The trailer for ‘Forks Over Knives,’ which will get two screenings in Red Bank Thursday night.
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
While Adam Sobel waits to learn if he’ll be permitted to operate his four-wheeled business in Red Bank on a regular basis, he’ll have his Cinammon Snail mobile food truck downtown for at least a couple of hours Thursday night for a down-to-earth dinner and a movie.
Along with vegan-friendly comrades Patti Siciliano of Funk & Standard, Gail Doherty and Tiffany Betts of Good Karma Café and others, Sobel is taking part in an evening focused on the health benefits of eating the un-American way: organically.
The night revolves around the indie documentary Forks Over Knives, which features T. Colin Campbell, a nutrition researcher at Cornell University who believes degenerative diseases can be prevented, and in some cases reversed, by adopting a “whole foods, plant-based diet.”
Or, as Siciliano, a converted vegan who recently opened an organic juice bar in her Broad Street business, says, “just don’t eat garbage.”
The night is one meant for awareness, as well as for exposing palates to something new, Siciliano said.
From 6 to 7 p.m., Cinnamon Snail, Good Karma and others will offer vegan tapas on White Street outside Clearview Cinemas, followed by a sold-out showing of Forks Over Knives. Siciliano wrangled Campbell into making the trip to Red Bank for a Q&A afterward, from 8:30 to 9:15.
The documentary will screen again at 9:30, and tickets are still available.
Sobel, of Chestnut Street, has temporary permission to park his food truck outside the theater to plate up his lauded vegan offerings, the first time he’s gotten a borough OK to do so. His weekly appearances at the Red Bank Farmers Market don’t require government approval because they’re on provate property, at The Galleria.
Meanwhile, discussions about allowing a mobile vendor to park in town have stalled, he said.
“The council has dragged their feet for so long about it, and I’m halfway through this season,” he said. “It seems like they shuffled things around and wasted time that I can’t do it this year. It’s just become like the community garden or other issues in this community.”
This will be the rare time Sobel and fellow health food advocates can make a push to the general public on the benefits of vegan diets.
Siciliano, who converted to veganism a few years ago, said the event is sure to be eye-opening. If you can’t catch the movie, she said, you might just give the food a shot.
“I’ve walked on both sides. I firmly believe you are what you eat,” she said. “Being proactive is key, and I think we can start by looking at ourselves in the mirror.”
