Cinnamon Snail parked out front

Sarah Gross of Rescue Chocolate

I arrived bright and early (hey, noon is pretty early on a Saturday) to the Seed‘s second annual “vegan experience” today, and what an experience it was. Many of the usual suspects were there, including Vitamix, Tasty Bite, Sea Shepherd, Mercy For Animals, and Rescue Chocolate. However, many of last year’s local vendors didn’t make an appearance this time around, such as Compassion Co., the Regal Vegan, Terri  and MooShoes (you were not missed, Yelp booth). You know who was at The Seed this year, though? Herstyler! That’s right, after stuffing your face with Dandies and Treeline Cheese, you could get your hair curled for free. Mostly, the Herstyler booth just annoyed me because they were clearly just trying to capitalize on the high concentration of women at the event. Regardless, day one of the Seed wasn’t all that bad.

After stuffing my face with the Cinnamon Snail, the lone food truck parked in front of the Seed (which surprisingly had a pretty short line), I headed upstairs for even more food, speakers and vegan product sampling. Unlike the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival or other similar vegan product expos around the country, the Seed is, well, merely a seed in comparison. If they want to hang with the big kids, they have a lot of growing to do.

The eye-roll inducing Herstyler station

There were two primary rooms with about 80 different vendors this year, and if you weren’t planning on listening to speakers or doing yoga, you could probably experience everything in about an hour. Probably not worth the $20 door price, or whatever you happened to pay for your ticket (there were numerous discounts available), especially considering the lack of free samples this year. I know, you actually had to buy food if you wanted something to eat.

But I did, and my favorite new vendor by far was NYC-based Alchemy Creamery, which sells push pops (aka “Magic Wands,” which makes me think of something else entirely) that put the Flintstones Push-Ups of my childhood to shame. They’re essentially ice cream treats with a cake layer. I tried the cherry pie flavor, which was a tart, sweet cherry ice cream with a crumbly topping that I had to throw back like a shot before eating the ice cream. I’ll admit the treat wasn’t very big for $5, but it was a nice splurge. Alchemy Creamery is a fairly new company with a few kinks to work out (they push up mechanism kind of fell apart in my hands), but offer an inventive product that’s very, very tasty. Definitely a company to keep an eye on.

Cherry pie “magic wand” from Alchemy Creamery

Other yummy foodstuffs included Vegan Bodega, which has now become a regular staple in the NYC vegan shop-up circuit, who were selling hard to find (in physical stores, at least) edibles such as Bee-Free Honee and the Vegg, and Balasia, an underground supper cub from Eastern PA, who were selling plates of wholesome looking raw eats.

Two non-food vendors that caught my interest were local companies Splice Photography, a vegan-owned business that employs vegan photographers and offers non-leather, eco-friendly photo albums, and Salon Champu, a vegan salon in the East Village that provided the hair styling for Vaute Couture’s NYFW debut.

Balasia serving up raw food

When it came to the speakers, nothing really jumped out at me today. I will say that most of the speakers seemed to be gearing their talks to omnivores, the veg-curious and vegetarians, rather than seasoned vegans.

Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan of Our Hen House offered an overzealous pep talk about their vegan journey and how going vegan really isn’t that hard. While they offered the crowd a heaping dose of positivity, I would have rather heard more about their organization and what they’re doing to further the animal rights movement.

I stopped by the demo area for chef Chloe Coscarelli‘s (the woman who made moms hip to veganism after she won Cupcake Wars on the Food Network) Q&A, but she was a no show. I wanted to stay and watch Micahel Weber, of FARM, discuss vegan advocacy, but after I overheard an attendee ask Cornelia Guest what the different between vegetarianism and veganism is, I decided it was time to call it a day.

Here’s hoping day two of The Seed is more inspiring, and has more free samples.

If you didn’t want to shell out $40 for a 2-day pass, individual tickets and weekend passes are currently discounted on The Seed’s website (add the promo code VEGAN20 for an extra 20% off). Amazon Local is also currently running a deal on tickets, as is Groupon. But apparently all the discounts are hurting more than they’re helping, because The Seed is asking for donations for this year’s event via their indiegogo campaign; they desperately need your money.

We hope to see you there, unless you plan on cutting in front of us in line for free samples.

Photo by flickr user (vincent desjardins)

SuperVegan is hiring a New York City Editor. This person will write blog posts, update our NYC events calendar, do some social media work, and help maintain the NYC Restaurant Guide.

We used to do a great job covering the NYC vegan scene. We’ve been slipping lately. But lots of people on the internet still get their NYC vegan info from us and we’d like to provide more of it, more often.

This will be a paid, very part time, contract position. The work will be erratic but regular. Potentially daily, maybe 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there, that kind of thing. The money is real but not amazing*. The ideal candidate is posting all this stuff to their own blog/social media accounts already anyway.

Other attributes of the ideal candidate include:

• Residency in and familiarity with the NYC Metro Area.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Decent self-copyediting skills (ain’t no one else gonna do it for you).
• Familiarity with popular social media platforms.
• Extensive blogging experience.
• A personality that comes through in your writing.
• Can accept editorial guidance without taking personal offense.
• Photography skills.
• Anger and optimism in equal measure.
• Online all the damn time.

(If these aren’t all true for you, we might still want you—just let us know which when you apply.)

