Having been tempted by Ladurée on Robson Street too many times to count, and having to endure meetings where my companions gorged on their famous French Toast, it was with exquisite delight that we discovered the Beverly Hills franchise was vegan. Finally, a Ladurée, where one would not have to cobble together a brunch meal with a bar of chocolate, fresh-cut ripe fruits, and tea. (Not that it was not delicious, but the French Toast appears otherworldly!)
The Versailles-inspired aesthetic was given a modern and chic California twist by designer India Mahdavi.
The famous tea room’s decision to turn their Beverly Hills flagship into a vegan venue came with much research and development, and by ultimately engaging renowned plantbased American chef Matthew Kenney, who was found on Instagram! In fact, the location is named Ladurée by Matthew Kenney to acknowledge this relationship formally.
Kenney created new recipes that modernized the famed pastries by replacing all the dairy-based products with almond buttermilk, aqua fava, and coconut oil.
The resulting macarons come in a variety of delicious flavours, including rose, raspberry, salted caramel, hemp, along with meringue-topped tarts, croissants, and other French pastry classics. Savoury dishes include Croque Monsieur, onion soup, and omelettes.
While their other tea rooms around the world remain unchanged, Paris and New York locations have added a selection of plantbased dishes to their offerings.
Ladurée feels that the opening of the Beverly Hills store in 2017 was a natural progression as the brand continues to grow and expand internationally.
We find it glorious and very brave for a brand born in 1892 to acknowledge this and applaud Ladurée for its vision. Now we wait patiently for the Vancouver franchise and cute macaron carts to take up the mantle, especially in a city with the highest percent of plantbased eaters in the country!
Author Profile
- Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Marketing & Communications Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine and PORTFOLIOY.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury lifestyle niche. Post-pandemic, she has worked with many small to mid-sized plant-based/vegan brands to build their digital foundations and strategize content creation and business development. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read industry magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and consults with many of the world’s luxury heritage brands. Always seeking new opportunities and challenges, you can email her at helen@ecoluxluv.com.
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