A waffle party is simply a festive and stomach-filling social gathering where waffles are served, preferably hot off the iron, with delicious toppings. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination:
- It can be a relatively simple and informal event with just a few friends, or it can be an extravagant production with dozens of guests.
- You can hold a waffle party at any time of day, for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea, dinner, or dessert. I haven’t heard of an all-nighter waffle party yet, but why not?
- You can bake relatively plain/neutral waffles, or outside-the-norm waffles with a range of flavorful mix-ins.
- You can provide toppings, or you can ask guests to participate by bringing their own toppings. (We’re always impressed by the vegan toppings that both omnivorous and vegan guests bring each year.)
- You can bake the waffles or allow guests to experience baking their own fresh waffles.
- Toppings can be sweet, savory, spicy, tangy, or any combination of flavors.
- Your party can revolve around a particular theme or food style, e.g., Caribbean atmosphere and flavors, or it can be more open-ended.
So how did the waffle party originate?
For decades, one of the world’s most fascinating foods, the waffle, was viewed primarily as a breakfast food. Even worse, many hungry breakfast goers failed to acknowledge any significant difference between the waffle and its two-dimensional cousin, the pancake.
In 1998, in a small apartment in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., creative forces converged around a single waffle iron to catalyze what is now the longest-running annual Waffle Party. Each year, guests and hosts continued to expand the boundaries of waffle topping possibilities, going far beyond traditional maple syrup. They discovered that waffles can harmonize with ingredients including spices, veggies, curries and tofu. Especially brave guests would bring toppings they had always desired to try on a waffle, but never had mustered the courage to try. In the company of other gastronomic pioneers, they could freely experiment and achieve a new-found culinary nirvana.
In the fall of 2001,we moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. While it is often called “The Steel City,” some now know it as “The Waffle Iron City.” Here, we found a wonderful environment in which to continue the tradition. The hot waffle irons steam on, and will continue with your participation.
Around 2005 , for a range of reasons, we began to eliminate animal products from their diets. We held the first fully vegetarian waffle party in 2006, followed by the first vegan waffle party in 2007. Dave began experimenting with a range of tasty vegan waffle recipes, starting with some excellent vegan cookbooks mentioned on this site, and creating some of his own. Your comments and suggestions on them are welcomed.
