Matthew Kenney, a Los Angeles-based vegan chef and restaurateur, currently owns a large number of restaurants all around the world, including six in New York alone. Following suit, Kenney is now opening up a new location in Providence, Rhode Island. While one might expect him to simply duplicate his previous restaurant models, Kenney has bigger –and arguably better– plans for his Providence project.
The restaurateur is introducing to Providence his new location, Plant City, which Kenney describes as a plant-based food hall. Rather than being one restaurant and concept, Plant City is a food hall that will offer five of Kenney’s best plant-based concepts under one roof. These concepts include a new vegan burger joint, Bar Verde (a Mexican restaurant), and a pizza spot named Double Zero, which has been Michelin-rated. On top of this, Plant City will also feature a grab-and-go grocery marketplace that’s filled with vegan and locally-produced items.
Kenney says that he was “inspired by food halls in Europe” and “dreamed of doing a plant-based version.” Rather than describing Plant City as vegan, Kenney prefers to describe it as plant-based so that even omnivores can feel included.
The new concept by Kenny has been so well-accepted by Providence that Bar Verde and Double Zero are almost completely reserved for Plant City’s opening night. The 225-seat, 100-percent vegan food market will be opening this Friday, June 14th.
Photo by Cassidy Bissitt
