The 2021 Met Gala Is Going Vegan

The 2021 Met Gala is shaping up to be very different than years past. For starters, the Zoomer hosts, including Timothée Chalamet, will usher in a new generation of fashion obsessives, while the guest list will likely be pared down for safety reasons. This year, fashion’s A-list attendees will also dine on a very different type of cuisine, as the menu will be entirely vegan, reported WWD. And organizer Anna Wintour is bringing out some of the plant-based culinary world’s biggest chefs to feed the fabulous celebs.

According to the report, the 10 chefs will hail from New York City, representing the best of the city’s dining scene. “The lineup includes Junghyun Park of Atomix, Aquavit executive chef Emma Bengtsson, Le Bernardin pastry chef Thomas Raquel, Fabian von Hauske of Wildair and Sophia Roe, who boasts more than 300,000 Instagram followers,” wrote WWD. “Fariyal Abdullahi, Nasim Alikhani, Lazarus Lynch, Erik Ramirez and Simone Tong were also selected.”

Rather than create their own individual dishes, the chefs will work on a collaborative menu of canapés, entrées, and desserts. Home cooking enthusiasts can also see the chefs preparing “summertime picnic” dishes inspired by the Met Gala menu on Instagram Reels, under the hashtag #MetGalaChefs. Recipes will be included, so break out that nonstick pan and get cooking.

The move comes as the world of high-end cuisine is beginning to rethink its commitment to animal-based products. Eleven Madison Park, considered by many to be amongst NYC’s finest establishments, shocked the culinary world earlier this year by announcing it would adopt a mostly plant-based menu.

Still, there may be more changes as the Delta variant continues spreading. According to the Center of Disease Control, Delta is more transmissible than the original strain of the coronavirus, and is leading to an increase in infections, mainly among unvaccinated individuals. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that, within the next few weeks, the city will be instituting a vaccine mandate for employees and customers at gyms, indoor dining, and performance spaces, reported the New York Times — the latter two designations applying to the Met Gala. Under the Key to NYC Pass, attendees at such establishments will need to provide proof of vaccination, either through an upcoming digital app, New York state’s Excelsior pass, or by showing a paper verification, such as the vaccine card.

It is not yet clear how the Met Gala will implement the Key to NYC Pass mandate, as the program was announced today by the mayor.