Vegan blogger sells out 2 pop-up food events in a matter of days

Ashley Hankins-Marchetti is one of the hottest tickets in town. The creator of the blog www.eatfigsnotpigs.com has sold out her first two pop-up food events in just a matter of days.

Her pop-up dinner at Root, a hipster gift store in downtown Fresno, sold out in just three days. The $50, four-course Mexican-inspired dinner, complete with Tioga-Sequoia beer pairing, is on July 22.

To keep her fans happy, she added a brunch event on Sunday, July 23, from 1-3 p.m. But that sold out in two days. Will there be a third event anytime soon? Stay tuned, says Hankins-Marchetti.

The meals each day will be similar. Ceviche de coco is the first course, a vegan version that features young coconut meat instead of a mild white fish. The second course is a Caesar salad made with kale, cashew dressing, crispy tortilla strips, seasoned pepitas and avocado. The final course is tacos, carnitas style made from jackfruit and barbacoa style made from cauliflower, cashew crema, pickled cabbage and radish. The dinner adds a third taco option, asada style made with soy, salsa rojo, onion and cilantro crema.

The dinner has a fourth course: drunken horchata.

For brunch, there will be beermosas or Micheledas – after all, what’s brunch without a little booze?

Although not a trained chef, Hankins-Marchetti’s cooking skills have developed a loyal following. The recipes on her blog and Instagram page would make even the most hardened meat eater salivate. What’s even more remarkable is that Hankins-Marchetti and her wife Ashlee Marchetti have only been vegans for about two years.

This story was originally published July 3, 2017 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Vegan blogger sells out 2 pop-up food events in a matter of days."