VegFest: Free Vegan Food and All-Star Speakers

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Ashley Klann, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Looking for a chance this weekend to eat free delicious food and learn while you’re at it? Worcester’s third annual VegFest will celebrate the city’s dedication to an alternative, healthy lifestyle on Sunday, April 15th with a buffet of local vegan and vegetarian food and a panel of big-name presenters.

The food fair, which takes place at Worcester Technical High School from 11 am until 5 pm, is a chance for vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters alike to eat a lot of free, delicious vegan food and learn more about why some choose to live a meat-free life.

This year’s panel of presenters brings together best-selling author Kathy Freston who has appeared on Ellen and Oprah, professor of nutrition T. Colin Campbell, and the founders of animal rights groups Mercy for Animals and Our Hen House.

“This year we have an all-star lineup of speakers,” said founder of VegWorcester, Drew Wilson. The non-profit group has been around since 2004 and has been organizing and effort to bring information and resources about vegetarianism to the city.

“The great thing about our festival is that it isn’t just for vegetarians. Everyone loves food, everyone wants to eat more healthfully, and everyone loves animals,” he said. “You put those three things together, and you’re going to draw a crowd.”

The All-Star Lineup

Headlining speaker, Kathy Freston has written The Lean, Veganist, Quantum Wellness and is no stranger to success. She is an expert in the fields of wellness and self-help and of course, a vegan.

Nutrition expert and professor at Cornell University, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who was featured in a critically acclaimed documentary, Forks Over Knives.

“Film critic, Roger Ebert gave it two thumbs up and one of the best reviews for a documentary I’ve ever seen. It advocates for a plant-based diet,” Wilson said.

“The two others, may not be people you’ve heard of, but they bring a lot to the table and have had a hand in spreading the vegetarian movement across the country,” he added. Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan, co-founders of Our Hen House will be doing a presentation and interviewing Kathy Freston. “We’re hoping this will be a great, dynamic thing we’re doing this year.”

Finally, Nathan Runkle founder of Mercy for Animals, will speak at VegFest. His investigative animal rights organization has made headlines for exposures of animal cruelty.

VegFest will also be featuring 40-50 exhibitors, local food vendors, and information booths on animal rights, environmental issues, and other businesses. There will be activities for the whole family and vegetarian-themes clothing, cookbooks, and live cooking demos.

“It makes sense in Worcester”

VegFest has seen great success in its past two years and Wilson is expecting it to get better partially due to location, location, location.

Vendors selling vegan apparel at last year's VegFest.

“It’s something Worcester has been looking for. There are a dozen colleges, and with so many college kids, vegetarianism is pretty popular. It just makes sense in Worcester,” Wilson said. VegFest is expecting a great crowd this year and has underestimated the hungry crowds in years past.

“It’s difficult to tell how many people we’re expecting this year. The first year we did VegFest, we thought, ‘Let’s get 500 people.’ We were blown away with the 2,000 people that showed up. It was shoulder to shoulder, and we ran out of food in the first couple of hours. That’s a great problem to have,” he said with a laugh. “It’s been growing. I don’t want to jinx it, but it’s looking like this year will be a great success.”

Add in the fact that PETA named Worcester seventh on a top-ten list of small cities in vegan/vegetarian friendliness in 2010, and you’ve got a recipe for a good event.

The Food

Wilson said that his favorite part about the event has to be the great food.

“Every year I’m blown away by the amount of food and that we can get so many restaurants involved. I’m always impressed by the food,” he said.

One restaurant that will be giving out free samples, Belmont Vegetarian, is looking forward to the opportunity to support the group and spread their message.

“We’re a veg restaurant, and anything local we always try to support,” said employee Steven Jones. “Mostly it’s about health issues and most of us grew up vegetarian. We also want to let people know that vegan and vegetarian food can be tasty too.”

Why go vegan?

Worcesterite and determined vegan of seven years, Amanda Addeo, says that her causes for choosing to abstain from foods that come from animals has changed over the years, but she encourages everyone to entertain the idea and get educated.

“Reasons why I have maintained a vegan lifestyle have become deeply embedded in who I am. I am a vegan for the welfare of the animals, my body and our planet respectively,” Addeo said. While her love of animals fueled her veganism at a young age, she now thinks of things more deeply. “As an adult I now understand that Earth itself and everything on it shares a beautifully and perilously inseparable relationship. To me, the recipe for sustainability starts with a cruelty-free diet.”

“This lifestyle change has not only revolutionized the way I eat but the way I see the world,” she said. She is also thankful to live in a city that makes veganism work.

“It wasn’t until I started visiting other cities that I realized just how veg-friendly Worcester is. Becoming a vegan has definitely revitalized my appreciation for Worcester,” Addeo said. “There is a variety of vegetarian and vegan-friendly fare here to please any palate. When it comes to tasty and affordable veg-friendly eats, Worcester is the place to be.”

Addeo appreciates events like VegFest in energizing the vegan community and raising awareness about the reasons why people go meatless.

“I think it's a fun and important event that everyone should check out. Vegans and vegetarians have an opportunity to first build a community amongst themselves and then reach out to others outside of the veg community,” she said. “I often find that people are genuinely interested in adopting a more sustainable lifestyle, veg or otherwise, but don't know how to do so. VegFest gives people the tools to make informed choices regarding their health and planet. It's a space where people can feel good about sharing ideas, tips and free treats.”

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