Last month, Eleven Madison Park, one of the world’s most renowned restaurant with three Michelin stars, made a major announcement in the name of sustainability. Famous for dishes adorned with caviar, foie gras, and a lavender honey-glazed duck, the fine-dining establishment helmed by head chef Daniel Humm had decided to switch to an entirely plant-based menu.
“What is luxury? It’s no longer foie gras or caviar,” says Humm. “We are not against these things, but we have a platform at Eleven Madison Park and we need to inspire change.”
“We want to give diners the same pleasure and joy as before, and show that’s possible [without meat or fish],” adds the Swiss-born chef. “We believe this menu lacks nothing. We have ultimately found the challenge of developing this menu not limiting, but liberating.”
Humm explains that over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Eleven Madison Park, like so many New York restaurants, was forced to close temporarily, he began to think more creatively about food.
This led him to realize that not only had the world changed but so too had people. Citing an increased demand for plant-based food and eco-friendly living, coupled with his own epiphany that the current food system was simply unsustainable, Humm made the conscious choice to strictly serve only vegan dishes.
Some of Eleven Madison Park’s new vegan dishes include fried peppers with Swiss chard, cucumber with melon and smoked daikon, and a beautifully plated blueberry-based dish.
Ticketed reservations for Eleven Madison Park are available now but are already sold out for June and July. August reservations open July 1st at 9:00 am ET, and for each reservation made, Eleven Madison Park will donate five meals to New Yorkers in need via non-profit Rethink Food.
All images in this article are courtesy of Eleven Madison Park.
