincare, supplements, clothes, and home goods.
According to the series, it was largely responsible for the widespread availability of raw, plant-based, gluten-free, and organic items in practically every supermarket across the country, implying that it was ahead of its time.
The fact that it had a website for international delivery was also a huge bonus, helping the company to expand rapidly.
When it came to One Lucky Duck’s physical locations, there were three. The first was located at 125 East 17th Street, between 3rd and Irving Place in New York; the second was located at 75 Ninth Avenue, between West 15th and 16th Street in Manhattan; and the third was located in San Antonio, Texas.
The latter, which was purportedly managed by Sarma’s half-brother and launched in 2014 at 303 Pearl Parkway Unit 109, closed a year later — like the others — due to her legal issues. Today, none of the restaurateur’s establishments are open, much to her dismay.
You may watch the show “Bad Vegan: Fame, Fraud, and Fugitives” right here if you have an Netflix membership.