Holiday Vegan Brunch with Caitlin Shoemaker Recap - December 2018
On a summer trip to Portland, Oregon, our Founder Chris and his wife met up with Caitlin Shoemaker of From My Bowl for dinner in her new city. While they caught up over some food, an amazing idea was born. Franklin & Whitman would host a vegan brunch for the holiday season with Caitlin as the chef! Of course, this event had to be tied to our deep love of dogs, so we looped in the Pennsylvania SPCA to let them know that all guests would be asked to bring along a gift for the shelter going into the holidays. Caitlin did such a wonderful job creating a delicious five-course menu, and tickets sold out almost immediately! Twenty-five guests joined us for our holiday brunch on a Sunday morning in Philadelphia, and here are some our favorite highlights from the day.
The day before, Caitlin was busy in the BOK kitchen prepping for the big meal. We had some absolutely awesome sponsors who generously donated ingredients for Caitlin to cook and bake with. A major thank you to Misfits Market, Sweetgreen, and Thrive Market for sponsoring the meal. We couldn't have done it without them!
The morning began with course one; crudités and mimosas. Guests arrived, mingled, and picked from a table of delicious vegan cheeses, fruits, and crackers. They each slowly found a seat and sipped on their mimosas, anxiously awaiting course number two.
Course two was a kale salad with brussels sprouts, shallots, and garlic tahini dressing. It was super delicious and jam-packed with nutrients, too!
About thirty minutes later, it was already time for the third course; a carrot and sage soup with chickpea croutons. This bowl of hot goodness was the perfect way to warm things up, especially with the chilly weather that was lingering outside.
After guests were finished with their soup, the fourth course made it's way up from the kitchen. Caitlin baked an delectable quiche with caramelized onions and a side of baked sweet potatoes. The plate tasted heavenly and was a great way to round out the savory.
Once guests finished with the final course, everyone got up and headed into the next room for a meet-and-greet hour sponsored by Health-Ade. Health-Ade sent us some of their delicious kombucha to sip on and attendees got to chat with Caitlin after her work in the kitchen was done. Guests were also each gifted a holiday swag bag full of treats and goodies to take home from some of our favorite wellness and food brands. We are so grateful to Hu Kitchen, Simple Mills, Saxbys, sweetgreen, Love Beets, Stasher Bag, Emmys Organics, Chosen Foods, Yogi Tea, Nada Moo, Square Organics, and Amazing Grass for all they did to support this event. It was our best swag bag yet!
We are extremely thankful to all of our amazing guests who joined us for our first ever dining experience and to all of the brands who helped to make this event a major success. The biggest thank you goes out to Caitlin for absolutely slaying it and bringing the vision to life. We were able to take two boxes of toys, treats, and various other pet supplies that everyone brought along to the PSPCA as an early Christmas delivery! We wish you all a very merry holiday and a happy new year! See you in 2019!
For more photos from the brunch, check out our Facebook photo album!
All photos by Melissa Anne Tilley of Franklin & Whitman