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Vegan Fest 2011 took place at Goodman Community Center on June 19, 2011 from 10am-5pm. schedule | speakers | demoers | sponsors | restaurants | exhibitors/vendors | samples | raffle | after party | publicity | photos Schedule
Speakers
Jasmin Singer is an activist, writer, and Scorpio living in Manhattan. From 2007-2010, Jasmin was the campaigns manager for Farm Sanctuary, and in 2009 VegNews Magazine named her one of their "20 Under 30" activists to watch out for. Along with her partner, Mariann Sullivan, she is the co-founder of Our Hen House, a central clearinghouse for all kinds of ideas on how individuals can make change for animals. 
Mariann Sullivan, board president of Our Hen House is a lawyer and an adjunct professor of animal law at Brooklyn Law School and Cardozo Law School. She found her way into animal law through the Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals of the New York City Bar Association and eventually served as chair of that committee. She is currently chair of the American Bar Association's Tort Trial Insurance Practice Section's Animal Law Committee. With David Wolfson, she is the author of a trilogy of articles on farmed animals and the law: "Foxes in the Henhouse: Animals Agribusiness and the Law, A Modern American Fable" in Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions; "What's Good for the Goose... The Supreme Court of Israel, Foie Gras, and the Future of Farmed Animals in the United States," in the 2007 volume of the Duke Journal of Law and Contemporary Problems; and "If it Looks Like a Duck: New Jersey, The Regulation of Common Farming Practices, and the Meaning of 'Humane,'" in Animal Law and the Courts. Mariann is also the author of "The Animal Welfare Act: What's That?" which was published in the New York State Bar Association Journal. She has spoken at various conferences and animal law related events throughout the country, as well as Animal Rights Africa's Animal Law Review Consultation Workshop in Johannesburg. Mariann has served on the board of directors for Farm Sanctuary and The Animals Agenda, and currently serves on the board for Animal Welfare Trust and Animal Welfare Advocacy. 
Kenny Torella serves as Mercy For Animals's Chicago Campaign Coordinator, and will be presenting a speech titled "Inspiring compassion: Putting our ethics on the table". Inspired by the life motto: "seize the day," Kenny sees each moment and action as an opportunity to promote compassion, and believes we should speak up and help the defenseless. In addition to advocating for animal rights, Kenny has helped children born into tragic situations by volunteering at orphanages in Cambodia and tutoring in Thailand. 
Joseph Gonzales, R.D., is a staff dietitian for the Cancer Project, a nonprofit organization focused on plant-based nutrition education and research. His background includes developing and monitoring nutrition care plans for a variety of health organizations, including Image Reborn, a retreat center for women diagnosed with breast cancer. At Image Reborn, Gonzales assisted in preparing meals and discussing plant-based diets for cancer survival. Gonzales also volunteered with a diabetes lifestyle intervention program at the Diabetes Wellness Center in the Marshall Islands. In this program, he conducted cooking demonstrations, developed healthful standardized recipes, administered and evaluated blood glucose screenings, and helped people with diabetes understand the correlation between diet and diabetes. Gonzales is currently establishing validated dietary guidelines for cancer prevention and survival based on the latest research in nutrition and preventive medicine. He is also conducting a study on the effectiveness of nutrition and cooking classes by observing lifestyle and dietary changes helpful for cancer prevention. Gonzales earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition at Bastyr University and completed his supervised dietetic internship through the Coordinated Program of Dietetics at Washington State University. As an advocate for optimal health and fitness, he enjoys playing ice hockey, golfing, and being outdoors. Demos
Terry Hope Romero will be doing a food demo! She is co-author of bestselling books Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and her first solo cookbook, Viva Vegan!, came out in spring 2010. She contributes to VegNews‘s “Hot Urban Eats” column and has hosted the public access/podcast vegan cooking show the Post Punk Kitchen. Terry lives, cooks and eats in NYC. 
