Natural Products Expo West 2011

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Anna Peraino and the entire VN team

What: Natural Products Expo West 2011

Where: Anaheim, Calif.

When: March 11-13, 2011

Why: To find out about this year's best new vegan products, of course!

The Scoop: I had heard what I thought were tall tales of the food, beverage, and natural product Mecca that is Expo West, but to be quite honest, I didn't believe it. Boy, was I wrong. Imagine a grocery store multiplied by 50, filled with hundreds of thousands of people, and throw in millions of skillets, slow cookers, and toothpicks, and you have Expo West. The booths were massive (So Delicious' booth was not only two stories tall but also had a Nintendio Wii), the food and drinks were never-ending (think vegan quesadillas, pizza, 10 kinds of peanut butter, and Gardein galore in just one section of one of the 50 football field-long aisles), and the people were everywhere (The Spork Girls! Jillian Michaels! Fabio!).

So Delicious' two-story booth: one of many behemoths

Most of the VegNews team flew down on Thursday afternoon, and the weekend only got crazier from there. The days were filled with taste testing new products (chocolate walnut brownie ice cream, pizza, and orange sugar-covered marshmallow Dandies were three of the thousands), picking our 2011 Best of Show winners (want to know who we picked? Make sure to check out our May+June issue!), and catching up with friends. The craziness didn't stop there: with dinners at Native Foods Café (my burger consisted of a heap of seitan, Daiya cheddar cheese, tempeh bacon, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and fried pickle chips) and The Veggie Grill, it seemed like we never stopped eating. Well, to be fair, we didn't.

Native Food Café's Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger. Be jealous.

I'd like to sign off saying it was all fun and tasting spoons, but I'd be lying. A blackout at our hotel (waking up to a room full of lights at 4am? Jarring) and a two and a half-hour delay on our way home were definitely both unexpected (and quite unwelcome), but all in all, it was an awesome and completely exhausting weekend. Want more Expo West dish? Check out our Facebook album for pics, stories, and finds!

LA Whoa! Man

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly

What: A week of non-stop publisher duties in the Angel of Cities

Where: Hollywood, Torrance, and Anaheim, Calif.

When: March 8–15, 2010

Why: To live and dine in LA

The scoop: My week-long, über overflowing sojourn to the giant suburb that is our nation's second largest city could have yielded a Press Pass post every day. Alas, I know you are busy, so I've distilled it into this Top Ten Moments of Extravagance from the town that invented the concept. For additional photos of my festivities, check out VegNews' Facebook page. What? You aren't our friend? Better remedy that pronto. In no particular chronological order:

10. Cruzer's Pizza—Los Feliz's charming pizza joint has gone from meat to Daiya cheese to 100-percent vegan. I sampled the soon-to-be-on-the-menu VegNews Pizza, oozing with housemade pesto, mozzarella "cheese," artichoke hearts, tomatoes, spinach, and roasted garlic. Can you resist?

The first VegNews Pizza at Cruzer's

9. Exsalus Health & Wellness Center—I enjoyed a long chat with Dr. Matthew Lederman, co-founder of Exsalus (along with his wife, Dr. Alona Pulde). The couple has written a book, Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole. They practice plant-based nutrition in the style of Drs. Klaper, McDougall, Esselstyn, and Greger, and have plans to open clinics nationwide.

8. LifeFood Organic—For lunch, I dined with rauwthor Ani Phyo at this brand-new café in Hollywood with an outstanding menu of fresh, incredibly tasty, raw, live, organic foods. Chef Laurel Anderson has relocated from Seattle and added this steady gig to her catering uncookery, The Good Life Raw Food.

7. Real Food Daily—Though not all that hungry due to the late and scrumptious lunch, I could not turn down a chance to chat and chow with three phenomenal colleagues: fellow Bay Arean Marti Kheel, author of Nature Ethics; local activist extraordinaire Libra Max, and Rory Freedman, co-author of Skinny Bitch and VN's 2008 "Person of the Year." The food: Excellent. The company: Priceless.

6. Maggie Awards Judging—I ventured to the R.R. Donnelley plant in Torrance for a day of judging the Western Publishing Association's annual Maggie Awards, the longest running and most prestigious industry awards in the West. It was my fourth year as a judge, and quite a rewarding experience as I get to see what other magazines are doing.

5. Veggie Grill—The newest in the four-restaurant chain (the fifth in Santa Monica opens this October) which I've dubbed "the Sunset Grill," as it's located on Sunset Avenue in West Hollywood. Dinner company included co-founder Kevin Boylan and a trio of vegan athletes: Jon, Jesse, and Henry. Jon Hinds is the founder of Monkey Bar Gymnasium, and yes, he's big, and yes, he's vegan.

