Nancy Duitch, founder and CEO of SeraLabs and Chief Strategic Officer of CURE Pharmaceutical, has always prioritized health and wellness beyond all else. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, she founded and built a number of businesses, generating over over $3 billion in revenue. Duitch launched Sera Labs in 2018 with the goal of revolutionizing the health, wellness, and beauty sectors through innovation and technology, incorporating proprietary formulations.
She’s even partnered with Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who became the company’s first Global Brand Ambassador and Strategic Business Partner with a focus on the company’s topical CBD line, Seratopical, in December 2020. The collaboration was a result of the actress becoming a fan of the benefits of topical CBD after using it on a prior ankle injury.
We chatted with Nancy Duitch, founder and CEO of SeraLabs and Chief Strategic Officer of CURE Pharmaceutical, on her favorite vegan and vegetarian restaurants while in Los Angeles. Here’s what she had to say.
Crossroads
This popular plant-based restaurant opened in 2013 on Melrose and offers a selection of inspired Mediterranean meals created by Chef Tal Ronnen. This upscale, 100% vegan restaurant is a favorite among the fine dining vegan crew thanks to its creative menu. It’s also the first plant-based restaurant the area to have a full bar with an extensive cocktail program.
The menu offers starters such as the artichoke oysters with kelp caviar and mushroom tarts with a boursin cheese, along with proteins like the pumpkin seed tofu marsala with shimeji mushrooms and lentil tempeh piccata. They also feature house made pastas like the rich fettuccine and truffles; linguine scallops; and lasagna bolognese, along with freshly baked pizzas.
Other selections include vegetables ranging from the Brussels sprouts with spicy maple glaze and artichoke hearts with a horseradish celery root puree to complex salads like the kiwi and avocado with endive, cucumbers and citrus vinaigrette.
Au Lac
This Vietnamese restaurant has been serving flavorful plant-based dishes since 1997. Owner Mai has transformed traditional Vietnamese dishes with quality ingredients and vegan preparations. The menu expanded in 2021 with living foods prepared by Chef Ito only using the techniques of dehydrating, blending, and culturing, to “optimize the nutrition of raw nuts, grains and veggies.”
The menu features complex soups that include everything from phos with an anise and clove broth with pea protein beef balls; superfoods living soup with a creamy spirulina broth, macadamia cream and vegetables; and a yellow noodle soup with a shittake mushroom broth with wheat noodles and soy chicken.
Signature plates include garlic basil noodles with an apple sage vegan sausage; the big thunnini roll with fresh no-kill tuna; and more. Popular rice plates feature claypot of soy fish, fired tofu and eggplant in caramelized sauce and a living curried rice with vegetables in a spiced macadamia sauce.
The Green Temple
This special vegetarian restaurant prides itself on its close relationships with local farmers and distributors to feature quality food. Half of The Green Temple’s raw produce comes from local farms, while almost all of its ingredients are organic. Moreover, aside from their tortillas, pita bread, and whole-wheat buns, their whole menu is prepared in-house. Warm ambiance and friendly vibes make this a go-to spot for many.
Entrees include tofu steamers with a garden vegetable mix served with brown rice and topped with seasoned baked tofu or tempeh; white lasgana with vegetables, tofu, eggs and cheddar cheese; and a broccoli pine nut casserole with potatoes layered with white cheddar, broccoli, roasted pine nuts and tofu sauce. Guests can also create their own tempeh bowls with their choice of veggies, toppings and dips. Moreover, the menu offers Mexican dishes like enchiladas and tacos.
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