January 25, 2025: I’ll be speaking on “Practical Pollinator Support for Your Farm,” at the Organic Association of Kentucky Spring Conference.
Recent Past Events:
March 9, 2024: Peace Meal Supper Club™ #23: Buzz, Versailles, KY. Here’s the menu:
February 10, 2024: Peace Meal Supper Club™ #15(2): Border Radio, Versailles, KY. Here’s the menu:
January 4, 2024: I gave a how-to and why-to talk at the Kentucky Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Bowling Green. It was part of OAK‘s organic track, talking about the importance of establishing native pollinator habitat on farms.
January 13, 2024: Peace Meal Supper Club™ #22: Nonesuch, Versailles, KY. Here’s the menu:
December 2, 2023: Peace Meal Supper Club™ #21: In Absentia, in Versailles, KY. Here’s the menu:
2022 Events:
April 8, 2022: Organic Association of Kentucky Spring Conference, Burlington, KY
I gave a presentation about how to increase habitat for native pollinators as part of an organic farm plan. Lots of how-to, lots of photos, lots of color! You can watch a recording of my presentation here:
Cancelled 2020 events:
Peace Meal Supper Club™ will be happening monthly at Dandelion Ridge Farm in Versailles, KY. We have a lot of great topics on tap for this year.
- April 25: Utopia — Utopian thought is subversive, creative, solution-seeking, and coalition-building. From the ancient Chinese fable of the Peach Blossom Spring, through the travels of Voltaire’s Candide, to the bucolic Village Green of the Kinks, we are constantly in pursuit of the perfect world.
- May 30: Dirt — We’ll explore the United States’ relationship with its dirt, beginning in the early 1800s when post-colonial farmers noted substantial reduction in their soil’s fertility. Some chose to improve their soil through intensive manuring and innovative farming techniques. Most, however, chose to leave their worn out soils and go west. As the problem reasserts itself in the wake of industrial agriculture, what can we do to break the cycle?
- June 27: Seed — The humble seed is the very antithesis of capitalist production, for it will naturally produce goods without the application of labor. It is also abundantly self-regenerating. For that reason, capitalistic forces have been assaulting open-sourced seeds since the early 1800s, changing the very nature of farming.
- July 25: Pollination — Pollinators, just through the act of being themselves, provide humanity with well over a third of its principal diet. It’s no stretch to say that our fate is linked with the fate of bees—as well as that of the moths, butterflies, bats, and birds.
- August 29: Labor — “An injury to one is the concern of all,” is a common theme throughout the American Labor Movement. Fighting for recognition of the skilled worker, the craftsman, and the unskilled laborer, the movement forms an integral part of the overall struggle for fairness. Its theme reaches through civil rights, gender equality, and the rising awareness of animal rights.
- September 26: School — Education is powerful, strong enough to erase an entire nation’s identity. Taking a walk through the concept of “residential schools,” we’ll connect with some very painful history but seek reparations along the way.
- October 24: Revolución — This menu highlights the civil resistance ideology of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation—the EZLN—in Chiapas, Mexico. As a cornerstone of global social justice movements, the EZLN presents an energizing reassertion of Utopian thought.
- November 21: Gratitude — An annual tradition for PMSC, we’ll shine a spotlight on four activists who have made our world a better place for humans, animals, and the health of the planet. Stay tuned for details!
At the following 3 festivals, I’ll be I’ll be discussing my experiences as a life-long food producer, including with Z&B and Dandelion Ridge Farm, and the need for each of us to become a producer—or to directly support producers—in lieu of being a commodity consumer. Considering our current climate crisis, plastic accumulation, and social instability, it’s our best assurance for a good life for ourselves and others.
Nashville VegFest, May 2-3, 2020. Details forthcoming.
Asheville VegFest, June 13-14, 2020. Details forthcoming.
Triangle VegFest (Durham, NC), August 15-16, 2020. Details forthcoming.
More Past Events:
Hudson Valley VegFest, October 19-20, 2019
I’ll be discussing my experiences as a life-long food producer, including with Z&B and Dandelion Ridge Farm, and the need for each of us to become a producer—or to directly support producers—in lieu of being a commodity consumer. Considering our current climate crisis, plastic accumulation, and social instability, it’s our best assurance for a good life for ourselves and others.
