World-Famous Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten to Open New Vegan Restaurant in NYC!

Good news, Green Monsters! Jean-Georges Vongerichten, head chef of the four-star Jean-Georges restaurant in Manhattan, has just announced his intention to open another NYC restaurant in 2014 – and this time, it’s 100 percent vegan!

While the menu has yet to be revealed, Vongerichten has hinted that diners can expect to be served some seriously hot stuff – in more ways than one.

“We use about twelve different kinds of chillies. First, because it’s the healthiest thing you can eat. If you look at the number one anti-inflammatory – preventing cancer and such – it’s chillies. That’s why I think there is less sickness in Southeast Asia or India, because they eat spicy – they eat with chillies. Chilli is my new passion,” said Vongerichten to Mother Nature Network.

This is the restaurateur’s twelfth restaurant in New York City and his thirty-seventh in the world. While he is not a vegetarian or a vegan himself, Vongerichten has long advocated for a gradual move away from heavily meat-based dishes.

According to his website bio, “His signature cuisine abandons the use of meat stocks and creams and instead features the intense [flavors] and textures from vegetable juices, fruit essences, light broths, and herbal vinaigrettes. Jean-George’s culinary vision has redefined industry standards and revolutionized the way we eat.”

Vongerichten doesn’t like GMOs either! In an interview with the popular food blog The New Potato, he said:

I’m not a fan of, and have never followed, that new molecular stuff – using a lot of chemicals. When it was the hottest thing around, I went in the polar opposite direction. I went farm-to-table, to ABC kitchen. I couldn’t cook with those gels and all of the different chemicals that people are using. I think food as a science is not for me. Food for nutrition, food for well-being, food for nurturing your soul – yes.

… If you buy tomatoes from a green house and they are sitting on a shelf in the supermarket for months, how can they be good? I see people forget season as well … People are eating strawberries in December and there’s no [flavor]. They’re white inside. My goal is to source the best items I can find.

When asked about the whereabouts of his new restaurant, Vongerichten has remained tight-lipped, but keep an eye out for it, New Yorkers!

Image Source: Jean-Georges.com