by Timothy Rutt
Trust the Altadena Farmer's Market maven Joseph Shuldiner to break the mold by launching his new vegan cookbook in a butcher shop.
Market manager Shuldiner will launch his new cookbook, Pure Vegan: 70 Recipes for Beautiful Meals and Clean Living (Chronicle Books) at Lindy and Grundy, a butcher shop specializing in local, pastured and organic meats.
Shuldiner's definition of vegan includes cocktails and chocolate. "The title of the book is Pure Vegan, not Puritanical Vegan," he says in a release about the launch party. The book is described as:
A vegan cookbook that celebrates eating and enjoyment rather than emphasizing the politics of a vegan lifestyle, Shuldiner's Pure Vegan proves that embracing a vegan diet doesn't mean you can't enjoy sweets and cocktails ... His beautiful compilation features 70 novel, vibrant recipes that are both plant-based and indulgent. While all of the ingredients are non-meat-egg-dairy, Shuldiner's unique combinations will appeal to meat lovers and committed vegans alike. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are represented, but so are special "Late-night" and "Very-late-night" chapters dedicated to sexy indulgences like chocolate truffles and herbal cocktails. ("Vodka is vegan, after all," says Shuldiner.) Seventy-five gorgeous photographs round out this beautifully packaged book.
Besides managing and curating the every-Wednesday Farmer's Market at Loma Alta Park, Shuldiner is director of the Institute of Domestic Technology, a Home Ec University offering classes, tours and programs dedicated to the study and exploration of the lost domestic arts. A graphic designer, photographer, writer and visual artist by training, Shuldiner has always had a passion for ethnic, gourmet plant-based dishes, D.I.Y. cuisine and locally sourced ingredients. As well as being a certified Master Food Preserver with the UC Cooperative Extension, Shuldiner has also chronicled California’s artisanal food-craft movement and is a contributor to EAT:Los Angeles, the Food Lover's Guide to Los Angeles.
"Lindy and Grundy" (Amelia Posada and Erika Nakamura) are sustainable butchers, who, according to a press release, "believe it's necessary to support local California agriculture. Eschewing huge factory farms and distributors, Lindy and Grundy support small family-run farms that do not use antibiotics or hormones on their animals nor allow pesticides or herbicides to treat grass the animals feed on. Amelia and Erika are pioneers in sourcing and supporting small start-up artisanal food producers in Los Angeles, oftentimes offering these Food-trepreneurs their first commercial exposure."
The book launch party will be Sun., Aug. 19, from 6-8 PM at Lindy and Grundy, 801 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046. The event is open to the public, but an RSVP is requested: rsvp@purevegancookbook.com
There's even a trailer for the book, after the jump (don't say Shuldiner doesn't do it with style!)