Location: BSP, 323 Wall Street, Kingston, NY
Time: presentation is at noon on Saturday, October 19; I’ll be in the Z&B booth for the remainder of the festival. Come by and chat!
Lex Veg Fest, October 5 , 2019
I’ll be presenting a crucial talk on our role, as food consumers, in the climate crisis. We need to dig a lot deeper–literally and ethically–to find our place in sustainable and regenerative food production. While some think it’s enough to give up meat, due to its massive footprint, there is a lot more to it than that. We need to address a complex of issues, and we all have the power to do so.
Location: Housewarmings, 2320 Palumbo Dr, Lexington, KY 40509
Time: 11-4 in the Zelda & Bramble booth; presentation at 3.
August 26, 2018: Peace Meal Supper Club™ pops up in Raleigh-Durham, NC! I’ll be presenting the Maroon menu! Booking details soon.
August 25, 2018: 1-day culinary workshop in support of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, Pittsboro, NC. I’ll be leading an intensive focused on Southwestern cuisine, conducted as a fund-raiser for the refuge. Details coming soon.
March 8-10, 2018: Ecojustice and Activism Conference, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI. I spoke on the artistic/activist potential of food. The conference’s theme was “Practicing Affection in a Culture of Slow Violence.”
Peace Meal Supper Club™ #20: Maroon, February 24, 2018. Versailles, KY.
Peace Meal Supper Club™ #19: Camellia — January 27, 2018. Versailles, KY.
October 27, 2017: Lexington Veg Fest, Lexington, KY. Tabling with Danita Hines, teaming up for an “Ask a Vegan Chef/Ask a Vegan Dietitian” Q&A! More info here: http://lexvegfest.org
February 2, 2017: Inspired by Every Campus a Refuge, Peace Meal Supper Club™ traveled to Guilford College, Greensboro, NC.
December 5-7, 2016: I spoke on the social importance of food choices at the Soil & Nutrition Conference at Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, MA. Check out the Bionutrient Food Association to learn more.
October 22, 2016: Peace Meal Supper Club™ popped up in Frankfort, KY! The theme was built around the latest album from Dream the Electric Sleep, “Beneath the Dark Wide Sky. Click here for my review of their powerful purposeful art.
March 12, 2016: Peace Meal Supper Club™ in Doylestown, PA! Here’s a peek into the proceedings: https://youtu.be/WtueVEJdxts
February 25, 2016: Presentation at the Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE) National Humane Education Conference in Charleston, SC. Food is a powerful medium for teaching Humane Education.
January 23, 2016: Peace Meal Supper Club™ became international! We feasted in St. Catherines, ON, in support of the Unbound Project, highlighting women worldwide who are making positive change for animals and humans alike.
October 26, 2015: Shared the bill with the esteemed Gene Baur, President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, at the Compassion Arts Festival in Petersham, MA. I spoke on food as a medium for progressive change.
Canceled, due to visit from the Karmapa himself: April 18, 2015: Full weekend workshop with Karma Tryana Dharmachakra Monastery, Woodstock, NY, in advance of Earth Day.
April 5, 2015: Speaking engagement at Unitarian Universalist Church of Athens and Sheshequin, Athens, PA. Topic: A Step into Greater Kindness.
December 20, 2014: Fund-raising dinner on behalf of Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and KTD Monastery in Woodstock, NY.
November 8, 2014 : 1-day culinary workshop in support of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, Pittsboro, NC. This will be a holiday-themed class–very timely, very tasty.
October 12, 2014: I will don my bread-baker’s garb and provide crusty artisan breads for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s 9th Annual ThanksLiving celebration.
July 26, 2014: fund-raising 1-day culinary workshop on behalf of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, Raleigh-Durham, NC. We’ll be exploring plant-based Backyard Cookout!
July 2 – 6, 2014: Sous Chef at Vegetarian Summerfest, with the esteemed Mark Reinfeld, in Johnstown, PA
March 29, 2014: 1-day culinary workshop on behalf of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, Raleigh-Durham, NC
March 2, 2014: Presenting at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival. I’ll be speaking at 4:45, on the topic of “Forging Vegan Heritage.”
