PLAN: "Heartland" Gathering (In Philly) 2012

[Kerry Beal]

Another question - when do we start signup for what we will cook on Saturday? FG - you coming and expediting this year?

[Holly Moore]

Katie, thinking Vedge might make for an interesting Thursday night if they can accomondate this size group. Also thinking it wierd that I, of all people, would come up with Vedge.

Edited to add, Vedge is BYOBacon

Edited July 7, 2012 by Holly Moore (log)

[ScottyBoy]

Have any of these Gatherings happend on the west coast? I'd like to put names to faces sometime.

[FrogPrincesse]

Have any of these Gatherings happend on the west coast? I'd like to put names to faces sometime.

I don't think so, at least not recently.

A west coast gathering sounds like a GREAT idea. Are you volunteering to organize it? ;-)

Edited July 8, 2012 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Holly:

Vedge might indeed be an interesting idea for Thursday. I'm not sure Kate and Rich will be down with the BYO Bacon, however. I had dinner there in May with out of town relatives who were blown away by how innovative and delicious the vegan menu was. I might add that the cocktails were quite impressive also. I had something the bartender was working on that had muddled raw asparagus, fennel, aquavit and some other stuff in it. Needless to say I approached this with much trepidation, but the raw vegetables were not too herbaceous or nasty at all. Quite delicious in fact. I left extremely impressed with the place. Problem might be the size of our group and the cost however. Reservations are brutal to get there, even with quite a bit of advanced notice. If we were going on a Tuesday or Sunday night we might have better luck, but a Thursday night they are likely booked fairly far in advance. Although Vedge is certainly one of the more unique restaurants we have to offer, I also am not certain if a vegan restaurant would be everyone's first choice, given all the omnivorous options we have here. Let me know what you all think...

As for costs, I'm still working that out. I should be able to have costs for the dinner at Zahav fairly soon. I'm hoping to keep that in the $35-50/person range for a family style feast of their specialties. I'll discuss the menu with Chef Michael Solomonov as soon as I'm able. The brunch at Han Dynasty should be $25/person. Both restaurants have a bar that would be pay as you go for those that are indulging. I'm hoping to get some sponsorship from my local wine and liquor reps for the potluck, and I'll take care of cocktails and wine for that night. As hostess for this weekend, it only seems fitting that I do what I do best for the potluck, and leave the cooking to the rest of you.

I will likely set up a PayPal account, or use my own for the pay in advance events. Can someone explain to me how this has been handled most efficiently in the past??

[ScottyBoy]

you volunteering to organize it? ;-)

You obviously don't know how much of a space case I am

Would be fantastic to get something going over here at some point.

Edited July 8, 2012 by ScottyBoy (log)

[Alex]

I will likely set up a PayPal account, or use my own for the pay in advance events. Can someone explain to me how this has been handled most efficiently in the past??

tammylc, who coordinated the Ann Arbor-based gatherings, would be a good resource about this. I'll send you a PM with her contact info. I wasn't at the Cleveland or KC gatherings, but you can get the coordinators' names from the forums.

[kayb]

This sounds like such a treat, and I do love Philadelphia. Unfortunately, my August is booked completely (the weekend in question, I'm in Phoenix and Tucson). I'll be watching for details of the 2013 event, and will plan to be there!

[prasantrin]

As a payor, of the three methods of payment I've experienced at the Gatherings, I prefer the EventBrite (I think it was EB, but it may have been a similar service) method that Ronnie used for the Chicago gathering. He had different tickets set up for each event (iirc, there were meat, meat+pairing, veggie, veggie+pairing, or maybe meat, veggie, and pairing tickets) and you paid for whatever ticket you wanted. It seems to be the most organizer-friendly in terms of keeping track of who wants what kind of meal, or who wants pairings, and IIRC, there were no problems with mix-ups. I do prefer pairings to be paid for separately rather than built in to the price of a meal, but I rarely drink, so I'd rather not pay for something in which I will not be partaking. Others may have different thoughts on that.

At A2, Tammy set up payment through PayPal with the payor covering the user fees and people just responded within the planning thread about food preferences. That seemed to work fine for her and the attendees.

I think last year the payment info came out later than in past events I attended, so I remember just paying at the events. That was fine, too, but it's riskier for the organizer as there's a chance of still being charged for the meals of last-minute drop outs (don't think that happened last year, but it's always a possibility).

Ultimately it's whatever you, the organizer, feel most comfortable with. I'm sure the attendees will be fine with whatever method you choose.

[Chris Hennes]

I agree with Rona: if you're willing to set up EventBrite that was the easiest method of the ones I've been to, but if you're handy with a spreadsheet you can make straight PayPal or even cash at the door work.

[KatieLoeb]

OK - I'll look into EventBrite, but I do pretty well with Excel, so PayPal might be fine too.

More importantly can I get an up to date roll call of those folks that expect to join us for this. Time to start getting tentative head counts so I can have a better idea of what I'm talking about to the chefs/restaurateurs we'll be visiting. I'll start with myself:

KatieLoeb 1

OK everybody. Even you local folks, I need to know who's coming. Speak now or forever hold your peas...

[torakris]

I will be there!

[prasantrin]

Both Friday events--me + 1

Saturday RTM tour--me + 1

Saturday dinner--me + 1

Thursday depends on what's happening and when, but it looks like we'll be doing a family thing that evening

Leaving Sunday morning, so won't be there for brunch

[Kerry Beal]

Thursday night if I make it on time - me

Friday both events - me

Saturday RTM tour - me

Saturday dinner - me - and I want to make apps and a sweet for afters (can you say mignardises).