4. Babycakes NYC—On my way to Anaheim, I stopped at the brand-spatula-new Los Angeles satellite of The Big Apple's award-winning Babycakes NYC for some photo ops and staff treats. GM Jennifer Frizzell made sure we were well-desserted, which this "cookie sandwich" photo of our hard-at-work staff, just arrived from SF, clearly shows.

The VN crew kicks off Expo West weekend with dessert by the pool

3. The Natural Products Expo West —A three-day orgy of natural foods and products, the ultimate reason we are all here finally arrives. So you did follow Elizabeth's tweets and Abby's Facebook updates? You will be hearing more about Expo West in the days, posts, and magazines to come, including which companies were awarded the coveted Best of Show Awards™ on Sunday.

Sharing a pizza with Rory Freedman, Libra Max, and Heather Mills at the Expo

2. Hoa Sen Vegetarian Restaurant—You'd think after being surrounded by ample samples for eight hours no one would be hungry. You don't know Joe (or his staff). This adorable, local, vegan Vietnamese restaurant over-delivered with delicious real food, which isn't easy to find at the Expo. We ate well.

1. Tofoo Com Chay—The staff had all flown their separate ways, leaving me to drive the rental back to San Francisco. Lonely and hungry, I made a quick stop to this favorite spot from back in the day when VegNews was located in the South Bay. This tiny restaurant/deli is still large on taste, so I took home several meals worth of soups and sandwiches. The detox starts now.

Yes, that comes to seven delicious veg restaurants in eight days, each unique and each excellent, from raw foods and pizza to ethnic eateries and desserts. It's so easy being vegan.

Fanciful Fare

Who: VegNews Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig

What: The Fancy Food Show

Where: Moscone Center, San Francisco, Calif.

When: Sunday, January 17, 2010

Why: To scope out new veg products—food, especially!

The Scoop: It has been rainy and cold in the Bay Area, and I was very tempted to stay home in my bed all day Sunday, and not show my face until the sun came out. Fortunately, I had the Fancy Food Show to coax me out of my slumber, where thousands of exhibitors present their food products and services to retailers and the press. Luckily, I knew what I was getting myself into after experiencing last year's show, so I came prepared with my umbrella in hand, a backpack securely on my shoulders, and an empty stomach.

This show is huge, with samples at almost every booth, so you need a strategy to survive the show without blowing up. My plan of action? Make a beeline to the natural- and organic-foods section. That's where all the new, awesome, veg goodies hang out, right?

There were a lot of familiar faces this year, including Annie Chun's, Edward & Sons—watch out for new waffle cones—and Xan Confections. A couple of my personal favorites were Follow Your Heart's vegan cheesecake, and the grain meats at the Field Roast booth—the coconut breaded cutlet alone made my day. Unfortunately, the majority of the show is not vegetarian, but I left feeling satisfied to say the least. The Fancy Food Show is always a great preview for the upcoming Expo West, which will be held in Los Angeles this March, and will feature natural and vegetarian food galore. Yes, I'm already preparing my backpack and stomach—but I'm hoping to leave my umbrella at home.

PROBAR Pampering

Who: VN Publisher Joe Connelly + VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland + VN Editor-at-Large Jennifer Pickens + VN Western Ad Sales Rep Lara Bradley + VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig + VN Editorial Assistant Melissa Feineman

What: PROBAR-sponsored evening of yoga and vegan wining and dining

When: Thursday, March 5, 2009

Where: Malibu, California

Why: To decompress before the three days of pure insanity known as Natural Products Expo West

The Scoop: There's a chance that we may have alluded to this fact before, but Expo West is what is referred to in certain circles as insanity of the purest form. Sure, we love having the opportunity to sample all the latest and greatest products on the market, getting to spend some time out of the office, and for some of us, whiling away a day at Disneyland investigating what sorts of options there are for vegan visitors. However, the conditions of Expo West being what they are (trying to cram as many taste and product-sampling sessions as possible into a three-day period), even the most seasoned experts run the risk of succumbing to information overload.

Clearly, the kind folks at PROBAR are well aware of this fact, which is why they thoughtfully extended an invitation to VN staff and other media types to spend a relaxing evening at the property they were renting for their staff in Southern California.

Allow me to paint a little picture for you: as the sun sets, you are welcomed into a palatial home (yes, this home actually had two separate wings) overlooking the shores of a lake. You are then guided to a large heated tent where you are invited to participate in a Hugger Mugger-sponsored yoga session. After you've spent some time stretching and relaxing, you are then treated to an amazingly delicious–and all vegan–dinner, made by PROBAR's founder and resident "Food Evangelist" Art Eggertsen. No, this is not a dream, though it may certainly sound like one.

PROBAR founder Art Eggertsen with his not-so-secret admirers.

