Before the pandemic, Eleven Madison Park in New York City was at the pinnacle of the fine-dining pantheon. Chef-owner Daniel Humm and his team had won about all the accolades available to a restaurant and the reservation books remained filled with guests eager to spend hundreds of dollars on luxurious tasting menus.
Humm plans to continue that when the restaurant reopens on June 10, after having closed in March as a result of the pandemic, but without any animal products.
Additionally, every meal purchased at the restaurant will also purchase five meals for New Yorkers facing food insecurity in partnership with hunger-relief organization Rethink Food.
In a letter on the restaurant’s web site, Humm said the decision came as the restaurant spent the early months of the pandemic preparing meals for the hungry while also taking the time to reflect on his relationship with food.
While always mindful of the impact of the restaurant’s choices on its surroundings, Humm said, “it was becoming ever clearer that the current food system is simply not sustainable, in so many ways.” Hence the choice to go meatless.
The tasting menus will remain luxurious, and will be priced at $335 per person, including tip, but Humm said, “It is time to redefine luxury as an experience that serves a higher purpose and maintains a genuine connection to the community.”
Read more details in our sister publication Restaurant Hospitality here.
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