As the first vegan restaurant in France – the land of foie gras and Filet de Boeuf – Restaurant ONA was awarded one of the coveted Michelin stars. ONA stands for "Origine Non Animale," meaning "Origin without Animal Products."
Owner and chef Claire Vallée implements her concept down to the last detail. Leather armchairs are absent from the restaurant, and the dishes are made without any animal-derived ingredients.
ONA is located in Arès in southwestern France on the Arcachon Bay. The area is known for its nature park and Europe's highest moving sand dune, the 110m high Dune du Pilat.
Instead of the usual oysters and seafood from the region, the menu offers creations like Raviole de courgette jaune, gnocchis à la truffe noire, petits pois et fèves en saumure à l'épine-vinette, or Carotte glacée à la passion, crème au yuzu, financier aux amandes et sorbet bergamote.
What does this have to do with crowdlending?
Simple: no commercial bank wanted to finance a vegan restaurant, saying "the prospects of veganism and plant-based nutrition were too uncertain."
Thanks in no small part to crowd financing, Mrs. Vallée was able to realize her vision and is now rewarded with a Michelin star. We are delighted for her.
Life itself writes the best stories, and we think it's wonderful that through crowdfunding, crowdlending, or crowd donating, dreams can come true, even when traditional financial institutions stand in the way.
Your financial expert Michael Boge