As we were enjoying the incredible food (the Italian theme featured delights such as Field Roast-stuffed peppers, polenta lasagna, orzo risotto, and roasted vegetables), we were also recounted with the PROBAR story and briefly introduced to some of the key players in the PROBAR family. The entire VN table was practically swooning as founder Art Eggertsen explained his vegan ethos. While never preachy, he spoke very convincingly about how veganism (and meat-eating) can affect our planet. Several VN staffers noted that Art's heartfelt words were having a clear impact on everyone in the room, and we could absolutely understand why he chose the moniker "evangelist" for himself.

As if we needed any more special treatment for the evening, we were flabbergasted by the sheer amazingness of the dessert selection. Vegan cheesecake and gelato in truly incredible flavors (Amaretto, anyone?) had us pretty much speechless. For anyone who hasn't personally met the VN crew, please note that this is quite an awesome feat.

The evening was, by all accounts, a fantastic success. We left feeling not only stuffed to the gills on one of the most amazing meals ever, but energized by this company's mission, ethos, and all-around incredible team.

Art poses with some of his awe-inspiring cheesecake and gelato.

Expo(sé) West

Who: The whole VN team
What: Natural Products Expo West/Supply Expo 2008
Where: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.
When: March 14–16, 2008
Why: Big-time business

The Scoop: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a private showing of the newest natural products held exclusively for you and 52,000 of your closest friends? That is precisely what the VN team found behind the double doors at the Anaheim Convention Center during Expo West. All the major producers of organic-type goodies (like soymilk/faux meat/organic fair-trade chocolate/organic home and body products) were there exhibiting their new product lines, new flavors, and new formulations. It was our solemn duty to test all the exciting new products and meet as many industry insiders as we possibly could during the three-day show. Suffice to say, we came, we met, we tested. We were lucky enough to have a booth adjoining that of Redwood Foods, the makers of Cheezly. All weekend long, they kept us supplied with hot, fresh pizza,  while the good people from Tofurky kept us sated with sandwiches for lunch every day. These may well have been what kept us sane with the intense over-stimulation of literally checking out thousands of booths. We also awarded 12 outstanding new products with highly coveted VegNews Magazine Best of Show awards. For a full list of the winners, be sure to check out the July+August 2008 issue of VN. If that wait is too long to bear, here’s a little inspiration: vegan frosting, vegan-owned companies, and stellar vegan skin care. It was a whirlwind trip, an almost-overwhelming show, and, all in all, a ton of fun.

Native Foods Night Out

Who: VN Staff
What: Kick-off dinner at Natural Products Expo West
Where: Native Foods in Costa Mesa
When: March 13, 2008
Why: Pass up an opportunity to hit Native Foods? We think not.

The Scoop: Every March, the VN clan hits Anaheim in full force for the world’s largest natural products show—three jam-packed days of schmoozing, product testing, and giving out copies of the magazine. To kick-off the weekend, we always hit one of our favorite vegan restaurants: Native Foods. With four locations (and a fifth coming soon), there's nothing quite like a meal at Native. It was a balmy March evening in Orange County, and our party dined al fresco around a large table complete with a fire pit in the middle. We started with Native’s signature appetizers: “Save the Chicken” Wings (housemade seitan deep-fried in a coconut batter with a side of Ranch dressing), Native Seasoned Fries, and Native Nachos (tortilla chips smothered with black beans, soy taco meat, salsa, guacamole, corn, and soy cheese). For the record, we could eat Native’s (un)chicken wings all day, every day. Having spent all afternoon traveling, we were absolutely famished and inhaled the appetizers. We then ordered individual entrées; everything from Katie’s Philly Peppersteak Sandwich (seasoned seitan with sautéed onions and peppers on an organic French roll) to Jenny’s Gandhi Bowl (Jasmine and brown rice loaded with steamed veggies, blackened tempeh, and a curry sauce) to Colleen’s Mad Cowboy (baked potato topped with barbecue tempeh, grilled vegetables, and Native’s famous Ranch dressing—affectionately named after former cattle-rancher-turned-vegan-activist Howard Lyman). We were all in veggie heaven eating this flavorful, innovative, delicious food. We couldn’t leave without dabbling in a few desserts: the Elephant Chocolate Cake (with cinnamon peanut butter icing), the Key Lime Parfait, and the Native Cheesecake. We were especially fortunate that Ms. Tanya Petrovna, founder of Native Foods, joined us for a while. She even had us taste-test her new coconut-battered oyster mushrooms (which were amazing). And VN has some exclusive scoop! One of our favorite veg boutiques, Humanitaire (located in a very stylish space next to Native Foods in Costa Mesa), is opening up location #2 in the rear of Native Food’s Westwood location. Nothing makes us happier than when veg businesses expand and multiply. Yeah!