The newest “truth is stranger than fiction” docuseries “Bad Vegan” is trending on Netflix right now. The four-part limited series explains how one man was able to bilk famed vegan restaurant owner Sarma Melngailis out of millions of dollars with nothing more than vague promises that he could make her dog immortal.
The long, sordid story is difficult to make sense of. However, one detail that stands out is the Alec Baldwin connection. Without the “30 Rock” actor, there’s a good chance events would have turned out very differently, or maybe wouldn’t have happened at all.
At the beginning of the story, Melngailis — who owns Pure Food and Wine restaurant in New York City — was introduced. Celebrities including Owen Wilson, Bill Clinton, and Baldwin frequented the establishment, which was one of the first mainstream vegan restaurants to become a huge success in Manhattan.
“I met Alec Baldwin at the restaurant,” Melngailis says in one of the Netflix episodes. “We talked a lot on the phone and via email. Sometimes when you meet somebody, and you feel like you already knew them, it kind of felt like that with him.”
Journalist Allen Salkin provides commentary throughout “Bad Vegan” based on an article he wrote about the fugitive restaurateur. Salkin says he believed Baldwin had a crush on the blonde vegan foodie.
“My understanding of her relationship with Alec Baldwin is that he was a regular customer at the restaurant, and that, like a lot of the gentlemen who went there, he had a bit of a crush on Sarma,” Salkin explains in the documentary.
“When Alec was talking to her about wanting to have somebody important in his life, she would, instead of offering herself as that potential person, um, suggest that maybe he should adopt a dog.”
While looking for a pet for Baldwin, she came across a listing for an animal in need she couldn’t resist. That’s how Melngailis met and adopted her beloved dog Leon, who would become a key player in the story.
“I had never gone any further with Alec because I was in a relationship,” Melngailis says in the documentary. “And then it was like a few months later, we split up anyway, and then Alec ends up with somebody. I had always kind of felt like, you know, he’s a lot older than I am. But then he ends up with somebody who’s like way younger than me.”
She was talking about Baldwin’s wife Hilaria, whom he also met while dining at Pure Food and Wine.
The actor revealed that information himself in an Instagram post in 2019. The caption said, “8 years ago, I wandered into Pure Food and Wine on Irving Place, on an unseasonably warm February evening. My friend, @bocartist and I sat down (outside!) and as I turned to my left I saw a woman who would change my life. Entirely.”
In the Netflix docuseries, Melngailis explains how she met Shane Fox/Anthony Strangis via social media. He was a frequent commenter on Baldwin’s Twitter and the actor would often engage in witty banter with him, which led Melngailis to believe they knew each other.
“It sort of seemed like this, ‘Okay, well, I got Leon because of Alec. And then Alec met Hilaria at my restaurant. And now it just … it’s fitting that I now meet this guy via Alec.’ It sort of seemed like it all made sense.”
The cookbook author explains how she and Strangis moved from interacting on social media to playing Words With Friends together, which eventually led to them meeting in person and beginning a romantic relationship.
Melngailis started talking to Strangis because she believed they had a mutual friend in Baldwin. Without that connection, there’s a good chance their lives never would have crossed paths. Plus, she adopted Leon because of Baldwin — and claimed that the money she eventually gave to Strangis was because he had promised to make the dog immortal.
Even the documentary director Chris Smith believes Melngailis wouldn’t have resorted to a life of crime without meeting Strangis. Without Baldwin, there’s a good chance she never would have crossed his path.
“Sarma herself, we do not believe would have ever ended up resorting to criminal behavior on her own. She was a person that was very dedicated to this restaurant and its success and under a lot of stress and pressure trying to make that work,” he explains.
“If Anthony had not come into her life, we just think there’s no way anything like this would have happened.”
“Bad Vegan” reveals that in a two-year period, Melngailis transferred a total of $1.7 million dollars to Anthony Strangis, which he used to satiate his gambling habit. The pair was arrested in Tennessee and later pled guilty to defrauding investors, failing to pay more than $400,000 in sales taxes, and ripping off restaurant employees by not leaving enough funds to cover payroll.
Enter for the chance to hang out with Gina Carano at the premiere of her new Daily Wire movie, Terror on the Prairie! Two lucky Daily Wire members will be given the complete red carpet treatment – free airfare, hotel, premiere car service, and exclusive merch. Daily Wire members can click here to enter for a chance to win. If you’re not a Daily Wire member yet, click here to join us so you can win this once-in-a-lifetime experience.