Orlando's Ethos Vegan Kitchen Grabs peta2 Award

Animal-Friendly Restaurant Given Top Honor in Annual Libby Awards

For Immediate Release:
February 18, 2010

Contact:
Rachel Owen 757-622-7382

Orlando, Fla. -- Ethos Vegan Kitchen has won the Libby Award for Best Independent Restaurant from peta2, the world's largest youth animal rights organization. The fourth annual Libby Awards ("Libby" is short for "liberation") honor animal-friendly people and products. Visitors to peta2.com helped the group determine the winners by voting for their favorites in each category.

Husband-and-wife team Kelly and Laina Shockley opened Ethos Vegan Kitchen in 2007. The family-owned and -operated restaurant was founded on the Shockleys' ethical beliefs about practicing social responsibility. Ethos Vegan Kitchen's 100 percent vegan menu featuring "hearty, home-style" fare has garnered numerous awards. 

"Ethos Vegan Kitchen deserves this honor because it offers meat alternatives that have all the flavor of standard entrées and are associated with none of the cruelty," says peta2 Director Dan Shannon. "Ethos Vegan Kitchen is among the growing number of restaurants that are satisfying America's hunger for healthy and humane cuisine."

Ethos Vegan Kitchen won out over other popular restaurants, including Foodswings in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Native Foods and The Veggie Grill in Los Angeles.

Thirty-eight Libby Awards were given out this year, recognizing everything from the most animal-friendly athlete and record label to the most animal-friendly rock band and clothing company. Winners will receive plaques and will be featured on peta2.com.

For more about the Libby Awards and to read about all of this year's winners, please visit peta2.com.