Farm Sanctuary 25th Anniversary Gala

Who: VN Contributor, Jasmin Singer

What: Farm Sanctuary’s 25th Anniversary Gala

Where: Cipriani Wall Street, NYC

When: May 14, 2011

Why: Because Farm Sanctuary is the best place on earth

The Scoop: Everyone was dressed to the nines last Saturday night at the über chic Cipriani Wall Street in New York City for the much-anticipated 25th Anniversary Farm Sanctuary Gala. Co-founder Gene Baur was greeted with cheers as he reported that the number of animals killed in the US for food is going down. This hopeful tidbit was just one of the many moments that garnered enthusiastic feedback from the audience of animal-loving celebrities and passionate supporters—all there to celebrate the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization.

Gene Baur presenting awards

Way back in 1986, one lucky little sheep, Hilda, was lifted off a “dead pile” and given a second chance. At that same moment, a sanctuary, and a movement, were born. Since then, slowly but surely, awareness has risen about the horrors of animal production, largely due to the work of Farm Sanctuary, whose most recent campaign, Plate to Planet, explores the major role that animal agribusiness plays in environmental destruction. Twenty-five years after Hilda’s rescue, Farm Sanctuary provides refuge for hundreds of rescued farm animals at two bustling shelters—one in Watkins Glen, NY, and the other in Orland, Calif.

Celebrity guests were quick to point to Farm Sanctuary’s central role in spreading awareness. According to bestselling author of Veganist, Kathy Freston, the sanctuary movement can change lives. “When you get close up and you see their personalities and their individual characteristics—and their really adorable, hilarious traits—you fall in love with them,” she told me. “And then the next inevitable step is that you don’t want to eat them.”

Me with the lovely Kathy Freston

Indeed, Emmy Award-winning comedienne, Carol Leifer, credited her lightbulb moment to a visit to an animal sanctuary. “I was in the dark,” she said. “I had no idea about the suffering of farm animals. So I took baby steps, but I’m proud to say that a year later, I became vegan.”

Me with funny lady Carol Leifer

Simone Reyes, Russell Simmons' right-hand gal, told me, “Farm Sanctuary is a pioneer in animal rescue. They started a trend of rescuing animals when nobody else was even thinking about it.” Actress Ally Sheedy agreed. “Their educational outreach has been outstanding. People now know what the phrase ‘factory farming’ means.”

Simone Reyes smiling for the camera

As guests dined on the gourmet vegan dinner provided in part by Field Roast, awards were presented to leaders in the movement, including attorney David Wolfson, who offered a touching speech looking back on the ever-changing role that law plays in farm animal reform. Other recipients included Field Roast’s David Lee (whose award was presented by Best Actor Oscar Nominee, Jesse Eisenberg), and Farm Sanctuary’s own shelter director, Susie Coston.

Jesse Eisenberg presenting David Lee's award

Danielle Konya, creator of Vegan Treats and soon-to-be star of her own reality show for Animal Planet, not only provided the outstanding and artistic desserts, but was followed by a camera crew filming her every move. “It’s always good to come back to the face of why I do this bakery,” Konya told me, her camera crew close at hand. “It gets me re-inspired and excited all over again.”

The drool-inducing Vegan Treats table!

Hosts Wendie Malick and Fred Willard kept the event moving with their humor and charm. As Willard told me, his compassion for animals has been a lifelong driving force. “I’ve always felt that animals should be treated kindly. Even when I was a little child, I thought it was important to take care of an animal who was suffering. And I could never understand some people’s cruelty to animals.”

Hosts Wendie Malick and Fred Willard

Most notable perhaps was the palpable sense of hope in the air. Jane Velez-Mitchell—host of HLN’s Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell—put it best, “We’re at a crucial turning point. Things are unbelievably different than they were even five years ago. There’s an acceptance of this as a legitimate movement all across the country. We’re not fringe anymore. We’re mainstream.”

Jane Velez-Mitchell and moi

When asked what’s next for Farm Sanctuary, Gene Baur didn’t flinch. “We’re going to continue rescuing and caring for animals, encouraging people to reshape their relationship with them towards compassion, and away from cruelty and disrespect,” he said, understanding that as far as the movement has come, there’s still a long road ahead when it comes to ending animal cruelty. “It’s an ongoing process.”

NYC Tour 2011

Who: VN Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria

What: An East Coast Jaunt

Where: Brooklyn & Woodstock, NY

When: April 28–May 2, 2011

Why: Because New York is there!

The Scoop: I lived in NYC for two years during grad school, and after this little trip, I can't fathom why I left. New York (especially in the springtime), is phenomenal. With the excuse of a friend's wedding and a long weekend, I recently returned to my erstwhile home for a few days of friends, food, and farm animals. 

