Plant-based foods are all the rage these days.  According to the International Food and Restaurant Consultants, Baum and Whiteman, the number 1 trend of the year for 2018 is that plant-based foods are going mainstream.  While still less than 3% of Americans identify as vegans, 31% of Americans practice meat-free days, and 35% of Americans get most of their protein from sources other than red meat, according to Mintel.  In addition 58% of adults drink non-dairy milk!

The local restaurants are starting to take notice of these trends.  The renowned steakhouse, Daniels Broiler, is launching a fully vegan and totally gourmet menu to complement their usual meat-based menu. They recently contacted us to pair the launch and promotion of this new plant-based menu with Vegfest.  They will be holding the grand launch of this new menu on Friday, April 6^th, and have invited us to speak at that event.  They are also including a $10 off coupon for everyone who joins Vegetarians of Washington at Vegfest, to add to the many other restaurant coupons included in the membership goodie bag. A steakhouse rolling out a vegan menu was chance we just couldn’t miss!

Vegfest, the largest vegetarian food festival in the country, this year will be on April 7 and 8 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic event as always, designed to pique the curiosity and excite the taste buds of the many vegans, vegetarians and the veg-curious in our region.

As always, many new products and companies are making their debut at Vegfest. Nut milks are all the rage these days and we’re happy to feature a local company, Mylk Haus, whose product contains high levels of tree nuts that make for both great taste and health. For those who prefer their nuts to crunch, check out the Royal Macadamia nuts direct from the island paradise of Hawaii. There’s also new scrumptious goodies such as Hippeas, which uses chickpeas to make a doodle type crunch snack, and a new local company, Love Kale, which took one of nature’s healthiest foods and turned it into a snack that’s as delicious as it is healthy. Speaking of snacks we’d never want to run Vegfest without chocolate. Check out the Raw Rockin’ Chocolate. This chocolate is so good it should be available by prescription only! For those who like something a little exotic give Sao Nao sauces a try.

We’re happy to recognize the growing farm animal sanctuary movement with new sanctuaries in our region such as the Flying SK Farms, where a dedicated staff provide loving care for animals in need.  See the full list of companies participating in Vegfest.

Renowned cookbook authors from around the country will be flying in to present cooking demonstrations.  Chef Chat Mingkwan will focus on Asian Fusion recipes, selecting delicious recipes from his cookbooks “Asian Fusion” and “Vietnamese Fusion”.  Chef Ellen Jaffe Jones has a new cookbook called “Vegan Cooking for One” and will also teach how to “Eat Vegan on $4 a Day”.  New chef Hannah Kaminsky is looking forward to showing how to cook “Real Food, Really Fast” and Kristie Middleton, from the Humane Society of the US, will feature recipes from her book, “MeatLess: Transform the Way You Eat and Live—One Meal at a Time.”

For those who want to learn more about health and nutrition, doctors – specialists such as internists and even an OB/GYN – will be  speaking throughout Vegfest on how going veg can make a huge difference to your health.  Our full schedule of doctors speaking on health and nutrition, and chefs giving cooking demonstrations is now available online.

Don’t miss this year’s Vegfest, April 7 & 8 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Mercer Street.  Admission is only $9 and kids 12 and under are free. Tickets are available at the door. See Vegfest for more information.