Ep 210: Kim Anderson - Destination: Plant City!

After this interview, I promise you’ll want to load up the family and head east to Providence, Rhode Island!

Over eight years ago now, Kim Anderson and her family watched “Forks Over Knives” and “Cowspiracy” and felt an IMMEDIATE responsibility to educate others and inspire change.

They hosted movie nights and dinners where hundreds would come to enjoy a delicious plant-based meal, but the refrain they kept hearing was, “It’s a shame I can’t eat my values and my health when I go out to eat.” There just weren’t many plant-based options.

That changed when Kim and her family opened Plant City, the world’s first plant-based food hall and marketplace in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island. Packed with multiple restaurants (including Mexican, sushi, Italian, and burgers), Plant City also features a bakery, coffee shop, and a vast community space packed with monthly educational programs and cooking classes.

Today, she and Rip discuss:

• The genesis and inspiration behind Plant City
• Her personal journey to plants, inspired by her son
• How this experienced entrepreneur with no restaurant experience brought her vision to life with internationally acclaimed chef, Matthew Kenney
• The unique environment and worldly flavors they bring in each of the restaurants
• Transformations of guests who visit since most are not plant-based
• How Plant-City, which opened in the fall of 2019, adapted the business to survive the pandemic
• How Kim continues to educate students at area universities about the impact of climate change, animal agriculture, and sustainability

Kim and her family’s mission is to invest in companies for a more sustainable and humane future and you’ll hear that unrelenting passion in today’s conversation. She was inspired by "The Game Changers," but she, too, is a true game changer.

Article on Kim in Rhode Island Monthly Magazine

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