In the culinary world, a Michelin star is the ultimate award for excellence in cooking. A vegan restaurant in southern France has claimed the honor of being the first plant-based restaurant to win the prestigious recognition.
The restaurant’s name, ONA, stands for Origine Non Animale. Run by Claire Vallee, the restaurant launched in 2016 in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, with seven innovative vegan dishes. ONA features interesting vegan ingredients like pine, boletus mushroom, sake, celery, and amber ale.
Vallee used crowdfunding to support her endeavor after she was denied a bank loan due to the uncertainty of demand for vegan cuisine. Fortunately, plant-based diets have continued to gain popularity for their environmental and health benefits.
Vallee told The Guardian that vegan cooking is “difficult and innovative,” but this star “goes to show that nothing is impossible.” The restaurant was also awarded a green star, an award introduced last year by Michelin for excellence in ethical practices.
This star for ONA goes to show that vegan cooking can attain the same standards of excellence and deliciousness as their meat-serving competitors. Hopefully, this new award will encourage more people to experiment with plant-based diets and inspire more chefs to incorporate plant-based recipes into their menus.
Image source: Mint Lounge
