Start of tour
Omaha, Nebraska
May 24, 2011End of tour
ABOUT THE TOUR
Our co-founder and president, Gene Baur, is embarking on a cross-country adventure, the Just Eats Tour: Exploring Vegan America. In his iconic Volkswagen van, Gene will travel across America seeking out the game-changers at the heart of the movement. Through recipes, videos, photos, blog posts, and interviews, Gene will explore the past, present, and future of the vegan movement. Oh, and he'll be eating well and sharing delicious recipes he picks up along the way. We want you to be a part of it! Follow the van, share your recipes, take the Vegan Challenge, and enjoy the food and stories behind it all. The Just Eats Tour is traveling from Farm Sanctuary's 25th anniversary Gala at Cipriani in New York on May 14 to Farm Sanctuary's Country Hoe Down in Orland California on June 4.
TAKE THE VEGAN CHALLENGE
For the three weeks that Gene was on the road for the Just Eats Tour: Exploring Vegan
America, he put out the challenge for website followers to eliminate meat, dairy, eggs,
and other animal products from their diets. Many of you took him up on the Just Eats
Tour Vegan Challenge, pledging to go vegan for the duration of the tour! Some stuck
with it from day one, some joined in half way through, and some simply tried a few
new vegan recipes. Yet everyone taking the challenge made a difference in the lives of
farm animals, their personal health, and the planet- all while discovering how delicious
and satisfying vegan meals can be! While the tour has come to an end, new vegan food
options are being added to menus and grocery store shelves every day. We encourage
everyone to continue choosing plant-based foods and enjoying the tastes of vegan
America!
COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE
Thank you
New York City
May 14, 2011 in Manhattan, New YorkWilmington, Delaware
May 16, 2011 in Wilmington, DelawareAvondale, Pennsylvania
May 16, 2011 in Avondale, PennsylvaniaLancaster, Pennsylvania
May 16, 2011 in Lancaster, PennsylvaniaMany of you have heard the story of Hilda, a live sheep discarded like trash on a pile of dead animals behind the Lancaster Stockyards in Lancaster, PA. Hilda became the very first animal rescued by Farm Sanctuary and went on to live with us until 1997. Next on the tour, Gene will be revisiting the location of the former Lancaster Stockyards, as well as stopping by the Wilmington, DE home that served as Farm Sanctuary’s first haven for rescued farm animals. That evening, Gene will join guests for dinner at Lancaster’s historic Stockyard Inn, which for decades has served steak dinners to hungry cattleman. On May 16, however, the menu will be a little different: the Inn has agreed to serve a gourmet vegan dinner to celebrate Farm Sanctuary’s 25th anniversary! Join us for a reflective journey into Farm Sanctuary’s past, and a triumphant celebration of its future!
Home in Watkins Glen
May 17, 2011 in Watkins Glen, New YorkFollow Gene online as he makes the journey back to the rolling green pastures of Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter in Watkins Glen. The 175-acre sanctuary has been a refuge to thousands of rescued farm animals over the past 25 years and currently is home to over 500, including chickens, turkeys, pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats. Gene will take viewers on a virtual tour of the farm, telling the stories of the rescues that brought these residents to our shelter. Watkins Glen may be a small town, but the big influence of Farm Sanctuary is apparent in numerous vegan options at local restaurants – from one popular lunch spot that offers a “Sanctuary Special” sandwich to the Burger King where the very first BK Veggie was served. Check back soon for posts from this joyous return to the roots of the nation's largest farm animal protection organization!
Akron, Ohio
May 19, 2011 in Akron, OhioColumbus, Ohio
May 20, 2011 in Columbus, OhioThe Vegan Windy City!
May 21, 2011 in Chicago, IllinoisThe VW will be pulling into Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood to visit Karyn’s on the Green, a chic vegan restaurant that has been “making vegan sexy” in the Windy City. On Sunday, Gene will travel to the suburb of Hindsdale to talk to members of its Unitarian church about what it means to be vegan. Before heading off, he’ll enjoy some of Chicago’s famous soul food -- vegan style! -- and share the recipes and hot spots Chicago has to offer.
