The 2nd Annual NYC Vegetarian Food Festival has come to an end. It was an amazing weekend of learning, about new products and new ideas. Putting on a festival like this is no easy task…and the organizers are already looking to 2013! Ticket, please?

Co-organizer Sarah Gross (Rescue Chocolate) with well-known vegan cookbook author Terry Hope Romero (Veganomicon).

Get here if you can! So much good food and people!

Update!

Please visit my FB page as I bring you more photos from the festival! 44 pictures from the festival are currently up!

There will be plenty more to come. See you on Day Two!

The four speakers I am most looking forward to at this year’s NYC Vegetarian Food Festival are all appearing on the Mercy For Animals Stage on Saturday.

• Brendan Brazier 12-1pm

• Dr. Michael Greger 2-3pm

• Matt Frazier (No Meat Athlete) 3-3:45pm

• Ashley Byrne (PETA) 4-4:45pm

Vegan triathlete, Brendan Brazier, the force behind Vega, will likely be a big draw. One of the, if not thee, most notable faces (and bodies) on pro-vegan athleticism, Brazier’s advice on training is highly sought-after. Not really sure how the speaker series will be run, but I’m hoping to get there early just to make sure I’m in the room for his talk.

Catching up on the Our Hen House podcast, I recently listened to the ladies interview Dr. Greger. A leading physician on plant-based nutrition, you can watch his exhaustive video library on pretty much everything you every wanted to know about food but never knew who/how to ask at Nutrition Facts.org.

Matt Frazier is bringing together a community of vegetarian and vegan athletes proud to “Run on Plants” with his site No Meat Athlete. On the surface, the site is aimed at runners but it’s such a huge resource that can be utilized by all veg*n athletes.

Ashley Byrne is a Senior Campaign Organizer for PETA. Again, the ladies at OHH are a big reason I’m looking forward to hearing Ashley speak. I’ve never considered myself an activist, but their everyday activism, use the talents you have, message has drawn me in and made me more curious about other outreach efforts/tactics.

Here’s a list of 12 vendors/organizations I am looking forward to most at the 2012 NYC Vegetarian Food Festival:

Chicago Soy Dairy - Had their Teese last year but can’t find it anywhere locally.

Saratoga Peanut Butter Company – I hope they bring their Gingerbread variety.

Bixby Co – Just so curious; I want to try a Bixby bar.

Vegan Bodega – First of its kind in NYC; picked me up some Vegan Queso at the Valentine’s Shop Up a couple weekends ago and I want to see what other goodies they’re gonna stock.

Herbivore Clothing – If I could get a “My body is not a graveyard” sweatshirt, that would be very cool.

Vaute Couture – Leanne has donated one of her beautiful coats to the festival’s raffle(s) to benefit For the Animals Sanctuary. Her coats and tees are loved by celebrities like Emily Deschanel, Alicia Silverstone, and Ginnifer Goodwin. Vaute Couture will only be at the festival on Saturday because the flagship store is opening in Brooklyn on Sunday. Congratulations, Leanne! I’m hoping the “Let’s Widen the Circle” tank will be available in my size at the festival. If not, I’ll be sure to pop by 234 Grand Street in Brooklyn!

Common Ground Center (Vermont) – Jim and Carole were so sweet when I met them at the Green Holiday Festival; hope to see them again!

Mercy For Animals – Picked up one of my most favorite tees at last year’s festival and got the chance to chat with Eddie, who is always wonderful. I’ll never be able to watch one of their videos, though.

Compassion Over Killing – They rock it co-organizing the D.C. VegFest and tirelessly working for animals. Hoping to finally meet Erica Meier and Katie Shamp.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society – On the seas, this society’s efforts are documented in the Emmy-nominated reality series Whale Wars. On shore volunteers are integral to the society’s efforts. Be sure to chat with them to find out more.

CLLCTV – With Dan Mims (The Ethical Man) and Megan Rascal (Vegansaurus.com) on staff, I’m curious to find out more.

Vegan Cuts – Partnering with companies to bring you deals on vegan products.

The first NYC Vegetarian Food Festival was amazing…once (if) you got in. Both Lauren of Gnosis and Eddie of Mercy for Animals have mentioned that there will be a second NYCVFF.

However, it turns out there will be two events! The Green Holiday Festival will be held December 11, 2011 and the 2012 NYC Vegetarian Food Festival will be held March 3rd and 4th (yes, two days!). Both are slated to again be held at the infamous Altman Building; the festivals will reportly be in a larger area, though. (We’ll see how that works out.)

A potentially good and rewarding strategy for getting in? Volunteer! These events don’t just come about with the flick of a wand. Either volunteer for the U.S. Veg Corp who puts these events together or find out early on if an organization you heart is going to be at the festival, like Mercy For Animals or Sea Shepherd, and ask if they need volunteers. Get engaged!

Sandwiched between the good eats and sweet treats at the 1st NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, were a number of organizations. Potentially overlooked between the decadent cupcakes and vegan fast food, groups like these are the backbone of veg*ism; some putting in the long hours to fight through the red tape around sanctioned animal cruelty. Here are just a few paving new roads to the future and fueling our minds.

NY CLASS Horse drawn carriages in NYC were necessary…a hundred years ago. If you feel the mean streets of the city are no place for these creatures, this organization is for you.

Mercy For Animals Battling cruelty to farmed animals by encouraging a vegetarian diet and policy reform.

PETA The machine pumping out information about everything from recipes to undercover investigations.

Sea Shepherd Standing their ground between the whales and the whalers. Watch Whale Wars on Discovery and get on board.

Natural Gourmet Insitute Offering mostly-vegetarian chef training and public classes. Alumni include Alexandra Jamieson and Amanda Cohen, owner of NYC’s Dirt Candy.

Meetup The more we know, the more we grow. So hop on and find veg*n meetups in your area.

In the end, “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” – Dolly Parton.

I want her button!