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DeliciousWow, with the PLETHORA of vegan and raw food restaurants in Los Angeles, you’d think it would be fairly straightforward to find a bangin’ (bargain) vegan caterer for the controversial nuptials of the year. Think again. Whoever catered Ellen & Portia’s wedding is NOT knocking at my door! 
(In other words, I have no idea who they are & google’s not providing an answer to end this vegan plight).
The majority of the vegan restaurants in town are Thai or Chinese in their bent. While I love a good rice noodle or green curry, I think I have my heart set on unexpected & very elegant vegan cuisine. I would also like to incorporate my all-time favorite style – “Italiano” – for the reception. I’ve scoured, skipped, and practically danced the jig in what feels like the search for the holy vegan grail, yet still cater-less, I stand!!
Oh, the agony. There are obvious high-end restaurant choices, but the first obstacle is that I know they’re formidably expensive, (and when it comes to the expense, seriously – for couples who are spending $150+ a head, it kinda’ makes you think twice about including cousin Ed, no??) But I digress. Also, many restaurants I can easily find have specialties centered around imitation meat (which isn’t my personal fave). Apparently there are those who love large portions of “soy chycken”, “tofurky jerky” and the like. I think it’s fantastic if you avoid contributing to the suffering of animals by eating imitation meat and you find pleasure in it. However, for the rest of average creation, either (A) they are meat-eating because they like the taste of actual animal flesh, (B) are NOT meat-eating because they don’t like the taste of actual animal flesh (i.e. me) (C) are not meat-eating because they don’t like the suffering of animals, (i.e. me) but also (D) find the texture of many imitation meats to be a little “off” (i.e. me), soooo having an entire meal based around it amidst a carnivore crowd, feels a little risky. Again, I know there are vegan food aficionados who love imitation meat and even those who have found some mock meats to be almost indistinguishably close to the original, (send me some suggestions!) but I just think rolling it out for the wedding creates an unnecessary complication in an already avant garde setting. This added worry makes my search for the holy vegan grail all the more trepidatious! I mean who oh WHO will prepare tofu that can make even the burliest & most doubtful cavemen beat his chest? Who can come up with the creamiest vegan béchamel this side of the French Riviera? Really, can’t someone just hook me up with:
Heirloom Tomatoes, so ugly they make me weak! (Courtesy of WolfgangPuck.com)
OR:
Novel no? Roasted watermelon! What a cute wedding app! (Courtesy of Veganplanet.com)
HOW ABOUT:
How cute is this!? A strawberry & asparagus appetizer for a wedding…WHAAAAT!? (Courtesy of latartinegormand.com)
PLUS:
Imagine mini grilled vegan cheesy goodness- (Talk to me!) (Courtesy of everydaydish.tv)
And for the Entrees:
Vegan “Bread Lasagna” (Courtesy of the oh so creative "Loli" of veganyumyum.com)
You know what would be nice?:
LOVIN’ Rawsheed’s Pizza, but raw food as the main entrée would really push the parents over the edge…(maybe I’ll sneak raw food in for the rehearsal dinner) Ha! (Image Courtesy of Sunpowernatural.com)
Is it too much to ask for THIS to be made vegan? Wowsa:
(Courtesy of pestositalian.com)
And for the grand finale:
(Don’t know where or whom I got this picture from. If it’s yours please let me know so I can give the cred!) Is this cake sexy or WHAT!?? Gifted vegan baker capable of doing this, please emerge at once!...
Or, do you like this cake design better?:
I'm feeling blue as our theme color, & have so many pics of cakes, I'm not sure whom to credit for this as well but if it's yours, let me know!)
Of course we have to bless them w/some Earth Café cheesecake, it would only be right:
At least THIS part I can take care of! (Courtesy of EarthCafétoGo.com)
You know what trips me out? I’ve heard of hundreds of weddings where, despite the obscene amount of money spent (enough in some cases to support a small country) the food was totally wack! The chicken dry, the seafood – odd-tasting, the filet mignon filet min-wrong, BUT, let a potato chip at a vegan wedding have too much salt, and the whole concept, as far as the mainstream is concerned, will go down in flames. I feel as though with this one, (at least to those I know) I carry the weight of the entire vegan world on my little (out of shape) shoulders. Surely this is not the time for world-class vegan-friendly caterers to be coy. That does it. I’m getting on my knees and praying for help.
