The Vegetarian Dining Club of Los Angeles was founded in the summer of 1908 by Jeremiah Price and Matthias von Besiex. It was the first of its kind in California, and possibly the first west of the Mississippi. Mr. Price and Mr. von Besiex had both converted to a vegetarian lifestyle after their induction into Zen Buddhism in 1892 by Master Jing Shi. Mr. Price and Mr. Shi had met years earlier when both had been employed on the railroad, Mr. Price as an engineer, and Mr. Shi as a grading surveyor. Mr. Price and Mr. von Besiex met shortly thereafter through a literary agent who had suggested they collaborate on a book. Outside of the small Chinese and Indian communities in Los Angeles, vegetarianism was almost unheard of. Mr. Price and Mr. von Besiex realized the need for a dining club through which like-minded vegetarians could meet, gather, and discover what dining options were available. On June 5th, 1908 the first event was held at Bao Ran Noodle Shop in Los Angeles' China Town.

We have revived their legacy, and try to live up to their early guiding principles, which include:

• Our group leads by quiet example; we let each person walk their own path in their own time. We are open to ALL people, vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, fruitarians, nutarians, and even omnivores. We don't try to convert anyone or get on a soap box. We do ask that omnivores and pescatarians dine vegetarian at our events; otherwise it puts some people off their meals. Our group is wonderfully inclusive and welcoming, and we like it this way; it makes for a great and supportive community.
  
• Do not join and use our events to promote yourself, your business, or your cause... no matter how related you think it is to our topic! Our dinners are NOT for networking. We are enjoying each other's company, nothing less, nothing more.