Tag Archives: Vegfest

Vegfest – another amazing year!

Good Planet foodsVegfest 2019 was our eighteenth successful year! Many companies debuted new products and small companies had their first opportunity to market to a large veg-friendly audience.  Thousands of attendees discovered new foods from the hundreds of different ones available. They listened to presentations by medical doctors, watched cookbook authors and local chefs prepare delicious vegetarian food, and chose from a huge selection of books to learn more.

Chef James Sant 2Every year, people come up to us with their stories about how important this event is to them, how it helps them make better food choices, makes them feel part of an impressive community and inspires them to stay or become vegetarian.

This year our doctors and nurses were able to give more free health checks than ever before, including cholesterol tests, diabetes tests, blood pressure readings, artery scans and bone scans. These health checks are an invaluable opportunity for people to learn the vital connection between the food they eat and the state of their health. Many medical doctors were available to advise them how improving their diet would yield great health benefits.

On the Saturday evening, we held our fourth Vegfest Medical Seminar for Medical Doctors and Medical Students. Regional specialists gave presentations on the power of a plant-based diet to help both prevent and treat heart disease, diabetes and chronic pain. This groundbreaking event was well attended by MD’s and med students who were motivated to make the veg diet just what the doctor ordered!

Children love donutsBut Vegfest isn’t just about health.  More groups advocating and educating about animals were present throughout the event and several organizations promoted other vegan products such as cosmetics, clothing and faux leather goods.

A big Thank You to all our members, volunteers, doctors, chefs and especially our sponsors who all made this event possible. You are the reason Vegfest is so successful. We really appreciate your support and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Vegfest T-shirts are still available for sale, if you missed getting one at the event.

Vegfest will be fabulous!

Parma etc busy scene - low resVegfest, the largest vegetarian food festival in the country, will be held on March 30th & 31st at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Mercer Street. We’ll have over 500 different kinds of food to try. Don’t have breakfast before you come!

Look for some new companies at Vegfest this year as well as some old favorites. Just some of the new products this year include Forager, Good Planet Foods, Casabi, Auntie Saros, Cinnaholic, Enjoy Life Foods, Red Plate, Pan’s Mushroom Jerky, Khalsa Salsa and even a little Black Magic, and too many more to list! Oh, and let’s not forget Zazubean chocolate! You’ll also find favorite brands like Field Roast, Daiya, Quorn, Litelife, Good Karma, Starlite and way more. Read more

Chef Ramses Bravo at Vegfest

We are delighted to have Chef Ramses Bravo back with us at Vegfest this year.  Chef Ramses is the chef at the TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, CA.  He will be giving a cooking demonstration at Vegfest on both Saturday March 30th and Sunday March 31st.

Bravo Express_COVERAs a special treat for us, he shared a couple of recipes from his new book Bravo Express  where he demonstrates how a healthy, whole-foods diet can be not only delicious but also quick and easy:

  1. Yellow Curry Lentils
  2. Quinoa and Arugula Salad

Read more

Vegfest – Another Successful Year!

Parma etc busy scene - low resVegfest 2018 was another huge success! Many companies debuted new products and we were especially happy to help many mainstream companies take steps in the veg direction.  Thousands of attendees discovered new foods from the hundreds of different ones available. They listened to presentations by medical doctors, watched cookbook authors and local chefs prepare delicious vegetarian food, and chose from a huge selection of books to learn more.

Chat Mingkwan - low resEvery year, people come up to us with their stories about how important this event is to them, how it helps them make better food choices, makes them feel part of an impressive community and inspires them to stay or become vegetarian.

This year our doctors and nurses were able to give more free health checks than ever before, including diabetes tests, blood pressure readings, artery scans and bone scans. These health checks are an invaluable opportunity for people to learn the vital connection between the food they eat and the state of their health. Many medical doctors were available to advise them how improving their diet would yield great health benefits.

On the Saturday evening, we held our third Vegfest Medical Seminar for Medical Doctors and Medical Students. Regional specialists gave presentations on the power of a plant-based diet to help both prevent and treat disease. This groundbreaking event was well attended by MD’s and med students who were motivated to make the veg diet just what the doctor ordered!

