Determined to give East Londoners a gourmet vegan experience, photographer Marlene Neumann, Lime Fusion’s Wendy Raath and vegetarian caterer Elsebe Cronjé, of Sweet Dandelion, are joining forces in an effort to change the perception of veganism.
Offering up a hearty three-course meal at their first vegan pop-up dinner on Saturday at Neumann’s photographic centre, the three hope to show patrons how easy, nutritious and satisfying a meal with no animal products can be.
“There are actually a lot of vegans in East London and it’s slowly becoming more and more popular, but people often don’t know where to find good wholesome vegan products or how to cook certain things.
“I only learned how to make a vegan omelette a few weeks ago when Elsebe [Cronjé] showed me how and it’s so easy,” said Neumann, whose passion for animals led her to make the decision to become vegan 15 years ago.
Neumann and Raath began toying with the idea of a vegan pop-up in 2017.
“Marlene and I are good friends and she buys all her vegan products from us.
“We’ve always had this idea to collaborate and from a Lime Fusion point of view, we really want to create awareness and educate people about healthy and balanced vegan diets,” said Raath, who will provide the organic, vegan and non-GM ingredients for Saturday’s meal.
“Being a vegan doesn’t have to be difficult, more expensive or intimidating… it’s actually very simple food,” said Cronjé, who was excited to join the team when Neumann ran the idea by her.
Starting off with Mediterranean finger food for tapas in the garden and moving on to a vegetable roast main course and chocolate mousse tart for dessert, Cronjé will use her flair for cooking to indulge patrons.
“People won’t believe that the meals are made without any animal products, especially the delectable chocolate mousse tart, there are no eggs or dairy used in it and it still tastes amazing,” said Cronjé.
After receiving an overwhelming response, Saturday’s dinner is fully booked, but the team hope to hold their vegan events on a regular basis...