#teamchloe

By now you’ve probably learned, via the WSJ, about the dissolution of partnership between Esquared Hospitality and venerable vegan Chef Chloe Coscarelli--the investor and talent, respectively, behind the powerhouse vegan chain endeavor, byCHLOE. This comes less than two years after they exploded onto the NY scene.

“ESquared Hospitality, the New York restaurant company that established the chain with vegan chef and cookbook author Chloe Coscarelli, said it has ‘terminated’ all ties with Ms. Coscarelli and will operate By Chloe without her.”

Good luck with that. This is a curiously bold statement given that the restaurant is named after her and showcases a fixed menu and revolving specials that she and her vegan team spent years creating.

“After the company’s success with its first location, Mr. Haber said he looked to bring in outside investors to help with an expansion. It was at that point that Ms. Coscarelli backed away, he said. A representative for Ms. Coscarelli countered that Mr. Haber didn’t let Ms. Coscarelli meet with a key potential investor, prompting concern about how her vision would be maintained going forward.”

It has been rumored that Chef Chloe did not back away, but instead stood up to a suggested “expansion” that included adding non-vegan items to the menu.

“As a result of the impasse, Mr. Haber [of Esquared Hospitality] said he funded the expansion on his own—the chain already had leases in place for yet-to-open locations—and has invested $10-plus million in By Chloe. ‘The alternative was to let the company go out of business,’ he said.”

ByCHLOE’s expansion was obviously funded by the success and future projected earnings of the popular spot. Anyone who has repeatedly braved the ubiquitous lines is well aware that it would not have gone under without prompting. For Mr. Haber to insinuate he invested solely out of the kindness of his heart would imply a very poor business acumen--particularly since the vegan chain is a labor of love for Chloe Coscarelli, not him.

While the restaurant has been a destination for vegans and non-vegans alike since the doors first opened on Bleecker Street in July of 2015, it’s not been without controversy within the vegan world. The dreamy and delicious fast-casual spot provides a significant menu of innovative, comfort vegan fare in a kitschy and comfortable (yet crowded) environment that quickly became somewhat of a vegan utopia--causing many vegans to complain about such interruptions as non-vegan diners wearing fur and Canada Goose jackets, the current uniform of urbanites with disposable income but no soul. This, of course, was something out of the hands of the restaurant, who is not in any position to dictate and enforce a dress code. Besides, would we rather these people wear fur AND eat animals? Eating vegan is the least these heartless fops can do.

Another complaint was that the partnership with Esquared Hospitality was like consorting with the enemy, since their other restaurants are not vegan. Do we not buy Miyoko’s vegan mozz from the grocery store because they sell meat (hint: no)? With small vegan companies being bought out by non-vegan conglomerates every day, it’s close to impossible to exclusively support 100% vegan endeavors. And, furthermore, it’s fair to say that support of vegan items by non-vegan companies serves to cement the demand for them.

This is not to say that there have not been any valid missteps along the way, but they seem to have been in the aspects of the business that staunch vegan Chloe Coscarelli was not involved in. Early on, there was a blogpost about upstate adventures in the Catskills that not only ceased to mention any animal sanctuaries, but actually went so far as to recommend a sporting goods spot for fishing supplies. An edited version remains published as of this posting.

This awkward interview with a non-vegan chef who did not develop byCHLOE’s recipes was quite the indicator that something was amiss; Chloe Coscarelli’s penchant for uncomplicated but revolutionary recipes is matched only by her charm and high wattage presentation. To not make use of that when promoting a business bearing her name is just silly and, likely, spiteful. It also leaves us with the question, if their namesake is out and their chef is not vegan, who on the byCHLOE team is vegan?

And then there’s the art student curation of their Instagram account which showcases mostly eyeroll inducing “#sourceunknown” and “#pinterest” images that not only have nothing to do with the restaurant and often include non-vegan food items, but also seems to expose a running penchant for building a brand on other people’s work.

All this is to say that if Esquared thinks they can continue byCHLOE without, you know, CHLOE, they may be in for a rude awakening. While there’s no question that the chain is popular among more diners than just vegans, a restaurant can’t survive in the long run on style alone. As for vegans, they know better than anyone that you should always eat your ethics, and that extends beyond what’s literally on your plate.

In the suit, filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, Ms. Coscarelli’s attorney claimed that ESquared and its executives were “improperly seizing control” of the company and “forcing out the very chef whose name, likeness and culinary techniques represent all of the company’s value.”

Ms. Coscarelli said in an email statement that if ESquared goes forward with By Chloe, she intends to stop the company from using her name, taking legal measures if necessary. “I will protect the integrity of my brand,” she said.

Chloe Coscarelli has proved time and time again that she is a vegan force to be reckoned with. I first heard of her when her vegan entry won a non-vegan panini contest; she followed up with a splashy win on Cupcake Wars, and then produced 3 best-selling cookbooks in succession: Chloe’s Kitchen, Chloe’s Vegan Desserts, and Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen, all before revolutionizing fast-casual vegan dining on the East Coast with byCHLOE.

Chloe Lukasiak has been nominated for Choice Dancer once again in the 2017 Teen Choice Awards! Voting begins July 12 at 9pm PT until July 19 at 9pm PT! Vote online here or on twitter using #ChoiceDancer with the account name or hashtag of your favorite nominee.