#092 Sarma Melngailis: Bad Vegan, Memoir as Recovery, and Reclaiming Your Story

In this episode of Smart Friends, Eric Jorgenson interviews Sarma Melngailis, the restaurateur behind Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck, about her memoir, "The Girl with the Duck Tattoo," and her experience with the Netflix documentary "Bad Vegan." Sarma discusses her career, her relationship with a man who she describes as having put her in a cult of one, the downfall of her business, and her time in jail. She shares her motivations for writing the book, which was to reclaim her narrative after feeling misrepresented by the documentary, and the creative process behind it. They also discuss her decision to publish independently to retain editorial control and the therapeutic aspects of writing about traumatic experiences. Sarma also touches on her future plans, including a new docuseries and the potential rebuilding of her business.