Sunday brunch if it's early enough - me

[Chris Hennes]

Me and my plus one will be there for all events Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

[prasantrin]

Since I like making lists so much, so far it looks like this:

Thursday, August 9, 2012

evening: TBA

KatieLoeb

torakris

Kerry Beal (tentative)

Friday, August 10, 2012

morning/early afternoon: tour of Italian Market and sandwiches for lunch at Paesano's, 9th Street between Washington and Christian Streets

KatieLoeb

torakris

prasantrin + 1

Kerry Beal

Chris Hennes + 1

evening: Dinner at Zahav - 2nd & Walnut Streets

KatieLoeb

torakris

prasantrin + 1

Kerry Beal

Chris Hennes + 1

Saturday, August 11, 2012

morning/early afternoon: RTM tour, lunch, shopping for potluck 12th & Filbert Streets

KatieLoeb

torakris

prasantrin + 1

Kerry Beal

Chris Hennes + 1

evening: dinner at Reading Terminal Market Rick Nichols Room 12th & Filbert Streets

KatieLoeb

torakris

prasantrin + 1

Kerry Beal

Chris Hennes + 1

Sunday, August 12, 2012

morning/early afternoon: Szechuan brunch, Han Dynasty 108 Chestnut Street

KatieLoeb

torakris

Kerry Beal (tentative)

Chris Hennes + 1

[Holly Moore]

Count me in for Zahav - not sure about the rest.

[KatieLoeb]

Aww, Holly. I thought I could convince you to lead one of the tours. C'mon. You have to come to some more events. If I throw in a trip to Capogiro on Friday would that convince you??

[nolnacs]

Definitely in for the dinners and brunch at Han Dynasty (+1 for all of those). Tentative on the rest.

[Andrew Fenton]

I'll be at Zahav (+1) and Han Dynasty (maybe +1; will confirm later) for sure.

Thursday is a maybe, and I'll try to meet up in the Italian Market but don't know for sure whether I'll be free then.

[prasantrin]

Any news about costs? I've got a couple of friends who are considering joining, but they'd really like to know what the costs might be before committing, and would still need to make travel plans if they decide to go.

Also, will there be options for vegetarians? I'm thinking about Zahav in particular, since it was mentioned that particular meal might be served family-style.

[hjshorter]

OK - I'll look into EventBrite, but I do pretty well with Excel, so PayPal might be fine too.

More importantly can I get an up to date roll call of those folks that expect to join us for this. Time to start getting tentative head counts so I can have a better idea of what I'm talking about to the chefs/restaurateurs we'll be visiting. I'll start with myself:

KatieLoeb 1

OK everybody. Even you local folks, I need to know who's coming. Speak now or forever hold your peas...

I might be able to come up for Sunday brunch. Maybe Saturday, too. Let me see if I can work this out. I would love to see you Philly folks again.

[KatieLoeb]

OK - I'll look into EventBrite, but I do pretty well with Excel, so PayPal might be fine too.

More importantly can I get an up to date roll call of those folks that expect to join us for this. Time to start getting tentative head counts so I can have a better idea of what I'm talking about to the chefs/restaurateurs we'll be visiting. I'll start with myself:

KatieLoeb 1

OK everybody. Even you local folks, I need to know who's coming. Speak now or forever hold your peas...

I might be able to come up for Sunday brunch. Maybe Saturday, too. Let me see if I can work this out. I would love to see you Philly folks again.

Oh and we'd love to see you too!! Keep us posted on your progress in planning. Sunday brunch will be early, but not obscenely so. Folks will have planes, trains and automobiles to catch, but we'll also be coming off the big potluck dinner the night before, as well as the restaurant having to be prepared for us. Fortunately, I have an in with the boss now, seeing as how I work there, so we should be OK.

[KatieLoeb]

Any news about costs? I've got a couple of friends who are considering joining, but they'd really like to know what the costs might be before committing, and would still need to make travel plans if they decide to go.

Also, will there be options for vegetarians? I'm thinking about Zahav in particular, since it was mentioned that particular meal might be served family-style.

Will be speaking with Chef Solomonov this week. I'll let you know as soon as the details are hammered out. I will inquire about vegetarian options specifically, since you've asked.

[rlibkind]

Regarding costs, the RTM will charge $100 to $200 for after-hours use of the Nichols Room.

Anna Florio hasn't got back to me on costs ( she's in Italy til Aug 2) for use of La Cucina kitchen facilities. But I think we should be prepared for $200 minimum (just a guess on my part), making it a total of about $400 for pot luck rental costs. That means if we get 20 people cost could be $20 pp.

As info Aug. 11 (day of pot luck) is same day as Pa. Dutch Festival at market. Nice in some ways, but that means the market will be extra crowded during the day and seating will be at a premium for lunch. Also, Paul Steinke of RTM said he'd probably need Nichols Room for that event, which runs until 4 pm -- tho by 3 pm it's pretty much run down.

That said, Paul will make sure to have up to two dozen seats reserved for us from 12 noon to 1:30, tho it will probably be in piano court rather than Nichols Room. We'd still have Nichols Room for the pot luck. PA Dutch fest will be using La Cuchina til about 2 or 3 pm, so kitchen access won't be available until late afternoon.