Fun, Food, and Freebies on Tap at Veg Fest

New York, NY, February 28, 2015 --(PR.com)-- An ultra-endurance athlete, who performs his feats fueled completely on a vegan diet, will be one of the scores of speakers at the upcoming New York City Vegetarian Food Festival. The event returns to the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan on March 14-15, with a new lineup of speakers, chefs, vendors, and entertainers to mark its fifth year.

Rich Roll’s inspirational memoir of his plant-fueled athletic prowess--Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men and Discovering Myself—has been an international best-seller for the past two years. At the festival, he will sign copies of his new book: The Plant Power Way.

Other top-drawer speakers will include Adam Sobel (Cinnamon Snail food truck founder and chef extraordinaire), cardiologists Joel Kahn and Robert Ostfeld (speaking on the overwhelming health benefits of a vegan diet), and Gene Baur (president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary).

The weekend will also feature cooking demonstrations by renown chefs such as J.L. Fields (“Five Easy Ways to Add More Plants to Your Diet”), Fran Costigan (known as the Queen of Vegan Desserts), and Chloe Coscarelli (of The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars fame)--all on the Natural Gourmet Institute sponsored stage.

A selection of international, national and local vendors of vegan foods and lifestyle products will display their wares and offer free samples and festival specials. Among those on tap are Green Mustache, Love Beets, Herbivore Clothing Company, and Upton’s Naturals. One of the new vendors this year is The Peanut Principle, which sells gourmet nut butters such as Jungle A Peel (think: banana peanut butter). Returning by popular demand is Rescue Chocolate, which makes bars and truffles for humans to enjoy but which donates all profits to various animal rescue organizations.

The festival’s charity partner for 2015 is Evolve For Animals, which works to inspire and empower individuals to embrace a vegan way of living through education, advocacy, and social action. There will also be displays by non-profit groups such as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, ActAsia for Animals, NY Class, Mercy For Animals, and BeFreegle Foundation. The latter will feature its famous mascot, Juno, the rescued beagle.

There will be children’s activities and presentations specifically geared to younger attendees at the Kumquat Kids Area, sponsored by the Solutionary School. Admittance to the Festival is free for children ages 10 and younger.

For more information on the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, visit www.nycvegfoodfest.com. To purchase tickets, go to https://2015nycvegfoodfest.chirrpy.com.

And for those who want to get a jumpstart on the weekend, there will be a kick-off dinner on Friday, March 13, at the Natural Gourmet Institute, featuring a fine dining experience provided by Chef Jay Astafa. The event features two ticket options:

VIP Dining Room tickets allow access to an hour-long reception with hors d’oeuvres and a seasonal non-alcoholic beverage, followed by the three-course dinner. Or, General Dining Room tickets give admittance to the dinner alone, 6:30-8:30 p.m. There is limited seating availability. To purchase tickets, go to nycvff-kickoff.chirrpy.com.