What we’re about
We are a group of cooks and food enthusiasts from all over Philadelphia and surrounding areas, but most of our swaps are held in Germantown or elsewhere in NW Philly. We love to cook good food and share recipes.
While everyone from omnivore to vegan is welcome, all food brought to the swap must be strictly vegan. This means no honey, whey, etc. We’re happy to help those new to vegan cooking! Consult this ingredient list and feel welcome to reach out to our organizers with any questions.
NW Philly Vegan Food Swap welcomes all ages, races, abilities, classes, genders, and orientations. Some swap locations may necessitate the ability to navigate stairs, which we will list in the description.
It is each member’s responsibility to inform the host and the group of their allergies. The altruistic cooks involved may/may not oblige according to their skill level or commitment to what they’ve planned to cook, but usually someone will try to make something accommodating.
No one is required to do so, however most people are nice and enjoy a cooking challenge. Can’t help you if you’re allergic to cats--you’ll have to wait for a pet-free hosting venue.
How it works:
• Bring your food to swap in at least 12 separate containers, ready to trade. Often members will bring a larger 12th portion or a sizeable “13th portion” for the tasting table.
• Tasting table: Once everyone has arrived, we all gather for a meal to taste all of the food. This is the social and informative part of the swap that tends to feel more like a potluck with lots of tiny servings of food.
• The actual Swap: After the meal, we will take one each of every member’s dish. Any leftovers will be distributed by a “round robin” method--each person taking a turn in selecting an additional portion to take home.
• $3: Each member is asked to contribute at each gathering, which covers the fees that Meetup charges us to maintain this group.
No shows: If you can’t attend, please cancel at least 48 hrs in advance. This allows any members on the waitlist to be notified with enough time to cook. We’ll look forward to seeing you at the next swap! Members with multiple no-shows will be removed from the group.
Etc. & FAQs...
• What's a serving? Let your conscience be your guide. Generally it's how much you'd expect to eat if you were sitting down to a meal.
• Bring food in containers you don’t mind parting with. You won’t get your containers back, but you will get new ones with your swap food!
• Any food-safe containers are acceptable. They don’t have to be microwave safe- members often reuse containers that would otherwise go in recycling.
• Preferred: Use organic/local produce when feasible.
Ed note, 2018: The below was written in 2009 by the original organizer, and it has been retained for historical purposes though some of the information has changed (see above for current swap guidelines).
"I saw a story on food swaps on CBS3 and looked for a group and couldn't find one. This is for those who like to cook vegetarian and vegan foods and want to swap dishes once a month. We all cook and bring 12 servings to a meeting, and take home 10 servings. Below are links to relevant stories.
"I'm deaf, and assume many who would join would be hearing people, so expect most of the communication to happen online. But other deafies welcome!
http://cbs3.com/consumer/3.On.Your.2.1248353.html
http://blog.chivetalkin.com/2009/09/03/food-swap2.aspx
"(Sigh. People tell me that once something is online it's there forever. Not true! Neither of the links work a year plus later. I'll contact CBS see if I can get theirs and host it myself or something.)
"Areas covered: Germantown (my turf), Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, East Falls, Manayunk, Roxborough. If you live further away and want to come, you are welcome to do so!"