Everything is bigger in Texas, and PETA’s events are no exception. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk is currently touring the country on her new speaking tour, All Together Now! 

She’s discussing remarkable discoveries about our fellow sentient beings and how to erase the line that shouldn’t exist in the first place between ourselves and the other stunning, wondrous forms of life on Earth. 

Recently, the event made its way to the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum in Austin, Texas, and it was a night to remember!  

Members joined Ingrid, PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, and other animal advocates while enjoying the beautiful sculpture garden and delicious food prepared by acclaimed chef Chad Sarno, the cofounder of Wicked Kitchen and Good Catch brands.  

Guests toasted animal rights with delicious wine generously donated by RedThumb Natural Wines, which makes fantastic vegan and organic wines with no dirty secrets—they’re meticulously sourced for their natural cultivation methods.  

The cuisine was creative, delectable, and completely animal-friendly.   

Chef Sarno set the tone for an inspiring and memorable event with a selection of hors d’oeuvres, which included the following:  

Fried Milanese “chicken” bites made from lion’s mane mushrooms sourced from Hi-Fi Mycology, Austin’s first urban mushroom farm, each served with a delicious pesto aïoli 

Vegan scallop Rockefeller made with Parmesan cream and brioche crumb 

And a whipped “feta” tartlet made with white balsamic and pear 

On each table were cheese platters provided by Rebel Cheese. Guests sampled Rebel’s cave-aged Porcini Brie, Tomato Herb Fromage, Smoked Cheddar, and Honee Pistachio Chèvre cheeses.  

The first course on the completely vegan (of course) menu was a scrumptious salmon Caesar salad, deliciously made with succulent salmon generously provided by our friends at Good Catch. 

Next, guests enjoyed Nana’s Escarole Soup, topped with Wicked Kitchen’s meatballs, a Sarno family favorite! 

Before dessert was served, guests enjoyed a fettuccine carbonara with crispy “pork” made using Lypid’s innovation in plant-based pork topped with vegetables and a smoked egg yolk (an astounding “egg” handmade by chef Sarno).  

The dessert was an unforgettable roses and gelato apple fritter rose with salted caramel and bourbon compressed apples, served with Wicked Ice Cream, which was voted the #1 vegan ice cream by readers of USA Today.  

Some of the night’s recipes were adapted from The Wicked Healthy Cookbook. If there’s one vegan cookbook you need this year, this is definitely it! 

The event was generously sponsored by the Leslie L. Alexander Foundation, the TarryTown Center, ROI Solutions, and Allen Guisinger.  

The Austin vegan business community warmly welcomed PETA to Texas. We were delighted to host Rebel Cheese cofounders Kirsten Maitland and Fred Zwar, Funky Mello cofounders Delisa and Zach Harper, and Crafty Counter founder Hema Reddy.  

The evening also featured a silent auction with some of the brands that PETA is most excited to share with others, of which many are local to Austin. 

A gift bundle was generously donated by Austin-based Mad Hippie, a natural and PETA-certified cruelty-free skin-care brand that’s revolutionizing what people think of natural skin care. 

A Good Day Spa package for guests to pamper themselves with, the vegan way, included  

a gift card from PETA-certified cruelty-free luxury skin-care brand Skin&Co Roma, whose products are made with the finest truffles handcrafted in Italy, and a “PETA-Approved Vegan” silk Lennon kimono from niLuu. PETA and niLuu teamed up to highlight the cruelty inflicted on silkworms used to produce traditional silk. niLuu’s vegan silk prints encapsulate a timeless and sustainable style. 

The bundle also included a hair-care gift set from T180 Professional, a company dedicated to providing natural, gentle hair-care products and never testing on animals.  

Another highly sought-after lot of the silent auction was a basket of donations from the best vegan restaurants and experiences in Austin. It included items from Bouldin Creek Cafe, The Beer Plant, UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum, Park Lane Guest House, and Mission Burger.  

Guests left with a goodie bag filled with vegan popcorn from Austin-based company Cornucopia Popcorn along with a copy of The Wicked Healthy Cookbook signed by coauthor chef Sarno.  

PETA’s dear friend and member from the earliest days Carol Holub made the night extra-special by sharing a heartfelt testimonial and generously matching donations. An inspirational conversation with Ingrid left attendees motivated and inspired to do all they can for our fellow sentient beings. Ultimately, the event raised more than $145,000 for animals—making PETA’s first-ever fundraiser in Austin a huge success. 

What’s better than a fun night with animal advocates spent eating delicious food and raising money for PETA?! Ingrid’s All Together Now! tour is coming to a city near you. Join in the fun by snagging your tickets today:  

PETA thanks the following event sponsors for their generous support. If your company is interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Christopher Merrow at [email protected] for more information.