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On the picturesque sunny Sunday of Sept. 5, 2021, the Bizerkeley Vegan Meals Competition on the metropolis of Berkeley introduced collectively a various mix of vegan distributors, musical leisure and visitor audio system. The occasion was the brainchild of Erika Hazel — identified on social media as “The Bizerkeley Vegan” — who wished to arrange a pageant bringing collectively each the vegan and non-vegan group in a setting crammed with good meals and enjoyable actions. The pageant additionally aimed to boost funds for the Associates of Berkeley Animal Care Providers by that includes a silent public sale by which all proceeds went to the shelter.
Hazel, who’s nearing her five-year anniversary of being vegan, is an energetic voice and outstanding determine inside the foodie world. She describes herself as a meals critic who loves touring to totally different meals festivals to increase her palate by attempting out a wide selection of various distributors. Her inspiration for organizing the Bizerkeley Meals Competition attracts from the festivals she’s attended up to now, in locations equivalent to Oakland, San Francisco, Atlantic Metropolis, Portland and Southern Atlanta.
Hazel’s knack for occasion planning began on the tender age of 8 years outdated when she helped manage a charity toy drive for homeless youth in Vallejo. Hazel remarks, “I am going to occasions and I’m like ‘I understand how this may be extra wonderful.’” Given her meals background and her love for occasion planning, it’s no shock that Erika would finally go on to orchestrate the logistics for her personal meals pageant. Considered one of Erika’s objectives for the occasions was for all her distributors to promote out and be worthwhile, so she made positive to have little to no duplicates, “All of the various kinds of cuisines are one among every in order that no one has to compete for purchasers and cash.”
As I walked across the venue, I had the possibility to satisfy and converse with a couple of of the distributors after they weren’t busy coping with lengthy strains. Standard distributors included Kubé Nice Cream, Crazy Rabbit Kitchen, Chef Reina, Plant ‘N Soul Vegan Pizzeria, Real Hard Kombucha, Cali Dawg Vegan Hot Dogs, Nature’s Fynd, Liquified Juicery, Grilled Cheez Guy, Vegan Heat, De La Tierra, Ube Mami and others.
Ashley Comora from Liquified Juicery says she got here to the Bizerkeley Meals Competition so as to promote wellness and therapeutic together with her juicing merchandise: “I need individuals to study the advantages of juice cleaning (and the way] ingesting juice every day can reverse illness and illness, enhance your immune system and provide you with pure vitality.” She hopes that attendees of the pageant stroll away from the occasion realizing that “being wholesome can style actually good and be pleasant.”
Kai Nortey from Kubé Good Cream, a detailed buddy of Erika’s, says she was keen on coming to the pageant to unfold the phrase about her firm’s product and mission. Kubé Good Cream is a “black woman-owned, artisanal coconut ice cream producer in Oakland,” specializing in producing “vegan, non-dairy, soy-free, peanut-free, artisan-made cold-pressed coconut cream.” In contrast to different ice cream manufacturers, the corporate can also be deeply dedicated to meals justice and restorative economics, hiring previously incarcerated people with a background within the meals trade. “All of it ties again to restoring life, well being, pleasure, dignity and fairness again to individuals, again to the soil and again to animals,” Kai notes.
Desirae Devis of Ube Mami, a Vegan Filipinx Baked Items enterprise based mostly within the Bay Space, would possibly’ve solely began her enterprise in February of 2021, but it surely’s already an enormous hit. “We have now Filipino baked items . . . the whole lot from conventional baked items equivalent to pan de sal to Filipino impressed desserts equivalent to cookies infused with ube and conventional Filipino flavors.”
Devis says the reception to her items has been nice to this point: “Lots of people are actually enthusiastic about our meals . . . most haven’t had Filipino desserts in a very long time as a result of none of them are historically vegan.” With Devis’s expertise for baking and placing a inventive vegan twist on historically non-vegan desserts, she says it’s “nice to see how they get a bit of their tradition again.”
Much like Devis, Filipina-American Chef Reina Montenegro based mostly the premise of her all-vegan Filipinx restaurant — Chef Reina — round cooking her childhood favorites and luxury meals from house, however with a vegan twist. When requested what her hopes for the occasion entail, Montenegro remarks, “If I may feed somebody who’s not a vegan and get them to attempt our meals and persuade them to go vegan that means, that may make my day.”
Sachi Georgieva, a wholesome habits coach who makes a speciality of holistic well being and plant-based diet, gave one of many visitor speaker talks in the course of the occasion. Her remarks centered round breaking down widespread myths and misconceptions about going vegan and answering viewers questions concerning the way of life. “I simply wish to assist individuals eat extra crops, be kinder to their our bodies, be kinder to the animals, (and) be kinder to the planet,” Georgieva says.
The throngs of individuals on the pageant visibly loved the ambiance and all of the scrumptious vegan meals as properly.
Scott, a vegan occurring his tenth 12 months of the approach to life, says he was keen on testing the Bizerkeley Meals Competition after seeing his favourite distributors on Instagram promote the occasion: “It appeared like a enjoyable factor to do, an opportunity to check out some totally different distributors that I haven’t had the possibility to check out earlier than and a few of my favorites that I’ve tried.” Scott says he wasn’t disenchanted. “It’s been nice up to now. Nice meals, everybody appears very chill and mellow. It’s simply a good time.”
Gabriela, a vegan occurring her third 12 months, was excited to attend the pageant after listening to about” it from her supervisor at work. “I wished to see what individuals across the space are doing, how totally different individuals are selling vegan meals. It’s kinda arduous to seek out stuff so it’s good to see that there are such a lot of distributors out.”
Although the Bizerekley Vegan Competition is not in session, make sure to try the occasion and buy tickets early earlier than they promote out when it graces the town of Berkeley subsequent time!
Contact Madeleine Lorie at [email protected].
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