To apply, send an e-mail to jobs@supervegan.com with:

• A note describing why you’re the best person for this job.
• A brief description of the last good NYC restaurant meal you ate.
• Links to five examples (that you’re proud of!) of your writing on the web.
• A list of three great vegan-related things that happened in NYC in 2013.
• A list of three great vegan-related things that happened in NYC in 2012.
• A list of three great vegan-related things that are happening in NYC later in 2013.
• An explanation of what makes a good SEO-optimized headline.
• Something you’re pissed-off about.
• Something you’re happy about.
• Zero attachments! We won’t look at them. And they may even disqualify your entire message.

Questions welcome via e-mail or in the comments.

*The exact amount will vary depending on how much work is taken on. But they pay will probably be at least $50/week.

From yoga classes to cooking demonstrations, to group activities and film screenings, to big-time vegan speakers, The Seed is 25,000 square feet of your vegan fix.

This year’s speakers include personalities like vegan athlete and entrepreneur Brendan Brazier, punk singer and author John Joseph, activist and Russell Simmon’s executive assistant Simone Reyes, and vegan podcasters Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan.

Exhibitors attending The Seed will include activist groups, artists and artisans, and food and product companies, including sponsors Whole Foods Market, Vitamix, and Vega.

If you want to register to attend, use discount code “vegan20″ to get 20% off the ticket price. See you there!

The Seed Experience

May 18^th and 19^th

82 Mercer Street

10:00am – 6:00pm

This event is so important and having big turnout is key—for the first time in NYC history, animals are a part of the political conversation, as horse drawn carriages and animal shelter reform are big issues in the NYC Mayor’s race.

Confirmed candidates attending are Bill de Blasio, Bill Thompson, John Liu, Sal Albanese and John Catsimatides. (Shockingly, Christine Quinn declined)

Congrats to NYCLASS for pulling this off and we hop it will be a packed hall full of NYC’s best animal advocates (including you!)

Shame on the person who left this full beer behind.

Thank YOU for hanging out and supporting Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART) at Vegan Drinks NYC on April 25th. Kisses to Fontana’s Bar for hosting and to Chickpea & Olive for feeding us!

And, extra special thanks to those organizations and individuals who made Shout Outs:

• Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART)
• Darwin Animal Doctors
• Sea Shepherd
• For Bud’s Benefit (May 3rd at the Yippie! Museum) – R.I.P, Bud.
• World Wide Vegan Bake Sale to benefit Food Not Bombs NYC (April 28th at Mooshoes)
• Ready 4 Rescue
• Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
• VeganMentors.org
• Veg Strong
• forAnima.com
• Shaia’s Hot Sauce (10 percent of net profits goes to Mercy For Animals)
• The New Luv

Cute DJ Alert: Megan Rascal!

The NEXT Vegan Drinks NYC is happening on Thursday, May 30th at Fontana’s Bar (105 Eldridge Street, Manhattan) from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Join us as we benefit VINE Sanctuary and let the world know you’re going by RSVPing at Facebook.

Do you represent an animal rights group you think should be the beneficiary of an upcoming Vegan Drinks NYC? Visit vegandrinks.org/beneficiaries to learn more about how to make that happen.

Get on our mailing list!

They promise “a vast comprehensive vegan resource” including recipes, worldwide restaurant and hotel guides, a marketplace, an excellent social network, plus all the informational resources you can shake a stick at. And they are not modest “How do we sum Bleat up? Well, Bleat isn’t just a vegan social network and it’s certainly far from just a vegan directory. Simply put, it’s a whole new way to get the absolute most from your vegan lifestyle.”

This level of boasting that sets a very high bar. Bleat is either going to be the site we’ve all been missing or a massive disappointment. I’m hoping for the former, but I carry deep within me the trauma of a internet littered with the twitching remnants of past attempts at vegan soup-to-nuts sites. (Including some past lives of SuperVegan, yes.)

The teaser site was also weirdly anonymous. No names, no sponsoring companies, just this big talk and video voiced by a guy who sounds like his next job is a toothpaste commercial. But via some gentle ribbing on Twitter, we heard back from Bleat founders Matthew Glover and Mike Dean, and they actually seem like open and communicative guys. I asked Mike a bunch of questions over e-mail and he replied right away. (Spoiler: on hearing more details, it doesn’t sound any less ambitious.)

Jason: Who are your founders? Who are your developers, designers, other Bleaters?

Mike: Bleat is a registered company, currently based in the UK. There are two Co-Founders, a guy called Matthew and myself. Matthew is a really successful business man, having grown numerous businesses from the ground up he wanted to put his business skills to best use, and was looking for a vegan/animal rights venture to get involved in. By coincidence we ended up meeting via a mutual contact. My background is that I’m a digital designer/developer/animator, having worked with a number of really big global clients, XBox, Disney etc I wanted to also put my skills to good use and about 18 months prior to meeting Matthew I had started the ground work for Bleat but didn’t really have the funds to make it happen.

So, our roles are that Matthew is the business brains, sales man, chief promoter and everything else on the business side and technically i am the creative director but i am leading a team of freelance developers that are building the site. I’ve designed the whole site and branding, with the help from a few contacts in the design industry.

There will be an about page once the site goes live so users can find out more about us and we don’t appear anonymous.

This can’t be cheap! Who are your funders? 

Mike: Matthew is funding the site fully until it is making enough money to run itself and pay for on going development. The lovely thing about Bleat is that the majority of all profits are going back into the vegan movement, be it in sponsorship, advocacy, donations or just helping out the best we can.