Bekah officially thumbs up Lula's

My first stop this trip was Lula's Sweet Apothecary. Holy freaking crap. Not only is this LES institution just about as cute as can possibly be, but let's talk about the ice cream. My nearly vegan and highly awesome friend Bekah Brunstetter (who was kind enough to host me), said that the towering sundae we ordered of Rocky Road and strawberry ice cream topped with hot fudge, coconut whipped cream, roasted peanuts, and, of course, a cherry, was better than dairy ice cream. Take that, dairy!

After feasting on said sundae, we tooled around town, and that evening I saw Bekah's latest play, Be A Good Little Widow, which was fantastic. Even The New York Times thinks so! Flowers were in bloom all through the city, the weather was gently warm and not yet the sticky heat of summer (which I actually love), and there was more eating to do! After the play we headed back to Brooklyn, and dined with The Discerning Brute himself, Joshua Katcher, at Vinnie's Pizzeria. Um, again, holy crap. The pie was enormous, delicious, and covered in Daiya, vegan sausage and pepperoni, mushrooms, and broccoli. The four of us who ate it had our work cut out!

Pie a la Vinnie's

The next morning was serious business. Let's talk for a moment about Champs. All I can say is go-lly. I could have probably eaten every single meal here and been totally fine, and I think I made a total of six or so visits here during the weekend. Lemme just say: SCONES! Really, really, really good vegan scones. Pictured below are the strawberry cream cheese and chocolate chip walnut flavors. I love scones, and these were perfection. Champs also offers extremely wonderful black-and-white cookies, bear claws, and a variety of sandwiches. On weekends, you can also score Dun-Well Doughuts there, and score I did. Though I ate them too quickly to snap pictures, the coconut and chocolate with peanuts flavors were both delicious.

Champs' scone perfection

After Champs, it was off to Woodstock to visit Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. It had been an unacceptably long time since I was last at a sanctuary, and this place was fantastic. I fell head over heels for Dylan the cow, and loved the way these big, sleepy pigs nestled into their comfy straw beds. 

Pig pile!

Altogether the trip was amazing, and I'll now begin working non-stop on establishing an east coast branch of VN, preferably one located in Champs and Lula's, simultaneously.

Vegas Goes Vegan

Who: VN Las Vegas Correspondent, Blair Stirek

What: Viva Las Vegan! at Vegas Uncork'd

Where: The Encore hotel in Las Vegas, NV

When: May 7, 2011

Why: To experience an all-vegan culinary showcase with some of the nation's top mainstream chefs.

The Scoop: As a long-time resident of Las Vegas, I can say that it's not the most veg-friendly city. So when I first heard about the Viva Las Vegan! event to be held at the very-fancy Encore hotel, I was ecstatic. I’ve never attended a public event in Vegas where I don’t have to constantly ask “what’s in this?” So when VegNews asked me to cover the event, I couldn't say yes fast enough and enthusiastically awaited the big day.

For a bit of background, Viva Las Vegan! is part of the Bon Appétit magazine-sponsored Vegas Uncorked, a who's-who gathering of top chefs around the country who take over the city to cook, eat, and schmooze. Steve Wynn, a successful Vegas hotelier, is a passionate vegan and arranged to host a Saturday afternoon event to showcase meat-free cuisine. Joined by celebrity vegan chef Tal Ronnen and a handful of five-star chefs, the goal was to educate the industry on how delicious and cutting edge vegan cuisine is.

Hotelier Steve Wynn takes the stage at Viva Las Vegan!

As attendees entered the Beethoven Room at Wynn's Encore hotel, we were greeted with cosmopolitan cocktails and glasses of sangria. I immediately started chatting with Cupcake Wars' winner and owner of Sticky Fingers, Doron Petersan, and the Humane Society of the United States' Director of Online Communications, Grace Markarian. Both mentioned their love for VegNews, so I was even more proud to be representing the publication at this first-of-its-kind event.

 HSUS' Grace Markarian and Sticky Fingers' Doron Petersan

Soon, Steve Wynn took the stage. I couldn't help thinking to myself, "This is Steve Wynn! Of the Wynn hotel! Oh, and he also owns the Encore. No big deal." But then my thoughts switched to how this man single-handedly has the ability to turn Vegas into a veg paradise. He shared how he went vegan (a friend gave him a copy of the film, Eating, while yachting in St. Tropez), how he's educating his 15,000 employees about veganism (by giving them all copies of the video), and how he is now offering completely vegan menus at all of his Vegas restaurants (including Botero, Lakeside, Society Café, Stratta, SW Steakhouse, and Wazuzu). His co-host, Ronnen—celebrity chef to Oprah Winfrey and author of the best-selling, The Conscious Cook—then took the stage. Ronnen has been hired by Encore to work with Wynn's restaurant chefs to help create the vegan menus. Then it was time to eat!

