I'm Rebecca Lervoy and this is you can't make this up as the podcast where we uncover the true stories behind

your favorite Netflix documentaries and films. Today we're getting into the story behind

Bad Vegan, the latest documentary series on Netflix from Director Chris Smith. Bad vegan is a

wild four-part documentary series that explores how Sarma Melingylus, the celebrity

restaurant tour behind the glittering New York hotspot pure food and wine

went from being the queen of vegan cuisine

to being known as the vegan fugitive.

Shortly after meeting a man named Shane Fox, Melingylus begins draining her

restaurant's funds and funneling the money to Fox after he cons her into

believing he can turn her dreams into reality. From expanding her food empire to making her beloved pit bull

immortal, but only if she continues to obey his every request without question. A few years later the couple are on the

lamb after stealing nearly two million dollars from the restaurant and its staff.

How did police track them to a Tennessee motel? A credit card charge to Domino's Pizza.

Today, we're actually turning over this episode to our friends at Swindled, a true crime podcast about white-collar

criminals, con artists, and corporate evil. In this episode we'll dive even

deeper into the story of Sarma Melingales, Shane Fox, and the scandal that

took down a burgeoning vegan empire. I used to work in finance so I was doing the whole Wall Street thing.

I knew I didn't want to do that because I didn't really feel passionate about it.

Left with culinary school, you know, French traditional culinary school.

I never in a millionaire thought I'd ever be vegetarian or being in. to the dream to work on Wall Street, but that's where she landed.

She ignored passion in favor of security by graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics

from the University of Pennsylvania.

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