October 24, 2023 Dinner: Carmelita's

The October 24 dinner of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians will be held at Carmelita's Mexican Restaurant in Largo. It is located at 7705 Ulmerton Road, just east of Belcher, with plenty of parking in front of the restaurant. Dinner will begin at 7:00 pm, with seating available beginning at 6:30. The cost of the meal, including tax and tip, is $19.00 per person (cash preferred). The server will collect from you at the table and will provide a receipt.

There is an additional $2.00 fee for non-members, but you can join for a prorated fee of $3.00 for an individual or $3.75 for a household.  

All reservations must be made by noon Saturday, October 21.  Call Debby at 727-432-3327 or Steve at 727-224-8731 to make your reservation.

The meal will consist of the following:

1.  Separate Chips and Salsa for each person

2.  Choice of Entree
     a.  Vegetarian Chimichanga
     b.  Guacamole Tostada (Vegans: ask for no cheese.)
     c.  Spinach or Cheese Enchiladas (Vegans: ask for no cheese.)
     d.  Veggie Tacos (Vegans: ask for no cheese.)

3.  Choice of Two Sides  (vegan except for corn) 
     a.  Black Beans
     b.  Corn with Butter
     c.  Pinto Beans
     d.  Side Salad with Choice of Dressing

4.  Iced Water Included
     Beverages will be available for purchase.
    
Our guest speaker will be announced within a few days.

September 26, 2023 Dinner: Queen of Sheba

The Tampa Bay Vegetarians will meet for dinner on Tuesday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m. at the Queen of Sheba, which is located in the Temple Terrace area of Tampa at 11001 N. 56th Street.  For those of you who are new to vegetarian food and/or to The Queen of Sheba, and if you have never eaten Ethiopian food, you are in for a real treat!  This will be a meal that you do not want to miss! The TBV members have voted the Queen of Sheba their favorite restaurant of the year several times.  The price will be $18.00 per person plus $2.00 for non-members.

The dinner will be served family style and will consist of:

    INJERA (Ethiopian Bread)

    YE KIK ALECHA (red split lentils simmered in onions, garlic, ginger, seasoned with berbere.)

    TIKIL GOMEN (yellow split peas simmered in onions, garlic, and ginger with turmeric powder)

    ALKILT ALECHA (carrots, potatoes, and string beans in a mild sauce)

    MUSHROOM WOT (sauteed mushrooms in a berbere sauce)

    GOMEN (steamed collard greens simmered with minced onion and garlic)

    KEIY SIRE (sliced beets sauteed with onions, tomato sauce, and olive oil  

    DESSERT: Honey Chips (only non- vegan item on the menu))

    ETHIOPIAN COFFEE

Our guest speaker will be announced soon.

 

Please make reservations by contacting Steve Dante at sd56@tampabay.rr.com or at 727-392-0268 or Debby Magill at 727-432-3327.

WE MUST HAVE ALL RESERVATIONS AT THE LATEST BY NOON ON SATURDAY, September 23.  If you find that you will be unable to attend the dinner after having made a reservation, please call Debby immediately at 727-432-3327 so that she can give your spot to someone on the waiting list. 

August 22, 2023 Dinner: Gateway to India

The Tuesday, August 22, dinner of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians will take place at Gateway to India, which is located at 8300 Bay Pines Blvd. in St. Petersburg.  Seating will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the dinner to be served at 7:00 p.m.  Those of you who are long-time members of the TBV will remember that we used to have dinner there every year or so.  There is a private dining room, which we will have for our club, and there is plenty of parking. 

The meal will be served family-style and will include:  Pakora (an appetizer), Tossed Salad, Chana Masala (with Chick Peas), Mixed Vegetables with Curry, Dal Tadkal (with Lentils), Basmati Rice, Naan Bread, and Rice Pudding for Dessert.  Everything is vegan except for the Naan Bread and the Rice Pudding.  The food will be prepared MILD, but hot sauces will be available for those who prefer their food hot.  The cost of the meal is $19.00 per person, including tax and tip.  Non-members of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians will pay an extra non-member fee of $2.00 each, but If you wish to become a member, the pro-rated charge from August through December will be $5.00 for the rest of the year for one person or $6.25 for a family membership.

Our guest speaker will be announced at a later date.

July 25, 2023 Dinner: Marquise

The July 25 dinner of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians will be at MARQUISE, a delightful, small French restaurant in South Pasadena, just across the bridge from St. Pete Beach at 2525 Pasadena Avenue S.  Our group was there for the first time last year, and everyone loved it!  We are returning by popular demand!

 

The owners are Stephane, the chef, who comes from Normandy in the northern part of France, and her husband, Philippe, who is from French Guyana.  Because the restaurant is quite small and cozy, it can accommodate only 24 people.  The entire restaurant will be reserved for our group, and because of that, we must pay in advance to assure that everyone who makes a reservation shows up.  The first 24 people whose checks are received will be the attendees.  If anyone finds out that he or she will have to cancel, the first person on the waiting list will be given that spot, and the original person's money will be returned.  If there are no people on the waiting list, the money will not be returned.  Our club rarely collects money in advance, but this is a special situation.  By the way, there is plenty of parking in front of MARQUISE.

The cost of the meal will be $22.00 per person, including tax and tip.  The dinner will consist of

First course:  Taboule Salad

Choice of Main Course:

·        Vegetarian Ratatouille accompanied by Rice (a popular French dish); or

·        Vegetarian Curry Vegetables accompanied by Rice (a dish from French Guyana)                                                                                                                    

Dessert:  Orange Cake

Please send your check, along with the name(s) of the attendee(s), to the TBV Treasurer, Sheryl Walsingham.  The faster your check arrives, the better chance you have of being one of the fortunate 24 to attend the dinner. The checks must be made payable to MARQUISE and mailed to:

Sheryl Walsingham  (DO NOT MAKE YOUR CHECK PAYABLE TO HER!)

