posted September 14, 2021
by Nivi Jaswal, MVLCE

Image credit: The Virsa Foundation Inc
If my self-worth was a jacket, it would be made of lambskin lined with merino wool, trimmed with mink, a carnist pincushion with rebellious flairs, patches and badges screaming Airline Lounge Nomad, Serial Passport Killer, Michelin Star Hound, Steakhouse Rat, Caviar Hunter, Keto Samurai, Bullet Coffee Addict, Single Malt ChickâŠfinished with an exquisite brooch studded with Tahitian pearls and an Indian Banarasi silk scarf.
This was before I connected the dots and fled the animal industrial complex.
The animal industrial complex is sinisterârun by carnist egoâmyopic, diabetic, ketogenic, and constantly hangry! I paraphrase from that famous Eagles song, âThey stab it with their steely knives, but they just canât kill the beast,â and âYou can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!â

Image credit: Salina Shah
As a relatively newly minted vegan, I am going through that painfulâyet necessaryâprocess of removing those passionately curated, hard-earned identity badges. Itâs a transition that feels somewhat like a bad skin peel. Iâm simultaneously living in two divergent worlds, wondering if thereâs a parallel universe somewhere that honors compassion and health, and challenges the bloodied institutions that epitomize business entertainment. Itâs easy to imagine being a corporate vegan as very isolating. But whatâs lonelier is being ex-corporate, ex-keto, running an intersectional vegan nonprofit and re-designing my self-worth as I jump off the corporate cliff.
Iâm reminded of a prescient blog I co-authored with Salina Shah, a former executive, on the Ethical New Normal that awaits corporate America. And in another write-up, Salina recounts her experience at a Brazilian steakhouse, âAs the evening went on, the waiters circled dozens of times, and I realized that this was an âall-you-can-eatâ method of serving cuts of meat.â

Image credit: Krista Leoncavallo
Krista Leoncavallo is a leader on enterprise culture and change management in one of the largest healthcare companies in the United States. Being whole food plant-based, she is constantly navigating the corporate maze and relentlessly trying to usher in plant-powered change. And Krista is right, we can no longer ignore the evidence at the heart of healthcare issues in this country. Change is afoot and itâs only going to get bigger. The pandemic has created tragedy and travesty. It has also made plant-powered voices bolder.
The most famous three-Michelin-star restaurant in the world, Eleven Madison Park, is cooking up a vegan, plant-based storm in their completely renovated kitchen. No other white tablecloth restaurant of the same caliber in New York City serves a menu thatâs completely free free of animal products, save the option for cowâs milk in a signature coffee drink.

Image credit: The Virsa Foundation Inc
The tour started with the very first step into the restaurant. Literally. I was told by the proud usher that the step was cast from the melted-down remains of the old kitchen, symbolic of how this establishment has pivoted during the pandemic by manifesting a sustainable, planet-compassionate, vegan future.
Every single offering in this eleven-course food theater was meticulously crafted with no aspiration to mimic animal-based tropes that dominate fine dining culinary philosophy. As a Lifestyle Medicine coach who ethically identifies as a vegan and nutritionally prefers a whole food plant-based approach, I was delighted to find that the entire menu unapologetically celebrates plants. There was no effort to placate the so-called flexitarian junta with faux meat and claims of burgers that âbleed like meat.â

Image credit: The Virsa Foundation Inc
An exclusive kitchen tour revealed a garden filled with flowerpotsâthese were for the Beets Course. I wondered to myself what expensive steakhouse kitchens might look like? Itâs the same logic as showing happy cows, pigs, and chickens on the packaging and having iron clad Ag-gag laws that protect slaughterhouses.
This culinary extravaganza lasted nearly four hours, ending with the most thoughtful presentâa handmade card with the Eleven Madison Park logo on it, an ode to JIVINITIâs commitment towards âConnecting the Dots.â

Image credit: The Virsa Foundation Inc
The next time thereâs a corporate dinner, a business trip, or a team conference, and if you happen to be in New York City: dear vegans, you know where to take your team. A search for âveganâ on the Michelin Star Guide isnât disappointing either. Hereâs to Daniel Humm, Matthew Kenney, and all the amazing vegan chefs out thereâyour role in getting the world to experience a vegan future cannot be understated
As I left Eleven Madison Park in the wee hours of the morning, stepping off their old-kitchen-melted-slabâI congratulated the team and said, âThank you for your service.â
Our Meal at Eleven Madison Park
The menu was beyond delicious and specifically, the BEET course takes two days to prepare and CUCUMBER course takes over two hours with two chefs working simultaneously to meticulously layer the ingredients per serving!
- TOMATO Tea with Lemon Verbena, Yellow Tomato Dosa, Salad with Garlic and Sancho
- CELTUCE in Variations with Rice
- TONBURI with Okra and Baby Lettuce
- CUCUMBER with Melon and Smoked Daikon
- SUMMER SQUASH with Lemongrass and Marinated Tofu
- SWEET PEPPER with Swiss Chard
- EGGPLANT with Tomato and Coriander
- BEET with Horseradish and Herbs
- MELON Smoked and Fresh with Yogurt
- BLUEBERRY with Elderflower
- SESAME Chocolate Pretzel
- BREAD with Sunflower Seed Butter

Photo credit: Nivi Jasawl
Nivi Jaswal, MBA, NBC-HWC, MVLC, a connector at heart, builds strong teams inspired to deliver socially responsible projects with high community impact. She brings 15 yearsâ experience in marketing and corporate strategy in CPG, life sciences, and media and research industry. In various assignments across APAC, EU and Middle East, and Africa, Nivi has managed large brands and complex projects involving innovation, consumer research and communications development. She is a Professional Team Member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. At her nonprofit, Nivi brings together professionals with diverse specialties such as anthropology, psychology, animal rights, social work, lifestyle medicine, filmmaking, and creative problem-solving to design climate-conscious, plant-powered projects addressing chronic illness and encouraging emotional wellbeing. In 2020, VirsÄ launched the JIVINITI platform in the United States, advocating for low-income women of color and the JIVINITI womenâs coalition comprising women leaders with plant-based nutrition, medical science, and social justice expertise.
Source: Mainstreetvegan.net