Pinky Cole

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pinky Cole
The woman, Pinky Cole, has brown skin and dyed red locs and is smiling at the camera.
Cole on Sister Circle in December 2018
Born
Aisha Cole

(1987-12-08) December 8, 1987 (age 34)
Baltimore, Maryland
NationalityAmerican
OccupationRestaurateur
Known forSlutty Vegan restaurant

Aisha "Pinky" Cole (born December 8, 1987)[1] is an American restaurateur. She is the owner and operator of Slutty Vegan, a plant-based burger restaurant chain in Atlanta, Georgia.[1]

Early life and education[]

Cole was born and raised in Baltimore.[2] Her parents are Jamaican immigrants and Rastafarians;[3] her mother Ichelle Cole is a musician in the reggae group Strykers' Posse.[1] Her father served prison time for his activity in a drug ring for the first 20 years of her life and was then deported to Jamaica.[1][4] Cole became a vegetarian in 2007, and a vegan in 2014.[1][5]

Cole received her bachelor's degree from Clark Atlanta University.[6][7] She was elected “Miss Clark Atlanta” in 2008 and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[8]

Career[]

After college, Cole moved first to Los Angeles to become an actress, and then to New York to work in television production.[1][9] Her first restaurant, Pinky’s Jamaican and American Restaurant, operated in Harlem for two years, until she shuttered it in 2016 after a grease fire.[1][2] Cole moved back to Atlanta and worked as a casting director for programs such as Iyanla: Fix My Life.[1][7]

Slutty Vegan[]

Main article: Slutty Vegan

In July 2018, Cole was inspired to create a vegan restaurant due to her own cravings for vegan junk food. She came up with a name Slutty Vegan as a provocative hook.[7] She stated in an interview, "Slutty Vegan, to my mind, is someone who eats vegan but enjoys junk food—as long as it’s not dead. I knew the name would be a great hook to help people to reimagine food."[2] That year she sold her first vegan burgers through delivery apps and opened a food truck in September of that year.[1] In January 2019, she opened the first Slutty Vegan brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Westview neighborhood of Atlanta.[1] The restaurant is known for its long lines with hours-long wait times.[1][4] Cole also operates two Slutty Vegan food trucks and opened a second restaurant location in Atlanta in the summer of 2019.[1][10]

All of Slutty Vegan's products are titled with some form of sexual connotation, marketing and trademarking its burgers as; "One Night Stand," "Fussy Hussy," "Sloppy Toppy," "Chick'N Head", and so forth.[11]

Philanthropy[]

Cole and fellow graduate Stacy Lee paid off the debts of 30 Clark Atlanta University seniors in September 2019.[12][13]

Personal life[]

She is in a relationship with, and has a child with, entrepreneur Derrick Hayes. Hayes is the owner of Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, a cheesesteak restaurant based in Atlanta.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Severson, Kim (July 1, 2019). "A Naughty Name, a Virtuous Menu and a Line Down the Block". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Solomon, Micah. "The Slutty Vegan: Young, African American Founder Pinky Cole's Wild Success With Playful Vegan Food". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  3. ^ Grant, Jasmine. "Going Green: Slutty Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Is On A Mission To Get Us Eating Cleaner". Essence. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Black-owned vegan restaurants are spicing up Southern cuisine". www.theadvertiser.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Shigley, Debra (March 14, 2019). "How Pinky Cole used Instagram to make Slutty Vegan's burgers a viral hit IRL". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Contributor, A. B. S. (January 14, 2020). "Slutty Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Dishes on Success of Viral Eatery, Celeb Customers and How She Hit It Big". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved February 19, 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ a b c France, Lisa Respers. "Slutty Vegan restaurant a plant-based burger sensation". CNN. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "Pinky Cole's 'Slutty Vegan' is vegan food meat eaters can love | The Atlanta Voice". The Atlanta Voice | Atlanta GA News. January 10, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "How This Newbie Restauranteur Started a Vegan Revolution in Atlanta". Essence. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Yvonne Zusel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Slutty Vegan to open second Atlanta location on Edgewood Avenue". ajc. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "Slutty Vegan | Best Vegan Restaurant in Atlanta, GA | Black Owned". The Slutty Vegan Atlanta. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  12. ^ Najja Parker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Slutty Vegan owner helps pay tuition of 30 Clark Atlanta students". ajc. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Slutty Vegan founder helps Clark Atlanta student on verge of dropping out over tuition costs". www.cbs8.com. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Ogunsola, Jennifer (January 18, 2022). "Pinky Cole And Derrick Hayes Are Hot In The Kitchen On ESSENCE Jan/Feb Cover". Essence. Retrieved January 25, 2022.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""