Six of Wynn's restaurants were in attendance, and each offered at least two dishes. I sampled pasta and clams (garganelle pasta in a kombu broth with broccoli rabe, sweet peppers, and oyster mushrooms) from Botero, roasted tomato bisque and a tomato salad with cashew cheese from Society Café, Crispy Gardein Milanese with arugula, fennel, and marinated tomatoes from Stratta, vegan clam chowder (a cashew cream base with smoked oyster mushrooms) from Lakeside, and veggie dim sum and sushi from Wazuzu. The dessert stations offered up "peaches and cream" with a crunchy peach cylinder, sangria-soaked peaches, and a citrus-soy rice cream, along with a classic carrot cake with pineapple marmalade and walnut tuile cookie. I finally found heaven in Vegas.

The incredible vegan clam chowder by Chef David Walzog of Lakeside

The beautiful (and delicious) chopped market salad by Chef Kim Canteenwalla of Society Café

And there's more! All of the chefs demonstrated how to make each of the dishes, and the guests received recipe cards for each dish to take home.

Vegas is quickly changing, and I encourage all VN readers to visit this budding vegan paradise. I'll be attending Vegans in Vegas in two weeks, and I hope to meet you there!

The perfect ending to a perfect day: a classic carrot cake by Chef Kimberly Valdez of SW Steakhouse

Four Events in Five Days

Who: VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland
What: The Maggie Awards, a VegNews Vacation Reunion, a Restaurant Review, and a Film Screening
Where: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Campbell, Calif.
When: April 29–May 3, 2011
Why: A week in the life of a magazine publisher!

The Scoop: Being the publisher of a vegan magazine definitely has its benefits. Although our pace never seems to slow down and the workload continues to grow (I thought this was supposed to get easier?), we have an opportunity to attend all kinds of events and constantly meet interesting and inspirational people. In the last week alone, I attended one of the largest magazine award shows in the country, lunched with one of our VegNews Vacations guests at LA's Veggie Grill,  hit up a brand-new veg restaurant in San Francisco, and attended a film screening of a documentary that has huge potential to change the way people think about food and their health.

Last Friday, VN publisher Joseph Connelly and I made our annual trek to Los Angeles for one of the big industry award shows, The Maggies. We dined with the creative directors of Mother Jones and Yoga Journal (both based in San Francisco), ate some pretty decent vegan food (it's the Westin, but the meal was quite good this year!), met lots of people in the magazine world, and took part in a very entertaining awards program. Thankfully, Mother Jones, Yoga Journal, and VegNews all took home Maggie awards (including one for Best Magazine eNewsletter), so the spirits were high at our table of 10. Congratulations to all of our fellow publishers and award winners.

Tim of Mother Jones, Charli of Yoga Journal, Joseph of VegNews, and me at the Maggie Awards

Last year, we launched VegNews Vacations and have now been to India twice with VegNews readers. The trips are nothing short of fantastic, and one of the benefits is that we have made a lot of new friends from around the country. We've had several reunions from both journeys, and we met up with the lovely Brenda from Redondo Beach (VegNews Great Adventure to India 2010) this past Saturday for lunch at the newest Veggie Grill location in Torrance. We reminisced about the trip, talked about her new Etsy store, and ate a delicious array of food: buffalo wings with barbecue sauce and ranch dressing, the Santa Fe Crispy Chick'n sandwich, Papa's Portobello burger, the (best-ever) All Hail Kale salad, the mac 'n' cheese, and sweet potato fries. Yes, it was a good lunch, and, yes, we were full for the next 24 hours.

VegNews Vacation reunion at Veggie Grill! Me, Brenda, and Joseph

When our appetites finally returned, we were back in San Francisco and ready to try out the city's newest vegetarian restaurant. The Source, owned by former New Yorkers (and brothers) Andrew and Mitchell Fox. The restaurant bills itself as a "multi-dimensional dining experience," and we were impressed. The space is modern, the food is innovative, and the menu has something for everyone. We loved the Mushroom Onion Swiss Burger (served with cashew cheese and wrapped in a house-made flat bread) and the Almond Joy smoothie (freshly made cashew milk whirled with raw chocolate, coconut, and almonds). All of the pizzas and breads are made in the restaurant's brick oven, and a variety of juices, elixirs, lattes, and shakes are on offer to wash it all down. We are excited to welcome The Source to the San Francisco veg dining scene.

Overstuffed mushroom onion burger with cashew cheese and French fries, I love you

And to cap off the four events in five days, I headed down to Campbell on Tuesday night with Joseph for the Northern California premier of the the new film, Forks Over Knives. Joseph was on the post-film discussion panel along with The Engine 2 Diet author Rip Esselstyn and San Francisco Vegetarian Society President Dixie Mahy, and we hadn't seen the documentary since its latest round of editing. Whole Foods sponsored the event, the 200+ seat theater was packed, and the audience was very moved by the film. In essence, the documentary examines the relationship between what America eats (excessive animal products) and how sick we are (diabetes, cancer, and heart disease), and has enormous potential for reaching the masses. In fact, I predict that it will be nominated for an Academy Award. Forks Over Knives opens in theaters this weekend in New York and Los Angeles, and rolls out across the country throughout the month. Tell everyone you know!

