In June 2021, as part of SIBA’s commitment to our planet’s environmental health, SIBA prioritized a vegetarian menu as the primary option at in-person gatherings. Gluten-free vegan meals will also be served, and meat options available by special request. To further reduce our carbon footprint and support local farmers, SIBA works with hotel and restaurant partners to locally source as much of the menu as possible. Perhaps surprising to readers, a vegetarian menu is not a cost-savings, as host venues consider it “custom,” and food prices have risen considerably during Covid. To support accessibility and keep overall event pricing as low as possible, SIBA has been subsidizing food costs (and bus tours) for booksellers.

SIBA’s first opportunity to offer a vegetarian menu was at our spring gathering in Winston-Salem, NC. We partnered with Foothills Brewing, owners of our host venue, Footnote. We were their first client to ask for a completely vegetarian menu, and we worked closely with them to create a custom menu of appetizers and desserts for our welcome reception. We ordered more options and greater quantities than the venue suggested for our crowd, and we still had to order more that evening to meet demand.

Our recent gathering in New Orleans involved two receptions, one meal, and a snack bar (during our afternoon session of education). The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) hosted our welcome reception and they happily agreed to our request for a vegetarian menu. They worked with Chez Nous, a local gourmet catering company, to provide an array of sweet and savory appetizers that included vegan and gluten-free treats. The spread was delicious and delightful, with twists on familiar items, like hummus made with avocados, and phyllo-wrapped asparagus. We arrived early and were able to sample most items. We gave THNOC and Chez Nous two thumbs up!

We worked more closely on the menu with the Sheraton which hosted our luncheon and Authors & Aperitifs reception. They only had one vegetarian choice for lunch. Although we came up with a vegan, gluten-free alternative, we also learned from bookseller feedback that we need to bring more variety into the mix (including one choice that is mushroom-free), and be assured, we will! 

We added a snack bar to the afternoon education event, knowing brainy work like examining P & Ls, or learning about time-saving apps, needs sustenance. We chose a snack bar that offered fresh and dried fruit, mixed nuts, and sweet treats like M&M's, and urns of coffee, and hot water for tea. 

So far response to our vegetarian menus has been very positive from booksellers, but we do want to hear from you on ways to meet your needs, if they haven’t been met so far. We provide special meals upon request, though no requests have yet been made.

We are also pleased to share that the ABA has now adopted prioritizing a vegetarian menu at their upcoming Winter Institute and credits SIBA for leading the way.