One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Santa Monica's Erven Is No Longer A Vegan-Only Restaurant
(Photo via Erven/Facebook)
It came as a surprise to some when chef Nick Erven opened his eponymous Erven in Santa Monica last year as a vegan-only affair. The former chef of Saint Martha had built a reputation as an inventive (and masterful) cook of both meat and plant-based foods. Now, after about a year in (and having made countless Best Of lists—including our own) Erven is changing itself.
"When we opened the place, we were hoping to bring vegan and non-vegan diners together," Erven, who is not a vegan himself, said in an interview with LA Weekly earlier this month. "For a chef, it can be exciting to put yourself in a box."
But now, Erven will begin serving meat and diary.
"It's hard to be anything more than, 'I'm a vegan chef.' It's pretty limiting. I found myself wanting to do more," Erven continued. "We were losing the fun of the whole thing. We were becoming slightly snotty, like, 'look at how badass we are.' It's been humbling to find out how hard it is to be badass without the tools you're used to. I want to get back to the fun of cooking."
And so he will. Beginning Wednesday, Erven will be using animal-product ingredients in his dishes.
"I'm excited to cook this way again," Erven told LAist. "I'm not trying to piss anyone off...I want these dishes to live side by side with each other."
"I'm not vegan, my friends are not vegan," Erven added. "This is L.A.—it's already hard enough to get people out to eat...I want to feed as many people as I can and remove the scariness of a 'vegan' restaurant."
Sponsored message
As for redefining what his restaurant has made its name as?
"Of course I'm nervous, obviously it's a big change," Erven continued. "But, I love cooking...And I hope this works for both meat eaters and plant-based eaters."
New menu items include fried chicken thighs with ricotta polenta, oysters with "awesome sauce," and cheesecake for dessert.
Erven is located at 514 Santa Monica Boulevard in Santa Monica. (310) 260-2255
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
