Cornucopia of Consciousness

I made a swift stop in the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival  before heading to Philly to visit my grandpa and was sure glad I did. Wow. The second annual festival, VIP passes gave a friend and I quick access past the long lines and into the arena of animal consumption eschewing love.

The event was mostly vegan overall, products without dairy, eggs, and a good portion even sans gluten. It was a glutinous fest of treat sampling for the tree hugging, morsels of Daiya and Teese vegan cheese (Daiya is my personal fav), sandwiches with Yves deli-style products, fluffy vegan marshmallows by Sweet & Sara, Rescue Chocolate, Coconut Bliss ice cream, pate by The Regal Vegan. Local restaurants/health food stores like Loving Hut and a favored V-Spot in Park Slope (my old nabe, tear) were beautifully represented.  Social conscious  groups including PETA, Mercy for Animals, Sea Shepherd, and Compassion Over Killing presented proudly at booths and Herbivore, Vaute Couture, and Compassion Couture  shared kind clothing. Speakers, cooking demonstrations, and raffles rounded out the affair, a gorgeous festival in honor of compassionate living.

I must admit I am not so much a fan of the pseudo-meat/seafood products that in fact, taste like their authentic counterparts that seemed to be massively offered at the festival. Konjac based scallops, crab cakes, etc. would be loved by the fishmonger but not I.

Instead I threw myself into the nut butters, another deliciously popular theme. I delectably spooned my way through the aisles, dipping generously into the almond based spreads in particular. Honey, chocolate, roasted, salted, and/or combined with cashew. All were enchanting. Kimchi and other fermented foods, flavored water, and cookies, cookies, cookies staged well. Dauphin cookies were my personal favorite and overall adorable, the owner/baker/wife wearing fantastic blue glasses that matched perfectly to her logo. Eat her vegan gluten-free cookies. I dare you.

My biggest recommendation for next year’s event (and for all food festivals in general) is to be a bit more green with the paper/plastic sample cups and service. My advice? Each attendee could receive a single tasting plate/utensil/cup package to use throughout the entire festival; each vendor could serve/pour samples onto the personal plate/cup. Just a thought.

Ummm. And wine. I want VEGAN wine.

Dinner at the Continental Restaurant in Philly was not very veggie friendly but my parents looked super cute!