FEATURED FOOD
Annual Vegan Festival Features Lectures, Vendors & More
Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Stock Photo
For vegans looking to connect with likeminded people or anyone interested in learning more about the vegan lifestyle, NH Veg Fest will feature a variety of lectures, demonstrations, vegan food vendors and more.
The annual festival takes place Saturday, April 22, at Manchester Community College.
“It creates a community,” event cofounder and coordinator Kathy DesRoches said. “A lot of people have families and friends who will say, ‘Just eat a piece of ham, it won’t kill you,’ so it’s easy to feel alone as a vegan. [Veg Fest] gives people the information to make decisions based on their values, and then a place to meet others who share those values.”
There will be four one-hour lectures starting at 10:30 a.m., covering topics like vegan nutrition, environmental impacts of animal agriculture, how to navigate personal relationships and wellness as an animal advocate, and how to cultivate an ethics of dialogue in social movement practices.
Four one-hour demonstrations will also begin at 10:30 a.m.; the topics will be vegan nutrition, vegan cooking, brewing kombucha and growing microgreens.
“I think the educational part is important,” DesRoches said. “There will be a lot of information about the body and being vegan, and it’s taught by nutritionists and experts, so you can ask questions and talk to people who know what they’re talking about.”
There will be more than a dozen vendors like Willow’s Plant-based Eatery in Concord and Susty’s Cafe vegan eatery in Northwood, serving soups, seitan and tofu sandwiches and flatbread pizzas; HippieCakes, a vegan bakery and dessert business opening a retail location in Raymond later this year; Taco Party food truck from Massachusetts, serving vegan Mexican cuisine like sweet potato tacos; and Like No Udder vegan ice cream truck from Rhode Island, serving soft-serve and hard ice cream, ice cream novelties, floats and shakes, all made with soy, cashew, coconut, almond and peanut milk bases.
“It’s a good chance to try out all kinds of different vegan foods in one place,” DesRoches said.
In addition to the educational programs and food vendors, NH Veg Fest will feature live music all day, drum circle workshops at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and Veg Speed Date — speed dating for vegans and vegetarians — at noon and 1:30 p.m.
DesRoches said the festival is a welcoming, family-friendly environment, and that non-vegans should not feel intimidated to come learn, eat and enjoy the various activities.
“We don’t judge,” she said. “If someone isn’t vegan that’s fine, and no one will mind. We’re just happy to have people come, hang out and have a good time.”
NH Veg Fest
When: Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Manchester Community College, 1066 Front St., Manchester
Cost: Free admission
Visit: nhvegfest.com