Interview with Nicole Marquis from HipCityVeg

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On today's podcast, I talk to Nicole Marquis, owner of HipCityVeg, Charlie Was A Sinner, and Bar Bombón. Nicole talks about the four years it took her to write the business plan for HipCityVeg, how her father reversed his diabetes after two months of being on a plant based diet and gives great advice on being prepared before jumping into the restaurant business.

Nicole's Favorite Books:

• Animal Liberation: The Definitive Classic of the Animal Movement by Peter Singer
• Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Bringing Health and Pleasure Back to Eating by Andrew Weil
• Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat by Howard F. Lyman
• The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health by Thomas Campbell and T. Colin Campbell
• Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Joel Fuhrman

Nicole's Favorite Dishes at Charlie Was a Sinner:

• Buccatini & Meatballs

Nicole's Favorite Dishes at Bar Bombón:

• Cubano Club with grilled chick’n breast, smoked tempeh, garlic ‘aioli,’ avocado, tomato, and shaved lettuce.
• Empanada with Your choice of chick’n or ‘beef’

Nicole Marquis, President and CEO of Marquis & Co., LLC is the owner of HipCityVeg, the wildly successful 100% plant-based fast-casual restaurant that opened in Philadelphia in 2012. She followed that success with a second HipCityVeg on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Marquis, who has been vegan for almost a decade, considers it her mission to make a delicious plant-based diet convenient and available everywhere. 

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Ms. Marquis maintains close ties to Puerto Rico, where her mother was born and raised. She studied at Temple University before moving to Los Angeles for graduate studies. Upon her return to Philadelphia, Ms. Marquis was frustrated by the dearth of vegan options in her hometown. She addressed that problem in her typical fashion and is now recognized as a leader in the Philadelphia food renaissance, making healthy plant-based food convenient and even sexy.

Following the success of HipCityVeg, Marquis created her first full-service restaurant, Charlie was a sinner., a stunning and seductive vegan bar in Philadelphia, which opened to rave reviews in May 2014. In August 2015, she opened Bar Bombón, a full-service bar, and restaurant with an open-to-the-street ambiance that puts a vegan twist on traditional Latin food.

Marquis & Co. will continue to grow with the addition of a third Philadelphia HipCityVeg and the first Washington D.C location in Spring 2016. It will mark the national expansion of the popular brand.

If you interested in learning more about HipCityVeg, Charlie Was A Sinner or Bar Bombón, please email Nicole at Nicole Marquis.

Please email questions or comments to the Grape Cat Fashion and Business Podcast.

We are looking for more vegan business owners to interview. If you would like to be interviewed and tell your story. Please email the Grape Cat Fashion and Business Podcast.