WildFlower: My Vegan Pop-Up Restaurant

It now seems like a past life, but when I was 19, I was a DJ/Promoter. I remember planning events and the rush of feeling like I had completed the advance work and then just had to wait and trust in the energy and effort I had put out there. I remember the first club that I promoted for... I personally handed out 10,000 flyers and fed the buzz that was on the street. Opening night was exactly how I planned it — packed and turning a profit.

Fast forward about 10-plus years and I'm creating a different kind of event, the opening of my own pop-up restaurant, WildFlower. NYC's first vegan pop-up restaurant, WildFlower will take place from Friday June 10th through Sunday June 12th, and I am back in the days of creating and promoting and watching it transform everything. Things are a little different: My fliers are now tweets, Facebook updates, and blog posts. My "club" is now a swanky sit-down restaurant. My 1's and 2's are gas-lit stoves, but the energy is still the same. I have been blessed with a lot of buzz in the mainstream media for being the first vegan pop-up in NYC, and my big sis told me to never be second.

So today I'm sitting here putting together a prep schedule, order sheets, and doing a TON of math! I do have some calm realizing that the grind can and will be very rewarding. I poured myself and my passion into this project, bringing all my restaurant experience and applying it to WildFlower this weekend. I am happy to be working with folks I have known for years and the new friends I have met on this road.

Wildflower is my life story in 28 courses. Food I have created over the years, food my parents cooked for me in my youth, plus an à la carte menu for Waffle Brunch on Sunday. And as a nod to my DJ days, Wildflower nights will feature a DJ reception on Friday and DJ party on Saturday and Sunday — though I will be cooking, not DJ'ing this time. The night I'm looking forward to most is Saturday — my Raw Fusion and gluten-free night.

Take a look at my 28 courses and come out and if you're in NYC (or can get here), support and say "Hi!"

Heading to WildFlower this weekend? Let us know what you thought in the comments.