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Dive into the unbelievable true crime saga of Sarma Melngailis, the celebrated founder of New York City's vegan hotspot, Pure Food and Wine. Once a star in the culinary world, Sarma's life took a bizarre and dramatic turn after meeting Anthony Stranges (aka Shane Fox) on Twitter. This deep dive explores the timeline of her rise and shocking fall, the manipulative tactics that led to her downfall, and her own perspective on the Netflix documentary that chronicled her story. Was she a willing participant or a victim of sophisticated coercive control? Join us as we unravel the layers of deception, financial ruin, and the infamous Domino's pizza that brought it all crashing down.
Chapter Markers:
- 0:00 - Introduction: The "Bad Vegan" Phenomenon
- 0:16 - Sarma's Rise to Vegan Stardom and Pure Food and Wine's Success
- 1:01 - Celebrity Clientele and Critical Acclaim
- 1:25 - The Public Collapse
- 1:42 - Setting the Scene: Pure Food and Wine's Opening and Expansion
- 2:14 - The Start of the Downfall: Anthony Stranges Enters the Picture via Twitter
- 2:39 - Rapid Marriage and Stranges' Involvement in the Business
- 2:59 - The First Signs of Trouble: Unpaid Wages and Staff Walkout
- 3:22 - Public Failure and Initial Closure
- 3:41 - Attempting Recovery: Reopening One Lucky Duck
- 3:56 - But then the story takes another turn
- 4:29 - The Vanishing Act: Sarma and Stranges Go on the Run
- 4:54 - The Absurd Capture: Domino's Pizza and a Non-Vegan Order
- 5:39 - Legal Fallout: Can't understand a true crime story without the consequences
- 6:04 - Stealing over $200,000 from an investor, scheming to defraud criminal tax fraud
- 6:32 - Sarma's Sentence
- 7:03 - Lawsuit from Former Employees and Restitution
- 7:33 - Anthony Stranges' Legal Consequences
- 8:03 - Divorce
- 8:33 - The manipulation element of this true crime, that's where it gets really mindbending
- 9:00 - Stranges' Elaborate Fantasy World
- 9:30 - Immortal Dog?
- 9:55 - "Tests" Involving Money
- 10:30 - Psychological Grooming and Isolation
- 11:04 - Sarma's Discontent with the "Bad Vegan" Documentary
- 11:34 - Issues with the Final Phone Call
- 12:09 - Dispute Over Reason for Marriage
- 12:40 - Crucial Omissions Supporting Coercive Control
- 13:08 - Money Owed to Employees and Documentary Funding
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