Hudson Valley Hosts its First “Vegfest”
Samples of vegan pizza, ice cream, cookie dough, wine, and many other products lined the event space at the Gold’s Gym in Poughkeepsie, NY during Hudson Valley’s first Vegfest. The plant-based festival took place on Sept. 23 and 24 and focused on celebrating and spreading the message of the vegan lifestyle. The Hudson Valley Vegfest was founded and planned by Sande Nosonowitz and Rebecca Moore, Hudson Valley natives, who hope that the festival will become an annual event.
Vegans, and non-vegans, of the Hudson Valley wandered around the event space tasting food samples, gaining exposure to animal rights and sustainability issues, and watching educational presentations, ranging from cooking demonstrations to fitness displays. With the help of many volunteers and vendors, Nosonowitz and Moore were able to execute the weekend-long food festival, while only producing six bags of trash. In true representation of a sustainable, vegan lifestyle, all other items were either recycled or composted.
On the Saturday of the festival, Jillian Salomone from Westchester County took to the stage along with the other members of PlantBuilt, a vegan team of athletes and physique competitors. “I have been vegan for four years, and mainly because I lived an extremely unhealthy lifestyle,” Salomone told the crowd. “So I got sober, I started eating healthy, I went vegan, and that’s it.” After the introductions, PlantBuilt launched into weight lifting demonstrations.
PlantBuilt focused their presentation on living a healthy and active plant-based lifestyle. All of the members of the presentation transitioned to veganism in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and all maintain a strong physical build. In addition to demonstrating exercises, the group answered questions from the crowd, such as how to build muscle while maintaining a vegan diet. Suggestions from the Plantbuilt members included keeping track of calories and trying to incorporate denser foods. Another recommendation was to be conscious of what others are doing, but to remember that everyone’s body will react differently and need different things.
In addition to formal presentations, many vendors were selling food and drink products to the attendees. Peaceful Provisions, one of over 80 sponsors and vendors who participated in the festival, is a dessert company founded by twin sisters, Justine and Brittany Soto. Peaceful Provisions participates in various pop-up events, such as Hudson Valley Vegfest. The company’s primary focus is donuts, and the donuts come with many different fillings, such as cookie dough or rice pudding. According to Justine, they try to combine some of their favorite desserts and offer innovative flavors.
“We live in Westchester and it’s really hard to find vegan desserts, or just vegan food in general, so we have to make our own food all the time,” Justine explained. “This is is just kind of an extension of what we do on a daily basis, and it’s nice to be able to share our passion for food.”
Both sisters have a background in food; Brittany went to school for baking pastry arts and Justine is a dietician. “We used to be vegetarian for years and years,” Brittany said. “[Justine] finally made the switch and she fueled me to make the switch too. At that time, it was kind of an ‘a ha’ moment of let’s spread this, let’s do what we love, which is eating and baking, and let’s try to help save animals, and make people more aware of it.” Peaceful Provisions was born almost two and a half years ago and the Soto sisters are currently looking for a storefront.
For Justine, there are many benefits to veganism. “I’m a dietician so being able to know what I’m consuming and how it affects my body is really important to me,” she said. “Following a vegan diet is just a well-balanced healthy diet that gives you a lot of energy, and it also has a lower impact on the environment. It also, for me, is a more humane way to live.”