The line formed early for the Forks Over Knives screening in Campbell

Berkeley Vegan Earth Day

Who: VN Associate Editor Jennifer Chen
What: Berkeley Vegan Earth Day
Where: Berkeley, Calif.
When: April 22, 2011
Why: To celebrate Earth Day with fellow vegans.

The Scoop: Minutes after moving to Berkeley with my husband, yellow lab, and three-legged cat, I knew I had made the right decision. Not only are there vegan cinnamon buns (Cinnaholic, I heart you), there is a vegan charcuterie platter at Gather that will make you squeal. Even better, Berkeley just hosted its very first Vegan Earth Day at the University of California Berkeley, an event that combined environmentalism with veganism. Karine Brighten of Karine Brighten Events produced the evening with co-sponsors Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy, which included a screening of the documentary, Call of Life, a panel discussion, and a reception catered by Millennium and Local Love.

Moments before the screening. Photo: Whitney Lauritsen. 

The film was eye-opening to say the least. The producers interviewed several university science professors from UC Berkeley, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and other schools about the growing threat to the Earth's life systems and how all species are interconnected. The film warns that factors such as over-consumption of meat, global warming, and deforestation are killing more species than ever before. A fascinating fact that I didn't realize is that when salmon travel back and forth from their breeding grounds, they carry important essential elements that helps the bears that eat them and the surrounding trees survive.

After the screening, four panelists—Hope Bohanec (In Defense of Animals), David Vlansey (Call of Life executive producer), Lauren Ornelas (Food Empowerment Project), and Alex Eaves (Stay Vocal)—spoke about veganism, the environment, food choices, and even how T-shirts can be an environmental hazard. Eaves shared a personal story of how he used to collect T-shirts at an alarming rate. He wore a different T-shirt every day from his collection and it took him more than a year before he went through all of them. After discovering how much waste is made just from making T-shirts (about 400 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make just one brand new T-shirt), he launched the clothing company Stay Vocal that is 100-percent reused attire.

Sushi provided by Local Love. Photo: Whitney Lauritsen. 

After the discussion and Q&A moderated by Rose Aguilar, host of local radio show Your Call, we were invited to a small reception and venue area to meet local vendors and organizations. My husband Brendan and I snacked on a new vegan nacho cheese from Nacheez and ate some tasty appetizers from Millennium while perusing the booths. The reception was jam-packed—you know how much vegans love food—and there were tons of happy vegan chatting it up and getting to know each other. Whitney Lauritsen, aka Eco-Vegan Gal, was the event photographer and documented the whole evening beautifully. After we left Brendan and I were still talking about the film and how we would re-think our consumer choices. We're both so happy that we moved to Berkeley, and I'm really looking forward to Berkeley Vegan Earth Day next year.

Date Night Dining

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Alexandra Chang
What: Happy Hour at Dash Café and Dinner at Asqew Grill
Where: San Francisco, Calif.
When: April 19, 2011
Why: To go out and have a relaxing time with the boyfriend, while eating plenty of delicious vegan fare.

The Scoop: After moving in with my boyfriend we started spending the majority of our time at home, which is hardly a problem. But getting out is important too (at least this is what people tell me), so I decided to take advantage of our local café’s weekday happy hour. VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig also recently gave me two meal tickets to Asqew Grill, turning my evening into a complete date night extravaganza.

While parking myself on my couch in front of the TV is great respite from a day’s work, there is nothing quite as relaxing and refreshing as grabbing a drink and snacks for discounted dollars. We headed to Dash Café, which recently started carrying vegan cupcakes (pictured below), cookies, and coffee cake*. For happy hour, the appetizers go for $4 and the wine and beer is a dollar off. To top it all off, the staff is friendly, the décor is cute, and the vibe is just the right amount of casual. Granted there were UCSF medical students studying nearby as we chatted away, but they didn’t seem to mind. Or at least they didn’t glare. We ended up ordering a plate of deliciously seasoned fries, a beer, and a vegan chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting to share. Dessert before dinner is always OK in my book.

Vegan cupcakes and cookies at Dash Caf

é

Enjoying some fries and beer

After filling up on all the necessities (sugar, salt, booze), we took a pleasant 20-minute walk to Asqew Grill in the Haight. I had never noticed, let alone been to, the restaurant tucked away between clothing shops. As soon as we stepped inside, however, I felt immediately comfortable. The whole place has a Western feel with a touch of SF quirk. A giant wooden menu is complemented with lopsidedly hanged photos and awards, all lit under vintage lighting fixtures. For dinner I ordered one seasonal vegetable skewer, which included slices of squash, zuchinni, tomato wedges, broccoli, and button mushrooms, and one portabello mushroom skewer. Every order also comes with a side or salad. The restaurant has three vegan options: citrus cous cous, coconut cilantro jasmine rice, and organic baby green salad. I went with the cous cous and ended up enjoying a very delicious meal!

The skewers over cous cous!

