Tomorrow, Florida-based restaurant The New Vegan will host a grand opening of its second location in Palm Beach, FL. The restaurant is owned by Patricia and Rahein Jones—the first cousin of musician Corey Jones who was killed by police officer Nouman Raja in 2015. The restaurant is as vibrant as the first location in Delray but much larger, accommodating 150 guests as opposed to the flagship location’s 21 seats. The Jones’ first transitioned to a plant-based diet after engaging in an eye-opening conversation with a family friend who had been vegan for more than 30 years. “He says, ‘Where do you get your protein?’ I start listing all the animals. He says, ‘Well, all the animals you eat are vegan,’” Rahein told local media outlet The Palm Beach Post. “That’s all it took for me.” The family opened The New Vegan in Delray shortly thereafter, serving menu items such as falafel burgers, hearts of palm-based tuna sandwiches, and ice cream-topped brownies. Rahein also launched a packaged food business under the same name selling the sprouted flours that he uses as the base of The New Vegan’s burgers. “We went vegan overnight,” Patricia said. “We went vegan for ethical reasons. We saw the cruelty and took the blindfolds off.” In the back of the new restaurant sits a table with a portrait of Cory Jones drawn by a local artist. The slain musician, along with his brother CJ, helped Rahein open the first location of The New Vegan six years ago. “We did this together,” Rahein said. “And the music—Corey took care of that for us. We have not filled those shoes since he passed.” Today, Raja was convicted of attempted murder and manslaughter by a jury inside a Palm Beach courthouse—the first time in 30 years that an on-duty police officer had been convicted of such crimes.

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