August 25, 2025
Bad Vegan: Sarma Melngailis Breaks Silence on Fraud, Prison & Netflix Scandal
Locked In with Ian BickAbout this episode
Sarma Melngailis seemed destined for success. A brilliant student who started her career in finance, she later pursued her passion for food and co-founded Pure Food and Wine, one of New York City’s hottest vegan restaurants that attracted stars like Alec Baldwin. But Sarma’s life took a shocking turn when she fell under the influence of a controlling con man who manipulated her into a web of lies, fraud, and destruction. Once the celebrated “vegan queen” of NYC, she became a fugitive, was arrested for fraud, and ended up behind bars at Rikers Island. Sarma’s story of love, betrayal, and downfall captivated the world and was chronicled in Netflix’s hit documentary Bad Vegan. In this episode, she opens up about her childhood, career, and what really happened behind the scenes of one of the most infamous scandals in the restaurant world. #BadVegan #SarmaMelngailis #TrueCrime #PrisonStories #NetflixDocumentary #RestaurantScandal #LockedInPodcast #Fraud Connect with Sarma Melngailis: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarmamelngailis Buy her book: https://amzn.to/45x4Awo Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Use code LOCKEDIN for 20% OFF Wooooo Energy Buy Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00 Arrest and Introduction 01:56 Sarma’s Background & Pure Food and Wine 10:08 Growing Up, Independence, and Early Influences 20:28 Career in Finance and Transition to Culinary 29:19 Opening Pure Food and Wine 36:46 The Rise of Pure Food and Wine & One Lucky Duck 42:00 Business Philosophy and Brand Growth 48:46 Personal Relationships & Vulnerability 54:46 First Encounters With the Conman 01:01:01 How the Manipulation Began 01:07:07 Financial Spiral and Isolation 01:16:16 Collapse and Confusion 01:25:01 The Arrest, Jail, and Coming to Terms 01:39:00 Prosecution, Sentencing, and Restitution 01:58:02 Reflection and the Future 02:00:33 Lessons Learned & Moving Forward 02:12:23 Ending and Book Discussion Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices