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Resident Holding Vegan, Vegetarian Potluck April 24

Blaine Tornow wants to talk seitan and tempeh with you, and if either is a regular part of your diet, you are definitely part of the community he is trying to bring together through his April 24 vegan and vegetarian potluck in Sister Bay.

“I love to cook and make fun vegetarian options and thought it might be a fun thing to get a bunch of people of the same mindset together to talk food and recipes,” Tornow said.

Potlucks tend to be a uniting force for any community, but particularly for the growing number of individuals who identify as vegans and vegetarians.

According to a study commissioned by The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), approximately five percent of the United States population identifies as vegetarian (nearly 16 million people) and approximately half of these individuals identify as vegan.

While vegetarians opt for a diet free of meat, fish and poultry, Tornow describes the vegan lifestyle as going “one step further” by excluding other animal products and byproducts which, according to VRG, may include “eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.”

A vegetarian farmhand who worked for Tornow’s Wausau-based organic vegetable and herb farm, MoonShadow Farm, turned him onto the lifestyle 11 years ago and he found it worked quite well for him. He considers himself 90 percent vegan because “unfortunately, being brought up in Wisconsin, I do have to occasionally have some eggs and cheese.”

Since incorporating the diet into his lifestyle, Tornow has noticed it has become more widely accepted and there is much less eye-rolling when an individual announces their choice.

“More people are realizing the health benefits of a plant-based diet and staying away from meats and flesh,” he said. “You don’t have to deal with all the antibiotics that go into the animals that you’re eating.”

Since moving to Ellison Bay two-and-a-half years ago to “semi-retire” and picking up a job as an evening sous chef at the White Gull Inn, Tornow has become more interested in bringing together local vegans and vegetarians who share his love of healthy food and recipes.

Naturally, Base Camp and its owner, Joel Kersebet were a natural choice.

“He’s open to fun, healthy food options of any sort,” Tornow said. “Not only what he does himself there at Base Camp but promoting other positive, healthy food options and lifestyles too.”

Interested individuals are invited to bring a vegetarian or vegan dish to share, along with their name and recipe on a card. Coffee, beer and wine are available to purchase and guests are asked to bring their own plates and cutlery.

The potluck will be held from 6 – 8pm at Base Camp Coffee Bar, 10904 Hwy. 42 in Sister Bay. For more information, contact Tornow at [email protected].