The city of Las Vegas issued a cease-and-desist order to E The Vegan Spot on February 22, the restaurant's opening day. The order can be seen here next to a notice posted by the restaurant's owner banning entry for “legal fiction.”
A long-awaited vegan restaurant opened in Las Vegas on February 22nd, but will be closed until further notice on March 2nd.
E The Vegan Spot was briefly located at 1210 National Avenue, but on its first day of operation, the Las Vegas Code Enforcement Department ordered the business to cease operations, citing violations of city ordinances and codes.
The code enforcement officer who signed the notice wrote that the restaurant was operating “without a business license or fire inspection of the building in which it operates.”
A March 2 post on Eme's Plant Based Asian Food Truck Facebook page states the restaurant is no longer open. The poster says the page is run by one of Kaufman's friends. The post states it is unclear when the restaurant will reopen.
When The Optic reached Kaufman by phone on March 4, he responded via text message that changes were being made to the restaurant and that plans had not yet been finalized.
The current friction with the city of Las Vegas stems from issues E the Vegan Spot owner and operator Emme Kaufman had with the city last year while operating Emme's Plant-Based Food Truck. It reflects. At the time, Kaufman and his then-business partner Scott Patterson were operating a food truck near their home on the corner of Independence and South Pacific avenues.
At the time, former Mayor Louis Trujillo said in a phone interview that the food trucks obstructed right-of-way, sidewalks and traffic visibility. Former Police Chief Antonio Salazar said at the time that Patterson was asked by the city to remove the truck. He explained that Patterson cut a hole in a concrete section of the city for the truck.
After discussing food truck options with Salazar, Patterson chose to move the food truck closer to his building. Salazar said he is not discussing options. He said the food truck's proximity to the building and its awning poses a danger.
When the city threatened to tow the food truck, Kaufman and Patterson chose to close the business instead. The threat of being towed sparked a small protest on July 19th, and thousands of local residents have come to love not only Kaufman's flavorful vegan cooking, but also her gentle, approachable personality. people participated.
“I just took a positive look at the situation,” Kaufman said in an interview with Optic on Feb. 23. “There's always a reason for things to happen.”
Since the food truck's closure, many area residents have been anticipating Kaufman's return as a vegan chef who creates dishes so enticing that you won't miss the meat.
Inside E The Vegan Spot on February 23rd. It closed on March 2nd.
“When we closed the food truck, everyone was very generous,” Kaufman said, describing how she was approached by several people offering their land as a place to park the food truck.
“I didn't feel that way,” Kaufman said. “It didn't resonate with me. I was just taking my time, and then suddenly something unexpected happened.”
Kaufman said on Feb. 23 that the universe took her to what was temporarily the site of a restaurant near Bridge Street. She expanded her move into a physical building from having to cook and sell food from a food truck, allowing her to ferment her ingredients and develop her own vegan cheese recipes. she said.
Her new business partner, Baba Tupel, introduced the idea of smoking vegetables in the same way that meat is smoked. The result is vegetables that taste like barbecue.
Despite her efforts, Kaufman's business once again began to receive negative attention from the city. But this time, Kaufman and Tupel argue that they are not subject to the city's rules because they are not U.S. citizens.
Kaufman explained that she and Tupel are citizens of the state.
“Another term could be (American) non-citizen,” Tupel said.
Kaufman said noncitizens are acting under American common law. As such, Kaufman said E The Vegan Spot is an unincorporated private company. She said the project was filed as such with San Miguel County, not the city.
Kaufman and Tupel said E-The-Vegan Spot is not subject to city regulations, such as business license, fire inspection or health inspection requirements.
Tupel said it is legal and lawful to operate a business in such a manner.
“We are doing this business in the private sector,” Tupel said. “It's not just the people who put the signs on their doors, other people think we're doing it in public.”
Tupel mentioned a cancellation notice taped to the restaurant's glass door.
“In America, this is supposed to be the land of the free,” Tupel continued. “Doing business in an incorporated manner can turn freedom into privilege, and privilege can be taken away.”
A notice posted inside the restaurant states that only “living, legal men/women” will be served “in the act of a private transaction.”
The notice goes on to say that “legal fictions are barred from admission and refused service without prejudice.” Additionally, those who are U.S. citizens said it is “definitely a legal fiction.”
The notice says that if readers want to correct their political position and “relieve the burden of excessive regulation (and most taxes), we can help.”
In a subsequent interview on March 1, Kaufman acknowledged the uniqueness of the situation.
“We were told we were the first to do this type of business (in Las Vegas),” Kaufman said. “Everybody's confused because they don't know what to do with us right now. I think we've shaken up the system.”
City Manager Tim Montgomery spoke briefly with The Optic about the issue in a Feb. 28 phone interview. He also said that E The Vegan Spot has brought a new situation to the city, but it is still under discussion.
“This is completely new,” he said of the situation. “We need to get the team together and figure out the details.”
Montgomery said he could not discuss whether the city is taking steps to close E The Vegan Spot. He said more information will be available after speaking with his team and reviewing city ordinances.
Attempts by The Optic to reach Montgomery this week were unsuccessful.
