Maine Animal Coalition: Vegetarian Food Festival - MAC Hosts Fourth Annual Vegetarian Food Festival - A Good Time Was Had By All!

Vegetarian Food Festival: MAC Hosts Fourth Annual Vegetarian Food Festival - A Good Time Was Had By All!

Maine Animal Coalition hosted its Fourth Annual Vegetarian Food Festival on Saturday, June 21, 2008 in Portland, Maine. The Abromson Community Education Center on the campus of the University of Southern Maine offered a perfect setting for the event, with its open, light-filled lobby and mezzanine. About 400 people came out to enjoy the event, which consisted of a 1/2 day of vegan food samples, educational speakers, vegetarian cooking videos, exhibitors, kids activities, vegan product samples, coupons, a raffle and more.

16 exhibits provided information on topics such as vegan cooking, humane education for kids and teens, vegetarianism and the environment, organic farming, the University of Southern Maine's new animal rights student group (Animal Rights Activist Team), animals and factory farming, animal art, vegetarian cooking shows, cruelty-free cosmetics, and local vegetarian restaurants. See the full list of exhibitors below.

Guest speakers included Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Factory Farming Campaign for the Humane Society of the United States, who spoke on Advances for Farm Animals: How and Why We're Winning and Jessica Porter, author of "The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics," who spoke on Macrobiotics for Vegetarians. See additional information about our speakers below.

Attendees were treated to food samples from several local restaurants -- the Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro, the Pepperclub Restaurant, Hi Bombay, and The Works Cafe Bakery. They were also able to sample many vegan food products donated by generous vendors, including Betty Lou's Inc., Sequel Naturals (Vega), Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, Whole Foods Market, Primal Spirit Foods, Larabar, Crispy Cat Candy Bars, Seasoned Chef Maine, Bumble Bar, Galaxy Foods, Edward & Sons Trading Co. (Road's End Chreese), Follow Your Heart, and Bolthouse Farms.

Thanks to the many sponsors, donors, exhibitors and volunteers who made our Fourth Vegetarian Food Festival the best yet!

The festival poster may be downloaded as a PDF here.

EXHIBITORS:

Maine Animal Coalition
Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro
Bouchard Family Farm (Ployes)
Maine Friends of Animals
Farm Sanctuary
Arbonne International
Lana Smithson (Animal Art)
The Humane Society of the United States
Delicious TV - Totally Vegetarian Cooking Show
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
The Word - The Universal Spirit
Kzeloumsen Permaculture Gardens (Organic Farming)
USM Animal Rights Activist Team
Sierra Club
Vegan Cooking
Kids, Teens and Humane Education

SPEAKERS:

Paul Shapiro, Senior Director of the Factory Farming Campaign,
The Humane Society of the United States
Advances for Farm Animals: How and Why We're Winning
For decades, the plight of farm animals in the United States has steadily grown worse. Yet the first few years of the 21st Century have seen historic strides against factory farming that few would have imagined just a decade ago. Long-time farm animal campaigner paul Shapiro will discuss some of the most important victories for farm animals and how to make even more progress.

As Senior Director of the HSUS's Factory Farming Campaign, Paul has spearheaded numerous successful campaigns to improve the plight of farm animals, most notably several campaigns to persuade retailers to stop selling battery cage eggs. Paul is also the founder and former campaigns director for Compassion Over Killing, where he helped lead campaigns such as the successful effort to end the use of the misleading "Animal Care Certified" logo on battery cage egg cartons nationwide. At Compassion Over Killing, he worked also as a farm animal cruelty investigator, primarily documenting conditions on egg and broiler factory farms, livestock auctions and slaughter plants. Paul has been interviewed by dozens of media outlets, including The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, USA Today, Fox New Channel and CNN. He has published dozens of articles about animal welfare in publications ranging from daily newspapers to academic journals. He received a bachelor's degree in peace studies from George Washington University.

