Where is Sarma Melngailis? Did Sarma get paid by Netflix?

Sarma Melngailis is the former owner and co-founder of Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck, both vegan raw food restaurants in New York City.

Both businesses closed in 2015 after staff walked out over unpaid wages.

Sarma Melngailis was arrested for fraud in 2016 and convicted in 2017.

Sarma Melngailis and her ex husband Anthony Strangis, who was also a co-conspirator and fellow convicted criminal in the fraud that sent them both to prison and brought down her raw vegan food empire.

While Sarma Melngailis takes much of the spotlight in Netflix’s docuseries Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives., Strangis is just as fascinating a character (and possibly shadier!).

The 2022 Netflix documentary Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives details Sarma’s scandals, including her relationship with Strangis and her financial crimes.

While covering some of the details of her crimes, reviewer Daniel D’Addario of Variety warns that it fails to reveal much beyond vague notions of Melngailis feeling she missed a chance to marry Alec Baldwin instead of Strangis, and that – despite her university degrees and years working in financial markets – being a vegan made her prone to mystical leanings rather than financial sense.

Sarma Melngailis was paid by Netflix. However, her earnings from Netflix’s Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. went to her wronged employees.