With the holiday season now in full swing, two Chattanooga women are inviting locals to redefine their definition of healthy eating while supporting a good cause.
On Saturday, Dec. 15, Romy Mueller Davis and Susann Gerth are hosting a plant-based buffet and silent auction at Well Church of Chattanooga to help fund the mission of an animal rights activist overseas.
The dinner will feature delicacies prepared from scratch by Gerth, a dietitian originally from Germany. Menu options include German comfort foods like bienenstich, a cake stuffed with vanilla custard and topped with caramelized almonds, as well as currywurst, a popular fast food dish consisting of a fried sausage topped with curry seasoned ketchup.
With meat-free options such as quinoa-bean chili and barbecue glazed tofu also on the menu, the women aim to show people who think vegan meals are bland and boring that the opposite can be true. Their goal has resonated with local health-food businesses supporting the charge, such as Real Roots Cafe, Heritage Health Food and Your Local Seitanist, which have all donated to the event.
The Santa Paws dinner will benefit SOS Arms, a one-woman nonprofit in Romania that is working to prevent the cruelty taking place in many of the country's animal shelters.
News outlets have long reported on the shocking conditions of Romanian shelters, where overcrowding, starvation and cross-contamination between food and waste are not uncommon.
"These shelters are not like our shelters here," said Davis, who also moved to the area from Germany and has traveled to Romania. "These shelters are horrendous, where dogs pretty much kill each other to just have food. It's just mind boggling."
Since establishing SOS Arms in 2012, Georgiana Neagu of Fagaras, Romania, has rescued hundreds of dogs from these shelters and helped them find responsible homes. She currently cares for about 120 dogs in her home and on a small rented property.
The sacrifice has not come without a heavy financial toll.
"She's on the brink of homelessness," Davis said. "She overloaded herself and we're just really trying to ease her burden a little bit."
If the benefit is successful, Davis said she hopes to host similar fundraisers for other deserving causes every few months, starting with Happinest Wildlife Rehabilitation and Rescue on Signal Mountain, where she and Gerth are regular volunteers.
The Santa Paws event runs from 6-8 p.m. and is limited to 40 people. Tickets, which cost $25, can be purchased online at tinyurl.com/SantaPawDinner.
The Well Church is at 1800 Rossville Ave.
Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com.