Jason: Will Bleat be a worldwide resource, or are you focussed on some specific regions/countries for launch?

Mike: Nope, the site is 100% global. Obviously between Matthew and I there is only so much of the country we can see, so it’s going to rely quite heavily on users uploading their little gems of local knowledge around the world, to make the site cover as much of this planet as possible. That being said, we have over 17,000 establishment entries already.

Jason: There’s at least one other site doing everything you say you’re going to do. While it’s a big internet with room for multiple players, you at Bleat must think you can do a better job. Where will you succeed that the competition’s failing?

Mike: The neat thing about Bleat is that it is the single point resource that is currently missing in the online vegan world. You’re right, there are loads of sites out there that do what we’re trying to do, sometimes even two/three of the things but nowhere that does all of them, in one place. Part of the goal with Bleat is to also bring the vegan world up to date, a lot of sites out there seem to be quite out dated in design and usability, so that’s something I’m proud to be bringing to Bleat. The site is going to be launched in Beta, it’s potentially never going to be ‘finished’, similarly to sites like Facebook, there is a never ending list of things we could do with the site, but the site is working very well from a basic functioning point of view, and is only going to get better.

Jason: Your intro video puts tremendous emphasis on the personal health benefits of veganism, with a secondary emphasis on environmental impact, and little to no mention of the interspecies ethical concerns that are the basis of veganism. What’s the thinking here? If it’s an intentional omission, is it because you think it will turn people off? Because you don’t believe in the ethical basis? Some other reason entirely? 

Mike: Great question! This is something we have considered, the absolute main aim with Bleat is to save the lives of more animals, hands down, 100%. We see this being done by creating somewhere that long term vegans can go to get what they need but also just people who are interested in finding out more can go to hopefully make a transition. We’re trying to make veganism more mainstream by making it easy for people to adopt and maintain a vegan lifestyle, then once that is reached, the lead on is that they will start being involved in more campaign/activism work, spreading the word and also creating less of a demand for animal based products.

You’re right in a way, we’re trying to appeal to the masses and through some research we have done, people already know that animals are suffering, they hear it all the time from ‘preachy vegans’ – what we’re trying to do is promote a really positive message through the site, by showing them the benefits to themselves, which in turn will help animals.

Saying that we are going to be running campaigns of our own in the future that specifically target ‘interspecies ethical concerns’.

There is so much I could talk about for this question, I hope all of that makes sense!

Jason: It does! Thanks so much. Best of luck to you guys,  and I’m much looking forward to checking out the site on May 1.

Join us THIS Thursday, April 25, from 7:00pm to 10:00pm for Vegan Drinks NYC! Find us at Fontana’s Bar, located at 105 Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side. Chickpea & Olive will be feeding your faces!

This month, we’ll be benefiting Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART). The mission of HEART is to foster compassion and respect for all living beings and the environment by educating youth and teachers in Humane Education. Stuff your dollars in the donation jar, and buy raffle tickets from HEART to win one of these great prizes: gift certificates from Lula’s Sweet Apothecary, Candle 79, Vegan Essentials, and Terri; chocolates from Rescue Chocolate; candy bars from Go Max; an item from Vaute Couture; and a Lia Sophia necklace!

Music by DJ Grand Format, DJ Megan Rascal, and DJ Jason Das!

Wanna let all your Internet friends know you’re going? RSVP on Facebook if you’re of the mindset to do so.

Have you read the new and improved Vegan Drinks FAQ? Please read it, even if you’re a regular at our event. (Really, please read it. All of it.)

We’ll turn down the music around 8:30pm and encourage people to promote themselves, their groups and/or causes for 30 seconds. If you represent a veg*n or animal rights group, come prepared with your (very short!) spiel and literature.

If you’re not already following our every move, connect with Vegan Drinks on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@vegandrinks), and join our e-mail list.

Vegan Drinks NYC is usually held the last Thursday of the month from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. Do you represent an animal rights group you think should be the beneficiary of an upcoming Vegan Drinks NYC? Visit vegandrinks.org/beneficiaries to learn more about how to make that happen.

There are quite a few bake sales scheduled in NYC that week, including one on April 28, hosted by the always wonderful folks at MooShoes. The sale will raise money for Food Not Bombs NYC, who recover and share free vegan food with the public without restriction every Sunday in Tompkins Square Park to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment.

Delicious goodies await

MooShoes will be full of all things yummy as well as information on how you can get involved with FNB.

Bakers and volunteers are still needed for this event, so please sign up!

And don’t forget to bring a bag or container to take your purchases home in (or a utensil to eat with there) to cut back on waste!

Thank YOU for hanging out and supporting Darwin Animal Doctors at Vegan Drinks NYC on March 28th. Kudos to Fontana’s Bar for hosting and to Monks Meats for feeding us!

And, extra special thanks to those organizations and individuals who made Shout Outs:

• Darwin Animal Doctors
• Mercy For Animals
• Sea Shepherd
• Goosewatch NYC
• VeganMentors.org
• National Animal Rights Day
• Dr. Ostfeld’s Cardiac Wellness Program
• MooShoes
• Veg Strong
• Plant Based Solutions
• MyVeganCookies.blog.com
• Sarah, who is looking for a roommate!
• Anna, an NYU student conducting a study on soy!