With a satisfied appetite, we took the walk back home. Either the food had gotten to us or we were just plain tired, but it took us nearly twice as much time. We meandered through UCSF, went up and down stairs around deserted medical buildings, admired views of city lights, until finally we reached the comfort of yes, our couch and TV. All in all, the night was a success, and we’ll be trying to go out more often than not.

*Dash Café says that they will only continue carrying vegan pastries if they sell well. So if you live in the area, get over to the Inner Sunset and show them how much vegans love sweets!

Adventures in the Inner Sunset

Who: VN Office Manager and VN Editorial Assistant Alexandra Chang

What: The Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair and lunch at Loving Hut

Where: The Inner Sunset, San Francisco, Calif.

When: April 10, 2011

Why: To get a break from the bustling Tenderloin, and check out some cool books!

The Scoop: I have now been a resident of the historical Tenderloin neighborhood for more than a year, and let's just say that I have many stories from this eclectic part of San Francisco. I've also been spending a lot of time at home lately, if I'm not at work, and I personally haven't been to the Sunset in months. When I heard about the Anarchist Book Fair taking place in the Golden Gate Park, I decided it was a good time to venture out, and meet up with my friend and co-worker Alexandra to check it out.

Checking out AK Press' awesome selection.

It was a lovely day, so I decided to ride my bike, and although I made a few wrong turns, I made it to Alexandra's humble abode in good time. We then set out to the book fair, which took place at the same location as the World Veg Day Festival, which usually takes place at the beginning of October. There were plenty of books for fair prices, which always makes me happy, and Alexandra and I took our time scoping out each booth. Our favorites were the booths of PM Press, AK Press, and Food Not Bombs, but all the booths were great, and offered good selections.

Alexandra with her fun purchase.

Hunger eventually got the best of us, and unfortunately there was not food at the book fair, so we decided to head out into the Inner Sunset for a late lunch. After much deliberation, we finally decided upon Loving Hut, because neither of us had been to the one in the Sunset before, and they were voted the 2010 VegNews Readers' Favorite Restaurant, so why not give it a try? Everything was good, but our favorite was our appetizer, which was the Ocean Basket. It was a fried basket of yam shrimp, mushrooms, seaweed fillet, green beans, served with a dill and Vegenaise sauce. It definitely hit the spot!

Loving Hut's Ocean Basket.

However, we were not yet satisfied, and longed for dessert. I have been dying to try Holy Gelato! for some time now, which serves up to 12 flavors of vegan gelato on a daily basis. There was no stopping me, so we were off to this sweet spot, and once we stepped through the doors, I was in heaven. How have I not been here before? There were so many flavors, and I wanted to try them all, but I finally chose the Mint Cookie and Charlie Brown's Nightmare served in a waffle cone. It was so good that I gobbled it up before taking a photo—so sorry! Alexandra opted for a warmer dessert, and grabbed a vegan cupcake and a tea from a nearby café.

After a day's worth of adventure, we walked back to Alexandra's house, and we said our goodbyes. Luckily, much of my bike ride home was downhill, and I arrived back in the Tenderloin in record time, feeling refreshed. I love my crazy neighborhood, but sometimes it feels great to get out—even for a little while.

Sneak Preview of Animal Place Sanctuary

Who: VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland

What: Sneak Preview of Animal Place sanctuary

Where: Grass Valley, Calif.

When: April 3, 2011

Why: To connect with animals while hanging with friends

The Scoop: A weekend away can do wonders for the soul. I love to escape to Santa Cruz, Mendocino, or anywhere where I can relax, eat great food, and connect with nature. My dear friend Allison Rivers Samson (the founder of Allison's Gourmet) invited me to her home in Nevada City, Calif., to spend the weekend with her family, and I jumped at the opportunity. Two days of balmy weather, strolls through the quaint Gold Rush town, long chats with Allison and her husband, and the company of their adorable four-year-old vegan daughter? I'm in. As if the weekend couldn't get any better, we spent Sunday afternoon getting a pre-season peek of one of the country's largest animal sanctuaries, Animal Place.

Rescued chickens and turkeys roam free at Animal Place.

Having moved to its new location just last year, the picturesque 600-acre farm is dotted with rolling hills, peaceful meadows, big red barns, and hundreds of rescued animals. We frolicked with rabbits, rubbed pigs' bellies, chatted with chickens, and waddled with turkeys. Their stories are heart-wrenching—whether victims of research labs, slaughterhouses, or hoarders—but the animals find life and hope again at Animal Place. They learn to trust, they bond to new animal friends, and they are free to walk, spread their wings, and live out their natural lives in peace.

Pigs are extremely affectionate and can't get enough belly rubs!

Animal Place Co-founder Kim Sturla and her team are working fast and furiously to prepare the sanctuary for visitors (of both the two-legged and four-legged variety). The property, a former cattle ranch, is being transformed into a beautiful haven for rescued animals which will also feature guest houses, an education center, and an extremely impressive four-acre veganic garden. Visitors will be able to tour the grounds, take a cooking class, volunteer, or stay the night. It's a true escape for everyone involved, and when the sanctuary opens again for visitors (most likely this summer), book a trip to this heavenly spot in the Sierra foothills. Nothing feeds the soul more than looking into the eyes of an animal who has a second chance at life.

