Last Wednesday, we kicked off VegFest Season with the WNY VegFest's Taste of Vegan, a delightful, delectable event that serves as a fundraiser for the Western New York VegFest (coming our way on August 7th, 2022).
It was a fabulous night, filled with amazing food from some of Buffalo's most innovative vegan and vegan-friendly chefs, great music, and awesome conversations with loads of friendly vegans and omnivores, alike! We were fortunate to be sponsors of the event, which was held at Buffalo Riverworks. The balcony-style upstairs bar area was a perfect setting, and provided plenty of space for the 15 eateries who were sharing their creations, as well as the steady flow of hungry guests.
For a full review of the unbelievable food served at Taste of Vegan, check out the June 7th episode of the Compassion & Cucumbers Podcast, titled Buffalo's Taste of Vegan - VegFest Season Has Officially Begun! For a quick index of presenting vendors, read on!
Taste of Vegan 2022 Contributors
A Board Above - This omnivore charcuterie offered a bright and crunchy pepper stuffed with cashew cheese, topped with everything bagel seasoning, and served over fruit and nuts. A lovely palate-cleanser!
Belle V's - Local pop-up serving an incredible fruit soup with cornbread crumbles! Can't wait to see more from this exciting newcomer at this year's VegFest!
Buffalo Plant Burger - Vegan catering company with a phenomenal soul food focus! Famous for their "burnt ends" (seitan ribs served with coleslaw) - and rightfully so!
Buffalo's V-Spot - 100% Vegan Pizzeria serving all of your craveable favorites! Pop-up and catering only for now, but we're hoping for a brick-and-mortar location someday! Their seitan chick'n kebab is not to be missed!
Eat Your Feelings - A fully-vegan bakery in West Seneca, NY. For TOV, they served up an awesome cinnamon-streusel coffee cake and creme-filled oatmeal cookie sandwiches!
EDEN Cafe & Bakeshop - Located in Batavia, NY, this 100% vegan cafe serves up delicious salads & sandwiches and mouth-watering baked goods. Head here for the ultimate frosted sugar cookie!
Etched By Syd - Syd, a colleague of The Studio Vegan (one of our favorite local bakers), broke out on her own with a tasty trio of seitan wings. We loved them all, but the Buffalo was particularly perfect!
Foibles Coffee & Pie - Foibles is a new (and wonderful) discovery for us, and though they're not fully vegan, they pride themselves on fooling omnivores with many of their covertly vegan pie and quiche recipes! We got to try the super-tasty deconstructed Blueberry-Lemon Pie and Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie. If you're a fan of pie, get thee to Foibles!!
Grass Fed - This is Rochester's very own 100% vegan Butcher Shop and Deli! For TOV, they gave us an unbelievable vegan gyro with a gorgeous vegan tzatziki and fresh veg. We've already checked out their fantastic (and funny) menu and will be heading to Rochester for more sampling, soon!
Long Weekend - This fully-vegan bakery and café located in Lancaster, NY served up rich, moist and captivatingly caramelly (yes, that's a word) Blondies! We look forward to seeing the rest of their menu later this summer!
Mad Irons Café - This unique, vegan-friendly café hailing from North Tonawanda, has become a staple at WNY Vegfests, serving up vegan crèpes with fillings ranging from frosting to fruit to full-on breakfast! Vive Les Fers Fous!
The Planty Baker - This dynamic baking duo, whose Buffalo Cheddar Sourdough we absolutely adore, was serving up spectacular sweets! Both the Bee-Free Baklava and the Shamrock Shake Scone were delicious enough to fool even the most committed omnivore!
Sneak Peek - If you're looking for a homemade vegan take on Pop Tarts or Hot Pockets, then Sneak Peek is the place for you! Their light, flaky pastry and generous fillings do not disappoint! We're particular fans of what Christine affectionately calls "The Pizza Pop Tart!"
The Studio Vegan - Fabulous personal chef and baker Nicole Boyd delighted us with some of her fantastic chocolate chip cookies (which are Christine's favorite sweet treat)!
So, if you're vegan or vegan-curious and in the Western New York area, we recommend tracking down and supporting all of these amazing creators! You can also look out for future posts which will feature many of these establishments as we get to know them better over the summer months! You'll also be able to find all of them at this year's Western New York VegFest - Sunday, August 7th, 2022 from 12 pm - 6 pm at Buffalo River Works! We hope to see you there!
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