6791  67th Way N.

Pinellas Park, FL 33781

Please list the choice of main course for each person for whom you are making a reservation.

 

We look forward to seeing you!

June 27, 2023 Dinner: The Italian Touch

If you wish to attend the June dinner of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians, you MUST reserve your spot by June 24 at the latest.

AT OUR RECENT MEETING OF THE TBV BOARD OF DIRECTORS, A DECISION WAS MADE THAT ANYONE WHO SHOWS UP AT A DINNER WITHOUT HAVING MADE A RESERVATION WILL NOT BE SEATED UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE RESTAURANT IS ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE EXTRA PEOPLE.

The June dinner of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians will take place on Tuesday, June 27, at the Italian Touch, 8211 46th Avenue North, St. Petersburg.

The dinner will be served at the tables and will include:

     1.   Choice of a House Salad or a Cup of Soup (both vegan)
     2.    A Homemade Italian Roll (vegan)
     3.    Choice of:
               Baked Ziti
               Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce (vegan)
               Eggplant Parmesan
               Fettuccine Alfredo
      4.   Choice of Coffee, Tea, or Soda

We are delighted to announce that our speaker for this June 27 dinner at the Italian Touch will be TBV Board Member Susan Peck, whose topic will be PLANT-BASED RESOURCES.  We know that you will all get a lot out of Sue's presentation!

The cost per TBV member will be $18.00, including tax and tip.

There is an extra $2.00 charge per non-member of the TBV.  However, you can avoid that charge by joining the club for a pro-rated fee of $7.00 for an individual or $8.75 for a household.  That will give you a membership through December 31 so that you will not have any non-member fees to pay for the remainder of the year.

Reservations should be made by NOON on June 24 by calling Debby at 727-432-3327 or Steve at 727-224-8731.  You may cancel your reservation at no charge by calling Debby at 727-432-3327, but please do so as soon as possible so that people on the waiting list can be notified.

 
AT OUR RECENT MEETING OF THE TBV BOARD OF DIRECTORS, A DECISION WAS MADE THAT ANYONE WHO SHOWS UP AT A DINNER WITHOUT HAVING MADE A RESERVATION WILL NOT BE SEATED UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE RESTAURANT IS ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE EXTRA PEOPLE.

YEARLY PICNIC OF THE TAMPA BAY VEGETARIANS

Dear Members and Friends of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians,

Our 2023 picnic will take place on Saturday, April 29, in Shelter # 6 at Lake Seminole Park, which is located at 10015 Park Boulevard in Seminole.  Our shelter is in a lovely spot next to the water.

People can start arriving around 11:30 A.M., and we will begin lunch around noon.

JOIN US FOR THE PICNIC!  The TBV will furnish paper plates, cups, cutlery, napkins, ice and water.  If you want something other than water to drink, please bring your own.

Each participant is asked to bring food to serve at least 8 people.  We need salads, main dishes, and desserts.  Please bring a serving spoon for your dish.

When you sign up, we ask that you let us know what you will bring because we do not want everybody to bring the same thing!  If there is not a good balance, we will ask some of you to change your dish.

We are asking everyone to bring a label or a piece of paper to put on or in front of your dish, indicating whether it is vegetarian or vegan.  If you can also list the ingredients, that would be great!

Non-members, as always, will pay a non-member fee of $2.00 at the picnic.  If you prefer, become a member at the pro-rated charge of only $9.00 for an individual or $11.25 for a household.                                
                                                   NO CHARGE FOR MEMBERS

This is the one time of the year when children are welcome to attend, and there is no charge for them!  Dogs are also welcome but must be on a leash.

MAKE A RESERVATION by calling Debby at 727-432-3327 or Steve at 727-224-8731.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE PICNIC!

January 24th, 2023 Dinner - MIRAGE

The Tampa Bay Vegetarians are happy to announce the opening of their 2023 year with a meal at an outstanding restaurant on Tuesday, January 24th! We have awarded it several times in the past with our "Favorite Restaurant of the Year" award. We're speaking of Mirage, the Persian restaurant located at 2284 Gulf to Bay Blvd. in Clearwater. As in the past, we will have an outstanding vegetarian (mostly vegan) buffet with Greek Salad, Tabbouleh, Shiraz Salad, Babaganoush, Falafel, Parsley, Dill Rice, Veggie Kabobs, Green Beans, Baklava, and other delicious offerings.

The cost will be $20.00 per person, including tax. There will also be a $2.00 non-member fee, which can be avoided by becoming a member of the Tampa Bay Vegetarians. A membership for a year is $12.00 for one person or $15.00 for a family at the same address. The dinner begins at 7:00 pm, with registration starting at 6:30.

Following the meal, our speaker will be renowned writer of vegan cook books and fitness books Ellen Jaffee Jones, whose topic will be "How to Have a Healthy Immune System on a Vegan Diet." 

To reserve your place for this dinner, you must let us know before Saturday, January 21.  Send your name and the names of anyone accompanying you to sd56@tampabay.rr.com to be assured of a place.  Give us your name and the name(s) of anyone accompanying you.  We don't require payment in advance, but you must let us know if you need to cancel.  To cancel, please call Debby at 727-432-3327.

We look forward to seeing you!