The community is invited to celebrate International Vegetarian Day in Long Beach with music, speakers, cooking demonstrations, and vegan food and beverages at the Fourth Annual Compassionate Cuisine event Friday, October 9, from 7pm to 11pm. All proceeds will go to Animal Acres farmed animal sanctuary and compassionate living center in Acton, Calif., which is 45 minutes north of Los Angeles, to support its outreach and education programs.
For 2009, Compassionate Cuisine will move to the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach, where attendees will be able to stroll the grounds as they savor gourmet vegetarian food from two dozen local restaurants and food-service companies, and enjoy music by the pop duo Makena (makenamusic.com) and the Irvine Young Concert Artists (irvineyoungconcertartists.org), who perform internationally and played at the Beijing Olympics.
Special guest host for the event will be Carol Leifer (carolleifer.com), actress, comedian and author of When You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win, who recently became a vegan. Featured speakers include: Jennifer Fearing, California senior state director for the Humane Society of the United States; and Lorri Houston, president and co-founder of Animal Acres.
“Compassionate Cuisine is a delicious and fun event for people of all ages and provides food for our farmed animal friends too,” said Houston. “It raises badly needed funding for our rescue and refuge efforts so we can keep our doors open for many more suffering farmed animals who desperately need sanctuary.”
More than 20 local restaurants and food-service/beverage companies will serve a wide selection of vegan food, drinks and desserts. A raffle, vegan cooking demos, vendors, and education tables highlighting humane treatment of animals and the health and environmental benefits of vegetarian diets are also planned.
“We are so grateful to the generous food and beverage companies that make this fun and informative event possible,” said Compassionate Cuisine chairperson Melissa Witul, a local community activist and business owner. “Some of our vendors have been with us since the first Compassionate Cuisine four years ago, and more come onboard every year, offering attendees the opportunity to sample the diverse array of wonderful vegan food available in the Long Beach area. Not surprisingly, attendance at this event grows significantly every year, and our new location at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden will allow Compassionate Cuisine to continue to grow and introduce many more people to the great work being done at Animal Acres.”
Tickets are $35 in advance, $45 at the door. Buy online at www.animalacres.org
More Information
www.compassionatecuisine.net
