The Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival is Coming Back in Early 2016 Twice as Big
The Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival is coming back to Scottsdale on January 9-10, 2016 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater. “Due to the overwhelming response to the 2015 launch event, the AZ Vegetarian Food Festival is now expanded to 2 full days of a diverse variety of vendors, speakers, entertainment and activities for all ages,” said Festival co-founder Nira Paliwoda.
Phoenix, AZ, December 12, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Is there such a thing as humane meat? Can you follow the super-trendy “paleo” diet and still be a vegan?
These and other questions will be explored at the second annual Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival, January 9-10, 2016 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater. “Due to the incredibly overwhelming response to the 2015 launch event, the AZ Vegetarian Food Festival has expanded to 2 full days of a diverse plant-based vendors, speakers, entertainment and activities for all ages” said festival co-founder Nira Paliwoda.
Undercover investigator and muscle-builder Mike Wolf will tackle the humane meat issue. He has spent four years investigating hog farm suppliers to such food companies as Smithfield and Hormel; the data he collected led to dozens of criminal animal cruelty charges. In 2014 he joined Compassion Over Killing as the Investigations Manager, and he now oversees investigative efforts into meat, dairy, and egg facilities.
Ellen Jaffe Jones, an athletic coach and vegan advocate, will share insights from her cookbook Paleo Vegan: Plant-Based Primal Recipes. With their heavy emphasis on meat, traditional paleo cookbooks have had little to offer vegans. But Jones joined forces with chef extraordinaire and culinary genius Alan Roettinger to dream up a blend of plant-based vegan cuisine and popular paleo dishes, which she will share with Festival attendees.
Other presenters speaking at the Festival will include vegan queen Fran Costigan, weight loss guru and chef Jason Wyrick, emergency medicine physician Amish Shah, the Humane Society’s Josephine Morris, and registered dietician Jill Nussinow, among many others.
Also on tap will be a number of vegan food and lifestyle vendors, such as Lulu’s Sorbetto which has pioneered hot coffee floats. Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods will be on hand with its delectable display of hummus varieties. Upton’s Naturals will offer samples of its seasoned ready-to-eat jackfruit. Sogno Toscano Olive Oil Boutqiue will provide tastings of its gourmet oils and vinegars.
“There will also be an emphasis on local establishments,” Festival co-founder Sarah Gross said. “The Arizona market is just bursting with new vegan innovation, and we want to feature all of that at the Festival.” For example, Pomegranate Café will be present with its raw and baked vegan snacks and Sparky’s Cantina will be dishing up gluten-free delights from its food truck.
In addition to the speakers, food demos and vegan vendors, there will be non-profit information tables from such wonderful organizations as Share International, Farm Sanctuary, Mercy For Animals, and the American Center for Natural Medicine. In all, approximately 50 vendors will showcase their wares.
Attendees will also enjoy musical entertainment and fitness activities including yoga classes for both kids and adults. Organizers stress that the event is family-friendly with free admission for kids ages 10 and under. There is even a special kids area devoted to activities for children.
But is the event only for diehard vegans? Absolutely not. Attendees run the gamut from vegetarians and uber-healthy eaters, to the merely veg-curious and the serious omnivores. "There are a lot of amazing plant-based options out there that everyone should at least try no matter what their epicurean habits are. This festival is simply centered on providing access to a wide variety of delicious food in a fun-loving atmosphere," says Paliwoda. Gross elaborated, “No one goes away hungry. And most stagger away, amazed at how delicious and varied vegan products can be.”
The AZ Vegetarian Food Festival is presented by U.S. Veg Corp, a plant-based events planning company which inaugurated the wildly popular New York City Vegetarian Food Festival five years ago. Since then, the organization has branched out to other cities, offering large-scale vegan expos as well as more intimate social gatherings where people can hobnob with others exploring vegan options.
