From Cupcakes to Karaoke

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Kailey Harless, the rest of the VN gang, VegWeb Web Mistress Laura Beck, plus friends
What: An evening of good eats and great tunes.
Where: Ike's Place and The Mint, San Francisco, Calif.
When: Thursday, August 6, 2009
Why: To eat well and let loose.

Though I’ve only been working at VegNews for a bit over two months, there are many things I’ve learned so far. Yes, we love our Parma!, communal lunches, brainstorming issues months in advance, and working hard to make the magazine we all love so dearly. But more than anything, VegNews loves balance. Just when you think you’re going to drop from exhaustion, a day of pure delight and fun rescues you.

Thursday we were all busily working on our countless projects when a lunch guest arrived bearing gifts. Might I mention she arrived with the best kind of gift, especially around this office: an edible one. Tessa Strauss, of the divine blog, Cookies and Candids, and her friend Julie joined the crew for lunch and supplied the most exquisite dessert I’ve had in months. Perhaps years. After staring at the cupcakes throughout lunch, we finally dove in to these beauties:

Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

What you see here are decadently delicious cupcakes. In the forefront are White-Chocolate Champagne Cupcakes filled with white-chocolate ganache and topped with gold sprinkles, in the middle are Rich Chocolate Almond Cupcakes with a marzipan layer, and behind is the genius baker. I kept shaking my head in disbelief as I bit into these perfectly moist, fluffy, just-sweet-enough delights. How could these be so phenomenal?

As if our afternoon sugary feast hadn’t been enough, the VN crew decided to end the day with a well loved tradition. Somehow, one of the VegNewsies came up with the idea to combine Ike’s sandwiches and karaoke into one night of both pure scrumptiousness and hilarity.

We made the pilgrimage to Ike’s Place after work, where Charlotte and I split a sandwich. (A side note: you will be made fun of for not eating a whole sandwich by yourself when dining with the VN crew.) The perfection of this sandwich helped me ignore the haters. Take a look at the gorgeous vegan “We’re Just Friends” (can’t tell you how many times I’ve uttered that line).

Vegan turkey layered with orange glaze, avocado, soy cheese, tomato, and lettuce all within Dutch Crunch bread

Happily full, we trekked the few blocks to The Mint. Some sang, some danced, some (aka Laura Beck) performed "The Thong Song" with incredible aplomb, and we all enjoyed a much needed night out.

Weekend Warriors, Part Two

Who: VN Associate Editor Abby Young, Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig, and Editorial Assistants Kailey Harless and Charlotte Gordon

What: Animal Rights National Conference, Part II

Where: Los Angeles, Calif.

When: July 16-20, 2009

Why: To represent VegNews at the annual AR conference

The scoop: We all woke up a bit tired from the late celebration night before, but with a nice workout and a cup of caffeine, it wasn't hard to recharge for another Animal Rights 2009 conference day. The crowd was noticeably thinner than other days, as vendors were leaving and attendees were heading home.

As a conference first-timer, I was most amazed by the long-time VegNews readers. We often had people stop by the booth just to say how much they adore each issue, or share how long they've been reading. Seeing their genuine excitement fueled us more than any cup of coffee ever could, and knowing that people thoroughly enjoy what VegNews staffers dedicate their lives to made every moment behind the booth worthwhile.

Over the weekend we met loads of people. We first spied Bryan Pease being interviewed for suprememastertv.com next to our booth, who stopped by the table to chat after his turn on-camera. Since he's an animal-rights attorney and the activism advisor for VegNews, it was nice to meet one of our very own!

We also chatted and posed with Nathan Runkle, founder of Mercy for Animals and the youngest activist ever to be inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. Lyndsay, Nathan, me, and Abby

You know what the perfect way to end a long, fun, yet exhausting weekend is? Dining well, of course. Abby and I ventured out into the pavement jungle in search of an affordable, vegan-friendly restaurant. Thankfully, we found the quaint and accommodating Par's Persian Cuisine, which offered both Lebanese and Italian fare.

Within seconds of looking at the menu, I knew what I wanted. Smooth, exquisite, garlicky hummus that I consumed with edible spoons: many, many wedges of warm pita:

Luscious hummus topped with olive oil and paprika

A crisp, fresh, bright tomato-cucumber-mint salad made for a cooling complement:

Diced cucumber and tomato mingle with mint and parsley

With full, happy tummies, Abby and I trekked back to the Westin and fell into a deep slumber. So what if it was only 10 pm? At least we were well rested for the daunting trip back to San Francisco. And by daunting I mean breezy. Virgin America knows how to treat a girl (big cushy seats? Please and thank you!), and San Fran is merely a hop, skip, and jump away from LA.