Jessica Porter, Macrobiotic Chef and Author of The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics
Macrobiotics for Vegetarians
Jessica Porter teaches live online macrobiotic cooking classes from Toronto, during which she lectures on the spiritual and emotional dimensions of macrobiotic practice. She has also taught cooking in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and London. Porter is also a regular presenter on the Holistic Holiday Caribbean cruise, catering to the education, health and happiness of vegans, vegetarians and macros each spring (atasteofhealth.org). She is an annual presenter at Kripalu Yoga Center and the Kushi Institute Summer Conference. She has been a featured speaker at the Teton Wellness Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

When not writing, cooking or teaching macrobiotics, Jessica is a hypnotherapist specializing in smoking cessation and HypnoBirthing. She is a faculty member of the HypnoBirthing Institute, recipient of its Director's Award, and trains midwives and doctors in the technique throughout North America, Europe, and South Africa. Porter has also produced two hypnosis CDs - Healing with the Hip Chick, and Hip Chick Hypnosis - for people practicing the macrobiotic diet.

In her free time, Porter has co-hosted a weekly call-in radio show on WMPG in Portland, Maine, as well as trying her hand at standup comedy and improv. As an actress, she has played many contemporary and classical roles and has been featured in local independent films. She has also written and performed her own one-woman show called "Zen Comedy."

As a macrobiotic chef, she worked under the guidance of many well-known macrobiotic counselors, such as Michio Kushi (The Book of Macrobiotics), William Spear (Feng Shui Made Easy), Lino Stanchich (You are How You Eat), and Denny Waxman (10 Steps to Strengthening Health). From 1994 to 1996, Porter served as Manager for the "Way to Health" program at the Kushi Institute. There she supervised the coordination of students and teachers, and managed the faculty, which included Edward Esko, Wendy Esko, Alex Jack, and Charles Millman - all prolific macrobiotic teachers and authors. Through living and working at the Kushi Institute, she became part of a worldwide network of macrobiotic people, many of whom run macrobiotic centers, health food stores or co-ordinate regular gatherings of health-minded individuals. At the Kushi Institute, she completed all three levels of macrobiotic training. These include in-depth study of cooking, macrobiotic philosophy, health care, and oriental diagnosis. She also completed the macrobiotic counselor training at Gulliver's in New York City.

The author began her macrobiotic practice in 1991 in New York, where she was a graduate student in acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. While in New York, Jessica ran her own catering business called "Big Life Foods", providing macrobiotic meals to health food stores.

A graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in Semiotics (now called Modern Culture and Media) in 1988, Porter served as co-editor of the campus humor magazine, the Philtrum Press. Growing up in Toronto, the author was an actress and co-host of the national radio program "Anybody Home?", produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Jessica's website, www.hipchicksmacrobiotics.com, answers many questions about macrobiotics and includes downloadable classes, CD's and a soon to be released audiobook.

MAJOR SPONSORS:

Betty Lou's

Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro

Vega

SPONSORS:

Bolthouse Farms

Bumble Bar

Crispy Cat Candy Bars

Delicious TV

The Humane Society of the United States

Follow Your Heart

LARABAR

Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

The Pepper Club Restaurant

Bouchard Family Farm

Primal Spirit Foods

Edward & Sons Trading Co.

The Word - The Universal Spirit

Whole Foods Market

DONORS:

Aubrey Organics
Beth Gallie
Chris McClay
Delicious TV
Farm Sanctuary
Galaxy Foods
Haggarty's Brit-Indi Restaurant
Hi Bombay Restaurant
The Humane Society of the United States
Institute for Humane Education
Jason Natural Products
Jennifer Breyer
Katie & John Lisnik
Kiss My Face
Liz Lovely Cookies
Maine Friends of Animals
Mesa Verde Mexican Restaurant
O'Naturals Restaurent
Pangea
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Robin Watts
Sarah Conroy
The Seasoned Chef
Skillins
V-dog Vegan Dogfood
Vegan Essentials
VegNews Magazine


PLANNING COMMITTEE:

Angela Bell
Jennifer Breyer
Sarah Conroy
Beth Gallie
Laurie Grant
Katie Lisnik
Chris McClay
Richard Oliver
Robin Watts

The festival poster may be downloaded as PDF here.

If you would like to volunteer for our Fifth Annual Vegetarian Food Festival, please contact us at 207-773-2215 or mac@maineanimalcoalition.org