Erinn Morris from Inner Fire Yoga will be offering a demonstration and talking about how yoga ties in with a plant based diet. Her first go at a yoga class gave her the first 90 minutes of silence she'd had since she could remember: "blissful and perfect silence, a well needed rest from my perpetually loud, noisy, and interjecting mind." She wanted to start teaching yoga as a kind of karmic service, to share her love and passion for yoga with others after realizing how much she had gained from it. Start your Vegan Fest day with an experience that will calm your mind and and allow you to discover your ability to improve yourself and the world around you. 
Kelly Peloza is the author of the recently released cookbook, The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur: Over 140 Simply Delectable Recipes to Treat the Eyes and Taste Buds, which she wrote in high school and published shortly after graduating. After becoming vegan at age fourteen, she discovered a passion for baking and began formulating her own recipes with an emphasis on decadence and approachability. Kelly, now 20, resides in Milwaukee with her bunny, Gnocchi, and goes to school for photography and communication design. She recently finished her first book tour across the US, and is now working on a second cookbook and other vegan-related projects. Find her on The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur and Seitan Beats Your Meat blogs. Kristie Chijimatsu is a Madison native with an extreme passion for vegan and raw foods. She is self-taught in the culinary field and constantly continues to further her knowledge by attending cooking classes and workshops throughout the United States. Currently, Kristie offers vegan cooking and baking classes at the Willy Street Co-op East and West, teaches part-time art metal/jewelry classes at Madison College, and is a self-employed studio artist. When she is not teaching or developing new vegan and raw food creations, Kristie can be found spending time with her husband, five cats and one dog. Please join Kristie as she shares her knowledge and passion for raw foods during her cooking demonstration. SponsorsTop Dogs
Alliance for Animals is a non-profit animal rights organization whose fundamental belief is that all animals, human and nonhuman, should not be treated as the property of another. AFA was created to promote ethical, compassionate treatment of all animals through a variety of means including education, promoting veganism, bringing animal abuse situations to public attention, and encouraging support from individuals and groups throughout the state. Happy Cows
Field Roast started in 1997 when Chef David Lee combined the traditional idea of Buddhist food "Mien Ching" with bold European flavors. Field Roast now makes an exceptional line of vegetarian grain meats. Their products include Artisan Vegan Sausages, Roasts, Slices, Cutlets and Meatloaf. Bountiful Bunnies
Bloom has grown from a combination of desire and education; the desire for good food and an in-depth, informal education of what 'good' means. At Bloom you'll find food that is good in more than taste (though there's plenty of that!). It's good for our neighboring farmers who sell us most of the ingredients, good for the co-ops halfway around the world who get a fair deal for our tea, chocolate, and coffee, and good for our soil and rivers because it's grown without synthetic chemicals. It's good for our community because most of your dollars spent at Bloom will stay local. What goes around comes around, which is why we try to put out as much good as we can, with full faith that you'll bring it back. 
The Green Owl Cafe, Madison's only all-vegetarian restaurant. Their menu includes familiar, comfort food items that everyone will enjoy, such as the Crabby Cake Po'Boy, Vegan Schnitzel, and Jambalaya. Most of the menu is vegan or can be easily made vegan, and their desserts are absolutely delicious! 
Madtown Yoga - Their story: A while ago I decided to do 40 straight days of yoga. To fit a class into my schedule each day I had to use a variety of studios. It was tough figuring out what classes were going on in Madison at any given time so I figured "Hey, I can write something to fix that" and Madtown Yoga was born. 
Summit Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative open to anyone in Wisconsin. When you belong to Summit, you’re part of something bigger. Your membership helps your friends and neighbors buy homes, start businesses, and pay for college. In turn, members help you achieve your dreams. Summit has 24 branch locations throughout the Madison and Milwaukee areas. 
Willy Street Co-op is an economically and environmentally sustainable, cooperatively owned grocery business that serves the needs of its owners and employees. They are a cornerstone of a vibrant community in south-central Wisconsin that provides fairly priced goods and services while supporting local and organic suppliers. A special thank you to VegFund for their financial support Restaurants
The Dandelion Food Cart Exhibitors
Action for Animals Sample Donors
Alternative Baking Company Raffle Items
After PartyThe after party took place at the High Noon Saloon, with live music from Crane Your Swan Neck, The Free Sweets, and I Am Dragon. PublicityPost-Fest |