Eleven Madison Park is the First Vegan Restaurant to Receive Three Michelin Stars
The New York fine dining restaurant has retained its three Michelin stars after reopening as a plant-based eatery during the pandemic.
Tomato with Tofu and Lemon Verbena. Credit: Evan Sung
New York’s Eleven Madison Park has become the first vegan restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars.
The fine dining establishment received its first three-star Michelin rating in 2011 when the menu was famed for its elaborate animal-based dishes, including butter poached lobster and lavender honey glazed duck.
However, last year, the restaurant’s co-owner and highly acclaimed chef, Daniel Humm, made the bold decision to remove meat from the menu, citing the pandemic, as well as our unsustainable food system. While cow’s milk and honey is still served for tea and coffee, the menu is almost 100 percent vegan.
At the time, Humm acknowledged that the move was risky, admitting that “it wasn’t clear if guests would come", but called the gamble “a risk worth taking.”
“Post-pandemic I didn’t want to open the same restaurant,” Humm told the Financial Times in an interview. “If we can show the possibilities of eating plant-based food in this setting, it can open a lot of doors” for others to follow.
Eggplant with Tomato, Coriander and Shiso. Credit: Evan Sung
Now, this impressive new accomplishment validates Eleven Madison Park’s decision to take meat off the menu and embrace plant-based foods, with Michelin’s 2022 New York guide branding it a ‘bold vision of luxury dining’.
“We took the jump to transform EMP into a plant-based fine dining restaurant knowing in our hearts that this is what we believed in,” stated Humm on Instagram. “Last night, we were honored to be awarded three Michelin stars for the 11th year in a row. I am so beyond grateful to the team that’s with us here now and every member who contributed through its nearly 25-year history. We are also grateful to our guests and partners who believed in our vision and encouraged us to push harder.”
Veganism: the new fine dining
Restaurants are awarded Michelin stars based on five universal criteria: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine and consistency across both the entire menu and over time.
Three Michelin stars is the highest award, given to chefs who are at the peak of their profession. “Their cooking is elevated to an art form and some of their dishes are destined to become classics,” reads Michellin’s website, in a clear nod to plant-based foods’ growing significance in the culinary world.
Fried Okra with Basil and Finger Lime, topped with finger lime segments, basil blooms, and marinated okra seeds. Credit: Evan Sung
Eleven Madison Park’s dramatic menu shift saw the establishment explore innovative food techniques, such as microbial fermentation, to design animal-free products worthy of a fine dining experience and the price tag (the full 11-item menu for dinner costs $365).
The New York restaurant isn’t the only one to transform their menu in favor of vegetables. As awareness of the devastating environmental impact of animal-based foods continues to grow, other prestigious chefs around the world are accepting the culinary challenge to create new exciting dishes made entirely from plants.
Grilled Squash with Poblano Pepper, Seitan and Coriander Blooms. Credit: Evan Sung
Last year, ONA, a vegan restaurant in France became the first ever plant-based restaurant in the country to receive a Michelin star. Meanwhile, Copenhagen-based three Michelin-starred Geranium took meat off the menu at the beginning of this year after the head chef Rasmus Kofoed had begun to feel disingenuous serving animal-based dishes. A few months later, Geranium was named the best restaurant in the world. In London, Michelin-star chef and passionate vegan, Alexis Gauthier turned Gauthier Soho vegan last summer, impressing initially reluctant diners with aesthetic dishes, using seasonal and sustainable produce.
“I think people do aspire for beauty and magic, and therefore certain companies—luxury companies—have a real voice and a real role to play and a responsibility,” Humm told Fast Company. “The more creatives [we have] thinking about this, the more beautiful and delicious our future will be.”
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