The NEXT Vegan Drinks NYC is happening on Thursday, April 25th at Fontana’s Bar (105 Eldridge Street, Manhattan) from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Join us as we benefit HEART and let the world know you’re going by RSVPing at Facebook.

Do you represent an animal rights group you think should be the beneficiary of an upcoming Vegan Drinks NYC? Visit vegandrinks.org/beneficiaries to learn more about how to make that happen.

Get on our mailing list!

This month, we’ll be benefiting Darwin Animal Doctors (D.A.D.). The mission of Darwin Animal Doctors is to provide professional and comprehensive veterinary clinics for the animals of the Galapagos Islands, and to preserve the archipelago’s extraordinary biodiversity by humanely limiting the populations of domestic animals. Stuff your dollars in the donation jar, and buy raffle tickets from D.A.D. to win one of these great prizes: a LUSH gift set; handmade jewelry from the Galapagos; Darwin Animal Doctors t-shirts; and more!

Music by DJ Grand Format, DJ Megan Rascal, and DJ Jason Das!

Wanna let all your Internet friends know you’re going? RSVP on Facebook if you’re of the mindset to do so.

Have you read the new and improved Vegan Drinks FAQ? Please read it, even if you’re a regular at our event. (Really, please read it. All of it.)

We’ll turn down the music around 8:30pm and encourage people to promote themselves, their groups and/or causes for 30 seconds. If you represent a veg*n or animal rights group, come prepared with your (very short!) spiel and literature.

If you’re not already following our every move, connect with Vegan Drinks on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@vegandrinks), and join our e-mail list.

Vegan Drinks NYC is usually held the last Thursday of the month from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. Do you represent an animal rights group you think should be the beneficiary of an upcoming Vegan Drinks NYC? Visit vegandrinks.org/beneficiaries to learn more about how to make that happen.

Well too bad for us, Youth Empowered Action Camp is only for 12-17 year-olds!

But if you have a kid, they could go:

“Life-Changing Vegan Summer Camp for Youth Making a Difference!”

When: August 10-17, 2013

Where: Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, MA (one hour from Boston)

www.yeacamp.org for more information or to register

“This camp has truly changed my life. You have inspired me to do so much with my life and to make the world a truly better place. You have inspired me to believe in myself and to not just say ‘I’m just a kid, what can I do?’ Because of you, I have been able to actually make a difference.” -Bianca, Age 15

I’m eating something delicious!

A few years ago, after a series of mysterious and serious illnesses, a new doctor tested me for food allergies and discovered that I have many, including but not limited to: dairy, gluten, corn and sugar. Once I had eliminated the culprits from my diet, I felt much better, but was also exhausted by all the cooking I had to for myself. I had heard the legend of the Natural Products Expo West told to me for the last few years. A multi-day convention that is the Mecca for all things natural, including home-goods, beauty products, clothing and most importantly for this little alternative eater…food! After spending two full, exhausting days tasting, sampling, and feasting and two more days recovering and day dreaming about what I had devoured, I can say the Expo lived up to the hype. This expo proved that there are thoughtful, inspired food companies out there in America (and also Canada) who are attempting to make my limited diet easier and more delicious. Before I go for a run to burn off some convention calories I will share with you, in no particular order, my favorite gluten-free/ vegan eats.

1. The Gluten Free Bar:   Not just a product name that gets right to the heart of the matter, GFB is a snack bar that is all natural and low glycemic with 12 grams of protein, and it tastes great too. With a variety of flavors like Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Cranberry Toasted Almond and Oatmeal Raisin to name a few, the bars fit with your cravings and are not chalky and dry, but chewy and gooey instead. And it doesn’t hurt that the company’s founders are two very handsome gluten-free brothers. GFB also offers a money back guarantee if you don’t agree that theirs is the best gluten-free bar out there, so what do you have to lose?

Not my hand.

2. Hodo Soy: So many vegan meat products are made of wheat leaving a gluten-free vegan with very few delicious choices. Hodo Soy has risen to the challenge and is producing some of the best soy “meats” I tasted at the expo. I especially liked their curry nuggets (although I wish my sample had been hot) but even cold, this was some tasty tofu. Hodo Soy was recently tapped to team up with Chipotle so keep an eye out for that.

I don’t know why bee costumes were involved.

3. Carla Lee’s Nut Burgers: I tried these tasty falafel like patties on my first day at the expo and dreamed about them all night. The next day, I went back for more. With a crispy outside and a soft savory inside, these burgers are 100% vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO. The company’s founder, Carla Lee is “dedicating her life to educating and feeding hungry hearts and bellies across the planet.” She’s has had successful career in other industries and claims that 100% of the proceeds feed humanity through her non-profit, OneTeam Humanity.  If enjoying her delicious nutburgers will help her do that, then count me in.

Asherah’s Chipotle Burgers

4. Ashera Gourmet Vegan Burger: Sticking with the burger theme, Ashera Gourmet Vegan Burger was another delicious hit. I loved her hearty “garden style” patties in both the regular flavor and the spicy chipotle. An added bonus is that her burgers are also soy free.  Grab a gluten-free bun and go to town.

