Pinky Cole is on a mission.
She's out to prove that comfort food doesn't need to be made with meat to be delicious. To that end, she's been serving up plant-based burgers with some eyebrow-raising names since August in her food truck, The Slutty Vegan.
Dishes include The Fussy Hussy, an Impossible burger topped with “cheese,” lettuce, onion, pickle and vegan mayo on a Hawaiian bun and the Dance Hall Queen, a patty served with grilled onions, vegan cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and sweet jerk plantain on a Hawaiian bun.
Cole said she chose the business’ theme, which she calls “slutty but conservative,” in a bid to get more people to embrace veganism.
“Sex sells, and I think healthier eating can sell as well,” said Cole, a Clark Atlanta University alum who previously worked as a television producer and owned a restaurant and juice bar in New York. “I want to meet people where they are and get them to look at food in a different way.”
She said the truck often sells out of food when it hits the street, and The Slutty Vegan Instagram account has amassed nearly 38,000 followers. She’s also served a slew of celebrities including Jermaine Dupri, Porsha Williams and Da Brat.
Now, months after launching her business, Cole’s putting down roots. She plans to launch a brick-and-mortar location at 1542 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. in the Westview neighborhood in January. The menu -- which also includes vegan shrimp and BLT sandwiches in addition to burgers -- will remain the same, with the addition of vegan milkshakes. The restaurant will be open from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. as a dinner and late-night destination.
The truck will still hit the street on occasion, but will mostly be traveling to other cities on a “slutty tour,” with “the goal to educate people on eating a plant-based lifestyle,” Cole said.
“My mission is to make it worldwide,” she said.
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