My family and I attended Vegan Fest in Madison this past weekend (our second time), and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you.
Having young children, attending the talks was out of the question for us (they’d never sit still that long, nor would they be quiet enough for us – or anybody else – to hear the speakers), but we did have the opportunity to talk to some of the hard-working people in the booths and sample some really awesome food!
There were so many amazing products at the exhibit. Soaps and jewelry, cookbooks and animal rights groups, and coupons, coupons, coupons! We sampled veggie burgers from Sunshine Burger and Specialty Food Company, granola from Gorilly Goods, cookies from Kakookies, jam from Crofter’s Organic Fruit Spread, and chocolate from Tabal Chocolate where my oldest son learned the meaning of “sample”.
Our favorite, though, was the cheese from Treeline Treenut Cheese. I dislike most of the vegan cheeses I’ve tried. To find one that I so thoroughly enjoyed sent me over the moon! And since Treenut Cheese isn’t sold in my neck of the woods, I will be ordering from their online store. Check them out – you won’t be sorry.
I also had the chance to talk to the women who were working the booth for Heartland Farm Sanctuary which was Wisconsin’s first animal sanctuary. It opened in 2010 which means Wisconsin hasn’t even had an animal sanctuary for a full 10 years yet. Thankfully, so many sanctuaries have opened since then, but we’ve still got a lot to make up for!
Our favorite part of Vegan Fest? The food court, of course! And there were so many choices.
We indulged in mac ‘n cheese and deep-dish pizza from Kitchen 17, thoroughly enjoyed the Chicago hot dog and Thai wrap from JustVeggiez, and washed it all down with lavender lemonade from Fit 4 You Lemonade. Every bite and sip was delicious. Even my hard-to-please boys enjoyed it all.
There were at least 12 vendors in the food court. And since we couldn’t try them all, I now have a list of places I want to try next time I’m in Madison. Can’t wait to go back!
It’s really amazing to see so many people come together for veganism. And while I know not all of them are vegan for the animals, it’s still great that our world is becoming more vegan by the day.
I look forward to next year’s Vegan Fest and, of course, the Treeline Treenut Cheese that’s on the way. It’s like Christmas in August!