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VC5 The Secret Ingredient is….

Jessica — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:11:14 +0000

BASIL

All chefs will make an entree featuring basil!

Basil is a delicious herb that can be used in so many ways… Good luck, chefs!

If you are attending the event, check your inbox for details.

See you on Sunday the 22nd!!

VC4 Judge Yoli Ouiya

Jessica — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:43:38 +0000

Yoli Ouiya is a chef and blogger, and maybe you’ve already tried her food – she’s catered for activist groups and festivals, and taught cooking and dessert classes at Whole Foods on the Bowery. We’re excited to have her as our third judge for Veggie Conquest 4!

Get to know Yoli better at her eco-chic living and green savings blog, yoliouiya.com. And check out her recipe for raw cacao mousse!

We are looking for a Venue…. Can you help?

Jessica — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:07:17 +0000

Happy New Year!
We hope that everyone had a great holiday season!

Thanks to all of you for making 2009 a great year for Veggie Conquest. You made Veggie Conquest more than we ever dreamed. The chefs really brought their A-game to the competitions! The volunteers worked so hard to make each event run smoothly. The sponsors gave really awesome prizes, and the tasters snatched up their tickets faster than we ever imagined!

We are getting back to work here at the VC headquarters (a.k.a. Jessica and Dj Lil Ray’s apartment) and have some exciting things planned for 2010. We are talking with talented future judges, and we’re looking at some exciting variations on our current Veggie Conquest competitions! And our friends at Fallen Arrows have made some very cool Veggie Conquest merchandise! Stay tuned for info about all of these things.

We Need Your Help

Unfortunately, Not Fade Away Gallery (our amazing venue for VC3) is temporally closed while the owners find a new permanent residence for the gallery. Veggie Conquest needs your helping finding a new venue for the competition. We know that all of you out there know people and places — so let’s see what you’ve got!

Here’s what Veggie Conquest MUST have in a venue:
A sink
Enough room to seat at least 70 people at tables
A central location near transit, preferably in Manhattan or Brooklyn
Bathrooms
Available on a Saturday night or Sunday evening
We must be able to bring in outside food

Here what Veggie Conquest WISHES for in a venue:
Tables and chairs (this is a BIG BIG plus)
A sound system
More than one sink
A kitchen

We do have a small budget to work with (a bigger budget if the venue has tables and chairs).

Please email Jessica at info@veggieconquest.com if you have a connection at a potental venue or know of a place that would be good for us!

When is the Next Veggie Conquest, you ask?

Well, that depends on when we find a venue. We would love to have the next Veggie Conquest in February if all goes well.

Thanks — and we hope everyone has a great first week of 2010!

The secret ingredient is…

Jessica — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:28:57 +0000

Cranberries!!

Source

All chefs will make a dessert featuring cranberries!

Cranberries are festive, versatile and yummy! Good luck, chefs!

If you are attending the event, check your inbox for details!

See you on Saturday the 14th!!

Veggie Conquest #3

Jessica — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:07:38 +0000

Our third challenge will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. Buy tickets here!

By the way, we had a limited number of pre-sale tickets for our Vegan EatUp members on Meetup.com. If you want to get in on the pre-sale action for the next Veggie Conquest, visit this link and join Vegan EatUp!

New Things!
As you guys know, we are new at this cooking competition thing. We are always evolving and working to make these events the most fun for everyone!

So a new change for VC#3 is that all chefs may bring a guest for free to help cheer them along (and help carry food too!). Chefs, after you sign up, we’ll email you to ask who your guest will be. If you are interested in competing, check out the “How it Works” page.

We will be in a new venue for VC#3. It is a beautiful photography gallery near Union Square, called Not Fade Away Gallery, which is exhibiting never-seen-before pictures of the Beatles and Rolling Stones on tour from 1964 to 1966!

Exciting news about VC#3
We will have a very special second course at VC#3. Match Meats has shipped our volunteers a whole freezer full of vegan meats to try. Until this month, if you wanted Match Meats, you had to either go to the Midwest or order them online. I am happy to announce that as of Oct. 21, Match Meats will be sold at all D’Agostino locations in the city! To complement the Match dishes, we will have some veggie-only dishes too.

As if Match Meats wasn’t good enough … our second course will also include Raw Ice Cream Company’s ice cream! This yummy, raw, vegan, gluten-free, rice-free and preservative-free ice cream will be free for everyone to try! These ice creams are cashew- and coconut-based. Can’t wait!!

Our Plea
Please get your tickets early. THEY WILL SELL OUT!! You must buy your tickets here. No tickets will be sold at the door. Even though we have very nice people working the door, they will make you turn around and go home if you show up without a ticket. That’s just the way it is.

Can’t wait to see all your pretty faces on Nov. 14!

Challenge #1 Judge: Brian Preston-Campbell

Jessica — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:58:12 +0000

Brian Preston-Campbell is a great food stylist. You may have seen his work for Absolut Vodka, Bon Appétit, the New York Times Magazine and Smucker’s. He has an eye for food! Chefs, you better make sure you have your presentations down!

Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Brian worked at top restaurants, resorts and country clubs before he turned to full-time food styling.

Brian has a great new book out this year, called Cool Waters: 50 Refreshing, Healthy Homemade Thirst-Quenchers.

See more of Brian’s gorgeous work at his website.

Meet Brian, see him judge the Veggie Conquest dishes, and try some of his refreshing beverages at the first Veggie Conquest challenge.

Brian joins Joshua Katcher of TheDiscerningBrute.com and a third judge (named in our next post) at the challenge — that’s at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22, in Chelsea!