March 1, 2014: 1-day “Savory Cacao” workshop at Natural Kitchen Cooking School, Mercerville, NJ.
February 8, 2014: Cooking class for the Triangle Vegan Pledge group, in association with the Peace Advocacy Network, Raleigh-Durham, NC.
January 10 – 11, 2014: Cooking class, member of discussion panel, other activities at the National Museum of Animals & Society‘s Grand Opening exhibit, “Uncooped“. Los Angeles, CA
July 3 – 7, 2013: Sous Chef at Vegetarian Summerfest, with chef & author Mark Reinfeld, in Johnstown, PA
May, 2013: Contributor (recipes, essays, photos, video) at the National Museum of Animals & Society‘s “Uncooped” exhibit
March 9 & 10, 2013: Culinary class at Organic Growers School Spring Conference, Asheville, NC
March 4, 2013: Lecture at Jivamukti Yoga Center, Manhattan. “A Diet of Increasing Wellness.”
March 3, 2013: Guest chef instructor at Natural Kitchen Cooking School, Mercerville, NJ.
March 2, 2013: Presenter at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival. “Plate-Based Activism.”
November 14, 2012: Taste of Asheville, with the Laughing Seed Cafe.
October, 2012: ThanksLiving at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! I was honored to be Exec Chef for this event.
September 22, 2012: 1-day workshop at Natural Kitchen Cooking School, Mercerville, NJ, covering Southwestern Cuisine.
August 5, 2012: another great event at Karma Tryana Dharmachakra Monastery, Woodstock, NY
June 27 – July 1, 2012: Vegetarian Summerfest, with Mark Reinfeld, in Johnstown, PA
June 4, 2012: Victoria Moran, at Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
April 15, 2012: Another wonderful event with Jill Robinson, Animals Asia, Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
March 19, 2012: Teaching at PS 106 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY, with the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food
March 11, 2012: Guest Chef at Natural Kitchen Cooking School, Manhattan
March 4, 2012: Guest Chef at Natural Kitchen Cooking School, Mercerville, NJ
February 12, 2012: Ayurvedic Nutrition Workshop, with Donnalynn Civello, Manhattan
December 1, 2011: Healthy, Happy Holiday Eating Workshop, with Donnalynn Civello, Manhattan
November 14, 2011: Veg for the Holidays Workshop, with Tamar Samir, Manhattan
October 30, 2011: Zoe Weil, at Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
October 23, 2011: Superfoods 101 Workshop, with Donnalynn Civello, Manhattan
October 16, 2011: ThanksLiving at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, with Terry Hope Romero
September 18, 2011: “Confronting Comfort in the City,” BMW Guggenheim Lab, Manhattan, with Sharon Gannon & David Life
September 17, 2011: “Yogi’s Guide to a Clean Diet” workshop with Donnalynn Civello, Manhattan
September 13, 2011: Book Launch, “Thrive Foods,” Brendan Brazier, Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
August 19, 2011: Jill Robinson, Animals Asia, Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
July 31, 2011: Film premier, “Dance of Liberation,” Prixe Fix menu, Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
July 26, 2011: No Impact Week presentation & cooking demo at Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
July 18, 2011: Prancing Leopard press reception, Manhattan
July 9, 2011: Green Living Day at Karma Tryana Dharmachakra Monastery, Woodstock
May 24, 2011: NY Premier of “Yoga Is…“, Jivamuktea Cafe, Manhattan
April 21, 2011: Earth Day Celebration at Karma Tryana Dharmachakra Monastery, Woodstock
October 14, 2010: Cooking Demonstration at NY Botanical Gardens, Bronx, NY (Details: http://www.nybg.org/eg/ )
Hudson Valley Garlic Festival, September 25 & 26, 2010: Vegan cooking demonstration.
Taste of New Paltz, September 12, 2010: The Sanctuary, for the first time ever, was a festival food vendor!
Duchess County Fair, August 29 2010: Vegan cooking demonstration.
Veggie Conquest 5, August 22, 2010: Panel judge at this vegan “Iron Chef” competition.
Night Under the Stars, July 11, 2010: A fine dining event for 100, under the stars at the Sanctuary.
9th Annual CAS Shindig, June 13, 2010: Vegan food for the masses! We had over 600 attendees.