Outside of Baltimore, Slutty Vegan customers may not know what “slut dust” fries are—that’s spuds sprinkled with Old Bay—but they certainly know the larger-than-life restaurant personality Pinky Cole Hayes, the company’s founder, who has reached celebrity status with her brand of plant-based burgers and retail products, including plant-based dips.

Despite legal woes of the past few years, the brand is still going strong. Cole Hayes has six Slutty Vegan joints around the country, including Atlanta, Dallas, Brooklyn, and Birmingham, but opening on the Baltimore Peninsula last year has been particularly meaningful for the Charm City-born entrepreneur.

“I love the fact that I get to go back to my city and do it right this time,” says Cole Hayes, who also owns Bar Vegan, a plant-based restaurant and bar, on the Peninsula.

When Cole Hayes left Charm City at 17, she was a newly minted graduate of Western High School, where she ran what she calls “an illegal business” out of the school cafeteria selling McChicken sandwiches for double the price.

“The things I learned as a kid,” she says, “apply today as an adult. I had that hustle-and-grind mentality. I don’t take that for granted because it made me stronger and it made me smarter.” (She credits her father, who served more than two decades in prison for his involvement in a drug ring, for her hustle.)

Her ability to hustle has also changed her life. “This brand is the reason I met my husband and the reason why I have children,” says Cole Hayes. “It’s the reason why I became a multi-millionaire. It’s the reason why I’ve been able to travel around the country and help inspire other people. And it’s the reason why I can build that generational wealth—I will never take that for granted.”

From her adopted hometown of Atlanta, we caught up with the entrepreneur to talk about all things Slutty Vegan and growing up in Baltimore.

When did you realize you had a hit on your hands with Slutty Vegan?
I’ve been in the trenches a long time. I’ve seen highs; I’ve seen lows. I knew I was really good at bringing people together. I’m sitting in front of my flagship location and remembering what it meant to have a grand opening here. I created something special that people can love and appreciate. I love to know that people love to consume not just the business but they are obsessed with the brand, making this bigger than just a restaurant—it’s a marketing brand, it’s a clothing line, and it’s really cool.

How did you come up with the concept for the brand?
I worked on the Maury Show [as a producer] and marketing has always been my thing. I know how to get people to pay attention in the weirdest ways. I realized that if I could merge food and sex, it would be a win-win. On the Maury Show, everything is racy and in your face—that’s why he was on the air for 25-plus years. I wanted to create something that would spark people’s attention. When I thought of the name, I was sitting in my two-bedroom apartment—the name Slutty Vegan hit me like a bolt of lightning.

How did you want to change the conversation around vegan food?
I wanted to help people reimagine food. For so long, veganism has been this boring thing. The funny thing is that so many of my customers are carnivores. The best compliment I ever got from anyone was, “Wow, this tastes better than meat!”

I know your dad has given you advice. What did he tell you?
That success is like mud—you have to throw things at the wall and something is going to stick.

How did growing up in Baltimore shape you?
Baltimore made me super brave even in the times when I was scared. I got my independence in Baltimore. I got my first job when I was young, working at the Police Athletic League and Forever 21. I got my license early. I got a car young. My mother gave me the space and opportunity to be independent—no one cradled me. I am grateful my city did that for me.

What has it been like to open a Slutty Vegan here?
Baltimore is a beautiful place and I’m happy that I get to be a part of the new growth of Baltimore, creating opportunities for other people.

Noticeable changes have taken shape since Caves Valley Partners began its revitalization of the 173-year-old Cross Street Market in Federal Hill last year. Most recently, retro signage that harkens back to the market’s original rebuild—after a fire destroyed it in 1951—went up around the exterior.

While the neon logos are a reminder of its storied history, the renovated interior will bring the market into the present with a diverse lineup that reflects the breadth of Baltimore’s current dining landscape.

“As a team, it was important for us to keep it Baltimore-centric,” says Nick Alevrogiannis of Cana Development, which handles leasing for Cross Street Market. “We wanted authentic and artisan, and we’re seeing a pretty big swing of that growing here.”

By keeping an eye out for unique concepts at local pop-ups and farmers’ markets, the firm was able to bring on vendors that span multiple different cultures and cuisines, many of which are minority and female-owned and operated.

According to the Project for Public Spaces, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping communities sustain public properties, public markets are a great entryway for chefs and restaurateurs—especially minorities, immigrants, and women—to grow their businesses.

“A lot of small businesses want to be able to grow, but the capital required and the vetting process from landlords to get your own brick-and-mortar is typically really expensive, and the liability is huge,” Alevrogiannis says. “But with a market, capital requirement is significantly less to get in, which promotes small businesses from the beginning.”

When it reopens this spring, a number of veterans that operated in the market pre-construction (think Fenwick’s Choice Meats, Steve’s Lunch, and The Sweet Shoppe) will be joined by a new class of budding businesses. There will be Baltimore spinoffs including Burger Bar from the team at Southside Diner in Riverside, Annoula’s Kitchen from the owners of Sobo Cafe across the street, Cans Filling Station from the operator of Taps Filling Station at Mount Vernon Marketplace, and a new Ceremony Coffee location.

But diners will also be able to expand their knowledge of global cuisine with Hawaiian grinds from Ono Poké, Mexican eats from Taco Love Grill, Southeast Asian dishes from Rice Crook, Vietnamese fare from Phubs, and authentic Haitian cuisine from Sobeachy—a JFX farmers’ market favorite founded by husband-and-wife duo Chanel and Leo Fleurimond.

“It’s really important to have all of those different flavors,” Chanel says. “When people think of Caribbean food, they automatically think of Jamaican food. So for us, it’s great that we now have an opportunity to be there alongside every other diverse, ethnic option and bring a different Caribbean island to Baltimore.”

The owners are looking forward to introducing diners to their eclectic blend of African and French flavors, which is showcased in stewed meats, chicken wings, stuffed plantain cups, “Cod Yatti” sandwiches (deep-fried cod on a cocoa bread bun with mango sauce), and “Pati Kode,” a veggie or meat-filled turnover similar to a fried empanada. Sobeachy will also be able to serve its fresh juices and alcoholic Island drinks in its new stall.

Other new vendors are excited about the move, even if they’ve been around for a while. Take brothers Chuong and Paul Nguyen, who established their Vietnamese soup and sub shop Phubs in Hanover five years ago, but are enthusiastic about the benefits of joining a communal market.

“Vietnamese food in general is getting more popular, but it’s still not super mainstream,” says Chuong. “With the market being so diverse, it requires people to come in with an open mind. Those are the type of customers we want.”

Phubs will continue to offer its signature banh-mi sandwiches and pho with all the fixins, but the owners are adding a few new twists that cater to the market’s clientele. Specifically, the eatery will offer its bone broth in coffee-sized cups for diners in need of a hangover cure or quick energy boost.

“We simmer the bones for 24 hours because that’s how our parents did it growing up,” says Chuong, a Columbia native. “We ate pho weekly, and always felt great the next day. But it’s really all about the broth and making it the right way. We didn’t want to get away from that.”

In addition to providing that authenticity, vendors agree that the market environment fosters a more personal relationship between makers and customers. In the future, organizers hope to strengthen the community focus by activating the space with more startups (a new wave will join the scene summer 2019) and launching an outdoor farmers’ market in April.

“To me, what sets a market apart from a food court is that it’s interactive and engaged,” Alevrogiannis says. “You have to tell that story. Just having good food and good service isn’t working anymore.”