With my 50k race tomorrow, I really should be focused on preparing my mind for that. Instead, I am focused on celebrating the end of my 2017 season with a trip to Chicago VeganMania next weekend on Saturday September 23rd. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the end of ultra marathon training than eating delicious vegan food, learning from other plant-based chefs, doctors, and change-makers, and discovering new vegan vendors. I’m linking up with the Friday Five 2.0 group to bring you a preview of this can’t miss event (plus a special opportunity)!
What is Chicago VeganMania you ask? Similar to the vegan festival I attended earlier this summer, Chicago VeganMania is a huge expo offering foods from local vegan restaurants, vegan cooking demonstrations, vendors from different plant-based companies, and panel discussions. The event is held at the Broadway Armory in Edgewater from 10am-5pm. The location is close to the Thorndale Red Line, the Broadway 36 bus, or various Divvy stations. It’s free to enter ($5 suggested donation), and plan to bring cash to purchase food tokens (similar to Taste of Chicago). This fest is meant to celebrate, unite, promote and strengthen the vegan community and culture in Chicago and beyond. There will be so much to see, eat, and learn about; I am excited for everything, but here are 5 things I can’t wait to see!
5 Things I Can’t Wait to See at Chicago VeganMania 2017
1. Pie Pie My Darling’s Cooking Demo
If you don’t follow Pie Pie My Darling on Instagram, go grab your phone right now. I’ll wait.
Ok good. Pie Pie is a 100% vegan bakery that specializes in gourmet cakes, cookies, pies, all the delicious things. You can get these dessert masterpieces at various locations around Chicago including Handlebar and Paulie G’s. I was so sad that they sold out of cakes at the Chicago Vegan Food Fest earlier this summer before I got a chance to have some. She is seriously a wizard with baked goods and I can’t wait to see her cooking demo at VeganMania!
2. Sacred Serve’s Exclusive Ice Cream Flavor
On my birthday, I biked 5 miles one-way through the city just to get some Sacred Serve ice cream at West Loop fest. It’s my favorite vegan ice cream – rich, creamy, and decadent.
So when I saw that Sacred Serve and Pie Pie made a birthday cake ice cream collaboration flavor, I nearly lost my mind. I cannot wait to taste it next Saturday! It’ll be pieces of birthday cake mixed with creamy coconut ice cream. All vegan, all GET IN MY BELLY.
A post shared by Sacred Serve (@sacredserve) on
3. Social Media Panel Discussion
At 2pm, Laura vanZandt (The Herbivorous Butcher), Dominick Thompson (Crazies and Weirdos), and Andy Tabar (The Bearded Vegans Podcast) will host the panel discussion entitled, “The Power of Media: How to Effectively Utilize Social Media and Podcasting.” I’ve heard of Dominick Thompson through the Rich Roll podcast, and have listened to a few episodes of the Bearded Vegans.
I hope to garner garner tips to apply to my own social media platforms. I’ve posted earlier about my goal to grow the blog by 50 subscribers by the end of the year (really close to doing that!), and for August I had the goal of posting at least twice a week (did it, not as hard as I thought). I’m hoping that this panel will help my grow even more.
4. Vegan Chefs Q&A
At 4pm, I want to go to another panel discussion: a Q&A with vegan chefs. Head chefs and founders of Pie Pie My Darling, Ste Martaen (vegan cheeses), and The Vegan Mos (cookbook authors and bloggers). As an aspiring vegan food blogger and recipe creator, I am excited for a chance to pick their brains. Some of my questions: What was your schooling like? How do you know what to use to replace eggs, butter, milk, etc in recipes? Can I recipe test for you and eat delicious vegan food all day long while you teach me your magical vegan cooking ways?
Hopefully I will learn some new tips so I can go back to my new huge kitchen to experiment. And then you can all reap the benefits 🙂
5. Discovering new vegan vendors
The plant-based movement is riding a huge tidal wave and everyday there are new companies offering cruelty-free foods, products and merchandise. At Chicago VeganMania there will be dozens of vendors, some I’ve heard of and some I haven’t. I can’t wait to check them out and find new products to tell you all about! Here’s a preview map of the exhibitor booths:
Like I said, the Chicago VeganMania is a celebration of the plant-based movement. What better way to celebrate the end of a long year of training and racing than that? You can find more details at the Chicago VeganMania website or Facebook page. What are you most excited to do/see/eat at Chicago VeganMania?
GIVEAWAY!
Do you want a chance to win a t-shirt and some free food tokens to use at the event? Use Rafflecopter to enter below. Winner must be a US resident, 18 years of age or older and the offer is void where prohibited. The contest ends on September 21. A winner will be selected and notified on September 22. Good luck!
Happy festivaling,
Becca
Please note: All opinions and recommendations are my own, I was not compensated by any of the vendors, just sharing the love.
I’m excited to hear Dr. Milton Mills speak!!
Leaving a comment because I found you through vegan mania! I am excited this saturday, I will get see all the vegan community! Hope I get a good chance to win from the giveaway!
I just started following you after finding your blog on the Chicago Veganmania facebook page. Can’t wait to follow you more and can’t wait to try this food at veganmania!
Aw thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the fest and maybe see you there!
Great post. I love Vegan food and that this is a one stop shop to get my Vegan eats!
Yes, good way to put it!
This sounds like a very cool event…and those cookies and the ice cream looks AMAZING! Have fun!
The Rafflecopter isn’t loading at all in any browser or device. Can you check if it is still working on your end? I would like to finish entering your contest. Thanks!
Thanks for letting me know! I re-installed it so it should be working now!
Ahh this all sounds amazing! ??? I didn’t know that it is next Saturday-I REALLY want to go!
Best of luck at your 50K!
I am looking forward to it all! I love going to places I can eat everything if I wanted to. And Ii DO want to!
Good luck this weekend at your 50K. I’m so excited for you. I’m no Vegan but I am such a foodie and love trying new foods. Next weekend sounds so much fun. You’ll have to share some tasty recipes with us.
Thank you! The race went well 🙂 And I will definitely be sharing my finds, can’t wait!
The Sacred Serve and the Pie Pie My Darling collaboration!
Pie Pie My Darling! And I’m excited about volunteering and seeing what’s new!
Been going for about 5 or so years, love discovering new things every year!
I’m excited to eat snacks, visit with out of town friends, and stock up on hard to find vegan stuff. Hopefully I can fit in seeing a few speakers too.
Really want to discover new vendors and get some different ideas for nutritious food.
I can not wait to eat some cake from pie pie my darling and see her as one of the main speakers.
I can’t wait to take my 13 year old son with me. He has just transitioned from vegetarian to vegan.
That’s so cool! How wonderful of you to support him. What made him switch?
I’m excited to eat everything I can fit in my stomach and also to volunteer for the Green Team again!
Thanks for volunteering!
Honestly, I’m most excited about the eight million samples 😀
Haha me too!