5. Lucy’s: Lucy’s has been one of my favorite gluten-free, vegan sweet makers for a while. In fact there is an open (almost empty) box of their Oatmeal cookies on my kitchen counter right now. I can’t say enough nice things about their cookies and brownie bites, which are all so delicious and addictive.  At the Expo this year they introduced two new flavors, Pumpkin Patch and Maple Crunch, that will be perfect with a nice cup of tea and a cold evening. Their cookies are small and crunchy with none of that gluten-free aftertaste. Dr. Lucy Gibney started making these allergy-free cookies for her grandson, and the rest of us get to reap the benefits.

6. Maggie’s Conscious Vegan Cuisine: Chef Maggie Radzwiller is a no-nonsense, eco-responsible food artist who has created a line of heat-to-eat meals that are ready after four minutes in the microwave. Full of veggies and beans and lots of spice and flavor, these jars can feed a small family quickly (did I mention they’re ready in four minutes?) or one very hungry vegan.  Her curried veggies would also make a great side dish. Maggie hails from North Carolina where she creates her product line and teaches. She even promises to answer my cooking questions over email, which I am definitely going to take advantage of.

7. The Elegant Vegan: My friends and “Partners in Dine” at the Expo, The Insufferable Vegan and Andrea Wachner and I found this company at the 11^th hour, and I only wish we’d found their booth earlier when I’d had more room in my stomach. Not only do they make delicious baked goods like brownies, cookies and cakes (I tried a gooey cake that they described as a cross between a cheesecake and a flan) but they also have a line of pickled veggies that were to die for. I tried two kinds of pickled beets and pickled kale that were more than a little tasty. This is a family-owned business that makes you wish that you were a part of their family.

8. Carmela’s Food Company: Speaking of family, Carmela’s is named after the founder, Daisy Romero‘s very own Nana who taught her to make delicious fresh pasta sauces. After learning that several members of her family were restricting their diets, she created a vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free marinara sauce that tastes just as good as Nana’s. When asked why it’s called Carmela’s Food Company instead of just Sauce Company she told us she has plans to expand beyond just pasta sauce. We have more delicious treats to look forward to.

The Displaiya

9. Daiya Foods: I claimed that my favorite Expo foods were in no particular order here, but I lied. I left the best for last. Daiya Foods has come out with some gluten-free pizzas that were so tasty I went back two days in a row. The crust is thin and crunchy (without being chewy) and the daiya cheese toppings are melty and stretchy. I loved the cheese lovers as well as the mushroom and roasted garlic. Daiya also has a line of “cream cheese” spreads that they were nice enough to serve on gluten-free bagels. So creamy and delicious in both the sweet strawberry and savory chive and onion flavors. Andrea informed me that Daiya essentially started a vegan cheese war that has prompted all the other vegan cheeses to step up their game. Well, they’ve done it again, and it will be exciting to see how their competitors retaliate.

I haven’t mentioned all of the ice cream, and soft serve I tried and enjoyed because Andrea Wachner talks all about them in her review so check it out. Now please leave me alone while I run off all of the calories I ate this weekend…or maybe I’ll just take a nap instead.

This Saturday, March 16, the very funny, tall, and compassionate KEVIN NEALON will host Fun For Farm Animals: Celebrity Poker Tournament & Cocktail Party to benefit the work of Farm Sanctuary, America’s largest and most effective farm animal rescue and protection organization. This amazing night will feature tasty treats, delicious drinks, and yours truly! Did I mention you don’t have to play poker? You and I can play that game where we stand by the door where the hors d’oeuvres come out from and eat them all. Once that game ends (read: we get full) we can join the carnival atmosphere with psychics (I’m going to ask how fat food blogging is going to make me), magicians (I have bad eyesight, so they always amaze me), caricature artists (like my Bat Mitzvah!), cocktails (like my Bat Mitzvah!) and an intimate acoustic performance by Grammy winning artist COLBIE CAILLAT (like my… nope. Nothing.) If you do want to ante, poker players will battle Farm Sanctuary members, celebrity players, and poker pros to make the final table and win amazing prizes!

Funny, tall, compassionate Kevin Nealon says, “REGISTER HERE.

And if you can’t make it, consider donating anyway!”*

WHAT: Fun For Farm Animals: Celebrity Poker Tournament & Cocktail Party

WHEN: Saturday, March 16, 2013 7:00 p.m. Doors Open / 7:30 p.m. Poker Tournament Begins

WHERE: Petersen Automotive Museum
Connor Penthouse (4th Floor)
6060 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036

COST: $200 per person for General Admission and $500 to enter the Celebrity Poker Tournament. Tickets are nonrefundable. Must be 21 or older to register.

PRIZES: Grand Prize: Choose one of three amazing experiences:
- A trip to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica
- An amazing Ski trip to Whistler BC and stay in one of the top hotels in the world
- A trip to the beautiful beaches of Bermuda

Additional prizes:
- 2 Tickets to see Grammy award-winning band FUN at their sold out Greek Theater show in September
- 2 Tickets to the Dancing With The Stars upcoming Season 16 Finale
- A LA Lakers ticket package and more! Read all the details here.

Farm Sanctuary’s three shelters in New York and California provide lifelong care for almost 1,000 rescued farm animals. These animals are ambassadors for the billions on factory farms who have no voice, and their stories help raise awareness about the harsh realities of factory farming.