Allison, Kim, and Colleen enjoy the lush surroundings at the sanctuary.

P.S. Grass Valley and Nevada City offer plenty of veg options, but our favorite is the family-run raw-food café, The Fix. We savored a portobello burger and raw sushi, along with coconut-ginger-lime milkshakes. Don't miss it!

Dining at Darbster

Who: VN Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria

What: Refueling between tanning sessions in Florida

Where: Darbster, West Palm Beach, Fla.

When: February 27, 2011

Why: To try a restaurant I've read so much about!

The Scoop: I recently had the very good fortune of attending the engagement party of one Stephanie Katcher. Yes, she's of the Joshua and Joelle Katchers, which means that I not only got the chance to celebrate her engagement (congrats Stephanie and Brad!), but got to see two good friends and meet their phenomenal parents, Michael and Cindy. Oh, and did I mention that all this family fun took place in Florida, aka a place where they have warm sun and beaches and pools and lawns and other places to sun yourself like a lizard, which is my absolute favorite thing in the world?!

Two cute Katchers: Stephanie, the bride-to-be, and Joshua

The trip was spectacular, to say the least, and not least of it was our evening at Darbster. After Joelle's review (read it here), I'd been dying to try this East Coast gem, and we headed there with all possible haste. From the review, I knew I needed to try the Palm Cakes (faux crab cakes made with hearts of palm) and sliders, both of which were totally delicious. As can sometimes happen when I visit a new restaurant, I might have gotten a teeny bit over-excited, and ordered just about everything on the menu. All in all, the four people of our party tried the mac and cheese, sliders, palm cakes, miso soup, kale salad, tempeh Reuben, Chick'n Parmesan, chocolate mousse, and an insane s'mores cheesecake. Hey! It takes a lot of energy to soak up sun!

The signature palm cakes

The food was great, and we even got to meet the executive chef, Seth, and owners Allan and Ellen. All three were really lovely; we couldn't have asked for better hosts. We did learn from Seth that we'd missed brunch that morning, about which we were all pretty bummed. The bright side? Now we have one more reason to head back to sunny Florida!

"Vegan's Daily Companion" Premiere Party

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly

What: Launching yet another book by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau!

Where: Millennium Restaurant, San Francisco, Calif.

When: Sunday, March 20, 2011

Why: To celebrate the Great American Meatout and Colleen's latest book

The Scoop: As if one needs a special reason or two to trek to San Francisco's Millennium Restaurant at the end of a long, rainy weekend! Last Sunday was, of course, the 26th celebration of The Great American Meatout, started by FARM way back in the decade of big hair and spandex when most of you were busy being born. VN columnist and author extraordinaire Colleen Patrick-Goudreau picked the quite appropriate day to debut her latest book, Vegan's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Inspiration for Cooking, Eating, and Living Compassionately. That's like a mini-Meatout, every day.

A full house packed into Millennium's stately wine room, enjoying passed hors d'oeurves that were over-the-top delicious and scooped up before you could stammer, "Pass the hors d'oeurves." And exactly what tiny tasty temptations were served? How about Yuba Spring Rolls? Can you say Black Eyed Pea Fritters? Maybe some Beet Tartar? And don't forget the Sea Vegetables with Avocado. Hey, don't take my word for it; taste for yourself...

From miso-glazed tempeh w/ coconut-peanut sauce skewers (top)

to a beet tartare (above),

the appetizers were astoundingly good.

Next up was the woman of the hour. Colleen spoke about how Daily Companion came to be, read a few excerpts, and posed for many photos with her legion of fans. After three cookbooks in as many years, Daily Companion is a new direction for Goudreau, the first book to show her skills outside the kitchen, a side that followers of her Vegetarian Food for Thought podcast already know well. And up next is The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, which hits bookstore this August.

Author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau models her four books.

After Colleen's talk many of us stayed on chatting, catching up, and nibbling a few of the delicious desserts that somehow materialized right before our very eyes. Yours truly even plated up this array for CPG, fearing that by the time she got to the sweet table, only crumbs would remain. Yes, I'm that type of guy.

Four delicious desserts rounded out the night.

OK. Now go out and buy a copy of Vegan's Daily Companion. Where else can you find inspiring stories, photography, recipes, and much more every day of the year for $20. Well, two places. You can get a subscription to VegNews, and supplement it with a steady dose of VDC from CPG. We both encourage you to eat kale on Mondays.

Genesis Awards 2011

Who: VN Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria and VN Associate Editor Jennifer Chen

What: The Humane Society of the United States' annual awards ceremony for the media and entertainment industry

Where: The Century Plaza, Los Angeles, Calif.