Vols chopping tofuBut Vegfest isn’t just about health.  More groups advocating and educating about animals were present throughout the event and spiritual groups who support a vegetarian diet were well represented.

A big Thank You to all our members, volunteers, doctors, chefs and especially our sponsors who all made this event possible. You are the reason Vegfest is so successful. We really appreciate your support and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We’re excited about Vegfest!

OverviewPlant-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!

Read more

You’re going to love Vegfest

Serving Genesis Juice

Genesis Juice is one of over 500 different kinds of food to try

We all love to eat. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the foods we love to eat could love us back by making us healthier? That’s what plant-based (or vegetarian) foods can do. In fact, not only does eating plant-based foods make us healthier, it also protects the environment and saves our animal friends. What’s even better is that they taste so delicious. A wonderful opportunity to find out just how delicious plant-based foods can taste is at Seattle’s Vegfest, the largest vegetarian food festival in the country, coming up on April 1 & 2, at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Mercer Street.

Two people eating ice cream

Don’t eat breakfast before you come to Vegfest.  There’s so much good food to sample!

Vegetarian foods, based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, come in all shapes and sizes these days and Vegfest has over 500 different kinds of foods to try. With the plant-based food market growing rapidly, this year’s Vegfest includes many new food products to sample. Some of the ones that caught my eye are chocolate covered quinoa, an almond mousse from Almetta, and a new dairy-free ice cream from NadaMoo. Exciting new food items from Lightlife Foods and Field Roast are also rumored to be debuting at Seattle’s Vegfest for the first time. Try the new egg-free eggs by Follow Your Heart. And for those who like the exotic, why not give Health-Ade Kombucha mushroom beverage a try? And of course, what would Vegfest be without the delicious flavors of Indian Life Foods or the Oriental delights of Sensei Sauce.

Miyoko Schinner

Chef Miyoko Schinner will be speaking at 12:55pm on Saturday

Throughout the weekend, cutting-edge chefs and cookbook authors from around the country will be demonstrating just how easy it is to make your own gourmet vegetarian dishes at home, and doctors – specialists such as urologists, internists, and even an OB/GYN – will be talking about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. More doctors than ever before will also be on hand to provide health checks, with free blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose tests, bone scans and ultrasound artery scans, giving people the opportunity to discover just how much a vegetarian diet can help improve their health. A huge selection of cookbooks are available at the Vegfest bookstore, and the kids will enjoy the clown duo, Zero and Somebuddy with their skits on healthy eating.

The food scene in our region is changing fast. Vegfest will feature several vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants with samples of their extra special treats. Many restaurants, looking to cater to more veg-interested customers in the Puget Sound area, are happy to provide coupons for a free meal to people who join Vegetarians of Washington at Vegfest.

This year, Vegfest is on Saturday and Sunday, April 1st and 2nd, 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.

This article was published in the March issue of Natural Awakenings magazine

Vegfest – What a Success!

Overview looking west - Mike NewmanVegfest was another huge success-even bigger than last year! Many companies debuted new products and we were especially happy to help many mainstream companies take steps in the veg direction.  Thousands of attendees discovered new foods from the hundreds of different ones available. They listened to presentations by medical doctors, watched cookbook authors and local chefs prepare delicious vegetarian food, and chose from a huge selection of books to learn more.

Every year, people come up to us with their stories about how important this event is to them, how it helps them make better food choices, makes them feel part of an impressive community and inspires them to stay or become vegetarian.

Artery scanningThis year our doctors and nurses were able to give more free health checks than ever before, including cholesterol and diabetes tests, blood pressure readings, artery scans and bone scans. We even had a bus providing free dental care. These health checks are an invaluable opportunity for people to learn the vital connection between the food they eat and the state of their health. At our Ask the Doctor table, we had medical doctors available to advise them how improving their diet would yield great health benefits.

This year, for the very first time, we held our first Vegfest Medical Seminar for Medical Doctors and Medical Students. Regional specialists gave presentations on the power of a plant-based diet to help both prevent and treat disease. This groundbreaking event was well attended by MD’s and med students who were motivated to make the veg diet just what the doctor ordered!

