Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair

Who: VN Trade Show Manager Lyndsay Orwig and VN contributor Moira Nordholt

What: Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair

Where: Toronto, ON

When: September 10 to 12, 2010

Why: To hang with fellow vegetarians in our neighboring country up north

The Scoop: Being the Trade Show Manager, I go to a lot of shows throughout the year. They're all great, don't get me wrong, but I was really looking forward to heading to the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair. I've only been to this culturally diverse city once, which was a treat. I'm very lucky to have a good friend there, Tonya, so I was expecting a great time, and boy was I right!

A couple hours before the fair began, I was able to check out Fresh, a popular, mostly vegan restaurant. The weather was great, so Tonya and I dined al fresco, which was a delight! The most interesting thing on the menu? The Quinoa-Battered Onion Rings for sure. They were so delish, I forgot to take a picture before I devoured them.

The Deluxe Burger with Coconut Curry Sauce. Yum!

The Food Fair is a three-day show completely free to the public, and includes a ton of vendors, including Gardein, Vitamix, Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss, and Sequel Naturals, to name a few. It's also located at the Harbourfront Centre, on Toronto's waterfront, which is gorgeous. Not to mention that it's held in the most perfect time of the year, autumn. Being from the East Coast, I miss my seasons, and fall was always my favorite, so it was amazing going back to that, even if it was only for a few days.

The enthusiasm for the vegetarian lifestyle was all around, which is always great to experience, and I met a lot of great people, a couple being strong leaders in the veg movement including Carol J. Adams and Jae Steele. Fun times were definitely had, so much so that I didn't even feel like I was at work. If you are in the Toronto area a year from now, be sure to check out the festival—you won't be disappointed!

The Food Issue was a big hit!

VeggieFest Chicago 2010

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly, VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland, VN Trade Show Manager Lyndsay Orwig

What: Largest free vegetarian food festival in the US
Where: Naperville, Ill.
When: August 7–8, 2010
Why: Beware Boston. Move over Toronto. There's a new festival on the block.

The Scoop: A century after Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle immortalized the stockyards of Chicago, in an affluent suburb 30 miles to the west and in the shadow of McDonald’s Hamburger University, a small vegetarian festival began in 2005, attended by a few thousand believers. Science of Spirituality, a non-profit multi-faith organization that adheres to a vegetarian diet, started VeggieFest Chicago as a way of promoting its meat-free lifestyle to the community, one tenet of the international organization’s mission. Fast-forward five years. If you are unsure that the veg lifestyle has caught fire, or doubt that the beginning of critical mass for vegetarianism is upon us, you weren’t in Naperville, Ill., this past weekend.

Dozens of inspirational quotations lined the grounds at VeggieFest

VeggieFest is a free, two-day, outdoor festival that hits all the right notes. There's the rhythmic music that plays all day; the ample food court with delicious, moderately priced multi-ethic cuisine; the nearly 100 educators and exhibitors ranging from Mercy for Animals and Conscious Planet Media to Clif Bar, Sequel Naturals, and The Book Publishing Company; children's activities all day long; and the lectures and cooking demos which this year included Sarah Taylor, author of Vegan in 30 Days (* see below to win a signed copy) as well as two keynotes from Sant Rajinder Singh, founder of the Science of Spirituality.

Everyone loved VegNews!

Under mostly hot and sunny skies more than 20,000 people from as far Seattle to Boston, Quebec to Florida, strolled through the always crowded fairgrounds, soaking up food and info as fast as it could be served. VegNews even imported the crackerjack sales team of Randy and Bev Orwig (Lyndsay's parents) from St. Louis to assist us on Saturday, when we sold a record number of subscriptions in a single day.

Author Sarah Taylor flanked by Randy and Bev Orwig, subscription-selling superstars

VeggieFest Chicago is reaching a new audience through a successful combination of open outreach, enjoyable entertainment, a welcoming attitude, and a wonderfully supportive vibe. Hundreds of volunteers pitched in for months before the event, and then for two very long days, to pull off a festival that needs to be on every vegetarian's map.

Proud vegan attendee Nicole Hughes with event organizer Jay Mooney

* Press Pass Bonus: Leave a comment telling us about your favorite veg festival. We'll pick one winner this Friday, August 13 and send you a signed copy of Vegan in 30 Days.