Pinky Cole

Aisha "Pinky" Cole (born December 8, 1987)[1] is an American restaurateur. She is the owner and operator of Slutty Vegan, a plant-based burger restaurant chain in Atlanta, Georgia.[1]

Pinky Cole
The woman, Pinky Cole, has brown skin and dyed red locs and is smiling at the camera.
Cole on Sister Circle in December 2018
Born
Aisha Cole

(1987-12-08) December 8, 1987
Baltimore, Maryland
NationalityAmerican
OccupationRestaurateur
Known forSlutty Vegan restaurant

Early life and education

Cole was born and raised in Baltimore.[2] Her parents are Jamaican immigrants and Rastafarians;[3] her mother Ichelle Cole is a musician in the reggae group Strykers' Posse.[1] Her father served prison time for the first 20 years of her life and was then deported to Jamaica.[1][4] Cole became a vegetarian in 2007, and a vegan in 2014.[1][5]

Cole received her bachelor's degree from Clark Atlanta University.[6][7] She was elected “Miss Clark Atlanta” in 2008 and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[8] After college, Cole moved first to Los Angeles to become an actress, and then to New York to work in television production.[1][9]

Career

Her first restaurant, Pinky’s Jamaican and American Restaurant, operated in Harlem for two years, until she shuttered it in 2016 after a grease fire.[1][2] Cole moved back to Atlanta and worked as a casting director for programs such as Iyanla: Fix My Life.[1][7]

Cole was inspired to create the vegan restaurant Slutty Vegan due to her own cravings for vegan junk food.[7] All of Slutty Vegan's products are titled with some form of sexual connotation, including "One Night Stand," "Fussy Hussy," "Sloppy Toppy," and "Chick'N Head".[10] In July 2018, Cole sold her first vegan burgers through delivery apps[11] and opened a food truck in September of that year.[1] In January 2019, she opened the first Slutty Vegan brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Westview neighborhood of Atlanta.[1]

In November 2022, Cole began a five-city tour to promote her new cookbook, Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind.[12]

Personal life

Cole's romantic partner is entrepreneur Derrick Hayes. Hayes is the owner of Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, a cheesesteak restaurant based in Atlanta.[13] They have a daughter, D Ella (born 2022).[14] The couple became engaged on July 2, 2022.

Philanthropy

Cole and fellow alumna Stacy Lee paid the tuition of 30 Clark Atlanta University seniors in September 2019.[15][16]

In May 2022, Cole gifted an LLC to every graduating student at the Clark Atlanta University commencement ceremony.[17][18]

Cole runs her own philanthropic organization, The Pinky Cole Foundation, which focuses on providing financial support and educational programs for children of color.[19]

References
  1. Severson, Kim (July 1, 2019). "A Naughty Name, a Virtuous Menu and a Line Down the Block". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  2. Solomon, Micah. "The Slutty Vegan: Young, African American Founder Pinky Cole's Wild Success With Playful Vegan Food". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  3. Grant, Jasmine. "Going Green: Slutty Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Is On A Mission To Get Us Eating Cleaner". Essence. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  4. "Black-owned vegan restaurants are spicing up Southern cuisine". www.theadvertiser.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  5. Shigley, Debra (March 14, 2019). "How Pinky Cole used Instagram to make Slutty Vegan's burgers a viral hit IRL". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  6. "Slutty Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Dishes on Success of Viral Eatery, Celeb Customers and How She Hit It Big". Atlanta Black Star. January 14, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  7. France, Lisa Respers. "Slutty Vegan restaurant a plant-based burger sensation". CNN. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  8. "Pinky Cole's 'Slutty Vegan' is vegan food meat eaters can love | The Atlanta Voice". The Atlanta Voice | Atlanta GA News. January 10, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  9. "How This Newbie Restauranteur Started a Vegan Revolution in Atlanta". Essence. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  10. "Slutty Vegan | Best Vegan Restaurant in Atlanta, GA | Black Owned". The Slutty Vegan Atlanta. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  11. Brittany Shivers (July 4, 2022). "Q&A: Pinky Cole discusses Slutty Vegan in Athens". The Red & Black.
  12. "Slutty Vegan CEO Talks New Cookbook, Plans to Go Global". US News. November 14, 2022.
  13. Ogunsola, Jennifer (January 18, 2022). "Pinky Cole And Derrick Hayes Are Hot In The Kitchen On ESSENCE Jan/Feb Cover". Essence. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  14. "Atlanta food power couple welcome first baby". ajc. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  15. Najja Parker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Slutty Vegan owner helps pay tuition of 30 Clark Atlanta students". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  16. "Slutty Vegan founder helps Clark Atlanta student on verge of dropping out over tuition costs". www.cbs8.com. September 8, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  17. "Atlanta Restaurateur Gifts Graduates LLCS at Clark Atlanta University Commencement". May 16, 2022.
  18. "Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole gifts LLC to every member of Clark Atlanta graduating class". May 14, 2022.
  19. "About the Pinky Cole Foundation". The Pinky Foundation.
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