Vegan Food Showcase and Veg Week 2008 Wrap-Up

Thanks to CAA's Fifth Annual Veg Week (which came to an end last week) hundreds of new people have learned about veg and animal issues, making the Fifth Annual our biggest Veg Week to date!

The precursor to Veg Week, our annual Vegan Food Showcase, was also a big hit. The event, held on the University of Minnesota campus, was well-received by over 1,500 students and community members, topping previous year's numbers. At the Showcase, 420 people took our Pledge to be Veg, pledging to eat vegetarian or vegan during Veg Week, and nearly 40 companies donated food, beverages, and coupons to attendees including Tofutti Cutie ice cream bars, dark chocolate, soy jerky, Tofurky and non-dairy cheese sandwiches. Click here for a list of our fabulous sponsors below.

We kicked off Veg Week with a special presentation by author and attorney Jim Mason on how our food choices impact animals, humans, and our environment. Over 400 attendees packed the venue, leaving standing room only! Many got a chance to interact with Mason and enjoy delicious food from Pizza Luce, and almost 120 people took the Pledge to be Veg.

The week continued with a special vegan cooking class. Cali Mastney, a skilled chef, prepared an all-vegan menu: salad with tofu sticks, mock fried chicken, 'cheesy' mashed potatoes, and chocolate cupcakes! During the cooking class, dietitian Suzanne Sorenson gave a presentation on how to plan a well-balanced and nutritious vegan diet. The following day, about 50 people converged for a vegan potluck that featured a wide array of delicious, animal-friendly foods and quality time for socializing. Friday's event was a screening of The Emotional World of Farm Animals, which was well received and provoked great discussion.

The week ended with two fun dine-outs at Evergreen Chinese Restaurant and the Red Sea Bar and Restaurant, where attendees could kick back and enjoy topnotch animal-free cuisine. And on Sunday, almost 40 pledgers and CAA supporters got a unique opportunity to interact with chickens at the local Chicken Run Rescue. We even received nice coverage of this event in the Minnesota Daily.

Best of all, 780 people ended up pledging to go vegetarian or vegan for the week! This is nearly 200 more than last year.

Please support and thank the participating restaurants and businesses for helping to make the Vegan Food Showcase and Veg Week possible through their donations and/or participation on the Pledge to be Veg discount card. See the full listing below.

If you would like to help make future events like this possible, please consider donating or volunteering with us!