Two engaged volunteersBut Vegfest isn’t just about health.  More groups advocating and educating about animals were present throughout the event and spiritual groups who support a vegetarian diet were well represented.

A big Thank You to all our members, volunteers, doctors, chefs and especially our sponsors who all made this event possible. You are the reason Vegfest is so successful. We really appreciate your support and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Fabulous Food Tasting at Vegfest

Almetta mousseExploring all the different foods at Vegfest, while enjoy one exquisite bite after the other, is one of the best parts of the event. At this year’s Vegfest, April 9 & 10 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, you’ll find lots of completely new foods to try, along with some new variations of your current favorites.

Nadamoo ice creamFor instance, almond mousse by Almetta Foods is a new participant for this year. How about giving the new dairy-free “ice cream” frozen dessert by NadaMoo a try?

For a whole new concept for breakfast and anytime snacking, check out the all-new products from Munk Packs. Be sure to follow the stampede to the Tofurky and Field Roast booths for some real surprises!

The complete list of companies and organizations participating in Vegfest is now available.

See you at Vegfest!

Vegfest – making a difference in all kinds of ways!

Fred_Meyer_logoWhile many people may be familiar with the great food samples at Seattle Vegfest, our expert MD’s, health screenings, chefs, and the children’s program, there’s more to Vegfest than that. One of the most important needs for many would-be vegetarians is access to high quality vegetarian food in mainstream markets. For many years that just wasn’t available. But now Vegfest is doing its part to change the situation.  Last year we had our first mainstream retailer, Fred Meyer, sponsor Vegfest. They wanted to learn more about the different vegetarian foods, and the people who buy them, and we were thrilled to help. They even sent their employees to Vegfest so they could learn about it from us first hand.

Five star foodies copyDo you wish there were even more different kinds of vegetarian food available? We do too, and Vegfest does its part in making that happen. Every year, several new startups come to Vegfest hoping to get their first boost. For instance, a new family-owned business, Five Star Foodies, will be flying in from Ohio to participate in our Vegfest. Closer to home, Fauxmage, a new dairy-free startup “cheese” company, will be receiving its first big boost from Vegfest too.

Two volunteers offer Q-Nature - low resYou may have also noticed a lot of young people volunteering at Vegfest, mostly high school and college students. Many, if not most, are not yet vegetarians, but almost all of them are what we call “veg-curious”. Now, that’s a curiosity we want to encourage! By volunteering at Vegfest, these young people learn about all things vegetarian, while working to make the event a success. Almost as important, these veg-curious young people see not only all the adults at Vegfest, but lots of other young people, wearing Vegfest T-shirts, just like them!

Eating vegetarian is eating green, and Vegfest helps that too. For instance, for the third year running, the many environmental advantages of a vegetarian diet will be broadcast as part of the Greentivities series on KJAQ 96.5 FM. Look also for our newly revised Eating Green brochure at Vegfest.

Vegfest helps Doctors!

AppleRXHow many times have you wished that more doctors knew how plant-based diets can help prevent and even treat a wide variety of diseases? We know just how you feel, so we decided to do something about it!

We are holding our first Medical Seminar for doctors and medical students, taught by board certified specialists in areas such as cardiology, oncology, preventative medicine, infectious disease and OB/GYN, on Saturday April 9 at 6:30pm, in the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. It’s part of our new Prescribe Vegetarian Campaign whose mission is to help practicing doctors learn about how to use plant-based diets with their patients, and to include it as part of medical school training.

While this event is open only to doctors and medical school students, if you know of a doctor you think would like to attend, please invite them to register at seminar.seattlevegfest.org.  Doctors can learn more about the use of Plant-Based diets in our medical blog, Plant Based Diets in Medicine.

If you’re not a doctor, you’ll still have an opportunity to hear the latest on health and nutrition from many of the same specialists including OB/GYN, cardiology, oncology, internal medicine, preventative medicine and more. They’ll be speaking to the general public throughout the weekend at Vegfest. See the schedule of speakers. We also have lots of free health screenings available. You’ll find carotid artery ultrasounds, bone density testing, diabetes and cholesterol testing, blood pressure readings, and new for this year, we’ll even have dental health screenings from our dentists!

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