Chef Amanda Cohen was an advocate of vegetable and plant-based cooking long before it was cool, and her Lower East Side flagship restaurant Dirt Candy continues to flourish as a pioneer in ethical eating with refined technique. It’s included in Paul Freedman’s Ten Restaurants That Changed America as “Ten Restaurants Changing America Now” alongside Momofuku and Eleven Madison Park. Dirt Candy’s original location only had 18 seats and was open for 7 years, during which time it became the first vegetarian restaurant in 17 years to receive two stars from the New York Times, was recognized by the Michelin Guide five years in a row, and won awards from Gourmet Magazine, the Village Voice, and many others. Its new location opened in January, 2015 and was the first restaurant in the city to eliminate tipping and share profits with its employees.