Supporting Portland's Vegan, Vegetarian, and Veg-curious Community

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VegFest
VegFest 2011
Sponsors
Exhibitors
Schedule
Films
Speakers, Chefs, Classes and Experts
Restaurants
Past VegFests
2015 2014 2013 2012
2011 2010 2009

Awesome Crowd at VegFest 2011!

Portland VegFest '11 rocked the Convention Center on Sept. 17 & 18 as 6,700 people from the Pacific Northwest and well beyond flooded through the VegFest doors and devoured hundreds of food samples, shopped with our veg-savvy exhibitors, attended standing-room-only cooking demos, and listened to inspiring talks by Dr. Neal Barnard, Wayne Pacelle, Vesanto Melina, RD, and so many more wonderful presenters!



We are so thankful for our generous sponsors, 115+ amazing exhibitors and product donors, 300 dedicated volunteers, and the 6,700 folks who discovered and celebrated the wonderful benefits of plant-based food. We couldn't do it without you!

Be sure to mark your calendars for VegFest 2012 on September 22 & 23. Are you interested in becoming a member of NW VEG and supporting all of the work we do? Please click here. Thanks for your continued support!

Did you pose in the photo booth? If so, click here to check out the fun pics! Check out more pics on our Facebook page.

Portland VegFest 2011

Oregon's largest plant-based
food event!

Saturday & Sunday, September 17 & 18
Oregon Convention Center - Exhibit Hall A

777 NE MLK, Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR 97232
10am - 6pm
$6 admission/day, kids 10 and under free
Bring your own bag to collect samples and info!
Click here to download a $1 off coupon

VegFest celebrates and promotes sustainable, compassionate and healthy food choices and lifestyles. This low-cost, fun and food-filled event welcomes everyone! VegFest features:

  • Food Samples!
  • Speakers & Classes
  • Cooking Demonstrations
  • Ask the Experts
  • Family Activities
  • Restaurants
  • Non-profit organizations



Free samples of hundreds of different foods:

Delicious main dishes, decadent desserts and chocolates, fresh organic produce, veggie burgers, non-dairy cheeses, milks, and ice creams, fruit smoothies and juices, hummus, whole grain breads and gluten-free crackers, tofu spreads and dips, nut and seed butters, energy bars and on-the-go snacks, raw snacks and treats, and so much more!

Main Speakers 2011:

Neal Barnard, MD

"Kickstart Your Health"

Clinical researcher and author Neal Barnard, M.D., is one of America's leading advocates for health, nutrition, and higher standards in research. As the principal investigator of several human clinical research trials, whose results are published in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals, Dr. Barnard has examined key issues in health and nutrition.

Neal Barnard is the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Dr. Barnard is also president of The Cancer Project, a nonprofit organization advancing cancer prevention and survival through nutrition education and research. www.nealbarnard.org

Vesanto Melina, MS, RD

"Veg Nutrition for Superb Health"

Join award winning Registered Dietitian, Vesanto Melina, co-author of bestselling books: Becoming Raw, Becoming Vegan, The New Becoming Vegetarian, Raising Vegetarian Children, The Raw Food Revolution Diet, and The Food Allergy Survival Guide for an update on how to keep yourself in superb health on a plant-based diet. Enjoy an update on protein power from plant foods, bone building without a drop of dairy, getting reliable sources of vitamin B12, including the good fats in your menus, and keeping your blood sugar level between meals without resorting to vegan junk food.

Vesanto Melina has taught nutrition at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and at Seattle's Bastyr University. She co-authored the joint position paper on vegetarian diets of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada. Her website is www.nutrispeak.com

Johanna W. Lampe, PhD

"Plant-based Diets and Cancer Prevention"

Johanna W. Lampe is a Full Member and Associate Division Director in the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a Research Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Lampe earned a PhD in nutritional sciences, with a minor in biochemistry, at the University of Minnesota. She went on to train as a post-doctoral fellow in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota before joining the faculty at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. For over a decade, her research program has addressed the effect of plant-food constituents on cancer susceptibility in humans. Dr. Lampe serves on grant review panels for NCI and AICR and is a senior editor for Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention.

In this session, we will discuss how plant foods and compounds in plant foods may help to prevent cancer and how food choices we make can influence our cancer risk.

Amy Lanou, PhD

"Should dairy products be part of a healthy diet?"

Amy J. Lanou, Ph.D., is senior nutrition scientist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and an assistant professor of health and wellness for the University of North Carolina-Asheville (UNCA). Dr. Lanou researches and writes about the connection between plant-based diets and reduced risk of chronic diseases. One of her current interests is the relationship between nutrition and bone health. Dr. Lanou is the author of Building Bone Vitality and Healthy Eating for Life for Children. Dr. Lanou publishes regularly on the relationship between dairy products and health concerns.

For years, doctors have been telling us to drink milk, eat dairy products, and take calcium pills to improve our bone vitality. The problem is, they're wrong. Dr. Lanou will go over the latest clinical studies and the most up-to-date information to help you strengthen your bones, reduce the risk of fractures, and prevent osteoporosis. You'll learn why dairy products are not recommended in a healthy diet and how to effectively take care of your bones while reducing your risk of chronic disease.

Grant Butler

"Going Vegan: A tasty, eye-opening journey"

Grant Butler has been writing about Oregon's food scene for nearly two decades, but completely changed his perspective when he switched to a plant-based diet two years ago. Since then, he's explored Portland's thriving vegan restaurant scene, met dozens of chefs and enthusiastic home cooks, and introduced plenty of delicious recipes to the mainstream readership of The Oregonian with his Going Vegan column. Grant will share his personal journey from a burger-gobbling kid to a kale-crazed adult, including how his new food choices have changed his family's dynamics and eating habits. He'll also offer his assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of Portland's vegan community, offering a road map to where it's going and what needs to be done to get there, including a series of challenges for both vegans and omnivores designed to open hearts and minds about our shared future.

Wayne Pacelle

"The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals"

During his seventeen years with The Humane Society of the United States, including seven as president and CEO, Wayne Pacelle has played a leading role in transforming the organization, the nation's largest animal protection charity, into a dynamic public force and voice for all animals. In 2008, The Los Angeles Times reported, "Pacelle has retooled a venerable organization seen as a mild-mannered protector of dogs and cats into an aggressive interest group…" He has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times, and has appeared on almost all of the major network television programs, from 60 Minutes to the PBS NewsHour. Mr. Pacelle was named one of NonProfit Times' "Executives of the Year" in 2005 for his leadership in responding to the Hurricane Katrina crisis. He received his B.A. in history and studies in the environment from Yale University in 1987.

This event will need 300+ volunteers to make it an even greater success than last year's VegFest. Want to help out with VegFest 2011? Please email volunteer@nwveg.org