We have just one question after watching the trailer for Netflix's new docuseries Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.: What with's the meat suit?
The documentarians raised the subject in a trailer for the docuseries, asking a woman, "Do you know about the meat suit?" And while the description of this mysterious item wasn't featured in the preview, the subject's reaction made it clear that it isn't the same dress that Lady Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards: "Oh no," the person replied. "I'm going to need a minute."
But Bad Vegan isn't just about this meat suit. The four-part documentary chronicles the downfall of celebrity restaurateur Sarma Melngailis, the famous vegan chef behind New York City's Pure Food and Wine, who pleaded guilty to grand larceny, tax fraud and conspiring to defraud in 2019.
Former chefs and friends spoke about the years preceding her arrest in 2016, describing how Sarma went from being haute cuisine's "raw vegan queen" to convicted fraudster in a matter of years.
And while it appears to some that Sarma was motivated by greed, those around her allege that her ex-husband Anthony Strangis is partially to blame for her arrest. "He promises her that he is going to make Sarma and her dog immortal," one insider claims. "It's complete madness."
But that dream came crashing down when Sarma and Anthony were arrested at a Tennessee hotel in 2016. According to the now-defunct website Gothamist, police located the couple after they ordered, of all things, a Domino's pizza.
According to Sarma's Twitter, she's completed her four-month prison sentence and considers herself a "Rikers alum." She teases in her bio, "It's a long story."
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. premieres March 16 on Netflix.