All in all, the weekend was a success. We learned from the AR lectures, dined well, met incredible people, and laughed constantly. This AR first-timer couldn't ask for more.

Weekend Warriors

Who: VN Associate Editor Abigail Young, Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig, and Editorial Assistants Kailey Harless and Charlotte Gordon
What: Animal Rights National Conference, Part I
Where: Los Angeles, Calif.
When: June 16–20, 2009
Why: To represent VegNews at the annual AR conference

The Scoop: This year’s Animal Rights National Conference brought activists from across the world to Los Angeles for four days of thought-provoking lectures, stimulating conversations, and fast friendships. A lucky group of VN staffers, myself included, made the oh-so-excruciating one-hour flight to the world’s oldest meet-up of its kind.

Joining an array of exhibitors, the team set up shop to meet attendees and spread the VegNews word. Conveniently, our table was sandwiched between the two sole food vendors, Samosa House and SunPower Natural Café. Did we complain about vegan samosas in plain sight, or the generous raw chocolate-cookie samples sent our way? Certainly not.

Friday welcomed an excited crowd, eager to peruse the exhibition room between lectures. I had the pleasure of meeting many of our readers, as well as making friends with some new subscribers. Robert Cheeke of Vegan Bodybuilding fame stopped by and was kind enough to dole out free fitness advice to Kailey and me (upon our request).

After a long day at the conference, it was time for our anticipated outing to the much-hyped vegan fast-food haven, The Veggie Grill. In case you haven’t been, believe the hype.

Veggie Grill's All Hail Kale salad with crispy "chicken"

I inhaled my All Hail Kale salad, and snuck a few stellar sweet-potato fries from the table’s appetizer.

Sweet-potato fries with chipotle ranch dipping sauce

If the food and sunshine weren't enough, I had the pleasure of keeping excellent dinner company: author and blogger Erik Marcus, Mercy for Animals' Nathan Runkle, and the conference’s two Grassroots Activist awardees, Lauren Ornelas and Dave Bernel.

Their awards, among others, were presented at Saturday’s banquet. Attendees in their swankiest weekend wear honored the year’s top activists and organizations, dined on Match Meats entrées, and enjoyed an entertaining celebrity-hosted charity auction. Remember French Stewart? No? What about now? He garnered quite a few laughs from our table, which I wouldn't entirely attribute to the merlot.

Charlotte, Kailey, and I pose at the banquet

The night ended with a mixer at the hotel’s high-dollar bar, combining a local LA Vegan Drinks event with the conference’s nightly reception. Despite the attire and the cocktails’ price tags, the tone was casual, celebratory, and a perfect end to the evening.

Rainbow Rite

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Charlotte Gordon
What: Rainbow Grocery
Where: San Francisco
When: July 7, 2009
Why: To experience Rainbow Grocery for the first time and secure a place among my vegan peers.

The Scoop: Having heard the name “Rainbow” so many times in the office and not being able to associate it with anything, I figured that it surely was linked to some vegan rite of passage. The sense of camaraderie that followed its mention as stories were shared and foreign (to me) vegan food was discussed only fortified this assumption—I finally decided to make the life-changing trek to this grocery co-op.

I packed my provisions (gum and a bottle of kombucha) and hopped aboard the L train. I got off at Van Ness and ventured to the somewhat seedy side of town. Navigating my way through sidewalk construction, I finally walked under a freeway overpass and saw the green awning that read “Rainbow.” I had made it to the vegan oasis in the urban jungle, and boy, was it worth the trip!

Rainbow's wide selection of veggie cheese.

There were no awkward run-ins with the meat section because, well, there is no meat section! What the store does have are all the vegetarian specialty foods you could ever hope to cram into one place: dairy-free ice cream galore, a fine assortment of vegan cheeses, and massive amounts of grains for stockpiling. The highlight of my trip? The baked-goods section, where label after label read “vegan.” From turnovers to cupcakes, a grip of treats were untainted with moo juice—it had to be documented. With my camera poised and ready, I was about to shoot every fluffy muffin and pinched crust when an employee politely informed me that pictures are not allowed. I pointed to myself and said “VegNews,” and that’s all it took to have free reign with the food photography. (Hmm, what other advantages come with my new VegNews status?)

Behold, vegan cupcakes aplenty.

I kept my eye on the prize (vegan chocolate-peanut-butter cupcake), and made it home safe. Now, with the milestone of discovering Rainbow under my belt, I feel a sense of empowerment. I now know where the widest selection of vegan specialty foods—aka cupcakes—are in San Francisco and am now a full-fledged San Francisco vegan.

The prize.