When: Saturday, March 19, 2011

Why: To celebrate reporters, entertainers, and animal advocates who keep animal issues in the media spotlight

The Scoop: Twenty-five years ago, former Broadway actress and animal-activist Gretchen Wyler founded the Genesis Awards. At the time, a few awards were given out. Now, the awards have grown to include feature films, reality TV, talk shows, and TV news. The Genesis Awards honors journalists, media, and entertainers who lend their creative skills, celebrity status, and hard work toward awareness of animal issues. It's hard to believe that this phenomenal evening of star power has already been around for a quarter century, and even harder to believe that there was ever a time when it didn't exist.

It was my first time attending, and I was so excited to meet some of my favorite animal advocates, particularly Genesis award-nominee Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog. Stilwell is a staunch supporter of animal shelters and adopting rather than buying a companion animal, which is a cause close to my heart.

Davis, accepting her Wyler award

Top winners of the night include former Sex & the City star Kristin Davis, who was honored with the prestigious Wyler award (named after Genesis Awards founder, Gretchen Wyler) for bringing media attention to the plight of orphaned baby African elephants who are abandoned after their parents are poached for their ivory tusks. Davis graciously thanked the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for its work on behalf of elephants, including caring for a 250-pound baby elephant Davis and her friend rescued while on safari in South Africa. Other winners include HBO's True Blood for their dog-fighting storyline (dog star Dusty made a special guest appearance on stage), How to Train Your Dragon for feature film (to which supervising animator Gabe Hordos, credited his adopted cat for helping him create such a lovable dragon), and the The Oprah Winfrey Show for a show covering dolphin slaughter. Stephen Colbert gave a tongue-in-cheek virtual acceptance speech for winning the Sid Caesar Comedy Award for a segment on bull-fighting. He quipped, "I want to thank you for this honor and also congratulate you for honoring me."

While most of the animal segments covered upsetting issues like puppy mills, factory farms, horse slaughter, and other forms of inhumane treatment, I was thrilled to see wonderful advocates being honored from local news reporters to top stars like Davis. Presenters included the ever-lovely and vegan Emily Deschanel, Tricia Helfer, Betty White, James Cromwell, and Ed Asner. It was a treat to meet HSUS President Wayne Pacelle, hard-working HSUS directors, and fellow animal advocates.

The delicious main course we wish we were still eating.

Our vegan meal was prepared by vegan celebrity chef Tal Ronnen and our main entrée featured chantrelle-dusted Gardein chicken, broccolini, and chantrelle-stuffed ravioli topped in a beurre blanc sauce. We nearly died. A fantastic after-party featured a silent auction benefitting HSUS, and I was fortunate enough to win my bid on a gorgeous olive green Vaute Couture coat. A veritable vegan spread awaited us with cupcakes, quesadillas, even Tofutti cream cheese-stuffed jalapeño poppers. Elizabeth and I chatted with Brendan Brazier, Carolyn Scott-Hamilton, the gals at Compassion Over Killing, and Gardein's R&D chef, Jason Stefanko.

Animal Planet will air the awards ceremony on April 30 at 7pm EST/PST with an encore on May 1. Pacelle sums up the night the best when he said, "At the end of the day, I'm hopeful because ... there are millions of others who share our passion." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Don't miss our photo gallery from the glitzy evening, and you can see the official photos from HSUS on Flickr.

Kristin Davis photo courtesy of HSUS/Tim Long/Long Photography

A Jeffrey Masson book in the Making

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly

What: A Gathering of Savvy People

Where: El Cerrito, Calif.

When: Thursday, March 17, 2011

Why: To brainstorm author Jeffrey Masson's future book project

The Scoop: If this Press Pass blog has an ideal entry, it would be to boldly go where few vegans have gone before, then take you inside. "Out & about with the VegNews editors," with a twist of exclusivity. Last Thursday, a dozen invited movers and shakers, including a neuroscientist, a lawyer, an award-winning writer, and a non-profit exec, gathered in author and eco-feminist Marti Kheel's living room, overlooking the stunning hills of El Cerrito, Calif. The purpose? To hash out ideas and direction for prolific author Jeffrey Masson's 27th book, to be published by Bloomsbury Press (same as the Harry Potter series) in February 2012.

For two hours Masson and his 12 apostles sat in a circle, sharing delectable raw finger foods provided by our host and Café Gratitude, while debating the direction of what Masson—who turns 70 next week—says might be his last book.

Skip dinner and go for the desserts. All raw, so they don't count, right?

"Be brutal. Tell me all kinds of things," the author instructed as we discussed such varied topics as intra-species murder among non-human predators (rare, with no known example of an orca ever killing a member of his own species); the psychology of empathy in animals and apathy in humans (the direction I'd like to see the book take); and why Michael Pollan and Alice Waters dislike vegetarians (I would tell you but I don't want VegNews to get sued, though you can read about it here).

