Cookies for a Cause

Who: VN Associate Editor Abigail Young

What: The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale
Where: The Streets of San Francisco, Calif.
When: June 27–28, 2009
Why: Because sometimes it's OK to take candy—or cupcakes—from strangers

The Scoop: The buzz over the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale has been growing for months now: a massive, multi-country bake sale spanning one full week, raising awareness and funds for animal causes everywhere. This past weekend, all of the planning, measuring, mixing, and oven-wrangling paid off.

The SF bake sale team, featuring VegWeb moderator Laura Beck and Melisser from The Urban Housewife, first set up shop outside Ike’s Place. They served up the entire spectrum of baked goods, from traditional apple pie to savory cardamom-spiced rolls to rich, frosted cupcakes. Let’s count the pros of frequenting the sale on Saturday: I snagged some awesome vegan baked goods, scored the best vegan meatball sub ever, and enjoyed everything on-the-spot thanks to Ike's ridiculously sunny sidewalk seating. The single con? Maybe I got a teensy bit sunburned, but that's only because it was such a gorgeous day. (Note: wear your sunscreen!) It wasn’t quite 4pm, the end of the day’s sale, and the goods were all gone. Success.

Day two transported the table to the Mission District where scones, cookies, and doughnuts were flying off the plates almost faster than they could be replenished. The show-stealer had to be the Pride doughnuts crafted by Jordan, which were literally snatched up by passers-by as soon as they hit the table.

Jordan's proud doughnuts

I helped myself to a cinnamon-sugar doughnut made by Joel, one of the volunteers, and a couple agave-sweetened bite-sized carob cookies. Yes, it was necessary to treat myself both days. It’s for a good cause, after all.

Joel and Melisser show off their goods

And speaking of causes, both sales raised $3000 combined for Animal Place and East Bay Animal Advocates. How fantastic is that?

Who could say no to that face?

According to WWVB, the low estimate for total funds raised worldwide is $25,000. Congratulations to all of the volunteers, bakers, donors, and customers who helped make the bake sale a huge hit!

A Very Veg Thanksgiving

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Abigail Young
What: Thanksgiving feasting and a tribute to The Smiths
Where: Popscene nightclub, San Francisco, Calif.
When: November 27, 2008
Why: To give veg-inspired thanks

The Scoop: Previous holidays have brought me unwanted stress, directly related to being the only vegan in my family. The inevitable, "What are you going to eat?" question arises, and my mother and I scramble to find a solution that the "traditional" folks won't be too offended by. You want to put vegetable broth in the stove-top stuffing? Blasphemy! It generally ends with a few side dishes on my plate and an internal sigh, lamenting the omnivore-crafted meal.

But this year, there were no more excuses for my whining. Being away from my Missourian family led me to host the 100-percent-vegan festivities at my cozy apartment. The dinner quickly gained RSVP’s from fellow 20-somethings seeking a home-away-from-home celebration. As a group, we decided to do it potluck-style, divvying up the dishes to alleviate any stress or financial burden. Needless to say, we went a little crazy and made more delicious food than could fit on the table.

A collaboration of compassionate cuisine

Lauren, another Missouri transplant, took an impressive made-from-scratch approach to her dishes. Her tofu potpie, candied yams, and tangerine-cranberry sorbet were phenomenal. Beca, Jersey-girl extraordinaire, brought her family-inspired classics to the table. A tasty veggie and pita bread appetizer plate with Mediterranean hummus kept us calm during prep time, while roasted asparagus with a crunchy breadcrumb topping, marinated mushrooms, and a trio of colorful roasted potatoes earned her gold stars at the table. The testosterone in the house, Ben and Jake, also fellow Midwesterners, brought fluffy, golden crescent rolls and a sweet salad made with strawberry-marinated greens and raw pecans. I whipped up my mom’s classic stuffing, VN’s famous Mac ‘n’ Cheese, a savory Celebration Roast, and the quintessential pumpkin pie. Are you hungry yet?

