This Week in NJ
I'm telling you right now; it's a great week to be hungry.
Tivoni Vegan Kitchen & Bakery will be hosting a Vegan Sushi Class on Monday night at their spot in Lancaster, PA. If you want to learn how to make awesome vegan sushi any time, anywhere, Liza Houck will be teaching. Attendees will make three different rolls: Spider roll, Dragon roll, and a Volcano roll. Cost is $40 and can be purchased over the phone or at the restaurant.
Dean's Cafe in Metuchen is also holding a free cooking class this Wednesday. Join plant-based health and wellness expert, Jessica Jarmer, as she shows us how to prepare vegan versions of your favorite BBQ staples in this free vegan cooking demonstration. Tastings are included!
The weekend we have all been waiting for is finally upon us! The Atlantic City Vegan Food Festival will take place Friday through Sunday! The events kick off Friday with their Food Truck festival and Sports and Fitness Expo! Saturday will the a 5K Boardwalk Run, the Vegan Festival inside the Showboat Hotel, and an After Party! Sunday brings us a Vegan Brunch featuring Follow Your Heart, Roots Hummus, Health-Ade Kombucha, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice, the Peanut Principle and Root Nine Baking Co. I personally, am very hyped for what this weekend has in store for everyone and if last's years event is any indication, this will be a success! Tickets for any and all events can be purchased here or here.
**Make sure to stop by and say "hi" to us at the Skylands Animal Sanctuary table where we are raising funds, and some of us will also be participating in the 5K!**
Anonymous for the Voiceless's Cube of Truth is a peaceful static demonstration akin to an art performance. These demonstrations operate in a structured manner that triggers curiosity and interest from the public; we attempt to lead bystanders to a vegan conclusion through a combination of local standard-practice animal exploitation footage and conversations with a value-based sales approach. AV will be kicking off their 168 hour Week of Truth starting Saturday. You read that right, there will be eight 12 hour days of AV Cubes with the goal being to make a difference for the animals. There will be a workshop on Friday night, before the clock starts, in NYC. To register as a volunteer for the Week of Truth, please click here. Masks, signs, and outreach literature are provided. Black upper clothing appropriate for the weather is essential, and please bring a fully charged laptop or tablet if you have one.
Ethos Farm will be hosting Caldwell Esselstyn, MD on Saturday, the 13th. The presentation topic is entitled The Nutritional Reversal of Cardiovascular Disease: Fact or Fiction? Twenty-three years ago, while chairman of the Cleveland Clinic’s Breast Cancer Task Force, general surgeon Caldwell B. Esseistyn, Jr., M.D., grew disappointed in the way he and his colleagues were treating cancer and heart disease. Relying on pills and procedures despite their side effects and risks, Dr. Esselstyn says he and his peers were doing “nothing to prevent disease in the next unsuspecting victim.” Targeting heart disease, Dr. Esselstyn’s experiment started at home. He and his wife adopted a plant-based diet, cutting out oil, meat, fish, fowl and dairy. More information and registration can be found here; this event is free and also includes a community potluck lunch. You can see future events by visiting the Ethos Farm website.
VGN MKT will be hosting a Cat Adoption Brunch at Trans-Pecos in Queens on Saturday. Come spend a little time and support Fuzzy Butt Rescue And TNR. Meet some kitties that are looking for a home, make friends and eat vegan tacos & treats. Vegicano will be serving food and desserts are by Pisces Rising. There will also be some raffle prizes provided by some of your favorite local vendors.
Finally, the Jersey Shore chapter of Food Not Bombs will be feeding those in need at the Asbury Park Train Station between 5:00 and 6:00. If you want to donate something, contact them via their Facebook page or by emailing them at jerseyshorefoodnotbombs@yahoo.com. The Jersey City chapter meets at the Journal Square plaza at noon every Sunday. For donations, contact them via their Facebook page or at foodnotbombsjc@gmail.com.
Vegan in NJ events scheduled (*must be a member of the Facebook group to view private events):
7/20 Volunteer Day at Skylands*
7/28 The Baklava Lady, a Brunch Party
8/10 Volunteer Day at Skylands*
8/24 Vegan Potluck in South Brunswick
Vegan in NJ is raising money through Crowdrise for Skylands Animal Sanctuary. We also have some new team members that can be found on our Crowdrise. If you are interested in signing up for the NJ VegFest Atlantic City Vegan Food Festival 5k and donating/joining our team to fundraise, please send me an email for your discount code for the race and proof of donation/team sign up! Proceeds from our apparel, which are available with our official design (thanks Lisette!) are available on Teechip!
If you are hosting an event or know of an event happening that you do not see on our events page, please send an email to cherise@veganinnj.com and I'll add it to the page ASAP and include it in my weekly breakdown.
We have started a Patreon page and we would love it if you could donate any amount you could. We will be working on setting up the tiers with more as time goes on, but for right now, you will get access to our feed, where we will be working through ideas and events we plan to host in the future, early blog posts, discount codes for events, and random merch an whatever we've got that we can send you! This will be a great place for you to have your voice heard about how we can make NJ the most vegan friendly place it can be. Proceeds from our Patreon will be going to maintain the website, brand, and afford us to be able to hire on more awesome vegans to help us on our journey to make NJ a vegan wonderland!
Thank you to those who came here via the Try Vegan email blast! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can learn more about the Try Vegan empire via their meal delivery (use that link for a free meal!), their food truck, or their clothing line. They also now have an app in the App Store or on Google Play!