Aisha Pinky Cole

Best known by her nickname, Pinky, Cole has revolutionized the Black vegan food world. Her plant-based burger empire, The Slutty Vegan, has gained an almost cult-like following in Georgia, Alabama and New York. So it only makes sense that in 2022, Cole released a cookbook, “Eat Plants, B*tch," which reimagines traditional comfort foods and gives them a plant-based makeover with recipes like avocado egg rolls and oyster mushroom parm. Cole, who was born and raised in Baltimore by her two Jamaican immigrant parents, recently told The Root that her goal isn’t to demonize meat-eaters, but to take everyone along for the ride. And so she has. In 2019, she launched her first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, before opening more eateries in New York City, Woodlawn and Birmingham, Alabama. Her philanthropic works, such as the Pinky Cole Foundation, are also worthy of praise. Among its many community-based contributions, the foundation offers a scholarship fund to students enrolled at her alma mater, Clark Atlanta University. Pinky's unparalleled ingenuity and love of our community make her an obvious choice for The Root 100 list.