There was more food than should ever be consumed in one sitting, but we made a valiant effort trying—and paid for it. Luckily, we had post-gorging plans to help alleviate the food coma/calorie intake/overall bodily discomfort. In honor of our meatless feast, we headed to Popscene to dance our knees off at their 9^th Annual Meat is Murder party, a tribute to The Smiths and their leading veg man, Morrissey.

330 Ritch was already packed with an array of scene kids, aging hipsters, awkward-guys-in-the-corner, and every other label you might expect to find at an indie dance club and/or anything related to The Smiths. The DJs were spinning killer Brit pop to get everyone’s feet warmed up, and the bars were packed with people not quite comfortable enough to show off their skills pre-inebriation.

Lauren Paulk and Abigail Young ready for a night of dancing

After a few impatient dances, This Charming Band took the stage and played a short but oh-so-satisfying set of audience-requested Smiths songs. Tracks like “This Charming Man” and “Cemetery Gates” filled the room, and we danced like fiends. Every classic hit was greeted with cheers from the crowd, followed by in-sync screaming of the melancholic lyrics. Lead singer Orlando’s voice matched perfectly to the brooding Morrissey projected on the club’s video screens. If you closed your eyes, the vocal resemblance was uncanny. We also ran—or should I say danced—into Melisser, The Urban Housewife, who came out for the show. It didn’t get any better than being with veg-minded Smiths fans, shouting the lyrics to “Take Me Out” as This Charming Band closed the set.

The DJs picked up where they left off, keeping the energy too high to stand still. We continued to tear up the floor until nearly closing time, and then headed on the long trek home. While my family was dearly missed, close friends and the all-veg celebration that took their place made for one of my most memorable holidays yet.

Music Issue Launch Party Extravaganza!

Who: The VegNews Team + 250 of our closest friends
What: July+August Music Issue Launch Party
Where: The Electric Works Art Gallery in San Francisco
When: June 26, 2008
Why: Why not?

The Scoop: It was yet another historic happening for VegNews: Our first Issue Launch party. To celebrate two other premieres—our first-ever Music Issue and the doling out of our initial veg Bloggy Awards, the staff decided to throw a little party. Our capacity of 200 guests quickly grew to 250, and the waiting list was almost as large. Yes, this was one hot ticket.

Speaking of hot, Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, one of the 50 musicians featured in the July+August issue to whom we were paying homage, performed two hour-long sets of silky vocals and soft jazz, perfect for the intimate venue. Lavay and her long-time partner/keyboardist Chris Siebert, both vegan, were honored and overjoyed to be part of the festive evening. And we couldn’t have chosen a more perfect five-piece. Here's Lavay with the VN gang:


In addition to the Skillet Lickers, several other musicians from the new issue were in attendance, including The Astral Projectionist, Edge with the Dreads, members of Blammos, Cult of Sue Todd, and Zepparella. Bloggy winners who graciously graced us with their presence included Super Vegan’s Susie Cagle, The Urban Housewife’s Melissa Elliot, Vegan Talk’s Billy Amon, Vegan Yum Yum’s Lauren Ulm, and Walking the Vegan Line’s Amanda Mariano. Had so many noted veggies ever been assembled in one place in San Francisco before? We think not.

Then there was the food. And drink. And more food. And even more drink. Can you say “VegNews Rock & Roll Martini,” made with tasty ModMix? How about organic red and white from La Rocca Vineyards? The beer nuts were happy with Mateveza Yerba Mate Ale, and the prohibitionists had their fill with four choices of new Steaz sodas and two flavors of MetroMint H2O.

So much liquid refreshment was needed to wash down the ample and delectable hors d’oeuvres provided by Millennium, Herbivore, and The Usual Suspects, as well as Personal Chef Justin Lucke. All these were followed by dee-lish mini cupcakes by Sugar Beet Sweets, which were gobbled up in approximately 11 seconds. For optimal snacking, roaming candy girls delivered mini Clif Bars, Sjaak's Organic Chocolates, and Tofurky Jurky.

