An LA vegan restaurant that started serving meat is closing after 14 years
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A Los Angeles restaurant that started as vegan but started serving meat last year is closing after 14 years in business.
The last day of business for Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery in Echo Park was Sunday, according to an Instagram post.
“We all used our passion to transform this concept into regenerative agriculture, but despite our efforts, we find ourselves in the same predicament today,” @thekindsage’s read.
The post has over 1,200 comments, with many strong opinions.
A VEGAN RESTAURATEUR WHO ENDURED RAGE FOR ADDING MEAT TO HIS HOUSE TALES ABOUT THE BIG CHANGE HE MADE.
Mollie Engelhart, chef and owner of the now-closed Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery. (Mollie Engelhart/Fox News)
“Still the best buffalo cauliflower in the game!” posted by one social media user.
“I want to cry!” said one. “Sage has always been my favorite restaurant.”
Inside Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery, a plant-based restaurant in Los Angeles, Calif. (Mollie Engelhart/Fox News)
Owner Molle Engelhart spoke to Fox News Digital last year about the vegan staple a controversial decision adding meat and dairy to the menu – a move that sparked anger and confusion.
The menu changes add animal products such as beef, buffalo, cheese and eggs.
“I won’t use processed food, and I won’t use chemicals, so I stay true to my beliefs and my identity,” she said. “I do it in a different way, which makes people angry.”
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The protests were so bad outside Sage that on Father’s Day 2024 the restaurant had to close. (Mollie Engelhart/Fox News)
A number of protests followed, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles, including one on Father’s Day 2024 that forced Sage to close early after protesters stormed the restaurant.
Some Instagram users who are still happy about Sage’s change were not sympathetic to its closure, with one even calling it a “victory for the animals.”
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Engelhart and her husband, Eloas Sosa, are both chefs and Sage partners.
The pair sold their home “in hopes of breathing new life into Sage,” the business’ Instagram post said.
Fox News’ Kendall Tietz and Nik Lanum contributed to this report.
