Whatcha doing?

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted last and wanted to give you an update on what's been going on in my life.

On February 10th, I went to a vegan bake-off contest.  The event was sold out which is a win for vegan cooking.  I will say it was a little disheartening to be one of the very few persons of color there as contestants and patrons. I intend to contact the organizers and encourage them to broaden their advertising, which I attribute to the lack of diversity in the crowd.

I will start off by saying that I admire anyone who puts themselves out there to be judged by total strangers.  Cooking is such a personal endeavor that the idea of comparing your cooking to someone else is a little weird. 

However...

There were 20 contestants  with a variety of desserts.Some of the desserts were really good. Some tasted like agave sweetened saw dust.  I had a Cinnamon Maple cupcake that blew my mind and a raw vegan cheesecake that I got two helpings of.  Just be careful of the cookies. And desserts that look like crap rolled in dough and sprinkled with chocolate chips.  All in all, for a $15 ticket, I got my monies worth of sweets.

The NYC Vegetarian Festival is happening the first weekend in March.  I caught a Living Social deal and got tickets for both days.  I have gone to this festival the last two years and really enjoy myself.  Of course I see the Who's Who in veggie health and wellness. I usually go to score products on the cheap.  I got me some bomb-ass pickled peppers and coconut oil for about 60% off retail last year. Plus, it serves as an opportunity to network with people and organizations interested in sustainability, food justice and food security issues.  I write a post about that another time.

This Saturday,   I'm going to see Sankofa, a dance production by MUV (Movement for the Urban Village).  I know the director of this small dance company (we take yoga together) and she is such a dynamic woman. Dance is my favorite artistic style, so anytime I can see a dance production I take full advantage.  And indie companies are putting on some of the best works I have in some time.  I encourage you to support small, independent companies of all stripes to keep the universal creative juice flowing.

Blessed be...