The Green Team
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AURA TIBLIER and ANASTASIA WORRELL are breaking boundaries with The Green House, Wilmington’s first upscale vegan restaurant.
Backed by the all-female management team of executive chef TOSHA GUTHERIDGE, maître d’ COLBY PERKINS, and the mother/daughter ensemble of horticulturist MICHELLE LYON-HEATHERLY, and pâtissier LAUREN WRIGHT, these women are not only serving best-inclass vegan dishes, but they’re also fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability, all while planting seeds of change. “This medium is a message,” Worrell says. While having a female-led team was not initially part of The Green House’s mission, finding a group of like-minded
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people to come together to challenge and support one another was at the top of the list. “What we have here is a different type of energy than you typically find within the restaurant industry,” Tiblier says. “It’s not competitive but collaborative.” That energy can be felt throughout the restaurant from the design and décor to the care that’s put into the food and service and the intention that goes into every
NOVEMBER 2021
by JESSICA MAURER photos by MEGAN DEITZ
aspect of the restaurant, which opened in July. Whether it’s for the health benefits, to lower their carbon footprint, or to promote animal welfare, women are leading the way in adopting the vegan way of life. Worrell says this is in line with the restaurant’s current customer base, noting that women make up a larger percentage of its diners than males. “When it comes to lifestyle choices and food, I do think men and women make decisions differently,” says Worrell, noting that women and men often react differently to outside influences and have different motivators when it comes to lifestyle. That being said, just as not all of The Green House’s diners are women, not all are vegan, gluten-free, or even vegetarian. “We find that it’s often maybe just one person in the party that is vegan,” Tiblier says. “And sometimes it’s a whole party of people who are just curious.” The Green House’s dinner menu is coursed out to include sharable boards for
