One of the Most Inspiring Restaurant Week Stories We’ve Ever Told

Dirt Candy is one of what seems like a million different restaurants in New York City, but it’s one with an inspiring story. During restaurant week, the chef and owner of this amazing little vegetarian restaurant opened up about her decision to move her restaurant and what inspires her. It wasn’t until restaurant week that she realized just how important the move was for her and her business, and it was then that she felt everything she’d done so far in her career was worthwhile. For years, she was located in the East Village, but recently made the decision to relocate her business to the Lower East Side. She serves a menu filled with decadence and good health, and she’s very proud of what she’s accomplished.

Amanda Cohen believes that the success of her dishes come from her travels. Her life is based around what she learns when she visits other countries and cities, and that is what inspires her to keep her menu fresh and exciting, and also what inspires her to keep her restaurant relevant. She’s spent time in Hong Kong, the Yucatan and many other places and they’ve influenced her to change her menu, experiment and make dishes that others would never consider. In 2015 she plans on adding another trip to Ireland and potentially a trip to Australia to her calendar as she is inspired by both.

The move to the Lower East Side has made her restaurant a bit more relevant, particular during restaurant week when everyone is out and about making sure they are enjoying meals everywhere they possibly can. The feedback she gets from patrons this week is what helps her continue her success by inspiring her to remain open to new ideas in her travels as well as her cooking; and so far it is worth quite well.

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