Vegan MoFo #4: Vida Vegan Con Cooking Demos

Kelly Peloza ♦ October 12, 2011 ♦ 3 Comments

Vida Vegan MoFo, huzzah! I’m lucky this post actually fits with the theme so I have a legitimate excuse to be blogging about Vida Vegan Con two months late (but wait, I posted a huge VVC post only a month late!).
Joni Newman and I did a cooking demo together at the Pearl District Whole Foods called Backyard BBQ with an Indian Twist, as part of the off-site cooking demo series at Vida Vegan Con. Our menu was Kofta Kebabs with Tangy Tahini Dipping Sauce and Rosewater Lemonade Cupcakes. This venue had a fully stocked kitchen with every appliance you could imagine, a full working stove and oven (well the oven didn’t work too terribly well, but whatevs!), and lots of counter space. And if any ingredients were missing…surprise, Whole Foods is downstairs! It was such a great set up and we could focus on the making food instead of running around checking to make sure we had everything prepare.

Joni and I had so much fun cooking together and talking with the people who attended. The demo lasted an extra half hour, at least! That’s unwritten rule #1 of cooking demos: engage the audience by making the demo into a conversation rather than just talking at them. Then it’s entertaining, everyone is involved, and friendship bracelets are exchanged by the end of it all! Joni and I decided we needed to quit our normal lives and roadtrip around the country with a food demo truck feeding vegans and non-vegans everywhere (who wants to buy us a food demo truck?!).

I’m probably laughing about how I can’t figure out how to use this Kitchenaid. I just made jokes about all the stupid shit I accidentally did throughout the demo. It was entertaining! That’s unwritten rule #2 of cooking demos: make people laugh!

Rosewater Lemonade Cupcakes! Well these aren’t the EXACT Rosewater Lemonade Cupcakes from the demo, but they’re not made out of styrofoam and mashed potatoes or anything.

Friday morning before the conference shenanigans began, I had another off-site demo with KATU-TV, where I made Margarita Biscotti from my upcoming project. I decided I was going to become a ring-wearing person by starting out with this plastic apple ring, but it’s the only one I ever wear and I forget most of the time. But here it is!

The segment from KATU:

Yes, you can get vegan baking ingredients at normal grocery stores, and NO, cookies are not healthy!

Again, those are biscotti from a different day, but they’re the real deal! And again again, I’m super tired and it’s time for bed!