Iowa City, Iowa
May 23, 2011 in Iowa City, IowaOmaha, Nebraska
May 24, 2011 in Omaha, NebraskaTulsa, Oklahoma
May 27, 2011 in Tulsa, OklahomaDallas, Texas
May 28, 2011 in Dallas, TexasAustin, Texas
May 30, 2011 in Austin, TexasPhoenix, Arizona
Jun 02, 2011 in Phoenix, ArizonaLos Angeles, California
Jun 02, 2011 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaOrland, California
Jun 04, 2011 in Orland, California
New York Chicken and Deli
May 25, 2011
Isa’s activism is all about the front lines. Her success in convincing non-vegan establishments to offer vegan fare is inspiring. After she advised chefs at New York Chicken and Gyro, in Omaha, the restaurant began selling vegan shawarma, gyro and Philly cheese steak sandwiches. We were blown away by how amazing these dishes were. And the seitan products are made in-house! These vegan offerings are already wildly popular, and they haven’t even been added to the chalkboard menu yet - so far the success has all been due to word of mouth and Facebook.
Wherever we go, there are new vegans and vegan-friendly businesses. It’s also becoming apparent that the vegan food movement is part of a larger food movement that is developing in opposition to our industrialized, chemical dependent, factory farming system. We’re off to Tulsa, Oklahoma to continue our exploration.
VIDEO: ISA CHANDRA MOSKOWITZ
May 25, 2011
Isa tells us about what inspires her as an author and as a chef.
Eating With Isa
May 25, 2011
Vegan activist and cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz made us a great breakfast of scrambled tofu, greens (broccoli and Swiss chard), and perfect potatoes. I’m very impressed with Isa’s ability to make vegan food accessible. Her mastery in writing cookbooks goes beyond using common ingredients, in short periods of time, to create fabulous feasts: She also weaves fundamental cooking theory into her work, helping her followers to mature their cooking and baking intelligence, so that in time they are no longer dependent on recipes but can freestyle their own creations from whatever they find in the fridge or cupboard. And she doesn’t stop there! To support those who have supported her, Isa has created a vegan community at www.theppk.com where foodies can share insights, recipes, successes, and misadventures.
For dinner - a vegan barbeque with some of Isa’s friends - the Just Eats crew was treated to amazing barbequed seitan, creamy avocodo potato salad, and Sanctuary Ranch Dip, which Isa created earlier in the day and named in honor of our visit! For dessert, Isa made a strawberry rhubarb crumb pie topped with soy vanilla ice cream that was out of this world! To satisfy the chocoholics, one of the barbeque guests brought over a delectable slab of chocolate brownie covered with a donut-like frosting. Stay tuned to the Just Eats Recipe Contest page - where many amazing recipes will be posted.
Hello Isa!
May 24, 2011
Upon arriving in Omaha, we were warmly welcomed by vegan food goddess Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who fed us a delicious vegan brunch of french toast and homemade “sausage.” Both recipes can be found in her amazing and accessible "Vegan Brunch" cookbook. We are all eager to devour more of Isa’s incredible food and hope to pick up some cooking/baking tips from this master of vegan cuisine. We’re also looking forward to becoming better acquainted with Omaha’s vegan scene (especially considering its juxtaposition with Iowa’s massive factory farming industries) and Isa’s effective vegan food activism.
VIDEO: FACTORY FARMING (CHICKENS)
May 24, 2011
Gene travels past a Chicken Factory Farm in Western Iowa.
Factory Farms While En Route to Omaha
May 24, 2011
Today we drove from Iowa City, IA, to Omaha, NE, through patches of intense rain – but thankfully no tornadoes. We stopped by a couple factory farms just off, and in-view of, the highway. The first was an egg factory where hens are packed into battery cages so tightly that they cannot even stretch their wings. Iowa produces the most eggs of any U.S. state, exploiting more than 50 million laying hens. The next place we visited was a pig factory that fattens pigs for slaughter. Iowa also produces the most pigs of any U.S. state, raising around 30,000 million pigs annually. It is always sad to visit such places – to know of the injustice and suffering occurring inside and be unable to stop it immediately.