Other noted guests were Matt Gonzalez, former San Francisco Board of Supervisors president and current Independent Vice Presidential candidate with Ralph Nader, and New York Times #1 selling authoress Rory Freedman, who Skinny Bitched herself up from L.A. just for our party (that's her in the top photo with VN Publisher Joseph Connelly). And did we mention authors Karen Dawn (Thanking the Monkey) and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (The Joy of Vegan Baking)? If that isn’t enough, key members of the Californians for Humane Farms ballot initiative were on hand, including Jennifer Fearing, Heather Carpenter, Karin Olsson, and Nora Kramer. Oh, we also had a little silent auction to raise some much-needed funds for the campaign.

Yes, vegans know how to have fun. The gallery was packed all night, and the buzz continued far longer—though that might have been those martinis.

* * *
This night wouldn't have been anything like the success that it was without our dedicated, tireless volunteers, all of whom were rock stars in their own right. Thank you!

The staff of VegNews would like to thank Noah Lang and the very accommodating staff of The Electric Works for opening their doors to VegNews. Will we be back? You betcha!

Magical Mystery Tour

Who: VN Managing Editor + her partner in crime, Jeff Rogers
What: A bio-diesel bus tour, courtesy of V Restaurant
When: Sunday, May 18
Why: To scout locations for this veg restaurant-in-the-works
Where: The Mission and Potrero districts, San Francisco
Why: Because this great idea needs a home!

The Scoop: As a magazine editor, I get invited to my fair share of interesting events, but never had I been invited to take a biodiesel bus tour through the streets of San Francisco with a motley bunch of strangers--until now. Hosting this event were Emory Etheridge and Jefferson McCarley (that's them above) the two men behind V Restaurant. Their joint vision is to create the world's greenest restaurant. Right now, it's just a great idea, but they've got passion and drive, so fingers crossed for a late-2008 launch. But first, they've gotta find digs. Hence the tour.

Our meeting spot was a side street in the heart of the Mission. Stepping onto the bus, we got a warm welcome from Peter Jungclaussen, aka the Teacher with the Bus. (When he's not taking folks like us on urban tours, he's taking school kids on fun field trips.) Next, we were met by Emory and Jefferson, two charming, affable chaps who became even more endearing once they handed us a glass of organic wine and asked us to make ourselves at home while we waited for other guests to arrive.

Looking toward the back of the bus, I spied a familiar face: The Urban Housewife herself, Melissa Elliot! I'd met her a month or so earlier at another event, and had recently interviewed her for an upcoming feature in VegNews. Turns out Melisser, as she is known in the blogosphere, has been tapped to create the house sweets for V Restaurant. (She recently started her own custom baking company, Sugar Beat Sweets.) Very interesting. Even more interesting is that in her hands was a tray of some tasty-looking confections. This evening was improving steadily!

With wine in hand and thoughts of cupcakes doing cartwheels in my mind, I took a seat and started chatting with an interesting young woman named AnnaLise Hoopes (that's her, below). I learned she just moved to the SF Bay Area after earning her masters in education at Harvard, and that her passion is humane education. Her companion that evening was a fellow known as The Vegan Avenger, whom she met at last November's SF Green Festival. I met him there too, but never would've recognized him without his costume. Goodness, it's a small world!

Just after 6pm, Peter revved up the bus' engine and off we went. For about 2 minutes. We had to pull over because two guests--one of which was Josh Levine, the brilliant fellow behind Peoples Donuts--were jogging behind us, breathless, trying to flag us down. Oops! Okay: finally we were off, and 'round and 'round the 'hood we went. Along the way, Jefferson, our tour guide and MC for the evening, pointed out various points of interest, including potential restaurant spaces, other veg and non-veg businesses that are thriving in the community, and local landmarks. Finally, we headed off to Portrero Hill, passing the newest Whole Foods before making our final stop at Potrero Hill Community Garden, where we dined on chocolate-dipped strawberries, Tangerine Dreamsicle mini-cupcakes, and Chocolate Peanut Butter whoopie pies. It's amazing we didn't slip into a collective and spontaneous diabetic coma. It'd have been worth it, though!

Here's hoping Emory and Jefferson make their restaurant dream a reality. Because San Francisco--and the world, for that matter--could definitely use one more veg restaurant. We're rooting for you, guys!