Sponsored By

Amanda Cohen enters the plant-based burger battles

Dirt Candy chef/owner launches Lekka in NYC

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

November 19, 2019

9 Slides
191007_Lekka_Launch-16.jpg

Amanda Cohen, chef and owner of the vegetable-focused New York restaurant Dirt Candy, has launched a new burger concept.

Dubbed Lekka, which means “awesome” and “delicious” in Afrikaans slang, this plant-based burger restaurant was created in partnership with South African humanitarian Andrea Kerzner, known for the at-risk-youth arts program Lalela.

Lekka was inspired by Cohen’s 25-year career in plant-based foods and Kerzner’s passion for sustainability. While Kerzner’s background is in humanitarian work, she has partnered with Cohen to reduce the carbon footprint of a traditional restaurant with its focus on plants rather than meat.

This fast casual restaurant uses eco-friendly and biodegradable materials, from tea bags to cups, to further the brand’s sustainability goals. Even the light fixtures are made from repurposed plastic bottles.

Read about the new restaurant here.

Contact Holly at [email protected]

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.

You May Also Like