There is one particular group of people helping to catapult plant-based brands onto the scene: Celebrities. First, music star Moby opened his vegan Little Pine in LA. Then Jay-Z funded plant-based Partake Foods and its cookie line. And Leonardo DiCaprio was an early backer of Beyond Meat. There seems to be no slow down of celebs investing in—and partnering with—plant-based companies.

The latest celebrity-backed vegan endeavor is VTree Hollywood, a soul food restaurant brought to you by Nick Cannon. Located inside Yamashiro, a more than 100-year old Japanese restaurant, Cannon, a rapper, actor and TV host, collabbed with Chef Velvet who heads vegan restaurant VelTree in Charlotte, NC. VTree takes inspiration—and many of the tried and true recipes—from the Charlotte hotspot where Cannon himself was known to frequent and rave about.

While there is no shortage of plant-based hotspots in the LA area, an elevated dining experience that serves up soulful plant-based cuisine with a southern twist is novel. On the menu you’ll find items like Cajun Shrimp, Black Eyed Peas, Chic’n & Waffles to name a few of the mouth-watering dishes. Even vegan influencer and TikTok star Tabitha Brown is obsessed. She appeared on the VTree Instagram geeking out of some of VTree’s dishes.

There are many outspoken celebrities that make it known they are on the veg food train, however, Cannon’s plant-forward passion might come as a surprise. After years of battling Lupus, Cannon eliminated meats like pork and chicken, as well as many processed foods from his diet. No matter the reason for high-powered people jumping into space, one thing is for sure: the clout and investment that celebrities like Cannon bring has been instrumental in shifting society to a more healthful, ethical and environmentally-sustainable world.

VTree launched Thursday, April 30, and is currently open for takeout and delivery (due to the pandemic). They do plan to open for dine-in service once the restaurants are allowed to host guests.

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