The travelling food festival that is Vegandale comes to Queens, New York

Vegandale was founded in 2015 in Toronto by Hellenic Vincent de Paul. De Paul was born in Sri Lanka, and his family fled to Canada as refugees when he was just three years old. His mission with Vegandale is to “demonstrate the moral imperative of a world free from animal exploitation”. Vegandale has since grown and has been hosted in major cities across North America, including Los Angeles.

Vegandale is the largest vegan food experience that merges art, culture, music and food from around the world.

Due to differing philosophies surrounding veganism, some prefer the term plant-based to describe a more flexible diet and lifestyle, while some refer to “vegan” as a strict diet free from animal-based products, including clothing.

In 2023, I attended Vegandale for the first time with my friend Shasa Reeves. On the grass at Randall’s Island in New York City, attendees hopped from line to line to taste the plant-based options of some of their favourite foods.

I remembered two vendors, Healthy as a Motha, a Trinidadian- and Dominican-partnered vegan food brand, and Lovers Rock Sea Moss, based in the Bronx with Jamaican roots. They stuck out for me because of my Trinidadian and Jamaican roots and, biased or not, I just had to support.

I tried a vegan version of bake and shark, a popular street food in Trinidad and Tobago. Instead of shark meat, the banana blossom alternative left me impressed, and convinced I could become vegan (one day).

While I didn’t buy a container from Lovers Rock Sea Moss, it was my first time trying the algae with health benefits. Learning about founder Rich Williams’ venture was enough for me to follow his company’s Instagram page and cheer from the sidelines.

Having the opportunity to attend Vegandale two years later was a full-circle moment for me. As I navigate the job market I am often asked if I am a food journalist and how I plan to be a food editor if I am a pescatarian?

One night, I was talking to God about my career plans and as soon as I opened the Instagram app, a potential opportunity awaited me. Williams was looking for two volunteers to assist him during Vegandale. I sent him a message and the next day we had a virtual meeting.

Meeting Williams again was a breath of fresh air; his passion for sea moss was motivational. I shared with him my reporting in South Africa and how I would love to interview him after the event.

After our brief meeting, I got hired! I told him I was trying to keep my composure, but could you blame me? I would be able to channel my inner Tony, but in America.

The day before Vegandale, I met Williams at the Citi Field to set up. Joining us was Allen Ahutal, a mature high schooler from the Bronx.

Together we mingled and decorated for the eight-hour event. It felt like I was part of something bigger than myself, and I was ready for the day ahead.

By 10am the next day I was through security with my vendor wristband courtesy of William. Making my way towards Williams’ tent I saw a red, blue and white flag blowing in the wind with a shield and a bible on top of it — the flag of the Dominican Republic.

A Dominican-inspired plant-based vendor, Next Stop Vegan, reimagines traditional dishes like mofongo to create an alternative for the country’s meat-loving culture. Located in Brooklyn Heights, Blenlly Mena is the founder and owner alongside her husband, Javier Saba.

“Our inspiration comes from our Dominican background, and we wanted to showcase flavours, sazón, innovation, creativity, in a plant-based manner without harming any animals and just forwarding our mindset to our consumers and our followers as well,” said Mena.

After speaking with Mena, I joined Willaims who was adding the final touches to his tent. Shortly after, Ahutal arrived and Williams gave us one more crash course before the attendees started trickling in.

The start of the festival was like dipping your toes into the water as attendees eased their way in. Williams said I could walk around since it was still early. Walking through the space, I took photos of some of the vendors I wanted to interview, before receiving a text message to return.

Back at the tent, I watched Ahutal and Williams effortlessly tap cards, and package and pass out containers. I joined in and was even able to assist in pouring sea moss drinks for customers, including flavours such as sorrel and ginger, pineapple and coconut and even lemonade with a spritz of matcha.

At the halfway mark of the food festival, Williams said we could take a break. Ahutal, the determined teenager, decided to skip his break. While the two troopers held down the fort, I used my hour to recharge, try vegan food and squeeze in some interviews.

