Atlanta entrepreneurs makes history with Essence magazine cover
ATLANTA - An Atlanta power couple is making history with a very special magazine cover.
Pinky Cole of Slutty Vegan and Derrick Hayes of Big Dave's Cheesesteaks are the first restauranteurs to grace the cover of Essence.
The couple will be featured in a special edition that highlights Black couples in business.
Cole founded Slutty Vegan in 2018, and the restaurant quickly became known for its long lines of customers and celebrity clientele waiting patiently for vegan dishes. Since then, the business has expanded and even includes a bar concept in Ponce City Market.
Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks was created back in 2016 by West Philadelphia native Derrick Hayes, who started serving up his sandwiches out of a Dunwoody gas station before moving into his own spot on Forsyth Street in Downtown Atlanta.
The couple has also connected their businesses to support the metro Atlanta community. They've made it a goal to sign up thousands of Black men for free life insurance.
"It's not very often you see communities sticking together especially in our own communities," Cole told FOX 5 in 2020. "We're going to be the change we wish to see and we're going to be the example and show people that we can come together."
Cole and Hayes also made headlines when they surprised Tomika Miller, the widow of Rayshard Brooks, with life insurance policies for her and her kids, scholarships for her children to attend Clark Atlanta University, and a new car.