The MAKER kitchen opening inspires a blog post!
Well, Winter has come and gone and even half of Spring has passed me by without another blog update here but the grand opening event for the MAKER Kitchen takeaway coffee and treat bar has brought me out of hibernation! Here’s a bit of a mix of recent Veganthused! and MC Pony happenings, along with evidence of the certified drool-worthy food delights available at today’s opening.
Newsy Bits in Brief
Dr Siobhan O’Sullivan interviewed me for her podcast “Knowing Animals”, as part of the ‘Protecting Animals’ series. We spoke about a range of topics, including using music as part of activism, and also how to maintain longevity as an activist and the importance of an intersectional approach to advocacy. Earlier this year after, attending a live recording to celebrate the first year of her podcast, I wrote a short piece to use as the Knowing Animals theme music, so you can hear that at the start of the episode too! Access it at these links, or whatever podcasting platform you prefer: http://knowinganimals.libsyn.com/protecting-animals-17-elizabeth-usher-aka-mc-pony or https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/knowing-animals/id997543452 (look for the Protecting Animals 17 episode as the one that features me – although of course I do suggest subscribing to the whole series!).
I debuted a new track, Mother and Child, at the Living Green Festival. Congratulations to everyone involved with the LGF, which has now been going for six years, and remains one of my favourite days of the year! Mother and Child hasn’t been officially released yet so at the moment the only way to hear it is to listen to the latest Freedom of Species podcast (http://www.freedomofspecies.org/show/cash-cow-conversations-about-dairy-cows). It’s about the way the dairy industry mass production process inherently requires breaking the bond between a mother cow and her newborn calf. This song was co-written with a good friend, James Donnelly, who also features in the beautiful layered chorus with his duo James and Naomi.
The 2016 Animal Activists Forum was held last weekend on the Gold Coast. As always, it was a wonderful event, with a mix of necessarily harrowing information balanced by the inspiring feeling of being around so many other committed activists who are coming up with creative and effective ways to spread the message, reach the public, and effect positive change. The volunteer team did a exemplary job of running the forum, and with next year’s event returning to Melbourne it will also provide a great excuse to visit the vegan capital of Australia! Sign up to the AAF email newsletter to stay up to date with when the exact dates are announced!
Briefly looking to the future: coming up in Sydney over the next couple of weeks are the Cruelty Free Festival on Sunday 30th October and the Not the Melbourne Cup event, which returns to the Cruelty Free Shop on Tuesday 1st November – this also offers the next chance to see MC Pony out and about, as I’ll once again be performing the anti-horseracing track “Running For Our Lives”, as well as a couple of more fun & celebratory songs to bring the mood back up! https://www.facebook.com/events/109361269538135/ or the direct link for tickets is: http://crueltyfreeshop.com.au/collections/books-magazines/Event-Tickets
BUT, it’s finally time to turn to the whole reason I’ve broken my blogging drought once again: the grand opening of the M A K E R Kitchen takeaway coffee and treat bar! 
MAKERing a Splash!
Vegans in Sydney are (or at least should be!) already well aware of the delights created by the likes of The Vegan Teahouse, My Little Panda Kitchen, Treat Dreams, Rhubarb Bakes – and now they’re all available under one roof! This was a highly anticipated grand opening event, with a few dozen of us already queueing outside by the opening time of 10am despite the cold and grey morning threatening more rain. The crowds continued to swell – another really positive sign that interest in veganism is on an ever-upwards trend! The timing of this launch day wasn’t actually particularly great for me, as I’m avoiding most sugars at the moment, and you can see from the photos what sorts of sweet treats were on offer, so I needed all my willpower and discipline to keep my sweet tooth in check! Also, I’m not a coffee drinker, but I have it on good authority that the coffee is top-notch. Fortunately there was one savoury item that I could indulge in – mini quiches – and I made short work of three of these delicious pastry bundles.
It was also a lovely surprise to see Montaigne again, after hearing her speak about a month ago at an Oxford Creative Academy event (when I was having a much better hair day than today haha!). She’s a stellar talent with a hugely compassionate heart and is also a supporter of Animal Liberation NSW. I missed her recent (sold-out!) gigs in Sydney due to schedule clashes, but am keeping a keen eye out for future announcements of any local shows!
OK time to wrap up and get back to study – congratulations once again to Kate, Annabelle, Lisette, Laura, and all involved with the M A K E R Kitchen, and good luck for the crowds continuing!
Visit for yourself: 552 Parramatta Road, Petersham. M A K E R Kitchen will be open Wednesdays through to Saturdays, and they have big plans beyond even today’s success… check out that list of upcoming workshops for starters!
