Top 10 Vegan Finds at Natural Products Expo West 2017

This was my fourth year at the Natural Products Expo West (past years' coverage - 2014, 2015, 2016), a convention held every year at the Anaheim Convention Center where companies showcase their new natural foods and products to retailers, restaurants, industry folk, and press. Many companies launch new products at this convention, including many vegan and vegan-friendly products. Each year it is so exciting to see so many more vegan options at the Expo! This year was no different, and there were so many new vegan finds I can't wait to share with you!

I was only able to go one day this year, but I still managed to cover lots of ground and hit most of the booths I was interested in checking out. I'm ecstatic that veganism keeps getting bigger and bigger at Expo, and I even overheard a buyer from a HUGE grocery chain (that was checking out a vegan cheese line no less!) exclaim that veganism seems to be everywhere this year (she's right, and it's just gonna keep getting bigger and bigger)! There was so much vegan stuff to check out and I stuffed my face with so much vegan food, but there were ten vegan finds that really stood out. Check them out below:

Restaurant Review: By Chloe in Los Angeles, CA

I finally got to try the brand new By Chloe that opened recently in the new 365 by Whole Foods market up in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. Of course, I have been drooling over the original By Chloe restaurants that opened in New York City, so you can imagine how excited I was that we got our very own version here in SoCal!! Since this version of By Chloe is attached to the Whole Foods store, it is a little small, but I think they did a great job with utilizing the space, and there is a variety of seating, from a larger communal-style table, to bistro-type seating and even a few little booths. The design itself mirrors that of the NYC By Chloe restaurant and is fresh, airy, and adorable.

Recap: Eat Drink Vegan Festival 2016 (formerly LA Vegan Beer + Food Fest)

Eat Drink Vegan!

This past Saturday saw record temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s, but that certainly didn't stop folks from heading out in droves to Eat Drink Vegan, or the festival formerly known as the Los Angeles Vegan Beer and Food Fest! In spite of the heat, it was an incredible event filled with tons of vegan food, beverages, products, and lots of good cheer from those attending! I had a blast, and wanted to share a recap of the fest with you!

Top 10 Vegan Products at Natural Products Expo West 2015

This past weekend I attended the Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center to scope out all the new vegan goodies coming out this year! I attended last year (check out my report!), but this year was even bigger and better, and I was ecstatic to see so many vegan or vegan-friendly companies rolling out exciting new vegan products!

Over the few days at Expo West, I got to try oodles of vegan food, beauty/health products, drinks, and got to visit with some of my favorite vegan companies as well as discovering new ones! It was a blast, and I already can't wait until next year!

There were SO MANY awesome products launching, so it was really tough to narrow it down to my top 10 favorites. I finally did, sorta, and below you will find my top 10 favorite products from the Expo, plus some honorable mentions. Not all of these are available in stores or available in the US, yet, but most should either be coming soon or already in some stores.

Food Review: Earth Balance Vegan Mac n Cheese

The vegan holy grail! Mac n cheese!

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

By now, most of you know that the wonderful Earth Balance has begun making vegan mac n cheese, sold in boxes just like the Kraft stuff most of us were familiar with in our pre-vegan days! I don’t know about you, but those boxes of mac n cheese hold so many nostalgic memories for me, so in my opinion I think it is fantastic that this comfort food has finally been veganized!

Earth Balance has made two flavors – the classic orange-colored cheddar flavor, plus a white cheddar flavor. Both flavors should be on store shelves this month (some are already hitting the shelves of local health food stores and Whole Foods), but I got impatient and just ordered mine online from the fine folks at Rabbit Food Grocery.

My Day at the Los Angeles Vegan Beer and Food Festival 2014

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I attended my very first LA Vegan Beer and Food Festival this past weekend! I was so happy I was finally able to go and so excited to eat and drink my way through a Saturday afternoon. This was the event's 5th year, and it just keeps growing! This year the fest sold out in record time and hosted about 2,500+ people. The event attracts vegans and the veg-curious from near and far, and with good reason - vegan beer and food, all day long! I had a really great time, as did all who attended, but I wanted to walk you through my day there, let you know some of few annoyances I encountered, and offer tips and tricks to maximize your time at the fest should you attend next year (which I hope you do!).

Knott's Berry Farm Offers New Vegan Food Options!

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Gasp! America's first theme park, Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, California, has started offering some of their carnival fare VEGANIZED! Think vegan funnel cakes (!!!), vegan mac 'n' cheese, vegan chick'n tenders, vegan hot dogs/burgers/pizza and even a vegan tofu scramble for brunch! Many vegan options will also be gluten-free and soy-free. Way to go, Knott's!

Credit should also go to Carolyn Scott-Hamilton, aka The Healthy Voyager, for working with the amusement park to develop vegan options of theme-park favorites! Thank you, Carolyn, for your amazing work!

I just read about this awesomeness this morning on Compassion Over Killing, but after a quick Google search it seems this once announced last month. Still amazing news, though, especially since Knott's Scary Farm is fast approaching! Maybe they will have some special Halloween treats veganized as well? I can only wish!

I'm not sure if all their vegan options have been rolled out yet...has anyone had a chance to try them yet? I can't wait to try the vegan funnel cake!

UPDATE: I haven't been to Knott's to try these options myself, but I've heard a lot of people say they haven't been able to find these vegan options in the park and that park employees have been less than helpful and seem clueless about vegan options. Not sure what the deal is, but I hope Knott's gets it together and becomes more consistent with their vegan offerings. If you visit the park and are able to locate any vegan options, let me know in the comments below! Good luck!