On this day in vegan history · November 14, 1975
Travis Barker Is Born
A drummer who nearly died in a fireball on a South Carolina runway came out the other side vegan, and later put his own money into one of Los Angeles's best vegan restaurants.
The facts
- Born
- November 14, 1975, in Fontana, California
- Plane crash
- September 19, 2008, Learjet crash on takeoff in South Carolina
- Diet history
- Vegetarian for 17 years, then vegan after the crash
- Restaurant investment
- Crossroads Kitchen, Los Angeles, with chef Tal Ronnen
Travis Landon Barker was born on November 14, 1975, in Fontana, California, and grew up to become the drummer for Blink-182. He had already been vegetarian for 17 years when a Learjet he was on crashed on takeoff in September 2008, killing four people and leaving him with severe burns and months of hospital treatment. He briefly ate meat again to help his body heal from 16 surgeries, then went vegan for good once he left the hospital. Years later he became an investor in Crossroads Kitchen, the upscale plant-based restaurant chef Tal Ronnen opened on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
In their words
The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.
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The plane crash led Barker to make some lifestyle changes; he began running and swimming each day, and went vegan since leaving the hospital, although he had already been vegetarian for 17 years.
Wikipedia, "Travis Barker" article
Source: Wikipedia -
Barker is also a vegan and has invested in the Los Angeles vegan restaurant Crossroads Kitchen.
Wikipedia, "Travis Barker" article
Source: Wikipedia
Why it still matters
Barker's crash-and-recovery story put a very public, very unglamorous face on why someone chooses to stay vegan even after nearly dying, and his money in Crossroads Kitchen helped keep a serious plant-based restaurant open in a city full of them that fold.
Sources
This history is still being written.
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