No expertise here, but I'm guessing for catering that experience you can point to and former clients who can recommend you (i.e. networking, word of mouth) are more important than attractive website and business cards. From my entrepreneurial readings, I would suggest just starting, maybe with a few gigs at a discount rate for people you already know - people who maybe have eaten your food and would be willing to take a chance on you as a brand new caterer. Try some gigs and then start thinking about branding? And good luck!

Re: "I'm not convinced that the shift from a mostly plant-based diet to an all plant-based diet has done me any good as there's little evidence that a no-meat diet is better for you than a little-meat diet."

The. China. Study.

The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, nutritionist. I've seen it recommended on some of your other vegan posts too. I really recommend reading it! Campbell actually addresses this exact point, over and over, with copious evidence - how we *thought* just limiting diet to a low level of animal protein and fat was sufficient, that no further benefit could be gained by cutting out ALL animal products, but his and other studies have proven the reverse! That the negative health effects of animal products are seen at surprisingly low levels of intake - even among rural Chinese populations where people eat ~10% of the amount of animal products that Americans eat on average.

There are strong correlations between animal products and all manner of cancers and heart diseases, even at very low levels of consumption.

Kenji, this is a great article and a great service to the internets in general. I searched for info like this about foie gras years ago, and turned up nothing so comprehensive or balanced. Thank you for your research and great write-up. If only I could get the angry people standing outside our local french restaurant with disturbing photos on picket signs to read this!

And for the record, I'm a vegetarian - never had foie gras, never plan to. But I had suspected it couldn't really be as horrible as it gets portrayed. At least not any worse than any other sector of the meat/egg/dairy industries.

Pressure cooker! I will have to investigate that. Thanks for the tips! But it is good to know I can get almost-perfect results with lentils/split peas, but I will keep in mind that thick beans need more time.

Just to be clear, when people say "soak the beans" that just means chuck them in a big pot and cover with water, yes? And does anything about them change so that I would know they were sufficiently soaked? or you just do it overnight and call it done? (Like, with bread I can see it rise and know it's ready to bake - anything similar with soaking beans?)

I'm sure all my questions are hilarious to anyone who's done this dozens of times. Alas, I had no one to learn from! Thanks, SE!

I would just like to throw in my preference for the slightly different but Equally Awesome Nicaraguan dish of the same name. You know, so we can have a rumble about it. Bring it!

It's a little less glamorous, Nicaragua being a notably poorer country than its southern neighbor, but I've filled myself on Nica gallo pinto with great glee on many occasions. All hail the painted rooster!

In their honor, The Cupcake Truck - http://twitter.com/cupcaketruck/ (@cupcaketruck) - New Haven, CT. SO GOOD.

Except frequently they break my heart and forget to tweet anything, only updating their blog. Then I go weeks at a time without cupcake in my life! It hurts!

I freeze and reheat rice on a weekly basis. Requires very little thinking, and no need for a stove or worry. Put cooked rice in a microwave-safe tupperware; freeze. When you want to eat it, loosen the lid, give it a little bit of water if it's been frozen more than a day or two (as it will have dried out more), and microwave til it's heated through and rice-like again. Covering it with the lid in the micro keeps it from steaming all its water straight into the air. Easy!

Great group piece, guys! Oh, how I would love to hang out in your office and taste test some wings.

So where's the photos??

also - guess I'll have to watch out how I describe myself! Didn't realize people associated this word with collecting food from dumpsters. The things you learn.

Saddest day Evar!
At least she'll be living right around the corner from me. Feel free to give me a call when you need a taste-tester, Sarah.

We had a similar sounding cheese and wine restaurant open here in New Haven a couple months ago - Caseus. My mind was blown by the delicious cheese creations. And even better, their house pickles are some of the best I've ever tasted, and a great compliment to the flavorful cheeses. What a great model for a restaurant. Glad to hear the idea has gained popularity.

A NY Strip steak, lovingly cooked to medium rare or less, is a thing of beauty.
That, and anything you shove in front of me when I've been drinking. I get the booze munchies. Usually it's hot wings that get past my veggie filter in this state.
Strange that my meat concessions should be some of the bloodiest/boniest options, instead of something barely meat-seeming like a burger or chicken nuggets.
(Vegetarian for objections to the meat industry. So actually that farm-raised, ethically treated, happy cow that becomes my steak at a fancy steak place is fine with me.)