Vegan Brunch and Seraphic Fire at the Fifth FEAST Miami

Since its inception in 2014, FEAST Miami has funded an eclectic array of projects, from the Poetry With a Purpose effort with women in shelters to the Exile Books artists' pop-up bookstore. People eat, drink, and support the arts — a perfect combo for a city such as ours.

The vegan meals, hosted at various venues throughout the city, were designed to financially support new and emerging creative endeavors. Diners pay a fee to support the grant and then vote for their favorite finalist. 

The fifth installment of the series kicks off November 8 at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center. The menu will be whipped up by chef Loren B. Pulitzer, cofounder of FEAST, and her co-chef, Angelique Santana of Santana Wellness Solutions.

The brunch lineup will include lemony asparagus salad; avocado hummus and roasted red pepper; pumpkin spice French toast with pecans and cashew cream; sweet potato hash with smoked paprika, cayenne, red onion, and red bell pepper; savory tempeh; parfait with fresh fruit and granola; and a savory corn muffin.

The finalists for the newest installment include Andrea Askowitz, Allison Langer, and Diego Saldana-Rojas of Writing Class Radio; Nathaniel Sandler of Bookleggers Library Bookbox Project; Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, Woosler Delisfort, and Johanne Rahaman of This Is Little Haiti; Paola Rodriguez and Juan Alexander Caraballo of Broken Free; and Fernando Landeros of La Paloma Porch Concert Series.

"This is also the first event that we partner with the host, South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, to offer discounted tickets to a performance," FEAST co-creator Susan Carabello says. "Discounted balcony and orchestra seats are made available to FEAST-goers when they purchase their tickets. The brunch starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends approximately at 3:30 p.m. Guests are then invited to stay for a concert by Seraphic Fire. Seraphic Fire will present Handel: Coronation Anthems.

"It takes a community of people to put on an event like this. Each even gets easier in some ways, and each venue presents us with new opportunities to grown and learn," Carabello adds. "It continues to be an amazing opportunity to educate people about vegan options for meals and also grant artists funds for great projects."

Future installments of FEAST (an acronym for Funding Emerging Art With Sustainable Tactics) will include more participation by local chefs, she says. 

FEAST Miami #5 kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, November 8, at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center's Lab Theater, 10950 SW 211th St., Miami. Tickets start at $40 for brunch only and $84 for brunch and the concert. Visit smdcac.org to purchase tickets.