SF Vegan Bakesale, Round Two.

Who: VegWebmistress Laura Beck, VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland, VN Associate Editor Abigail Young, and VN Editorial Assistant Liz Miller

What: San Francisco Vegan Bakesale!
Where: In front of Ike's Place, San Francisco, Calif.
When: December 5, 2009
Why: Because who doesn't want to eat cupcakes for a good cause? Crazy people—that's who!

The Scoop: As the sun rose on San Francisco this past Saturday, the VegNews crew was already up, preparing mountains of treats for the SF Vegan Bakesale. And we weren't alone; dozens of people from all over the Bay Area had been mixing, kneading, and baking for the big day. Local vegan bakeries, including Violet Sweet Shoppe, Sugar Beat Sweets, Fat Bottom Bakery, Cinnaholic, Idle Hands Baking Company, and In the Mood for Food (Um, when did SF get so many fabulous vegan bakeries? For the record, I fully approve!), along with more than 50 others, came together and served up the most amazing array of vegan treats I've ever laid eyes on. There were cupcakes, cookies, focaccia, tarts, cream pies, brownies, muffins, pecan pie, croissants, and SO much more. We even had gluten-free and raw treats, too. Talk about covering your bases.

This isn't even half of the table space, piled high with baked goods.

The sale started at 11 am and ran until 4 pm. It was a mad house the entire time, with baked goods and cash being exchanged in a fervor I imagine is matched only by a good day on Wall Street. Hundreds of people descended upon the sale to scoop up the goods, leaving with to-go containers piled high with delicious treats. I was lucky enough to help with the selling and organizing, but it would be a lie if I didn't tell you that most of my day was spent stuffing my face and gossiping with friends. I planned on enjoying only a few treats, but those plans were abandoned as soon as the Candy Cane Joe-Joe's cupcakes hit the table. And then again with the peppermint brownies, and yet again with the caramelized-onion focaccia. Forget it! If you need me, I'll be in hibernation until winter is over.

Oh, I almost forgot the best part! All proceeds from the bake sale benefited two amazing local nonprofits: the Food Empowerment Project, who works with youth and low-income populations to make healthier, more informed food choices, and Save A Bunny, who do exactly that. They save bunnies at the shelter and place them in loving forever homes. Okay, now here's the best part: there were bunnies at the event! I'm not sure if I expressed myself clearly, but just in case: BUNNIES! Floppy, hoppy, adorable bunnies. I wanted to take them all home and turn my apartment into a bunny lair but the boyfriend vetoed it. I might have to reconsider this relationship.

Two adorable bunnies keep each other warm.

When all was said and done, the bake sale raised more than $4,200 for the two charities. Yes, I'll repeat that for you. Four thousand two hundred dollars. Sit on that one for a minute. Personally, I was blown away by the truly inspiring generosity and general awesomeness of everyone involved with the sale. It's such a great way to spend a day. Colleen made the observation that it's the new hang out, and I have to agree. Everyone is in an amazing mood, but how can you not be when you're surrounded by vegan cupcakes and bunnies?

Peter and Khane, VN family, pose with Colleen and their box of goodies

This is the kind of event that makes activism fun. The SF Vegan Bakesale puts delicious vegan baked goods into the world (and into my mouth!), while raising money for very worthwhile causes. And as an official sponsor, you'll see VegNews at the next one. We'll be the ones covered in frosting, trying not to bunnynap Tyson.

Mad Hatter Vegan Tea Party

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly
What: Mad Hatter Vegan Tea Party
When: Sunday, August 23, 2009
Where: Secret Tea Garden House, San Francisco
Why: Fun Fund-raiser for SFVS’ World Veg Festival Weekend

The Scoop: Carmen Miranda didn’t show, though she would have been darn proud that much of her sisterhood was in attendance at yesterday’s Mad Hatter Vegan Tea Party, a unique fund-raiser thrown by the San Francisco Vegetarian Society to support its 10^th Annual World Veg Festival Weekend, coming up Oct. 3–4.

Maybe 40 or so guests squeezed into the adorable teeny-tiny Garden Room of the Secret Garden Tea House, mostly women, and almost all of them sporting fancy hats, stylish hats, silly hats—even a deep purple Dr. Seuss-style Cat-in-the-Hat hat (well, the cat wasn’t there. It must have been his human’s day to wear it).

The festive afternoon included a special menu prepared by Secret Garden with tea and vegan delights, such as scrumptious sandwiches (marinated cuke with dill; pesto and tomatoes; banana and walnut), salient savories (rice roll with basil; mini chili-lime corn-stuffed red and green peppers; curry-quinoa filled baby pitas), and smack-lipping sweets (sour-cherry-pear tart; vegan cranberry and blueberry scones; and choc-chip and sugar cookies donated by Violet Sweet Shoppe. More on them in a bit). The fare was as delicious as it sounds, which quite pleased me, since I'd just come from a social engagement where the only vegan items were the fruit salad and dry diner rolls. Thankfully, I held off until the tea party.

The Secret Tea Garden House goes vegan for a day!

Dixie Mahy, the Grande Dame of the San Francisco veg scene, recruited me to judge the Mad Hatter contest. I quickly convinced Millennium Restaurant owner Larry Wheat to be my sidekick, and Larry found the lone woman in the audience sans head-wear as the third judge, “to break the tie.” This was serious stuff. Our assignment was to pick the Most Unusual Hat, the Funniest Hat, and the Prettiest Hat. Nancy Loewen, SFVS’ vice president and a former VegNews intern (no judging bias here) was awarded the Prettiest for this over-the-top topper:

Prettiest hat winner Nancy Loewen, left, with SFVS' one-and-only Dixie Mahy

Next up was the silent auction (this was a fun(d)-raiser, recall). Shoehorned into one corner were about 20 items up for the bidding, including a two-night visit to Mendocino’s The Stanford Inn; gift certificates to such favorite restaurants as Candle 79, Herbivore, and Millennium; and an Almond Milk Chocolate Cake from San Francisco’s own Violet Sweet Shoppe. I’m happy to report that yours truly was the high bidder of this last item—surprise, surprise—which we will enjoy at today’s staff lunch. You can taste the cake along with us at our award-winning blog Café VegNews.

Vegan yums: The Violet Sweet Shoppe Almond Milk Chocolate Cake

Festive festival foodie fundraising. Is there a better way to spend a Sunday summer afternoon?