Local skaters and DJ Captain Planet–plus games and a pop-up photo booth–provide retro-vibe entertainment; the event, hosted in partnership with Consciously Planted, will benefit Tony Hawk’s The Skatepark Project and Derseweh’s non-profit The Martha Project, which supports houseless people in L.A.
On April 8, Chef Nicole and vera will also serve breakfast to attendees of the Vegan Women Summit at City Market Social House, Fashion District.
Los Angeles, March 28: On April 7, Venice Beach will be treated to an exclusive pre-launch tasting of culinary phenomenon vera: delicious plant-based crumbles crafted from nutritious chickpea-based protein. Chef to the stars Nicole Derseweh–whose clients include Alicia Silverstone, Trey Parker and Moby–will prep and hand out 500 delicious taco trios from the vera food truck to the first 500 hungry people who stop by to say hello. Nicole and the vera team will be joined by skate influencers and DJ Captain Planet; any guests in skater gear will be gifted a swag bag of special goodies.
When: April 7, 12 pm to 3 pm
Where: Where Horizon Avenue meets the Speedway, facing the beach
Each taco trio will comprise a Breakfast Hash Taco of vera Sausage and Chickpea Potatoes, a Pineapple Habanero Chorizo Taco with Cucumber Pineapple Pico, and a Grilled Mango Chipotle Taco with taco-flavor crumbles, all served on gluten-free tacos accompanied by complimentary cans of Ghia’s zero-alcohol aperitivo “Le Spritz”, Big Easy Tepache and VYBES CBD beverages.
vera’s four crumbles–Breakfast, Italian, Chorizo and Taco–are delicious by design: clean label, nutritionally balanced, and crafted exclusively from natural ingredients with zero fillers, chemicals or nutrient-stripping processes. Venice Beach’s health-conscious outlook, outdoor lifestyle and desire to protect the planet where we live made it the perfect place to share vera–a delicious range of foods crafted according to vera’s “Food is Love” philosophy.
“Adopting a plant-based diet is the number one thing you can do to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. I’m excited to showcase how eating sustainably can be better for our health and ecosystems, and to usher in a new wave of culinary artistry through plant-based meals that rank among the best foodie experiences anywhere,” says Chef Derseweh.
Once all tacos have been disbursed, Chef Nicole and the team will bring 100 vera meals to individuals living in a Venice Beach houseless encampment behind Gold’s Gym and a nearby park as part of her work under her non-profit The Martha Project, which brings nutritious plant-based meals and human contact to some of L.A.’s most vulnerable people (as seen on Rachel Ray). Vera is also making a cash donation to The Skatepark Project, a non-profit organization founded by professional skater Tony Hawk, which works to increase access to outdoor recreation and free play through the creation of safe and inclusive community skateparks.
“vera comes from a love of good food and a strongly held belief that food is love. I created this brand with inspiration from my grandmother Vera, who met my grandfather feeding him as concentration camp refugee; her food was always healthy, nutritious and filled with goodness,” says Benjamin Pasternak, CEO and founder of vera’s parent company AuraPea and the visionary behind the vera retail brand.
“At vera, our products are made from chickpeas, are clean-label and crafted with minimal ingredients as that is what sustainable, healthy food means to us.”
“Food is Love, by vera” is co-hosted by Consciously Planted, a business advisory firm for early-stage, plant-based sustainable brands, founded by serial entrepreneur Jennifer Estevez. On April 8, Ms Estevez, Chef Nicole and the vera team will bring the truck to City Market Social House in the Fashion District, where the Vegan Women Summit is being held to gift breakfast burritos to attendees.
“How we eat needs to change, both for our health and for the planet,”says Estevez. “I’m beyond excited to partner with vera to showcase the future of sustainable, regenerative food and to build and support our communities, and to demonstrate the real-world impact of our motto, ‘Food is Love’.”
About vera
For vera, “Food is Love” is more than a tagline–it’s our driving philosophy. Founder Benjamin Pasternak founded vera’s parent company AuraPea in Richmond, Virginia in 2020 after spotting a gap in the meat-alternative industry and deciding to fill it with a plant-based, high-protein product and a holistic approach to crafting nourishing food. “Aura” is a synergistic expression of the whole body, and “Pea” stands for the chickpea, our base material. We don’t believe anybody likes eating fake anything, so we developed a patented process which ensures the chickpea remains packed with bio-available nutrition after it’s milled. Currently, vera’s product line comprises four Crumbles–Breakfast, Italian, Chorizo and Taco–all made with a 100% Clean Label Promise and delicious by design. vera is currently a core ingredient in Stone’s Throw Foods hash and is supplied to the armed forces. Vera Crumbles will be widely available in retail stories during the third quarter of 2022.
About Chef Nicole Derseweh
Nicole Derseweh is a best-selling cookbook author, a world-class vegan chef with culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu, and a private chef to Hollywood’s most famous health conscious stars. After two years hosting and producing her own successful YouTube cooking show, Nicole recently caught the attention of one of Hollywood’s top TV production companies and shot a TV cooking show pilot recreating incredible all-vegan versions of iconic dishes from world-famous celebrity chefs, including Wolfgang Puck’s famous smoked salmon and caviar pizza.
Nicole has a passion for using food to transform health and is the founder of a LA based charity, the Martha Project, which has to date catered over 2,000 meals for the houseless community in Los Angeles.
Consciously Planted is a business advisory firm for early-stage, plant-based and sustainable brands. The seed for Consciously Planted was sown in 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic by a group of serial entrepreneurs, including Jennifer Estevez, under the philosophy “Activism Through Entrepreneurship”, as the team believe that entrepreneurship is a powerful vector for change.
Created by founders for founders, Consciously Planted works with entrepreneurs to identify their needs, goals, and capabilities. The team then delivers custom programming, tools and guidance to support leaders in building their companies from concept development to exit.
About The Skatepark Project
Founded by Tony Hawk, The Skatepark Project (TSP) is a nonprofit organization working to increase access to outdoor recreation and free play through the creation of safe and inclusive community skateparks. TSP provides the resources, advocacy skills, grants and fellowship programs that guide skaters in creating their own community skateparks, from conception through construction. This is a collaborative process between skaters and city authorities to invest in capital improvements that will enrich a community for decades. The Skatepark Project’s grant programs have awarded over $10 million to help fund nearly 700 public skateparks in all 50 States, enjoyed by an estimated 6 million people annually. The organization’s International Program has provided technical and financial support to assist youth through the Skateistan educational programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa. To get involved, visit https://skatepark.org/.
