Meet Ravi DeRossi, the East Village’s vegetarian restaurant and nightlife king

How a personal tragedy and a return to veganism drove one man to create some of New York's most popular animal-free restaurants 
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Margaret Abrams12 January 2020

If you’ve spent time in the East Village, it’s likely that you’ve stopped into one of Ravi DeRossi’s many restaurants.

There’s Mother of Pearl, a Polynesian cocktail bar famous for its highly Instagrammable shark drinks. Or Ladybird, the ideal destination for girls’ night, with millennial pink decor and small plates. His latest creation is Night Music, an '80s new wave themed Indian restaurant that's ideal for a night out. One aspect all of his spots have in common (other than their Pinterest-perfect decor), is that they’re mostly vegan, a serious decision DeRossi made after returning to veganism himself.

DeRossi is the restaurateur behind the East Village’s most famous vegan restaurants, all located so close to each other that The New York Times dubbed him the “Stealth Prince of the East Village.”

(New York Times)

He started his career as a painter before working in the hospitality industry at 30, returning to his native New York in the early 2000s. Since then, he's opened dozens of bars and restaurants.

We spoke to him about where he finds his inspiration, why he went vegan and how tragedy led to the creation of his latest space.

Night Music 

Why did you personally decide to go back to being vegan?

"I initially went vegan in response to recognizing the soul in all animals and have not been able to turn back since. I have been on-again, off-again vegan since I was 12-years-old. I've been completely vegan for the past four years, and will not go off again. I began to realize that the effects of animal agriculture on our climate are devastating and that the average restaurant or bar does a thousand times more damage to the environment than a single person. At the time, I think I had 15 or so restaurants and bars so the effect I was having on the environment was significant."

HoneyBee's

How did you decide to make your restaurants animal-free?

"It didn't feel like it was a decision, it was something that just had to happen. I'm actually surprised that more people aren't making this transition. There will come a time in the near future where we will all be forced to."

Do you think New York restaurants are more accepting of vegetarian and vegan patrons these days?

"I presume only about 10 percent of the people who dine at my restaurants are vegan, nonetheless, there's a huge demand for vegan food by New Yorkers. It seems like every year the demand for vegan food increases dramatically, and the demand continues to far outweigh the supply."

Amor Y Amargo

Why did you decide to locate your mini-empire in the East Village?

"I've lived in the East Village for more than 20 years - it's my favorite part of New York City and it's favorite part of this country. There's no other place in the world I would want to live and work."

All of your restaurants have such unique decorations. What’s your process when developing a new restaurant or bar?

"My favorite part of opening a new restaurant is the design process. I was an artist for all my life before getting into hospitality so I'm inclined to the more creative side of my psyche. Most of my ideas for restaurants and their designs come to me late at night when I cannot sleep, in an instant, I'll have an idea for a space and see the design, the name, the menu, absolutely everything. It's the same process I went through as an artist. A flash of inspiration would come to me and I would get out of bed and have to start painting immediately."

Night Music

What was your process behind developing your new restaurant Night Music, from the music to the menu?

"I had been a bit down for some time, my company's corporate chef and my good friend had passed away. He and I had so many plans for new restaurants and then in an instant, they were tragically shattered. I spent a lot of time at home by myself after this occurred and at some point, I guess I began to crave the food my mother used to make for me when I was young. I think in moments like these it's natural to crave the things that nurtured us. I had never even once considered opening an Indian restaurant but in the moment it seemed like the only thing I could do. Everything else came to me in a flash, I saw red mirrored walls, purple neon, Indian archways, I even heard the music I grew up to (80s new wave), it all just made sense."

Amor Y Amargo

The Shark Eye cocktail at Mother of Pearl is one of New York’s most famous cocktails. Did you have any idea it would be so Instagrammed when it was first introduced?

"No idea, social media is still a very foreign notion to me."

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