Nickelodeon star Daniella Monet unveiled her new ad for peta2—in which she encourages young people to let fish off the hook by not eating them—at a star-studded reception at the wildly popular all-vegan Sublime restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday.

In an interview that can be viewed on peta2.com, Monet explains why she went vegetarian at the age of 5: "I went to a dude ranch with my family, and I asked a lot of questions. And I got answers that I probably needed to hear." As for people who say that they're "vegetarian" but still eat fish? "Fish aren't veggies," she says. "Fish have feelings, too, and fish are trying to live a life as well." She adds, "You don't need fish. Let the fish swim with the mermaids."

Monet also presented 12-year-old Rose McCoy—a lifelong vegan and animal rights defender—with the Nanci Alexander Activist Award, named for the owner of Sublime and a longtime PETA member. Among Rose's many accomplishments, she has spoken (remember—she's 12) at a McDonald's annual meeting and at New York City Council meetings, has formed an animal rights club, and donates a portion of her cat-sitting money to PETA's spay/neuter mobile clinics. 

Also in attendance were Mexican soap star Pablo Azar, who showed off his dramatic new anti-circus PETA ad, and NY Ink star Ami James, who did likewise with a new ad starring himself and his adorable dog, Bella.

Among other stars lending glamour to the festivities was model and TV host Elisabetta Canalis, a vocal animal advocate who would rather go naked than wear fur and who memorably locked herself in a sweltering car last summer to illustrate the need to protect dogs from the heat. 

Steve-O flips pizza with Nanci Alexander at her restaurant, Sublime, in south Florida.

 
In honor of Culinarians Day, we've whipped up a list of some of our favorite vegan celebrity chefs, chefs who cook for celebrities, and cruelty-free restaurants where you might just catch celebrities chowing down. Tasty! Check it out:

• Tal Ronnen: A graduate of New York City's Natural Gourmet Institute, Ronnen was Oprah's chef when she embarked on Kathy Freston's 21-day vegan cleanse. His classic French technique is highlighted in his book, The Conscious Cook, which is a must for anyone who wants to impress dinner guests with gourmet fare such as succulent "chicken" scaloppini.
• VegiTerranean: There's no pretending that Chrissie Hynde's rockin' restaurant in Akron, Ohio, won't blow you away with robust vegan dishes such as Chick'n Fried Portobello Steak or Mango BBQ Pizza.
• Alicia Silverstone: We'd be clueless not to mention the sultry star who penned The Kind Diet. Alicia also stars in one of PETA's sexiest public service announcements ever.
• Sublime: Nanci Alexander has been serving up brick-oven pizzas and European fare such as Penne Puttanesca and Quiche Lorraine to the likes of Pamela Anderson, Ami James, and Steve-O. Can't get to the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, restaurant? Pick up a copy of The Sublime Restaurant Cookbook, and you'll be impressing your friends with sophisticated Mushroom Ceviche and luscious Coconut Cake in no time.
• Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin: Coming out of the modeling industry, the authors of the Skinny Bitch series, which has been endorsed by Victoria Beckham and other celebrities, have taken the country by storm. If you haven't yet jumped on the bandwagon, don't fret—you can find the latest installment of the series in the PETA Catalog.

One lucky reader can win the Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook. For a chance to win, just leave a comment telling us who your favorite vegan celebrity is.*

 
Written by Colleen Twombly-Borst

Ami James, the star of the hit TLC reality show Miami Ink, is also the new face of our anti-fur campaign, showing off his 40 colorful tattoos in a new “Ink, Not Mink” ad for PETA. He’s unveiling the ad at his Miami club—the Love Hate Lounge—this evening, and will be renaming the venue “Love Animals, Hate Fur” for the night. Needless to say, we’re really excited about Ami’s involvement with this campaign. You can see Ami’s new ad and tattoo design here, but in the meantime here’s a PETA Files exclusive video interview with Ami James that took place at the ad shoot: