Forks Over Knives Screening

Who: VN columnist Gena Hamshaw
What: A special, pre-release screening of Forks Over Knives
Where: AMC Loews on Broadway, New York, NY
When: December 6, 2010

The Scoop: On Monday night, animal lovers, environmentalists, health enthusiasts, and foodies gathered together for a screening of filmmaker Brian Wendel’s Forks Over Knives. The documentary, which will be released nationwide on March 11, 2011, examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called “diseases of affluence” can be controlled or reversed by adopting a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Told through the lives and work of Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn—who have championed the power of plant-based foods throughout their careers in medicine—the film also documents the remarkable healing stories of their patients.

Notable supporters of Farm Sanctuary and of the film—including vegan authors John Joseph and Victoria Moran—gathered for a pre-party reception, where they sampled cuisine from New York culinary institution, Candle 79. The owners of Candle 79, Bart Potenza and Joy Pierson, were hard at work in the kitchen, churning out plate after plate of piping hot seitan chimichurris, bowls of tangy guacamole, and platters of an irresistibly flavorful hummus and quinoa terrine.

Candle 79's signature seitan chimichurris

Meanwhile, veteran vegan pastry chef Fran Costigan astonished partygoers with her desserts. (I had to fight a few other guests for the last PB&J chocolate cup parfait, but it was worth it.) Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur shared a few salutary words. “Most people are basically compassionate,” he said. But he added that we need films like Forks Over Knives to inspire positive change.

Fran Costigan in a free moment

After the film, audience members were given a chance to ask questions and chat with the filmmakers and participants. On the panel discussion after the film were Baur, Brian Wendel, and Rip Esselstyn, author of the bestselling The Engine 2 Diet, who is profiled in the documentary. Before leaving, I approached Brian Wendel, whose own life was changed by reading The China Study in 2008, to congratulate him. His face lit up when I mentioned that I was there on behalf of VegNews. “They have been so supportive,” he said. “We’re all very excited.”

VegNews Eats New York (1st course)

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly and VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland
What: First of Two Weeks in Veg Heaven
Where: The Big (Vegan) Apple: New York, NY
When: April 11–17, 2010
Why: Yo, we gots some business to take care of...

The Scoop: After the PCRM 25th Anniversary Gala, Colleen and Joe jetted off to NYC for a two-week jaunt filled with business meetings, eating, visits to our favorite restaurants, eating, gathering with contributors, eating, taking lots of photographs, and did I mention eating?

Rather than bore you with the gritty details of why we had a secret meeting in New Jersey or whether it was the F-train of the #6 Line that shared its platform with various rodents larger than our office mascots Khane and Cal, I’ll present instead a Top 10 photo montage from each of our NYC weeks. Do check back tomorrow for Course Two of VegNews Eats NYC, and leave a comment if you'd like to see and hear more, 'K?

Week One Highlights:

10. Co-owner Craig Cochran (second from right) and the staff of the newly opened Terri Restaurant (60 W. 23rd Street).

9. Just a few of the vegan cookies at LifeThyme Natural Market (410 Avenue of the Americas).

8. After a delicious dinner at Vegetarian Dim Sum House (24 Pell Street). That’s HSUS’ Patrick Kwan and his partner Seth Carlson with Colleen.

7. Tuesday is the day Bethlehem, Penn.'s Vegan Treats delivers to Atlas Café & Bakery (73 Second Avenue). We were there. It's our job.

6. Sweet and savory at Candle 79 (154 E. 79th Street), where we enjoyed a fab vegan meal with Joe’s aunt and uncle. Check out those cannolis!

5. Yes, that is a vegan egg cream from Lula’s Sweet Apothecary (516 East 6th Street)

4. Just around the block from our apartment was Pinisi Bakery & Café (124 East 4th Street), which always had a few vegan options, such as these.

3. Oh yeah, we hit the world famous Dosa Hut in Washington Square Park! (West 4th Street at Sullivan)

2. At the end of the week we enjoyed what may be New York’s worst kept vegan secret: The 5-star, 3-course Friday Night Dinner at the Natural Gourmet Institute (48 West 21st Street).Vegan Important Persons Chef Fran Costigan (left) and Photographer Linda Long joined us.

1. After a Saturday stroll on the East River Bikeway, we brunched at Caravan of Dreams (405 East 6th Street), where Joe chose the “special of the day”: spelt pancakes with tempeh.

