In the spring of 2002, members of the Garden Valley Church cautiously decided to host a two-night vegetarian cooking school in the midst of their meat-eating, mountain resort community. But, the Lord had a surprising lesson in store. Imagine how shocked everyone was when cooking school attendees expressed a desire for demonstrations featuring vegan cuisine! It seemed that many neighbors knew as much about vegetarian eating and “slices” of the Adventist health message as did the members.
Lesson learned . . . this spring, the Garden Valley Church took their neighbors’ call to “higher ground” quite seriously and conducted a six-week series of vegan cooking seminars. On Tuesday evening, Feb. 25, “Eden’s Edibles” opened with a full house as the community was invited to feast on a six-course, all-vegan banquet. Sitting amidst the elegant china table settings and soft candlelight, even the most reluctant carnivorous diners could not refrain from applause as they were treated to Terresa Doering’s Tropical Tantalizer and savored their way through the remaining fabulous vegan meal crowned with Tofu Carob “Cheese” Cake and freshly brewed Roma.
Beginning on Tuesday evening, Mar. 4, approximately 30 men and women attended four weekly, one-hour vegan cooking demonstrations featuring healthy handouts, exciting food demonstrations, a “build-as-you-go” Eden’s Edibles Cookbook, and lots of demo dish giveaways. As a special feature, Dan Ross, Darrel Tank and Barry Warner presented their favorite vegan dishes on “Guy’s Night”—a very popular class, indeed!
“Eden’s Edibles” officially concluded on April 1 with a vegan potluck and recipe swap. Dene Sue Ross and Janet Guthrie, co-coordinators, were thrilled when participants requested that “Eden’s Edibles” continue one Tuesday evening each month. “What a wonderful blessing and powerful lesson,” said Ross. “We had concerns that a multi-week, vegan-only outreach would be too ‘stout,’ but the Lord was faithful in all His provision. In our own wisdom, we thought it best to start slow, but the Lord showed us that often we lack faith and set our sights too low. Never underestimate the impact of our example and witness on those around us!”
Nancy Essink explained that it is necessary to understand the listed ingredients to be sure that the food is completely vegan, even marshmallows.
Dan Ross’s recipe for Apple Oat Breakfast Casserole made a big hit when he demonstrated it for “Guys’ Night.”
