News from Sparks & PETA's Helping Animals 101 - SF

[Guest guest]

For Sparks fans, thought you'd be interested to hear about the new owners and their plans *and* see their recipe for vegan sour cream...

 

And, PETA's Helping Animals 101 conference is coming to SF in 2005!!

 

 

Sparks Restaurant [sparksveganfoods]Tuesday, August 10, 2004 8:33 PMvegansBig News from Sparks . . .

Hello Sparks Friends!This is definitely the best time of year -- heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, melons like candy, flowers everywhere -- we sure live in a special part of the world, and thank you all for sharing it with us. In this issue of Sparks News, we have some exciting changes to announce. We hope that you'll be as excited as we are about what's to come. In This E-mail:

 

Sparks has new owners! (But don't expect the food to change.) Sparks closing for Thursday lunches for remodeling work

Special Wine Tasting Dinner moved back to September 24th New menu items

Internships at Sparks Sparks RecipeNew Owners!We have some great news . . . Sparks has new owners! Eric and Anahid Bertrand, the new owners, are committed to continuing Sparks' tradition of exquisite foods that are vegan and organic. In keeping with that goal, Alex will remain Executive Chef, Chef Gyasi will continue to do most of the cooking, and Steve will continue to help behind the scenes with the e-mails and website and such. Eric has diverse experience in the food business, including running his own restaurant in his native France and working in food importing and sales here in America. Anahid is an accomplished musician, music teacher and linguist and she and her wonderful mother, Agavne, will often be on hand in the dining room. Be sure and say "Hi" next time you're in. So, while you should expect the food to be the same as ever (with the usual seasonal changes) . . . the dining room may change drastically. :)Remodeling closureAlso in the works, starting immediately Sparks will be closed on Thursdays for lunch to get some long overdue repairs done to the floors and other remodeling. Anahid will also take the opportunity to continue to re-style the dining room. We can't wait to see what she and Eric come up with! Meanwhile, we apologize for this inconvenience. We're not sure yet how long this will go on, but we'll keep you posted.Special Wine Tasting Dinner PostponedThe special dinner we had planned along with a tasting of the excellent local, organic wines from Old World Winery has been pushed back to September 24th to accommodate the remodeling mentioned earlier. We're sorry for the delay, but just wait until you see the new Sparks -- Eric and Anahid have a great vision for our little restaurant. Scrumptious (and fun) new menu itemsWe'll be adding some yummy new items to our menus: Chef Gyasi Ganter is now making waffles and doughnuts for brunch. Yup, you read that right -- organic, fresh, home-made doughnuts! Also, check out the new onions rings and garlic-herb french fries at lunch and new specials like eggplant and tofu "feta" pizzas, and of course all the traditional Sparks favorites. Come on in and enjoy! Sparks internship opportunitiesWe have been receiving a lot of requests for cooking classes, about our Cooking School, and intern possibilities. As we mentioned in our last e-mail, we are already planning for cooking classes this fall/winter and Sparks Cooking School. Meanwhile, we have decided to start accepting interns now. If you are interested in learning about vegan, organic cooking and restaurant management, drop us an e-mail at the address below. We only accept one intern at a time.Sparks Recipe - Tofu Sour Cream Many of you have asked about our tofu sour cream. We want you to eat yummy animal and environmentally friendly vegan food at home too, so here is the recipe.In a food processor or blender, combine until silky smooth:

2 boxes Mori-Nu silken tofu, any kind (we use the organic firm)*2 Tb safflower or olive oil2 Tb apple cider vinegar1/4 cup + 3 Tb lemon juice2 tsp sugar1 Tb saltKeeps for a week in the refrigerator. Serve on veggie burritos, chili, and nachos with vegan cheese!*Mori-Nu silken tofu is a great product to be familiar with, and to keep on hand. It comes in aseptic containers and does not need refrigeration until it's opened. It is NOT the same as fresh, firm tofu -- you generally don't want to sauté, roast or grill Mori-Nu silken tofu. It will fall apart. Instead, use it as a fantastic high-protein, low-fat dairy replacement. You can puree it into salad dressings, cream pies, sour creams and dips just like real sour cream, mayonnaise or heavy cream.Bonus cooking tip: If you only have one coffee grinder, and you use it for everything from coffee beans to cumin seeds to dried chili peppers, here's a quick and easy way to clean it so you can save time and avoid mixing flavors: In between uses, grind 1/2 cup sugar for 30 seconds and then discard the sugar. Now the machine is ready for the next spice!Looking forward to seeing you all soon, Alex and Steve and Eric and AnahidSparks16248 Main Street Guerneville, CA 95446707-869-8206www.sparksrestaurant.comwww.goveg.comAlex is planning next year's Helping Animals 101 conferences for PeTA! In 2005 she's planning HA101 conferences in Miami, Phoenix, Washington, DC, Cincinnati, Houston, Toronto and right here in San Francisco. Check out www.HelpingAnimals101.com for more information. “Helping Animals 101 was everything I imagined and more! This is a conference that EVERYONE needs to attend, regardless [of whether] you are an activist or not. … Every one of their speakers was incredible. They were dynamic, informative, fun, passionate and compassionate. They all had a special way of presenting some very serious issues, and they handled it with tact and compassion. The information presented in this conference is something that all consumers need to know about. If you care about your health and you care about animals, you must attend. An additional bonus to the conference was the food. I had no idea vegan meals were this delicious! The meals were far better than any meat or dairy dish I have ever tasted. I can’t wait to try making them on my own.”*myshkin**saja*