*That was the Kevin Nealon in my head, not the real Kevin Nealon.

photo by Andrew Coate

I’m not so sure why I am bothering to write so many words in a row about what I ate/saw/heard/smelled at the Natural Products Expo West this year, seeing as it seemed to me that all of you were there, too. Snapping Instapix and live-blogging your way down aisles 100-6500 (there were that many aisles this year!) like my friend The Insufferable Vegan. But, for the seven to ten of you that were stuck at home cause of your baby/snow/flu I’m gonna break it down so it’ll feel like you were there, also too.

Imagine the airport the day before Thanksgiving. A big airport like JFK or O’Hare. Instead of gates there are booths and instead of travelers trying to make their way home so they can binge eat in private, there are vegans trying to grab free samples, take pictures of said samples, and Instagram that picture while eating and walking to the next booth. Now spend an entire day or two or three eating something sweet then something salty then something sweet then something spicy then something gross then a beverage that is probably tea/coconut/chia/chunky/vitamin’d. Surround yourself with chips or chip like things made out of everything from peas to potatoes, chocolate, ice cream, meatless technologies, robo-cheese (do you like that term for vegan cheese? I just coined it.) and a lot of a lot of a lot of things.

Here are my top however many things I learned tasted or took away from NPEW ’13 in iTunes shuffle-style order:

6. DF Mavens Ice Cream. Holy wow. The New Orleans Salted Praline and the Key Lime Creme were so creamy and so delicious it totally makes up for the fact that their name is Da Funk Mavens*

*a fact I totally made up.

17. Dennis Kucinich, who was not available to sample but was available for a photo op. He was this year’s Fabio, seeing as Fabio was devastatingly not in attendance, ruining my plan to get him to sign 8×10 glossies of US from the last two years, and then give them to him. At least Dennis didn’t dislocate my shoulder.

That’s Dennis’s wife Elizabeth who is very tall, vegan, works at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and is checking out my vegan buns.

Fabio dislocates my right shoulder 2011

Fabio dislocates my left shoulder 2012.

32. Asherah’s Gourmet Vegan Burgers. These are gluten-free, soy free, flavor-full and one of the best “garden patch” style veggie burgers (as opposed to Meatless Technologies) you can get. Try the Chipotle flavor if you like a little kick.

21. Hodo Soy Beanery makes the best Tofu not in Japan and they have this guy!

I up’d the contrast so’s you can really see his shiner. Do you think he put cold tofu on it?

Prepare yourselves for their new Sofrito filling at Chipotle! And in the interim, try their yuba strips!

42. Califia Farms coffee drinks with almond milk are not only super tasty beverages, but their packaging belongs in the MoMA.

8½. LØV Organic Teas come from a land where the null sign is part of the alphabet and bright colors are not necessarily a sign of special needs.

1. The Elegant Vegan. PICKLED KALE people. Pickled Kale! The nicest family from Wisconsin you could ever meet at a vegan convention combines approximately eighty Portlandia jokes into one delicious food . They also have a B&B that serves vegan food called Ye Olde Manor House!

17. Did I do 17 already? Fine. 25. The people of Tofurky were so nice and handsome also and so were all the new Tofurky products like: three flavors of hot pockets (pepperoni pizza, turk’y broccoli & cheddar, BBQ chick’n), three new artisan sausages (chick’n & apple, spinach pesto, andouille), quiche, and pot pie, and a personal promise to me by Gregory Rekas, Research & Development Chef, that they will make a stuffing-less Tofurky.

3.14159. So Delicious’s new Coconut Milk Creamers will supposedly foam in coffee beverages the way “real” milk does! So, eff you Handsome Coffee Roasters who won’t serve freaky milk (read: non-dairy milk) because it’s “not good.”

35. Boca Original Chik’n Veggie Nuggets have such a different flavor than the 87 other brands of chik’n nuggs. I think maybe they taste like chicken! Use caution, not all Boca products are vegan.

Boca puts their meats on a pedestal.

11. Justin’s vegan peanut butter cups will now be sold in bags, Halloween style! I might actually be able to like that “holiday” now. Though one bag probably costs $8,000.

16. Follow Your Heart’s new Chipotle Gourmet Vegenaise and High Omega Bleu Cheese Dressing are the kind of good that if I ever decide to commit suicide, I think I will drown myself in this stuff.

99. Wayfare makes oat based ice cream! And they have a Vermont Maple flavor! It’s like being in a vegan ice cream parlor inside a sugar shack in Quebec.

3. Go Veggie! (GVEP [Go Veggie Exclamation Point])’s new products and top-secret new products in development (with a food scientist who happens to have the only PhD in Tofu in the world and created Silk) and partnership with the ever-adorable Spork Sisters who create recipes like Strawberry Cream Cheese Mousse With Graham Cracker Crumbles. I suggested they make a brie next. Wouldn’t that be great?

666. The Orange Owl. This was the best non-edible booth of the show. Akshata Nayak, the owner, was born and raised in Bangalore, India. She moved to the US, got a Masters in Biochemistry another Masters in Applied Clinical Nutrition (she’s a master master) and then started the best designed and most lovely body products company I know. Now where’s my vat of chipotle Vegenaise?

13. Haig’s Delicacies. Have you ever tried muhammara? You should. And their dolmas. And their hummus. Yum.

33.3333 Guacamame. This sounds disgusting, but sounds can be wrong. It was really good guac made from edamame!

59. Nutty Cow. These soft nut cheeses in a little tub were really good. If you want a soft spreadable substance, there are ricotta, a garlic herb and a maple pecan options that would work well I bet.

