Pure Wine
Liquor store · East Village ·
Sommelier curated wine & spirits, tastings, classes & consulting
Sommelier curated wine & spirits, tastings, classes & consulting
"I recall that Pure Food and Wine, where Kenney gained renown for raw vegan cooking alongside partner Sarma Melnagailis, became the subject of wider scrutiny and was featured in the 2022 Netflix documentary Bad Vegan: Fraud. Fame. Fugitives.; its backer Jeffrey Chodorow described Kenney as “a very talented chef with a bad financial history,” a characterization that the new reporting revisits in the context of alleged financial and workplace misconduct." - Matthew Kang
"A New York City raw-vegan restaurant that became the focal point of a high-profile criminal scandal involving co-owner Sarma Melngailis and Anthony Strangis. The pair faced charges including grand larceny, tax fraud, defrauding investors, and labor-law violations, then went on the run before being apprehended in an episode that gained notoriety when they reportedly ordered a Domino’s pizza to a Tennessee hotel. Employees accused management of stealing wages, the business ultimately closed, and Melngailis later described sustained psychological manipulation by her partner—claims that included elaborate lies about immortality for her and her dog Leon." - Amy McCarthy
"Once a celebrity-packed raw-vegan destination in New York City, this restaurant and its chef were prominent proponents of a diet that avoided cooking above 120°F. In the early 2000s the chef was a high-profile figure, but by 2015 she disappeared amid accusations that she had stopped paying staff, vendors, and her landlord; employees unionized and walked out over unpaid wages. She was later charged with fraud and labor-law violations and became the subject of a documentary investigating how a celebrated restaurateur fell into scandal, entered a controlling relationship, and transferred large sums from her businesses to personal accounts." - Jaya Saxena
"Once a high-profile raw-vegan restaurant known for items like raw vegan lasagna and cocktail offerings such as “master-cleanse-tinis,” the restaurant’s former Gramercy space sat empty for years — dark, its brick-red walls whitewashed — after its collapse amid fraud, unpaid wages and bankruptcy. It attracted celebrity patrons in its heyday and later became the focal point of a hit documentary that reawakened public interest and controversy over the owner’s portrayal. The founder sees the site as the last independent project she loved and hopes to revive its mission of making plant-based food both healthy and fun, while investors and partners have debated leases, buyout figures and documentary plans for a possible reopening at the original Irving Place location." - Allen Salkin
"Opened in 2004 as a raw-vegan fine-dining destination in Gramercy, this glamorous, three-dollar-sign restaurant made plant-based food feel glossy and scene-y rather than granola — candlelit garden seating, a yoga-sleek bar crowd nursing signature cocktails like the Master Cleanse Tini, and frequent celebrity diners. The menu highlighted items such as spicy Thai lettuce wraps, zebra tomato-and-zucchini lasagna with pistachio-basil pesto, and cauliflower couscous with pickled Persian cucumbers and cultured tree-nut cheeses, earning praise for making health food feel fashionable. Originally a collaboration between two chefs with backing from a prominent restaurateur, ownership later consolidated under the co-owner and the business was profitable for years. The operation ultimately unraveled after the co-owner became involved with a con man who convinced her to hand over account access and large sums of money; staff suffered repeated missed paychecks, employees walked out in winter 2015, and the restaurant closed permanently that spring after roughly $1.6 million was moved out of business accounts. The pair were later accused of fraud and went on the run, were eventually found, and the co-owner pleaded guilty, served a short jail term and probation, though she has since said she might one day revive the concept." - Rachel Sugar
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