Last month I had the privilege of teaching a vegan pressure cooking 101 class at the beautiful – and fabulous – Recologie in New Rochelle, New York. With unique and beautiful boutique, Chef Dianne de la Veaux is about to move the cafe into a full-on vegetarian restaurant. She’s here today to tell you all about it. ~JL
Hi there!
I’m Dianne, a New York-based, vegan-strong chef. I say vegan-strong because I do cook everything, but my heart is in cooking vegan. I’ve been bloggie friends with JL for a few years, and we have actually met in person a few times in New York City when I was working at Candle 79! I had the great pleasure of running into JL again last month when she did one of her pressure cooking demos at my new restaurant, Gather at Recologie in New Rochelle.
I just joined the team at Recologie this year, and boy, has it been a whirlwind! Recologie is an amazing business – it is women-owned and focused on sustainability and community. Recologie actually started as an eco-boutique: the founder, Maria Cisneros, works with artists from around the world who create clothes, furniture, jewelry and collectibles out of recycled materials. Last year, she expanded the business to include an event space, run by longtime New Rochelle artist Judith Weber, and a vegetarian café. Now, I have joined the team to elevate the café into a restaurant: Gather at Recologie.
In my opinion, the world needs more vegetarian restaurants, especially outside the big cities. Although Manhattan and Brooklyn are vegan paradises, there is not much available in Lower Westchester if you want to eat plant-strong and healthy! Gather at Recologie is working to fix that. Our theme is shareable vegetarian small plates, with lots of vegan and gluten-free options. I don’t like to use a lot of “fake meat and cheese” ingredients, so we’re working with beautiful produce, beans, grains and nuts. Think French Lentil Cakes with Dijon Caper Sauce, Wild Mushroom Arancini, Eggplant Braciole, and Spinach Gnocchi with Sauteed Peas and Shallots in a Sage Cashew Cream Sauce. Our menu is a collaboration among the chefs at Recologie, and it is always growing and changing.
Soup
Salad
Sliders
While I love creating the food at Gather at Recologie, the real draw for me was the music. We have a huge event space in the back for local poets, artists and musicians to perform and, well, gather. Just this weekend we had a wonderful Jazz Brunch – live jazz and vegan French Toast Bread Pudding just belong together.
So, come on down to Recologie and say hi! Until April 15, if you come in to eat at Recologie and mention JL Goes Vegan, I will give you 15% off your meal, plus a pastry of your choice.
Our hours are Tuesday – Saturday 12-9 and Sunday 12-4
Brunch is available Saturday and Sunday from 12-4
If you want to learn more about me, you can visit my website diannedelaveaux.com.
If you want to learn more about Recologie, you can visit us at recologie.com.
And be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram!