88². Maggie’s Conscious Vegan Cuisine makes ready-to-eat meals in a BPA-free container that can go right in the microwave. The Lentils with Curry and Lime flavor was really delicious and by far the best of the three I tried. As extra-credit for your mouth, they’re gluten-free, don’t have any saturated fats or added oils and are low in sodium!

48. The Real Deal Real! Veggie Chips Sriracha. These gluten-free all natural chips are made from peas! I don’t even like peas! AND, these have 80% less fat than potato chips AND AND one ounce of chip equals one and a half vegetable servings. Did I mention they taste like Sriracha and they’re super crunchy and I’m eating them with one hand as I type this with the other?

5. Mr. Dewie’s almond milk ice cream. Wanna know why it’s called that? Check-out this non-fictional fact. If that doesn’t make you want to eat their ice cream I just don’t know what will.

9. A gajillion new Gardein products! Including breakfast sandwiches, beefless jerky, GoGo Cuisines, wheat free chick’n strips, sizzlin’ szechuan beefless strips, and a lightly breaded turk’y cutlet! I think Gardein and Daiya are two-handedly keeping Canada in business.

The Gardein of Eatin… so tempting!

∞. Everything else. Like Daiya‘s new pizza (the garlic mushroom in particular, though I didn’t think their new cheese slices were very good), Maple Bacon Kettle Chips, and Objects With Purposes great smelling wearable candles made from organic coconut butter, Victoria Vegan arugula pesto Alfredo sauce, Earth Balance cheesy poufs and popcorn, Bolani Afghan dips, and a special SuperVegan Award For Sucking goes to Lightlife, for serving their vegan products on non-vegan buns.

Now visualize with your mind’s eye or some other new-agey part of you that the show is all over, your shoes are filled with blood, every part of your body hurts (especially your tum) and a S-M size piece of your soul was left in the basement of the Anaheim Convention Center,** But that is not the end of the journey! No! No trip to The OC is complete without the purchase of several boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, so it’s off to the nearest Food4Less to buy three boxes of cookies for twelve american dollars from a girl scout that looked older than me. And no, it does not make any sense that OC’s are vegan and LA’s are not.

**Dramatically enhanced for your enjoyment.

Did you go to the Expo? Do you know if Tums or AlkaSelzer are vegan? What were your favs/least favs? Stay tuned for a special report on all the gluten-free vegan products!

Which is all to ramblingly say, Terri‘s new location will be most welcome!

It will be at 100 Maiden Lane. They’re throwing a Grand Opening Party with free food on Saturday, March 23rd, from 1pm-4pm. It’s gonna be crowded.

Vendors include:

• Alchemy Creamery – Cool down with a sampling of gourmet ice creams like Dark Chocolate Chai, Coconut Green Tea, & Cranberry White Grape! (gluten free)

• Heirloom Eatery - Get snacky with homemade classics like Meatball Heroes, Steak Sandwiches, Kale Chips, and Sriracha Cupcakes!

• Treeline Cheese - These sell like hot cakes, so buy early! Outstanding aged Cashew Cheese Wheels in Smoke or Pepper, and silky Scallion Cream Cheese! (gluten & soy free)

• Lael Cakes – Find your sweet tooth through beautiful Coconut Rum Cake w/ Passion Fruit Icing, Lemon Poppy Cake w/ Lavender Rosemary Icing, and Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies! (gluten, soy & nut free)

• Heat Sweets - Try the brand new sweet ‘n’ spicy Jalapeno Mango Carrot Fruit Leather! Plus pick up specially priced gift sets of mini hot jellies and relishes!

• Monks Meats – You won’t go hungry after Mushroom Pepper Steak Sandwiches, the ultimate Lasagna, and Stewed Pot Roast Hot Pockets! Not to mention all 4 flavors of seitan sold in half pound containers.

• Gone Pie – Get stocked up on the best of the best like Vanilla Macaroons, Chocolate Almond Tarts, Choc-Covered Tahini Cookies, Carrot Cake w/ Caramashew Cream Cheese Frosting, Brownies, and more! (gluten free)

• Vegan Bodega – Check out their new products like Jerky from Morels The Vegan Butcher and Coconut Bacon from Phoney Baloney’s!

• Green Pirate Juice Truck - Not only can you score the most amazing, healthful drinks around like Walk The Plank(a superfood green juice) and Monkey Vibes(banana berry coco choco smoothie), but you’re gifted 15% off any 3 or 5 day Juice Cleanse Package when you sign up this Saturday!! Not to be missed!

And that’s just a wink of the findings you’ll see this Saturday! Let’s not forget Donuts from Cinnamon Snail Food Truck, Fresh Juice Ice Pops from Monster Haus, Ethiopian Brunch by Bunna Cafe, and Raw Cookie Confections by Sweet.!

Thank YOU for hanging out and supporting FAUN NJ at Vegan Drinks NYC on February 28th. Big, huge, gigantic thanks to Fontana’s Bar for hosting and to Bunna Café for feeding us! And, congrats to Brian and Eileen, whom became engaged (to one another!) during the evening!

And, extra special thanks to those organizations and individuals who made Shout Outs:

• FAUN NJ
• Vegan Outreach
• Sea Shepherd
• Humane Society of the United States – New York
• VeganMentors.org
• De La Tierra
• Bunna Café
• Veg Strong
• MooShoes
• Matthew, formerly of SLC!