Let's recap. This was just our first week in NYC, and the next week was even busier (can you believe?). Don't miss the second course... follow VegNews on Twitter and we'll keep you in the loop.

Jen + Aurelia's Excellent Adventure, part deux

Who: VN Editorial Director Aurelia d’Andrea + VN Senior Editor Jennifer Pickens
What: Phase 2 of their Manhattan/Brooklyn Adventure
Where: The Big Apple
When: July 11–14
Why: To eat, drink, and be merry

The Scoop: I’d always heard how awesome New York was, but didn’t comprehend the actual degree of it’s awesomeness until getting there and seeing—and tasting—for myself. On a warm, sunshiny Brooklyn afternoon, Jen and I took Dan Piraro’s advice and set off toward Bedford Street to check out the action. First stop: Vinnie’s, an ordinary-looking pizza place that just happens to serve up an extensive menu of vegan offerings, including barbecue “chicken” pizza and "bacon" calzones. What do we have to do to get one of these joints in San Francisco? We weren’t hungry after our Chinatown chow-down, but we made a full inspection of the wares, and chit-chatted with the nice guys behind the counter. I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be all rough and gruff? Not so. Using our vegan radar, we walked out of Vinnie's like happy Stepford Wives and right into the cutest veg establishment ever in the history of the universe: Penny Licks.

Like a kid in a, um, candy store

Dressed up like an old-fashioned candy store, this vegan-sweets boutique made us wish we hadn’t just eaten 29 turnip cakes and 73 tofu skin rolls. Vegan cakes, cookies, candies, bars, pies, doughnuts, dipped pretzels, woopie pies … this place was awe-inspiring on looks alone, and judging by the crowds lined up for the goodies, the stuff was tasty, too (and we can vouch for at least one menu item: Vegan Treats' Peanut Butter Bomb Cake. We’d recognize that anywhere!). A few doors up we passed Wild Ginger, a "pan-Asian vegan café" whose menu—from the Yam and Taro Tempura to the Orange Seitan with Broccoli—looks divine. Next time! Moving along, we poked our noses in a number of crowded cafés, vintage clothing stores, antique shops, and internet hangouts before looping around and back to the Manhattan-bound L train to primp for our evening. Along the way, we passed yet another veg eatery, Bliss, that we hear has a killer tofu scramble.

Back at our hotel, we changed clothes, then moseyed over to Lan Café for a Vietnamese meal made memorable by a surprise visitor who arrived at our table armed with a bottle of wine and an offer to share. Lan Café doesn’t offer "adult" beverages, but they do have a liberal BYOB policy, and since we’re never ones to refuse the kindness of strangers, we sipped Australian Chardonnay as we slurped our noodles. Next, we made like boomerangs and headed back to Brooklyn to meet up with a heap of cool cats, including The Discerning Brute’s Joshua Katcher and the world’s most dazzling vegan stylista/animal savior/newsletter diva, Chloé Jo Berman. One of us (okay, that would be Aurelia) was nervous about meeting up with such shiny, pretty dignitaries, but soon discovered they were really a bunch of friendly, down-to-earth, straight-shooting kids with both smarts and silly streaks. My favorite combination!

The charming Joshua Katcher, gorgeous Emily Elkins, dashing Jeremy Davis, and stunning Chloé Jo

Leaving our watering hole before the witching hour, we made like hungry bandits to the all-night natural-foods grocery store and scarfed vegan "tuna" sandwiches, chewy Primal Strips, and fresh fruit.

Next day, we sauntered over to the fun and funky Chelsea Flea Market at the advice of dessert doyenne Fran Costigan and picked up a few goodies before bee-lining it to Saravanaas Restaurant for enormous silver plates loaded down with idli, vada, utthapam, and sambar. Next stop: 60th St., for a bit of Bastille Day action hosted by the French Institute. From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump over to Central Park, where we held our noses as we walked past those sad-looking carriage horses weighted down with tourists. Keeping to a leisurely pace, we arrived, at last, at The Met, where, with a mere hour to blast through the entire collection of world-class art, we scanned Monets, Manets, and Man Rays before heading back downtown for drinks, Dinner #1, and Dinner #2, both of which took place at Viva Herbal Pizza. There, we had a small-world moment: As we chomped our humongous triangles loaded with fake meat and tomato sauce, who should walk in but HSUS's Patrick Kwan. A serendipitous end to a spectacular trip.