Stay tuned…I’ll tell you what I find…:-)
Tags: Catering, Full vegan menu, Vegan catering
I seriously need some CAKE! Is the one pictured above available in stores?
I went to an event hat had great vegan catering once. I’ll see if I can forward you their info, it shouldn’t have to be this hard! Cousin Ed, that’s funny.
I was married 4 years ago and would love to have had vegan catering at my wedding. What a great idea-healthier and should be less expensive. I know you said the obvious restaurants are expensive, but maybe if you have the wedding on a weekday, do appetizers and cocktails instead of a full menu, choose a generally non-busy period, you can work out a deal with a restaurant or caterer. We were able to get discounts on everything by choosing a Friday night, and going with the most affordable but still very nice options the venue had to offer. Hope this helps! Jana
Thanks so much for all the love, Denise, Bobbi & Jana!! Denise, this particular cake we custom designed for a special event. however a similar-tasting one is available called “Who’s Your Daddy”. It’s a carob mousse & one of our top sellers. Try it & let me know what you think!!
C (“aka, veganbride”!:)
Bobbi, if you can find that info, that would be great! We’ve FINALLY happened upon a great source (blogging about that soon!) However we still have rehearsal dinner, brunch…general get togethers, etc. & definitely want to know about & highlight the best vegan food sources!!
Jana,
I definitely have my heart set on a full menu, however I like your idea of planning during a less busy time period. We’re actually trying that, I’ll keep you posted!!
Hugs & Love!!
Oh my gosh Candy, this all looks amazing. Just have us come down early so I can help you with the prep. {: No fake! I’d absolutely love to help you with anything and everything that I can. Love the look of the wedding cake; it is absolutely gorgeous. Can’t wait to try the cheesecake. {: Much love! Mel.
Wow I can’t believe my girl is getting married! Josh you are one lucky guy! I’m so excited!! You know that I’m 100% onboard with you on helping you make your dream wedding come true
. I cannot wait to witness the two of you celebrate your love for each other. I love you both so very much!
p.s I’m still giving you a bridal/bachelorette party!!!:)….
Love,
Vanessa
Wow!!!!
Lil hamburgers look’n strawberries next to the asperagus!!! very cute….
I’m sure this vegan living is delicious…surely it can be tolerable for a beautiful once in a life time special event, perhaps even get some converted taste buds.
Best Wishes !!! ^_^
How exciting!! A wedding is one in a lifetime experience and every girl should be able to have their dream wedding just the way she always imagine it would be like. I can already imagine you looking all glamorous!! You are going to be one gorgeous bride!! I know you are going to be able to pull it all together and have the wedding you always imagine
…. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding Candy!
Oh and for anyone who has not tried one of Earth Café’s deserts you must try them!! I’m not a big fan of deserts but these great looking deserts are amazing!! Hmmmm YUm
OMG what a dream come true!! I’m super happy for you and Josh! Let me know what I can do to make this less stressful for you.
Hmm everything looks really good! You still have to teach me how to make vegan dishes
Love,
M&M:p
Great post. I am vegan and my husband and I were married this time last year. I wanted to serve only vegan food for my guests but the location where that we fell in love would not let us use an outside caterer. Long story short, the in-house chef assured us he could cook vegan, and when we went for our tasting 3 months before the wedding date, we found the food to be AWFUL, but it was too late to get our full deposit back so we ended up having a conventional meal for our guests. They enjoyed the food, but it left a stain on MY special day. Good for you for sticking to your principles, you won’t regret it.
I LOVE this feedback!! Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts & best wishes!!!
C
MBLACK,
I’d L-O-V-E to have your help!! Let’s do it up when you get here!
Vanessa,
I love you passionately!
