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The PHX Vegan Food Festival, a first for Arizona that was hosted on Saturday by Phoenix Theatre and organized by Davisson Entertainment, included diverse vegan restaurants and vendors.
“Vegans have great food,” said Daniel Davisson, owner of Davisson Entertainment who is also vegan himself. “We want to create awareness and share our vegan lifestyle with people.”
Davisson said vegan restaurants are hard to find in Phoenix. The festival gave attendees the opportunity to sample vegan food options from more than 20 food vendors, four food trucks and a beer garden.
Davisson and his friends had to travel out of state to attend vegan food festivals. The festivals inspired him to introduce veganism to Phoenix food lovers.
Despite his passion for animal rights and a healthy lifestyle, Davisson admitted that being a vegan was hard. He said self-control was a crucial part of being a vegan.
“It’s difficult to control the things we put in our body, but the health rewards are worth it,” Davisson said.
The vegan entrepreneur challenged popular preconceptions about veganism.
Davisson emphasized that the rumors about “vegans eating kale and tofu are not true.” He said people were used to comfort and intimidated by the idea of eating plant based food.
Festival entrance was free for children under the age of 12 as it encouraged parents to teach their children the vegan lifestyle.
“Kids must be comfortable with a healthy approach to eating, they must know that veggies aren’t scary,” Davisson said.
Champion vegan bodybuilder Will Tucker is a testament to the vegan lifestyle.
Tucker shared health tips and the benefits of high protein vegan diets as a bodybuilder.
“Many bodybuilders feel the need to eat animal proteins to get the nutrient they need, but they don’t realize that it affects their long term health.” Tucker said. “A vegan diet gives my body vital nutrients that helped my body to thrive. I recover from training quickly.”
Tucker said people should try being vegan for 21 days and see the difference it makes on their health and body.
The festival was a good balance between art and diverse cuisine.
Janine Puñales, the vendor coordinator said she selected restaurants and vendors that served ethnic vegan food.
“We wanted people to be wowed by the variety of spices and flavors in the food,” Puñales said.
Puñales said people should keep an open mind and view the vegan lifestyle as a positive contribution to the conservation of the planet.
Vegan food choices varied from vegetarian Indian cuisine, Colombian-style hotdogs and Southern-fried soul food.
Manager of Simon’s Hot Dogs Felipe Roldan said that the festival should have a good impact on business, with the event allowing visitors to sample a part of the menu and hear about new restaurants from around the state.
As for next year, Roldan said that they will be back for the festival but “more prepared than this (year).”
Teena Thach, nutrition student and mother of three children between the ages of 10 months and 8 years said she was excited to introduce her children to veganism.
“My children and I try to be vegan,” Thach said. “They definitely enjoy the food especially the beans and the desserts.”
Thach said the festival was an awesome experience for vegans and food lovers in Arizona.
Live rock bands and solo artists entertained the audience. The acoustic stage unified the crowd and filled the atmosphere with a heartwarming harmony.
Among the five bands performing on the main stage, alternate rock band Foresteater and funk soul band Soulective were the big crowd pleasers.
Adrian Estrada, 38, has been a vegan for over a year. He said it was his first time attending a vegan food festival.
“I came all the way from Yuma to promote veganism, we don’t have these kind of events in Yuma,” Estrada said.
Additional reporting done by Nikiana Medansky.
Contact the reporter at btfu@asu.edu
