Vegan

MORE entrepreneurs launched businesses in 2009 than at any other time in the past 14 years, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, a foundation dedicated to American entrepreneurship. Locally, that "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" attitude translates not just to lemonade, but also to pierogies, cupcakes and all manner of tasty ideas. Here's a look at six enterprising foodies, go-getters who found delicious opportunity in some unexpected places.

KELSEY O'CALLAGHAN wants to be a chef when she grows up - but not just any chef. Instead of having her sights set on attending the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, this 13-year-old from Bensalem is intent on making her mark at the Natural Gourmet School in Manhattan, an all-vegetarian academy. Miffed that "there isn't even a vegetarian chef on the Food Network," O'Callaghan figured she'd get a jump on her career, and The Veggie Chef ( www.theveggiechef.net ) was born.

I've long operated under the belief that there are few ills in life that a chalice of high-octane Belgian beer can't cure. That, of course, was before I met the vegan "scallops" wrapped in "facon" at the Belgian Cafe. These marinated tofu plugs come ringed in a crisp jacket of soy bacon, and they are something to behold, topped with orange beads of faux caviar. But eating them is an unsettling adventure into the synthetic unknown. I'm as open as any omnivore to fake-meat cookery.

The things parents have to put up with - especially meat-eating parents of young vegetarians. Karen DeGezelle forgot to tell her 13-year-old daughter, Jill, there was chicken broth in the potato casserole she had made for dinner. The guilt- ridden mom confessed a few weeks later and has paid for it ever since. "I won't make that mistake again," said DeGezelle, who lives in Honeybrook, Chester County. "She was really mad. Now she checks up on me. I used a box of seasonings for a Greek salad, and she rooted through the trash can so I could show her the label before she ate it. " Teenagers, already well-practiced at trying their parents' patience, now have a new way to drive them crazy: refusing to eat meat.

Friday-Saturday Great food, great tradition Attendees can learn about the traditions, food and crafts of the Pennsylvania Dutch Friday and Saturday during the 21st annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival in Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Streets. Visitors can head to the center court area to purchase handmade crafts such as quilts, woodcrafts, paintings and handbraided rugs. Traditional foods including chicken pot pie, doughnuts and fruit pies will be sold at this free event scheduled 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Information: 215-922-2315 or www.readingterminalmarket.

The ethical and dietary dilemma confronting the Tyrannosaurus rexes in The Dinosaur Musical is whether to abandon a time-honored carnivorous lifestyle and go vegan or just eat a vegetarian instead. The issue hangs in the balance in the Arden Theatre's holiday production, and the heady discussion that preoccupies the dinosaurs from the mighty T. rex to the lowliest herbivore makes a winning and delightful family show. Last Christmas, the Arden scored an enormous hit with A Year With Frog and Toad, which the team of composer Rob Reale and his brother Willie, who contributed the book and lyrics, adapted from the much-loved Arnold Loeb books.

EVER since the problem with the teen mobs began, I've been trying to figure out what went wrong. It finally dawned on me. Some wise people decided it was against the law to spank your child. Children began to threaten their parents that they would dial 911 if they hit them or even spoke to them in a manner of authority. But it wasn't abuse, it was love with a capital "L. " There were far fewer of us in juvenile hall, prison and homes for wayward children. These roaming mobs destroying property, stealing and harming people are far worse than a spanking.

To those who haven't been properly introduced, or who've only seen it on the fly, the stretch of Baltimore Avenue that approaches 50th Street in West Philadelphia is not quick to reveal its quirky charm. Rosemarie Certo admits to being guilty on both counts. Offered space to open a brewpub at this western edge of Cedar Park, she balked: "It was too far. " Too far from what? "Too far from 46th and Baltimore," which was about as far as she saw commercial possibility. She has come to adjust her view since, saying she has discovered profound value in the racial mix, arts scene, and political consciousness (ranging from prisoner-advocate vegan anarchists to establishmentarian Penn profs)

It hasn't been all that long since cooking-school food trips in our region were pretty much limited to tours of Chinatown and the Italian Market. Now special class and/or dine-around trips to Europe are almost expected on serious cooking-school schedules. Among the new players in the game: Williams-Sonoma Culinary Excursions, a food-travel program that's still in the planning stages but clearly carries high-profile weight. The gourmet-wares chain has booked a May 8-17 trip to La Combe en P?rigord cooking school in France as its introduction to the program.

Ever more markets, caterers and restaurants are turning their efforts to satisfying the needs of holiday stay-at-home diners. Enjoying Thanksgiving with family and friends in comfortable surroundings takes on more importance in our increasingly harried lives. It's no wonder more people are looking for hassle-free options that offer fine food with a minimum of work in the cooking and cleanup. New to this roundup of holiday meals-to-go are the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, and vegan meals from Fresh Fields/Whole Foods Market and from All Natural market in Ardmore.