AZ Vegetarian Food Festival
Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater
3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
January 9-10, 2016
10am-5pm
One Day General Admission Tickets: $20 online / $25 door
Two Day VIP Admission Tickets: $50 online / $60 door
Kids 10 and under: Free
The AZ Vegetarian Food Festival schedule, ticket link and more information can be found at: http://azvegfoodfest.com/
These and other questions will be explored at the second annual Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival, January 9-10, 2016 at the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater. “Due to the incredibly overwhelming response to the 2015 launch event, the AZ Vegetarian Food Festival has expanded to 2 full days of a diverse plant-based vendors, speakers, entertainment and activities for all ages” said festival co-founder Nira Paliwoda.
Undercover investigator and muscle-builder Mike Wolf will tackle the humane meat issue. He has spent four years investigating hog farm suppliers to such food companies as Smithfield and Hormel; the data he collected led to dozens of criminal animal cruelty charges. In 2014 he joined Compassion Over Killing as the Investigations Manager, and he now oversees investigative efforts into meat, dairy, and egg facilities.
Ellen Jaffe Jones, an athletic coach and vegan advocate, will share insights from her cookbook Paleo Vegan: Plant-Based Primal Recipes. With their heavy emphasis on meat, traditional paleo cookbooks have had little to offer vegans. But Jones joined forces with chef extraordinaire and culinary genius Alan Roettinger to dream up a blend of plant-based vegan cuisine and popular paleo dishes, which she will share with Festival attendees.
Other presenters speaking at the Festival will include vegan queen Fran Costigan, weight loss guru and chef Jason Wyrick, emergency medicine physician Amish Shah, the Humane Society’s Josephine Morris, and registered dietician Jill Nussinow, among many others.
Also on tap will be a number of vegan food and lifestyle vendors, such as Lulu’s Sorbetto which has pioneered hot coffee floats. Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods will be on hand with its delectable display of hummus varieties. Upton’s Naturals will offer samples of its seasoned ready-to-eat jackfruit. Sogno Toscano Olive Oil Boutqiue will provide tastings of its gourmet oils and vinegars.
“There will also be an emphasis on local establishments,” Festival co-founder Sarah Gross said. “The Arizona market is just bursting with new vegan innovation, and we want to feature all of that at the Festival.” For example, Pomegranate Café will be present with its raw and baked vegan snacks and Sparky’s Cantina will be dishing up gluten-free delights from its food truck.
In addition to the speakers, food demos and vegan vendors, there will be non-profit information tables from such wonderful organizations as Share International, Farm Sanctuary, Mercy For Animals, and the American Center for Natural Medicine. In all, approximately 50 vendors will showcase their wares.
Attendees will also enjoy musical entertainment and fitness activities including yoga classes for both kids and adults. Organizers stress that the event is family-friendly with free admission for kids ages 10 and under. There is even a special kids area devoted to activities for children.
But is the event only for diehard vegans? Absolutely not. Attendees run the gamut from vegetarians and uber-healthy eaters, to the merely veg-curious and the serious omnivores. "There are a lot of amazing plant-based options out there that everyone should at least try no matter what their epicurean habits are. This festival is simply centered on providing access to a wide variety of delicious food in a fun-loving atmosphere," says Paliwoda. Gross elaborated, “No one goes away hungry. And most stagger away, amazed at how delicious and varied vegan products can be.”
The AZ Vegetarian Food Festival is presented by U.S. Veg Corp, a plant-based events planning company which inaugurated the wildly popular New York City Vegetarian Food Festival five years ago. Since then, the organization has branched out to other cities, offering large-scale vegan expos as well as more intimate social gatherings where people can hobnob with others exploring vegan options.
AZ Vegetarian Food Festival
Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater
3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
January 9-10, 2016
10am-5pm
One Day General Admission Tickets: $20 online / $25 door
Two Day VIP Admission Tickets: $50 online / $60 door
Kids 10 and under: Free
The AZ Vegetarian Food Festival schedule, ticket link and more information can be found at: http://azvegfoodfest.com/
Contact
U.S. Veg Corp
Nira Paliwoda
917-544-7306
www.azvegfoodfest.com
Nira Paliwoda
917-544-7306
www.azvegfoodfest.com
Contact
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