NEW YORK
One of only two vegetarian restaurants in Manhattan with a Michelin star, Dirt Candy was way ahead of the curve when it came to putting plants in the center of the plate. Devoting a restaurant to vegetables at the height of bacon-mania back in 2008 takes a certain amount of chutzpah, but it’s chef Amanda Cohen’s use of the word “dirt” in the name that really communicates how this restaurant is neither precious nor driven by zealotry. Nobody’s going to tell you veggies will save the world or make your skin glow. The mission is simple: Get people to crave vegetables as much as they crave pizza or fried chicken. And, if you’ve ever tried Dirt Candy’s signature dishes like the portobello mousse or the tomato cake, you probably already do.
INCLUDED IN THE FEAST
Dirt Candy
AMANDA COHEN
A James Beard nominee, chef Cohen opened Dirt Candy in 2008 after ten years of working in New York and taking on eclectic roles, from working the pastry station to plating raw food. Cohen draws on all this diverse experience in this Lower East Side hot spot’s kitchen, which she sees as a laboratory for her to push vegetables further than anyone else in the country. And she pushes the envelope with more than just ingredients: She’s also outspoken on issues of gender disparity, sexual harassment in the industry and, when it opened its new location in 2015, Dirt Candy became the first restaurant in the city to eliminate tipping, pay its staff a living wage, provide health insurance and share profits with employees.
MICHELIN GUIDE
One Star
JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
Best Chef New York City Finalist
STAR CHEFS AWARDS
Vegetarian Rising Star Chef Award
WHY WE LOVE IT
There’s no need to worry about decision fatigue at Dirt Candy, where there’s only one option—a five-course tasting menu that changes with the seasons. The decision to cut out à la carte options was made once they realized it could help them cut back on food waste. Dirt Candy is a master of doing one thing and doing it right.