The NEXT Vegan Drinks NYC is happening on Thursday, March 28th at Fontana’s Bar (105 Eldridge Street, Manhattan) from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Join us as we benefit Darwin Animal Doctors and let the world know you’re going by RSVPing at Facebook.

Do you represent an animal rights group you think should be the beneficiary of an upcoming Vegan Drinks NYC? Visit vegandrinks.org/beneficiaries to learn more about how to make that happen.

Get on our mailing list!

Then nap and fast on Friday (unless you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to Mr. Cinnamon Snail’s Decadent Vegan Breakfast class!),  so you’re ready for Saturday: Day one of the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, then the Mercy-for-Animals-benefiting afterparty, and then 4-Course Vegan is back in town for one night only!

And then on Sunday, back to the Festival with you and your stomach!

All these events and many many more are listed on our NYC Vegan Events Calendar. (Are we missing anything? Let us know!)

This month, we’ll be benefiting FAUN NJ. FAUN (Friends of Animals United) is a nonprofit coalition of New Jersey/New York-based animal/earth liberation activists who are bound by the twin objectives of exposing and working against animal exploitation. They employ their energies/resources in tactile, visible ways such as public demonstrations, marches, educational outreach and leafleting, to elevate public consciousness about modern animal slavery. Stuff some dollars in their donation jar, stock up on their raffle tickets so you can walk away with some great prizes, and buy your mama a FAUN t-shirt, button, hat, and/or patch!

Music by DJ Grand Format, DJ Megan Rascal, DJ3dg, and DJ Jason Das!

Wanna let all your Internet friends know you’re going? RSVP on Facebook if you’re of the mindset to do so.

Have you read the new and improved Vegan Drinks FAQ? Please read it, even if you’re a regular at our event. (Really, please read it. All of it.)

We’ll turn down the music around 8:30pm and encourage people to promote themselves, their groups and/or causes for 30 seconds. If you represent a veg*n or animal rights group, come prepared with your (very short!) spiel and literature.

If you’re not already following our every move, connect with Vegan Drinks on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@vegandrinks), and join our e-mail list.

Vegan Drinks NYC is usually held the last Thursday of the month from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. Do you represent an animal rights group you think should be the beneficiary of an upcoming Vegan Drinks NYC? Visit vegandrinks.org/beneficiaries to learn more about how to make that happen.

You can also bake for them! Lots and lots of details are on the Facebook page.

You can even ignore the baked goods and just buy some shoes or whatever from Moo Shoes; they’re donating 10% of the day’s sales to Sea Shepherd.

And, extra special thanks to those organizations and individuals who made Shout Outs:

• NY Coalition for Healthy School Food
• Vegan Outreach
• Sea Shepherd
• Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary 
• Goosewatch NYC
• Citizen Radio
• De La Tierra and Chef Oscar
• The New Luv
• Vegan Long Island
• Bunna Café
• Ramona Cadogan
• Veg Strong
• Erik Walton Photography

Oh that bread!

The NEXT Vegan Drinks NYC is happening on Thursday, February 28th at Fontana’s Bar (105 Eldridge Street, Manhattan) from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Join us as we benefit FAUN NJ (Friends of Animals United) and let the world know you’re going by RSVPing at Facebook.

Do you represent an animal rights group you think should be the beneficiary of an upcoming Vegan Drinks NYC? Visit vegandrinks.org/beneficiaries to learn more about how to make that happen.

Get on our mailing list!

Vaute Couture, the premiere vegan high-end fashion line, will have a solo show at  New York Fashion Week next Wednesday, February 6. This is a very big deal. Vaute makes vegan ethics a big part of their brand, bringing the message to an industry that is not generally too concerned with such things. Even if you don’t care about fashion, I hope all friends of animals join me in congratulating Vaute’s Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart in landing such a prestigious show. And if you do care about fashion, well…

There’s a few ways you can get on the list to attend the show, including directly from Vaute Couture. (Even if you can’t make it to the show, you should click that link just to enjoy Leanne’s delightful sleep-deprived geeking out over Sailor Moon.) Here’s the details about the show itself:

I’ve had my outerwear & tee line for a few years now, but this past year I’ve been working on research & development of my first full RTW line, including tops, satin dresses, skirts, pants, and sweaters- made from the latest in vegan and eco fabrics some which have never been shown before or used before in production. This includes luxe organic cotton velvet that’s quilted with recycled Thinsulate for colorful whimsical coats with details of metallic vegan leather made of all recycled fibers, printed organic blouses, 100% recycled satin pants, waxed canvas skirts & pants, and more… Including some mens too!

My show is sponsored partially by the amazing Humane Society of the United States, because they work so hard to educate the fashion industry about the cruelties of fur and using animals in fashion. If you haven’t seen their video by Woody Harrelson yet, here it is. Also sponsored by our awesome makeup team doing all vegan makeup from DeVita, & amazing hair will be by Champu Salon in NYC, who uses all vegan products. Cutest sweets designed just for the show in my fav flavors (like matcha & strawberry) are being whipped up by noneother than the grossly talented Danielle Konya and her Vegan Treats team. I LOVE her (is an understatement)… plus music spun by DJ Diggy Lloyd, her cuteness will also stun you.

Oh & adoptable puppies dogs (might) be on site as a few of the models? We’ll see! Sh!

Puppies. C’mon.

Are you making Superbowl snacks? What are you making? Did you give up after seeing this?

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