ThanksLiving 2014 Recap

With the sun tickling the golden and orange Catskill Mountains, over 275 people enjoyed the fine, all-vegan food of our 9th annual ThanksLiving banquet — where our rescued turkeys were the guests of honor and not the main course!  SCROLL DOWN FOR PICTURES.

Guest Chef Rachel Klein of Miss Rachel’s Pantry

After an hour of mingling and passed appetizers, the dinner started with Chef Rachel Klein‘s mouthwatering coconut sweet potato bisque with fried shallots and smoked coconut.  Next the entree arrived: chickpea-seitan dusted with pumpkin seeds, filled with wild rice and shiitake mushroom stuffing and smothered in Dijon maple gravy.  This creation was accompanied by a shaved brussels sprout salad and potato “au gratin.”

Hors d’ouvres were provided by Regal Vegan, Treeline Cheese, New World Home Cooking and Marty’s Brand New World Famous Burger. Fresh bread was baked by Kevin Archer of Peace Meal Supper Club.

Chocolate topper by Vegan Treats

Totally insane desserts such as Sticky Bun Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Mousse Bomb, Coconut Custard Cake, and Chocolate-Encased Cannoli were provided for the 9th year in a row by Bethleham, PA-based Vegan Treats.

Ella Nemcova of  The Regal Vegan MC’d the event, and a wonderful trio made up of  Peter Buettner, Timothy Hill and Joel Bluestein filled the tent with 60’s-era jazz.  Folks perused the silent auction and strolled the grounds to visit our friendly farm animals.

The turkeys, all rescued from the animal agricultural industry, enjoyed plates of stuffed squash, cranberries and pumpkin pies served by our guests, while sanctuary staff talked about the turkeys’ rescue stories and personalities.

Click image to see the full menu

“This all-vegan event started by treating our resident turkeys to a special meal,” said Jenny Brown, the sanctuary’s co-founder.

“They’re such friendly, sensitive and social individuals, but sadly more than 45 million turkeys are killed each year at Thanksgiving alone. Serving a cruelty-free holiday dinner is a kinder way to gather with friends and loved ones in the spirit of giving thanks for our lives, health, and happiness.”

CLICK ON AN IMAGE FOR A LARGE SLIDESHOW

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Conceived as a reaction to lackluster potlucks in fluorescent-lit community centers, ThanksLivinghas always been about showing that you can create a compassionate, super-delicious vegan meal, serve it elegantly, and use that as a tool to show people how the lifestyle is not one of deprivation but of opening up a whole world.

The event is held more than a month before the traditional Thanksgiving holiday to take full advantage of the gorgeous leaves and warmer weather, and to give attendees ideas to take back to family and friends for their own meatless celebration.

This year the tickets sold out in just 12 hours, challenging our website’s checkout engine, and over $60,000 was raised in vital funds to help the Sanctuary get through the cold winter months.  Despite its popularity, the attendees were not necessarily lifelong vegans—some had just heard about the event, or were “dragged along” by friends or family. However, after meeting the rescued residents and hearing about our message of compassion towards all animals, few, if any, left unaffected.

Endless thanks to:

Loren Brown for once again curating the silent auction, raffle, and goodie bag items. Her hard work and good taste keeps the quality so high!

Emily Cacioppo-Monus for being the volunteer coordinator but so much more

David Silver for coordinating the logistics both before and during the meal

Programs Manager Mary Beth King and the rest of our motley crew on staff: Natalie Alcalde, Rob Altadonna, Hervé Breuil, Dan Brown, Misty Emerick, Carrie Howerton, Dawnell Kilbourne, Sue Mannella, Rachel McCrystal, Scott Sticker, Aimee VanWettering, and Lila Weisbrot

The huge team of volunteers, listed below and to the right