Pinky Cole, the visionary, Founder & CEO behind Slutty Vegan ATL, Bar Vegan and The Pinky Cole Foundation, is teaming up with Atlanta Radio Host & Entrepreneur Kenny Burns and President & CEO of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks Derrick Hayes to host a community giveback event in honor of Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 24 at The Mall West End parking lot (850 Oak St. SW). Cole and Hayes are also behind Dinkies, the vegan food kiosk inside Bar Vegan offering vegan Cheezesteaks, vegan Cheezesteak Eggrollz and Quesadillaz, Philly-style.
Sponsored by PUMA and open to the public, the event begins at 2pm and invites guests to enjoy a Soul Food Thanksgiving Egg Roll for free, while supplies last. Featuring vegan chick’n – also used in Slutty Vegan ATL’s Chik’n Head sandwich – and vegan stuffing, the egg roll was dreamed up by restaurateurs Cole and Hayes. Right in time for Thanksgiving, guests can enjoy the limited edition egg roll during the November 24 event only.
“While celebrating a holiday that’s centered around feeding others, gathering together and expressing gratitude, I’m honored to be working with fellow Atlanta entrepreneurs and friends to give back to our neighbors,” says Cole. “We owe the community so much thanks for supporting us, and we can’t wait to show our appreciation with some delicious vegan food to kick off the holiday season.”
About Pinky Cole:
A trifecta of community, commerce and compassion, Pinky Cole is a serial entrepreneur, brand strategist and founder & visionary of Bar Vegan, Slutty Vegan ATL – a nationally acclaimed, Atlanta-based burger joint offering creative takes on plant-based burgers with racy names like Sloppy Toppy, Fussy Hussy and One Night Stand – and The Pinky Cole Foundation. She is also co-founder of Dinkies, the vegan food kiosk inside Bar Vegan offering vegan Cheezesteaks, vegan Cheezesteak Eggrollz and Quesadillaz, Philly-style, with Derrick Hayes, CEO & Founder of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. Pinky came up with Slutty Vegan ATL during a late-night craving for mouthwatering vegan fast food in Atlanta. From there, she started cooking vegan burgers in a shared kitchen in August 2018, and the Slutty Vegan empire was born. The wildly popular, game-changing concept has not slowed down since opening. Known for its standard two-hour line to pick up made-to-order food, the company’s revenues grew to $4 million within the first six months of its grand opening. Today, customers can break free from kale and quinoa salads and enjoy Slutty Vegan from its “Big ‘Ol Slut” food truck in neighborhoods across Metro Atlanta and at brick-and-mortar locations, in Jonesboro, Georgia and Atlanta’s West End and Edgewood neighborhoods with two more locations in Georgia in the works – Duluth and Athens – and one in Birmingham, Alabama. In May 2019, Cole established The Pinky Cole Foundation with a mission to empower generations of color to win financially in life and in the pursuit of their entrepreneurial dreams while building generational wealth in the Black community. In February 2021, Cole opened Bar Vegan, a cocktail lounge at Atlanta’s iconic Ponce City Market introducing the city to “bar theatre” and housing Dinkies. Cole has been recognized by prestigious organizations all over the U.S., including being named to Restaurant Hospitality’s 2021 Power List, Forbes Next 1000, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Powerful Women in Business List, LA Wire Influential Women of 2020 and most recently, Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 List and PETA’s 2021 Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities List.
About Derrick Hayes:
Thirty four-year-old restaurateur and philanthropist Derrick “D” Hayes is the CEO & Founder of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks and the co-founder of vegan cheesesteak concept Dinkies – the vegan food kiosk inside Bar Vegan offering vegan Cheezesteaks, vegan Cheezesteak Eggrollz and Quesadillaz, Philly-style – in partnership with Slutty Vegan ATL Founder Pinky Cole. Hayes aims to merge his passion for community, food and business. In 2014, what started as a small water-ice shop in a 749-square-foot Shell gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia has now augmented into the nationally known Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, a thriving cheesesteak empire with a storefront and mobile locations across metro Atlanta. Along with feeding the community, Hayes takes pride in his businesses being “bigger than food.” Placing much importance on providing high-quality, hand-made food and lending a helping hand to those in need – whether offering free meals to customers, feeding local frontline workers or employing the communities’ youth – Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks lives up to its motto with the business philosophy being rooted in community involvement, quality food and exceptional customer service. Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks has been featured in ABC News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Mail, TMZ, Black Enterprise, Yahoo and more.
About Kenny Burns:
Kenny Burns is an entrepreneur, producer, trendsetter, author, brand developer, marketer, mentor, motivational speaker and most of all, a loving father and husband. His professional journey is all-inclusive of his moniker “The Lifestyle Specialist.” Kenny Burns’ 20-plus year career has organically woven across the entertainment, music, fashion, spirits, radio, television and marketing industries. Early in his career, he worked with the likes of songstress Monica, living legend Jay Z, and his first music concept Dream, the all female pop group that debuted at #2 on Billboard – the biggest debut since Spice Girls. As an executive, he continued to achieve platinum success with Mariah Carey’s Monarch Music, signing international music superstar Akon, discovering fellow Washingtonian hip-hop artist Wale and becoming VP of the iconic hip-hop music label Roc-A-Fella Records. His passion to create led him to RyanKenny, the second Black American designer retailed in Saks Fifth Avenue, and the development of his first documentary B.U.R.N.S. (Be Ultimately Real Never Sellout) that premiered at the 2010 ABFF (American Black Film Festival). Kenny Burns’ unconventional expertise has been trusted by some of the world’s greatest brands, including Amazon, Pepsi, Moet Hennessy, Puma, Heineken and Grey Goose Vodka to name a few. In 2013, he joined mogul Sean “P Diddy” Combs to lend his skills to Mr. Combs’s business portfolio that included the launch of REVOLT TV, Aquahydrate, DeLeón Tequila and CÎROC Vodka. In 2018, he partnered and invested in Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the fastest growing American Whiskey in US history. The Kenny Burns Show (TKBS) was reborn during the pandemic and now holds the #1 spot Monday through Friday from 2-6pm on Atlanta’s V-103 radio station. Through years of building genuine relationships across industries and creating powerful influence for brands, tastemakers and celebrities alike, Kenny Burns’ ability to inspire, create and execute are undeniable. A driven businessman determined to rise to every occasion through his hard work and dedication, Kenny Burns has and will continue to prove that what you dream you can achieve. #TheDreamIsReal
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