The NYC Vegetarian Food Festival was held this past weekend at the Metropolitan Pavilion. It’s a two-day annual event that features a large number of vegetarian/vegan food vendors and features a showcase of passionate speakers.
This was my first time attending the event and I had no idea what to expect. I arrived Sunday around 11:30am to find a very large line of vegetarians waiting to enter the building. Luckily, I had purchased a VIP ticket online which unknowingly let me bypass the line.
Inside the space was crowded and full of vegetarian delights. On stage was Matt Frazier of No Meat Athlete fame giving advice on “how to quit failing at creating healthy habits.” At the booths lines of people were eager to sample new food products. The most popular vendors appeared to be serving up vegan ice cream or cake.
Two of my favorite finds of the day were:
#1: Rescue Chocolate – “100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country.”
Overall, I’m not sure the festival is something I’d return to in upcoming years, but I’m glad I finally went to see what all the buzz is about. Despite all the sampling that was going on I surprisingly found very few items I actually wanted to try and headed to Hu Kitchen for lunch.
This festival is for you in 2014 if you are looking to connect with new vegetarian companies, something to do with the kids (the activities for kids sounded fun!) or if there is a particular speaker on the agenda that you want to connect with in person.
Jen says
I was bummed I missed this (woke up feeling exhausted Sunday after Saturday’s long run and pilates class), but reading this makes me think I wouldn’t have really gained much anyway. Besides seeing No Meat Athlete, that is, who I think is awesome.
I do feel like I’m missing out on Hu Kitchen, though. I really want to try it out sometime! I keep hearing about how great it is from other vegetarians/healthy eaters.
Carrie @ Fitness and Frozen Grapes says
Very cool! I saw the longgg line of people and wondering what was happen. How was Hu Kitchen? It’s been on my to-try list for a while now.
Ruthie says
I checked it out last year and I agree on not making it a yearly occurrence. I did pick up the Rescue Chocolate as well! What did you think of Hu Kitchen? I like the concept (even though they are more Paleo), but I think it’s a bit overhyped…
The Candid RD says
Eat vegan on $4 a day?? I find that hard to believe. I mean…maybe, but I bet it’s a lot of food prep in order to do that! I’ve been eating more lentils lately, because I realized they don’t cause me as many GI issues…so perhaps I could go vegan, even if just for a day 🙂