Slutty Vegan restaurant owner Aisha "Pinky" Cole, 34, graced the January/February Essence cover with her partner, entrepreneur Derrick Hayes.
She discussed with the outlet her remarkable ascension to success. In Aug. 2018, she started Slutty Vegan in a shared commercial space and purchased a food truck. On Jan. 13, 2019, she opened the doors to her first restaurant selling vegan burgers and fries.
In 2020, as the global pandemic ravaged our nation, forcing many eateries to close, Slutty Vegan's robust growth, attributed to social media and word of mouth, allowed the Baltimore native to opened two new Atlanta locations. She also has a new bar and restaurant called Bar Vegan located in a premium Atlanta development.
Cole, now a multimillionaire, uses her influence and finances to reach back and help others. In 2019, she helped pay off the student debts of 30 college seniors who attended Clark Atlanta University, her alma mater, and created scholarships, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reports.
She also established The Pinky Cole Foundation to provide scholarships to juvenile offenders in her city. She donated 100,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to provide food for people who are food insecure.
Now, Cole, who comes from humble beginnings, is a philanthropist, activist, humanitarian and astute businesswoman who feels her purpose is broader than just selling healthy food.
In addition to managing her businesses, Cole is releasing her first cookbook this summer, provocatively titled Eat Plants, B*tch.
"It's plant-based recipes for the meat-eater because my target audience is not the vegan," she told Essence.
