The Cupcake Wars winner and cookbook author said she wanted to create an inclusive space where everyone, vegan or not, can enjoy delicious plant-based food.
"I feel like every day at work... I'm interacting with people, and hopefully opening their eyes to how delicious vegan food can be," said Coscarelli. "We actually get quite a bit of customers coming in here regularly, and I don't even know if they really know that it's vegan. They just know that it's good food."
Vegan cuisine has evolved in three waves, according to Lewis Bollard, Director of Farm Animal Welfare at Open Philanthropy and a long-time vegan. The first wave consisted of small, often "crunchy" stores specializing in vegan products. The second wave saw the rise of imitation meat alternatives. The third wave, currently underway, focuses on elevating plant-based cuisine into sophisticated and refined dishes.
"We may be about to enter a fourth era soon," said Bollard, referring to cultivated meat, meat grown in a lab instead of on a farm. "We are right at the start (of cultivated meat), I think there's a lot of work to be done...there are initial products being served in one or two restaurants, but they've got a lot of work to do in bringing costs down and scaling production up and getting it all right," he said.
Just a few blocks from Chloe., resides Delice & Sarrasin, a family-run, all-vegan French restaurant founded by Christophe Caron and his family. Known for its meticulous vegan interpretations of traditional French dishes, Delice & Sarrasin employs sophisticated techniques and elaborate preparations to create remarkable plant-based experiences. One of the signature dishes is their Coq Au Vin, a vegan rendition of the classic French stew. Their chef marinates the ingredients in thick red wine for a minimum 24 hours, achieving a chicken-like texture.
Another highly-regarded vegan establishment recommended by Coscarelli is Avant Garden, a Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant founded by Ravi DeRossi in 2015. As described by the Michelin Guide, "channeling all the coziness of a treehouse, this East Village mainstay offers a variety of dishes that are thoughtful and attractive." Some of the highlights, according to the guide, are deep-fried sushi rice adorned with carrot, ginger, and avocado, as well as an exquisite artichoke and spinach toast garnished with green beans, jicama, and truffled potato chips.