Panchita,
Thank you!! Where are you FROM??
Mar!!
Thank you thank you & thanks for giving our desserts such a beautiful shout as well!!
Margarita!!
Come over!!! Let’s make vegan food! I’ll teach you…I want you to purge the crap-ola!!
Jennifer:
WOW. I feel your pain & would have been ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED if this happened to me!! Sooo frustrating that so many venues aren’t vegan-friendly in their catering, or don’t offer vegan choices that are in line w/the top-shelf conventional choices (steak, lobster, etc. that harm animals, our health & the environment)-but MAKE an impressive show!! We need more venues & catering companies to give us vegan love!! Let’s demand it w/our all-important consumer dollars!! Thanks for the love!!
Hi
I just happened upon your blog froma link on Facebook and I think I can help you. I make ve
Hi, I just happened upon your blog from a link on Facebook and I think I can help you. I do wedding cakes for all specific diet restrictions. I do lots of vegan wedding cakes. Let me know if your interested in a tasting. I also have some ideas on caterers if youre still looking. Get in touch with me if you want more info.
Yes OF COURSE I want more info!!! bravo! Ghalia desserts! Talk to me!!
BTW, one of my favorite restaurants here in the Coachella Valley is Native Foods, a vegan restaurant. We’re not vegan, but we love this place. I am not sure if they can do full event catering, but it doesn’t hurt to ask… Tanya, the owner, seems like a wonderful person. There are locations in Costa Mesa, Westwood and Aliso Viejo, too. http://www.nativefoods.com/
i am a vegan caterer based in the San Francisco bay area. Me and my team can travel
in the mood for food has many rave reviews on yelp and lots of articles written about us….
phil
Philip!! Get at me’! A VEGAN caterer??? How is it that we weren’t able to find you during our search?? We finally DID do a tasting w/a FANTASTIC ..well, I’ll save it for the blog, but pls pls contact me at candy@veganbride.com to discuss…we have rehearsal dinner, wedding, launch party.. (possibly) a lot going on!
Red Lantern, yes, I know Native Foods very well. They used to carry our desserts at the Costa Mesa location. I actually emailed them (thinking rehearsal dinner trays) but never heard back.
Notice, I didn’t put them on blast but…, I’ll go with maybe the email got lost. Anyhoo, they make FANTASTIC margherita pizza & their Hollywood bowl is the bomb. Do you have any other ideas for haute cuisine for the wedding? If so, please keep ‘em coming!! 
That’s too bad you didn’t get a reply back from Native Foods! I love their food!
Have you tried contacting Patina Catering? http://www.patinagroup.com/catering.php
I also heard Kitchen for Exploring Foods in Pasadena (http://www.thekitchen.net/) is very good, but with both of these, I’m not sure if vegan is available.
I remember having food by Good Gracious Catering at a party hosted by The Bride and Bloom a few years ago, and the food was spectacular. I’m a foodie, so I tend to remember things like this.
http://www.goodgraciousevents.com
My own wedding was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Patina catered it. The food was awesome. Plus, they had a Patina person assigned to me virtually all day, to make sure I had everything, and the assistant even politely “shoo’d” people off the steps of the (then) new Disney Concert Hall for our wedding photos. I was pleasantly surprised at the attention they paid to me. It was unexpected, but it definitely made an impression on me.
Donna
Hi! Thanks for your comment! Your blog is GREAT!!!
And, the asparagus + strawberry appetizer looks delish – colorful + refreshing.
This vegan food looks divine!!! Not only would I come to your reception and enjoy the food, but I would want the recipe afterward!!
What about talking to the folks who wrote Raw Food Real World? I know they are in New York, but they might have some ideas.
Tried to click on your contact us link, but it doesn’t do anything,
Sorry Jamie!! The blog is still in “beta” & the website is still being built, so the buttons you see are not all yet functional, but are acting as place-markers. In the meantime, to contact please leave a comment as you did, or email me at love@aerthcafetogo.com . We will try to get the “contact” button up & running asap as well! Thanks for reading!!
C