Vegan Samples at Outreach Events

Vegan quiche and muffins at Green U 

When my local vegan group began planning which food would be best to sample out at our next tabling event, we had a few important points to consider.

We threw around a few ideas after our book discussion group one night, and decided to make one sweet food to sample out and one savory: vegan lemon poppyseed muffins and vegan veggie quiche.

Here are some potential problems we discussed and our solutions:

What is environmentally friendly?

The problem: Since this event focused on ways to help the environment, we wanted to be extra sure that our food samples required a minimum of paper products. We needed to be able to transport the food samples easily and keep them safe from any curious bugs.

Our solution: Muffins and quiche turned out to be the perfect sample food. The mini-muffins had a small wrapper on the bottom, but in the end they amounted to a very small amount of bio-degradable trash. After an all-night baking session, organizer Natalia transported the mini-muffins and quiche to the event in reusable plastic food containers. We set out a sleek presentation plate and filled it with a few samples of each. It was easy to refill the plate as the day wore on, and if curious children decided to touch but not take a sample, it was no problem to give that sample to the birds and put out a fresh one.

What is cost-effective?

The problem: We missed the deadline to apply for funding through VegFund, so we wanted to be sure we'd be able to make enough food to give a sample to everyone who wanted one at the event. We're a small community group that lives on the goodwill of its members, so as much as possible we want to keep our expenses to a minimum while still having the resources we need for effective outreach.

Our solution: Deciding on single-serving, bite-sized samples saved our budget and gave us peace of mind. We knew we could offer people who stopped by our table a sample of each type of food without worrying whether we would run out too quickly. Because Green U was not a food-focused event, attendees were very polite with their sample taking, often sharing a muffin or quiche with their family members instead of taking two.

What food is right for the time of year?

The problem: Since this event was scheduled to be outside in Alabama in August, we needed food that would stay tasty and wouldn't spoil throughout the hot day. We also considered the fact that most of the people attending the event would be walking around in the heat, and might not be interested in food that was too heavy or greasy. 

Our solution: Baked goods were perfect for an outdoor event at the end of summer. The mini-muffins and quiche stayed good all day without needing a cooler, and the small-sized servings were easy to wash down with some water or lemonade. 

Most importantly: what is the tastiest?

The problem: There were too many delicious vegan dishes to choose from! We wanted to share all of our favorite foods at this event. 

Our solution: By providing one savory and one sweet dish, we were able to appeal to a larger audience. It also helped to have an easy to prepare dish and a more challenging one. People who didn't expect much from vegan food were blown away by the quiche, and those somewhat familiar with vegan cooking were excited to try a muffin and take home the recipe. 

What would we do differently next time? 

The only change I'd like to see us make for future tabling events is to offer a gluten-free option in addition to the baked goods. 

Do you have any suggestions on good gluten-free foods to offer at a vegan outreach table?