I was in Vegetarian Heaven in August 2019

Sept 2019 – Since vegetarian events in south Chicagoland seem to be few and far between, I was in vegetarian heaven August 24. Two events were actually in our area: Taste of Vegan Festival on Chicago’s South Side and Veggie Taste of Joliet in the southwest suburb. Then one of our online resources, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) added Kickstart Your Health Chicago in Rosemont, IL, near O’Hare Airport.

All three offered free admission, but PCRM provided free breakfast and lunch samples; it also picketed McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago’s west Loop for minimizing the health risks of bacon a few days earlier. Kickstart focused on health and nutrition and sold nothing. It began with health checks and breakfast. I don’t usually like cooked oatmeal, but both the blueberry and the chia flavored ones were delicious.

From 9-11 a.m. Drs. Neal Barnard, Stephen Lome and Kim Williams stressed the benefits of a vegan lifestyle on diabetics, memory, weight and heart health. Nurse Melissa Busta explained the numbers provided in our health checks. From 11 a.m. to noon, Sherry Shrallow shared how changing to a vegan diet reversed her unexpected heart disease, and dietician Maggie Neola suggested easy ways to transition to veganism. Then Stefanie Ignoffo demonstrated quick preparations of breakfast, lunch and dinner before offering samples; she even suggested not cooking the oatmeal.

After the panel and practical applications, audience members who sent in questions had them answered before they interacted with resource vendors, including the Plant Based Nutrition Movement, which Dr. Lome founded in Chicagoland. PBNM and Dr. Barnard’s PCRM cooperate with each other.

Like Taste of Vegan Festival (covered July 2019), Veggie Taste of Joliet, hosted by Temple of Harmony, celebrated its fifth year with speakers, food demonstrations, vendors and free entertainment. Unlike Taste of Vegan which lasted until 7 p.m., Veggie Taste closed at 5 p.m. Since I was traveling via train from Kickstart, I decided to go to Taste of Vegan, where I enjoyed kale wraps and ginger hibiscus juice while listening to the live music. My wraps were so pretty that a nearby listener bought some to take home. Maybe next year I can attend Veggie Taste of Joliet.

At Kickstart and Taste of Vegan, I ran into people I’d met at vegetarian meetups, including cooking instructors Dominique Henderson from the city and Janet Pearson from the southwest suburbs.

Did you attend any vegetarian events in August or September?