The American luxury department store, Neiman Marcus, is set to open a vegan cafe, Café on 3, in its Beverly Hills Los Angeles location on May 10th.
Yvonne Ardestani, vegan chef and owner of Yvonne’s Vegan Kitchen, made the announcement in a recent video post on her Instagram account.
“Exciting news! @neimanmarcus in #BeverlyHills will be opening a new #plantbasedcafe #cafeon3 on May 10th, headed by Chef @alan.campos.arroyo,” Ardestani captioned the post. “We are pretty thrilled because our cakes and line of treats will be on the menu!!”
“Yes, you can start your day AND end your delicious lunch or dinner with a slice of our #glutenfree #vegan #cake, other sweets and [a] great cup of coffee or tea…Thank you @nmbeverlyhills for creating this space for your customers and for the community,” she added.
The new plant-based café is just another addition to LA’s ever-growing vegan scene, which was ranked second on PETA’s list of vegan-friendly cities back in 2016. Since then, the city’s appetite for vegan eats has flourished even more and many new restaurants and vegan events have become LA staples.
In June, the city will host a new vegan festival, Vegan Playground, taking up an entire city block. Like the new vegan café in Neiman Marcus, the festival aims to bring together a community. “Experience the magic and energy of a community connecting with one another in a celebration of life and all things that make humanity beautiful!” states the website. Vegan food, beers, ciders, and apparel will all be available at the event, along with live performances and an adult-sized playground.
Across America, veganism is growing in popularity, rising from 1% of the population in 2014 to 6% in 2017. Furthermore, many who do not identify as vegan are showing more interest in animal-free products. Since 2012, sales of non-dairy milk, such as almond, coconut, and soy, have increased by 61%, and in February it was reported that over half of American citizens actually prefer the taste of vegan protein over animal protein.
“Veganism is one of the fastest-growing lifestyle and diet movements,” one report stated. It also noted that young people, in particular, are driving the movement forward.
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