The discussion ping-ponged around the room in a cordial yet spirited manner, with many opinions offered and seemingly no conclusions drawn. But have no worries, as Masson has a proven knack for solidifying disparate concepts into reader-friendly, often best-selling prose, and the feeling in the room as the night drew to a close was one of hope and excitement for the man of the hour's next best-seller. The best title suggestion? "Are You My Other?"

For those who can't wait to read a bit of Jeff, Masson currently has two other books in the pipeline. The Dog Who Couldn't Stop Loving debuted last October and will soon be out in paperback, while Dogs Make Us Human, a photography books of canines from around the world, will be published this coming October.

I'd participated in one previous discussion for what became Masson's The Face on Your Plate, his 2009 book about veganism. Being invited to work with an author in the early stages of a project is a unique experience, one that any writer would cherish. Thanks go out to Marti Kheel, author of the excellent Nature Ethics, for hosting these events.

Jeffrey Masson, Marti Kheel, and Joseph Connelly

Natural Products Expo West 2011

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Anna Peraino and the entire VN team

What: Natural Products Expo West 2011

Where: Anaheim, Calif.

When: March 11-13, 2011

Why: To find out about this year's best new vegan products, of course!

The Scoop: I had heard what I thought were tall tales of the food, beverage, and natural product Mecca that is Expo West, but to be quite honest, I didn't believe it. Boy, was I wrong. Imagine a grocery store multiplied by 50, filled with hundreds of thousands of people, and throw in millions of skillets, slow cookers, and toothpicks, and you have Expo West. The booths were massive (So Delicious' booth was not only two stories tall but also had a Nintendio Wii), the food and drinks were never-ending (think vegan quesadillas, pizza, 10 kinds of peanut butter, and Gardein galore in just one section of one of the 50 football field-long aisles), and the people were everywhere (The Spork Girls! Jillian Michaels! Fabio!).

So Delicious' two-story booth: one of many behemoths

Most of the VegNews team flew down on Thursday afternoon, and the weekend only got crazier from there. The days were filled with taste testing new products (chocolate walnut brownie ice cream, pizza, and orange sugar-covered marshmallow Dandies were three of the thousands), picking our 2011 Best of Show winners (want to know who we picked? Make sure to check out our May+June issue!), and catching up with friends. The craziness didn't stop there: with dinners at Native Foods Café (my burger consisted of a heap of seitan, Daiya cheddar cheese, tempeh bacon, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and fried pickle chips) and The Veggie Grill, it seemed like we never stopped eating. Well, to be fair, we didn't.

Native Food Café's Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger. Be jealous.

I'd like to sign off saying it was all fun and tasting spoons, but I'd be lying. A blackout at our hotel (waking up to a room full of lights at 4am? Jarring) and a two and a half-hour delay on our way home were definitely both unexpected (and quite unwelcome), but all in all, it was an awesome and completely exhausting weekend. Want more Expo West dish? Check out our Facebook album for pics, stories, and finds!

Cupcakes for Choice

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Alexandra Chang

What: Baking, buying, and eating vegan baked goods to support Planned Parenthood!

When: Outside Mission Bicycle in San Francisco

Where: March 6, 2011

Why: Nothing's better than tasty treats for a great cause!

The Scoop: I love eating baked goods, and have yet to encounter anything too sweet for my sweet tooth. But what I love more is baking for a cause that’s other than filling my stomach. Cupcakes for Choice, organized by Laura Hooper Beck of vegansaurus.com and Robin Doolin, and supported by dozens of volunteer workers and bakers (myself included), all started because Congress voted to cut Planned Parenthood off from federal funding. Thank goodness for government checks and balances; at least now we can hope that the Senate doesn’t let this pass! In the meantime, as the Cupcakes for Choice event site notes, “we’re taking our anger and turning it into something good.” Since I know several women who don’t have health insurance and rely on organizations like Planned Parenthood for reliable healthcare, I decided to join in and spend my Sunday morning baking two-dozen cupcakes.

My beautiful (OK, I love them too much) vegan vanilla coconut cupcakes!

Sure, my kitchen got ridiculously messy and I woke up four hours earlier than I normally would, but it was completely worth it. As the boyfriend and I arrived outside Mission Bicycle on Valencia, we were greeted by rain and a smiling Laura Beck. It wasn’t exactly the weather we’d all been hoping for, but the table of baked goods was growing and looking better with every donation. A crew of UC Berkeley journalism students were also there with their cameras, ready to film the event’s every action and interview people on Planned Parenthood work and Congress’ decision. I overheard one girl saying that the House of Representatives was “turning back time and making archaic decisions.” I wholeheartedly agreed as I packed a box full of whoopie pies, doughnuts, cupcakes, and cookies—which all happened to be vegan—and handed my money over.

People buying vegan baked goods to support Planned Parenthood.

Even with the rain, people were drawn in. By the end of the four-hour bakesale, my beautiful cupcakes were gone, and Cupcakes for Choice raised a total of $1,500 for Planned Parenthood! Here’s to more events that help raise money for those who need it most!