Who is Sarma Melngailis ?
Sarma Melngailis is a businesswoman and co-founder of the Pure Good and Wine restaurant. Sarma Melngailis is also the creator of the brand One Luck Duck. One Luck Duck is the name of her former New York store. Her restaurant and shop both serve Vegan fare. Her restaurant and brand were created to promote the use of vegan raw food in New York City. She did not make a lot of money in her business because her restaurant closed down in 2015.
She had to close the restaurant because she couldn’t pay her employees’ wages. But, years later, Sarma has paid off all of her employees’ debts with proceeds from the latest Netflix release, Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
Sarma Melngailis – Birth, Parents, Siblings & Education
Sarma Melngailis was born on September 10, 1972.
Her family later relocated to Newton, Massachusetts, where she was raised and educated.
She first attended Newton North High School while living in Newton.
She later developed an interest in food after her parents encouraged her to attend the University of Pennsylvania in 1994.
She graduated from Wharton School with a B.S. in Economics.
She also earned a B.A. in Economics from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Miss. obtained two bachelor’s degrees
She then began her career in investment banking at Bear Stearns, followed by private equity at Bain Capital.
She later realized that she was not cut out for the world of finance and quit all of her jobs in the industry.
She then decided to pursue a culinary degree and enrolled at the French Culinary Institute in 1999, where she began her life in the wonderful world of food and beverage.
She later decided to go into the Vegan food business and started her own.
She was born to Susan and John.
Her mother was also a professional chef, so she became involved in the food industry as a result of her mother.
Her father, John, previously worked as a physicist at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology.)
The Netflix series featured her parents and her sister Ilze.
The series depicts Sarma’s parents divorcing when she was only nine years old, but John and Susan later remarried through mutual consent.
During her parents’ divorce, Sarma Melngaili’s father John began dating a woman named Michaele Weissman, and her mother married a man named Bob Jasse in 1981.
After settling with Bob Jasse, Sarma’s mother Susan established Alyson’s Orchard, a 450-acre apple orchard.
Susan co-founded the company with Bob and took over when Bob Jasse died in 2002.
Her mother’s company is still in operation and is regarded as one of New England’s most prestigious.
Ilze Melngailis, her sister, is currently residing in New York. Ilze has a degree in Psychology.
Net Worth of Sarma Melngailis? Salary, Earning
Sarma Melngailis stated in a recent media statement that she is still in debt after earning money from Netflix and paying off her employees’ wages.
She has not disclosed how much she is currently earning or how she is managing her expenses.
We discovered her on Instagram spending her day at home with her dog, reading books, and doing other housework.
If she ever shares her current source of income, we will update you on her net worth.
Facts of Sarma Melngailis
| Full Real Name | Sarma Melngailis |
| Nickname | Sarma |
| Popular for | Sharing her Story for Netflix Documentary Series |
| Language | English |
| School Name | Newton North High School. |
| Alma Mater | 1. University of Pennsylvania 2. Wharton School. 3. College of Arts and Science French Culinary Institute |
| Education | 1. B.S majoring in Economics 2. B.A. in Economics |
| Profession | Businesswoman |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | European |
| Net worth | Not Known |
| Age (as of 2022) | 49 years old. |
| Date of Birth | September 10, 1972 (Sunday) |
| Place of Birth | Riga, Latvia |
| Current Residence | NY |
Relationship Status
Sarma Melngailis was having love affairs with Matthey Kenney when she started her business with him.
Despite working with him for a year, she married Anthony Strangis.
According to the documentary series, She introduced Anthony to her mother Susan.
It has also been revealed that Susan and Anthony communicated via email and that he continued to demand money from Susan.
Anthony told Susan that he needs money to help her.
When her mother Susan was arrested, she signed a divorce agreement with Anthony and is now living her life alone.
Sarma Melngailis: Restaurateur Scandal & Arrest and Charges
After years of opening her restaurant and store, Sarma was still unable to pay her employees’ salaries in January 2015.
Her entire staff has fled.
In February 2015, she announced the closure of her restaurant and takeaway shop, apologizing for the situation.
She stated that she was unable to pay the wages due to low-profit margins and high ingredient costs.
Later that month, in April 2015, she reopened her restaurant and store, but despite her repeated requests, the majority of her staff did not attend the event.
However, Sarma Melngailis’ remaining employees left in July 2015 because she was still unable to pay their wages.
As a result, she permanently closed her doors.
On May 26, 2016, news broke that Sarma and her then-husband, Anthony Strangis (Shane Fox) had been arrested in Sevierville, Tennessee.
They were both arrested after ordering pizza from the same Domino’s.
They were living in separate hotel rooms at the time.
She was arrested on suspicion of Criminal Tax Fraud, Grand Larceny, Scheme to Defraud, and Labor Law Violation.
She was later found guilty of stealing more than $2 million USD from investors and committing fraud, according to the judicial announcement.
The judge sentenced her to four months in prison, and she remained at Rikers Island in New York.
Body Measurement- Height, Weight, Hair Color
Melngailis’s shoe size is 6 US (5 UK). She has Tattoos.
Her Body Dimensions are 34Breast, 26Waist, and 34Bust.
She has distinctive characteristics.
She has a sharp vision. She has Brown eyes.
Her hair length is Long. She has light brown hair color.
Her Height (approximately) is 5′ 5′′( 1.65 m).
Her Weight (approx.) is 50 kg (110 lbs ).
Sarma Melngailis – Professional Career
Melngailis opened a Commissary with Mr. Matthew Kenney in 2001 after receiving her Food Certification from the French Culinary Institute.
Matthew is a chef as well as an author.
Her commissary did not last long, and it was closed in 2003.
She then made contact with and sought advice from Jeffrey Chodorow’s company, China Grill Management.
She along with him and Matthew Kenney, opened Pure Food and Wine Restaurant in New York City in June 2004.
It was the first Raw Food restaurant in all of New York.
Previously, New York Magazine recognized her restaurant twice.
It was also named one of Forbes’ Top 100 Restaurants.
It was on Forbes’ list of “All-Star New York Eateries” for nearly 5 years.
In 2005, she and Matthew Kenney opened One Luck Duck Juice, a retail takeaway store.
Pure Food and Wine used to deliver packed snacks to her store.
It also sells skincare, books, supplements, and a variety of other items.
Social Media
Sarma has 20.1K followers on Twitter.
She also has an Instagram account.
Also read: Orianne Cevey, Perianne Boring, Lauren Patel, Stacey Weitzman
Quick Facts of Sarma Melngailis
- Melngailis closed the restaurant because she was unable to pay wages to her staff.
- But now years after 2015, She has now paid all the debts of her staff by raising an income from the latest Netflix release Bad Vegan: Fame.
- Since after it, she was living her life under the debt of $2 million USD which includes a maximum of her former staff of the restaurant and also an amount taken from investors.
- But now Melngailis has claimed that she has been paid for her participation in the document series.
- In the documentary series, it has been shown that Sarma has introduced Anthony to her mother Susan.
