Plant-based U-turn: Daniel Humm to reintroduce meat at New Yorks Eleven Madison Park

Eleven Madison Park, the three-Michelin-starred New York restaurant at the centre of the plant-based U-turn. Image: Shutterstock

Chef Daniel Humm has announced that his celebrated New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park will begin incorporating meat and fish into its menu this October ending its three-year run as a purely plant-based fine dining establishment.

The move marks a significant U-turn for the chef who transformed the three-Michelin-starred restaurant into a global flagship for haute vegan cuisine in 2021. At the time Humm stated the change was a necessary response to the world’s food system challenges calling the risk of abandoning animal products “a risk worth taking”.

From vegan flagship to ’embracing choice’

In a statement released today Humm explained his new direction. “Change is fundamental to who we are and how we grow” he said. “Starting October 14th we will integrate our new culinary language into a menu that embraces choice. We will offer a plant-based menu of course but also select animal products for certain dishes – fish meat and yes our honey-lavender-glazed duck.”

This decision to “embrace choice” is being viewed by many in the food industry as a pragmatic response to the commercial and consumer realities of the current market. Humm alluded to this by noting his desire to “create an environment where everyone feels welcome around the table” a subtle acknowledgement of the challenge in catering exclusively to a vegan palate while maintaining broad appeal.

The reversal is particularly noteworthy given Humm’s past actions. In 2021 he famously ended his successful partnership at Claridge’s hotel in London after the hotel’s management declined his proposal to shift his restaurant there Davies and Brook to a fully plant-based menu.

A signal for ingredient innovation

For the wider food and beverage industry Humm’s 2021 pivot was a bellwether moment suggesting plant-based cuisine had reached the pinnacle of culinary art. Consequently this reversal could an equally potent signal. It highlights the immense pressure on operators to appeal to the flexitarian majority rather than a niche vegan demographic.

Furthermore it implicitly raises questions about the current state of plant-based ingredient technology. The specific mention of bringing back his iconic duck dish suggests that replicating the complex texture and flavour of certain whole-muscle animal products to a three-Michelin-star standard remains a formidable challenge for food science.

While Eleven Madison Park will continue to champion its plant-based offerings the decision to reintegrate meat and fish is a clear indicator of a maturing market. It signals a potential shift away from purist substitution and towards a more integrated and consumer-led approach for the entire plant-based sector.