Wednesdays are “Worldly” because, every Wednesday, I will provide S&P readers with all the latest news and info in the world of eco-friendly and sustainable fashion,
beauty, products and brands. Plus I will try to keep you all up-to-date on
upcoming events and festivals. Wednesday will also be the day to review and
recap events and festivals that I, myself, am able to attend.
What a better way to kick-off MY VERY FIRST Worldly Wednesday
than to give a recap of last Sunday’s
World Fest Los Angeles?
“What exactly is World Fest?”- You might be asking. Well, if
you live in Los Angeles, it is something you should know about. This amazing
and very vegan-friendly festival is held every year at Lake Balboa, CA at
Woodley Park. The park serves as a great location for the event- it isn’t too
overwhelmingly huge or too small of a festival. This year’s fest took place last Sunday (May
19). If you are able to make it out next year, I HIGHLY recommend that you do.
Here are just a few reasons why:
The overview on the World Fest
Facebook page explains
:
WorldFest is an “annual solar-powered celebration of music,
food, the environment, animals and humanity - inspiring people about making a
difference for their community and the planet.”
Not only does World Fest “talk the talk”, it truly does “walk
the walk.” According to the World Fest Facebook page, there were more than 100 exhibitors: both companies and organizations with earth
and animal-friendly missions. Along with eco-friendly exhibitors and vegan food
tents, there were animal adoptions, celebrity speakers, singers and songwriters,
poets, kid’s activities, yoga, meditation and cooking demos. Because the
festival is committed to being eco-friendly, they offer recycling and
composting, and even free filtered water onsite. Plus, discounted ticket
prices were offered to those who showed up on their bikes or via public transit.
And, you read that right: it’s ALL solar-powered.
At almost every booth I visited, exhibitors were giving out freebies and
samples. I left with a goodie bag FULL of stuff. There were samples of popular
vegan food items, including: Beanfields chips, Alter Eco fair trade chocolate,
Mamma Chia drinks, So Delicious ice cream bars, and Bio-K Plus probiotics.
There were also some great celebrity speakers. John Salley (formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers)
was there to champion a vegan diet, Debra Wilson (MADtv) spoke about her
involvement as an animal and social advocate, and Dan Piraro, creator of Bizarro
Comics, was there to provide comic-relief.
If these aren’t compelling enough reasons, let me remind
you: there were tons of cuddly animals to visit at the animal adoption tents. That’s
a draw in itself!
Are you convinced yet? Good. Let me share with you my favorite
exhibitors and food vendors. If you aren’t able to make it to World Fest next
year, you can always find some of these vendors on their Facebook pages or through
their websites. Some of the food vendors are based in Los Angeles, too. So,
give them a visit sometime and tell them that S&P sent you!
My Favorite Food Vendors at the Fest:
Fresh Jamaican food tents (
“popping up at
festivals around southern California and beyond”).
I first had the pleasure of tasting their food at the Coachella
Valley Music and Arts Festival. Their tent was a vegan oasis in a desert of
unhealthy festival foods (do you like the metaphor?). Ever since trying their
deliciously-fresh Jamaican cuisine, I have been following them from festival to
festival. I was so glad to see them at the World Fest Los Angeles. Not only do
they make great food, but they are friendly people.
What to Order: The Reggae Wrap is a favorite (don’t forget
to order a side of plantains!)
Based in Seattle, Field Roast is the
“original
maker of veggie grain meats.” Their faux meats are often sold in Whole Foods
Markets.
I was so happy to see Field Roast at this festival because I
am a big fan of their faux meats. It was interesting to see them in the
festival setting, because, instead of simply selling their faux meats, they were
there creating some amazing festival-inspired cuisine. You better believe that
these dishes brilliantly showcased their faux meats! They were selling
dishes such as their signature corn dogs, Italian sausage sandwiches, and sausage pasta. There
was not one, but THREE kinds of faux sausages to choose from: Italian, Mexican
Chipotle and Smoked Apple Sage. I ordered the Italian Sausage Sandwich with
Italian sausage and peppers. It was very tasty and perfectly spicy.
“Mamma Chia infuses nutrient dense chia seeds
with delicious organic juices creating tasty vitality beverages that are Fun
for Your Mouth & Great for Your Body”
I had only seen Mamma Chia drinks at my local Sprouts and
Whole Foods. I had never tried them before the festival. I was able to grab a
sample of Blackberry Hibiscus and I was blown away by the incredible flavor of
the juice and the delicious, gelatinous texture of the chia seeds. It honestly
tasted like (vegan) Jello- in a good way.
What to Try: Mamma
Chia’s Blackberry Hibiscus drink
“Bio-K+ International Inc. intends to become a
world leader in manufacturing and marketing probiotic products aimed at
improving people's health and quality of life.”
I was able to sample Bio-K’s organic fermented rice
probiotic drink. It is the perfect probiotic for vegans with all the taste and
flavor of a kefir probiotic. I loved the taste and would probably drink it
everyday. Plus it’s organic, GMO and gluten-free!
How could I not talk about
dessert? Luscious is a
“local baking company offering top quality, gourmet
desserts using only the finest all natural and organic ingredients with no
hydrogenation, no refined sugars, and no bleached flours.” They had many
delicious organic and vegan treats at the festival- including vegan ding dongs.
I was able to try the original vegan ding dong and the pumpkin vegan ding dong
with pumpkin cake and vanilla “cream” center. Mmmmm.
My Favorite Exhibitors:
Lisa (Arbonne Independent
Consultant):
Arbonne is a company offering
“botanically based beauty, health
and wellness products.” Much like Avon, Arbonne works with Independent
Consultants. However, Arbonne is committed to transparency and providing full
disclosure of ingredient lists and believes that
“consumers have a fundamental
right to know every ingredient” in their products. According to their website,
Arbonne products are also vegan-certified: their formulas are
“never tested on
animals” and they
“do not contain animal-derived ingredients or animal
by-products.”
Lisa is one dedicated independent
consultant as she applies 100% percent of the profits that she makes selling
Arbonne products towards her animal rescue and fostering projects. Support Lisa
and her animal rescue efforts by purchasing some Arbonne from her website here:
http://www.lisasrescues.myarbonne.com/
A lovely
boutique featuring beautiful clothing and unique products from Nepal, India, and
Tibet. This boutique is located in Santa Monica at 1844 Lincoln Blvd. Pay them
a visit sometime! Here is their website:
http://www.kathmanduboutique.com/
Young Living Oils:
I was able to
meet
Kathleen Brozee who is an independent Young Living distributor. She gave
me a sample of her valor essential oil and peppermint oil. The peppermint oil
was amazing and is worth a pretty penny ($28.29- to be exact!). But this bottle
will last you a long time- all it takes is one little droplet, ingested orally,
to clear your sinuses and give your body a healthy energy boost. So worth it!
For a list of more vendors, visit
the World Fest website below and make sure you come out next year! Thanks for reading!
-S&P