Next I interviewed two representatives from Ladun’s Chops, Ayo Lamina and Biyi Adeniyi, a Nigerian vegan food business selling “authentic small chops”. The tasty plant-based options of authentic Nigerian cuisine included jollof rice, puff puff, and my purchase of akara, a black-eyed peas fritter; the slight spice enhanced the flavour of the fried beans.

“We are into African dishes, most importantly Nigerian dishes. One thing I tell people is that the ingredients that we use in our food are embedded in the culture of Nigeria,” said Ayo Lamina.

Vegandale isn’t just about trying new vegan spots, it is also about family time.

Aziza James and her mom, Nina Jalloh, were spotted in the line for the Coco Bred vendor. The Jamaican born, New York-raised team uses passed-down recipes to create the beloved soft coco bread pocket to create a sandwich. The options include jerk bird, vegetable rundown and pass pass pork using plant-based ingredients like relishes and chutneys to enhance the flavours of the sandwich.

Jalloh says she first took her daughter to Vegandale last year for her birthday and it has become tradition to attend vegan events. While James and Jalloh are vegetarian, James’ father is vegan, but together the three like to attend vegan events.

“We go to a lot of vegan events,” James said with a smile.

On my way back to Williams’ tent, I approached Adam Caleb who was about to join the line for Healthy as a Motha. He has been vegan for about 18 years. Despite the misconceptions about vegans, he thinks veganism is versatile, with plenty of options.

“I think the biggest misconception about being a vegan is that the food isn’t good, that it is all rabbit food, carrots, lettuce, things like that. There is a wide variety of things that one can eat and it makes things very interesting,” he said.

Time flies when you are having fun and the rest of the afternoon was a breeze. Before you knew it you could count how many sea moss containers Willaims had left! With two hours to spare, Williams sold the last sea moss gel, the lemon and ginger flavour, and we all gave each other a celebratory high five. It was time to interview the bossman.

Williams founded Lovers Rock Sea Moss in 2021 and is on a mission to spread knowledge of the benefits of sea moss and its health benefits for black and brown communities that are often disadvantaged in healthcare spaces.

“Sea moss is a natural dietary supplement; similar to seaweed or kelp, it is high in vitamins and minerals. A lot of the benefits revolve around your digestive system, so it’s going to make you feel fuller throughout the day,” said Williams. He uses alkaline water and organic ingredients to add extra flavours to his products.

Williams was pleased to sell out all of his products, but wished he had more in stock for customers.

“It feels amazing, I’m so happy. I’m a little upset because they were still coming to get some, but I’ve got nothing to give them. But overall I am really happy that we sold out,” said Williams.

I even interviewed Ahutal, who had not tried vegan food before.

“My highlight being out here was that I got to meet a lot of people. I am not a vegan person, and I never tried anything vegan, but I am glad that I came out here to try some vegan products, to talk to a lot of people. I had a lot of fun here,” he said.

Ahutal and I, as per Williams’ wishes, could then walk around the festival and try some food. Ahutal, who is Dominican and Mexican, would be trying vegan food for the first time and I thought what better vendor to take him to than Healthy as a Motha? Yesenia Ramdass is the founder, co-owner and executive chef of the Trinidadian and Dominican and fusion restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

“What inspired me to start the concept, I’m fully Dominican, my husband’s Trinidadian, we have three beautiful blended children and we’re a plant-based family of five. My inspiration was to eat the foods that I grew up with that I could identify with my culture, with my heritage, that connected me to my mother and to my in-laws and ensure that my children had that experience through food,” said Ramdass.

After Ramdass lost her mother to cancer eight years ago, the executive chef was on a mission to not only incorporate more plant-based diets for her loved ones, but also her community.

“I’ve been on this conscious journey for a long time to share with my community and our people that you can eat the foods that you love without sacrificing your health in the interim,” said Ramdass.

Since I tried the bake and shark the first time I visited the vendor two years ago, I decided to try the empanadas duo, which was beef inspired. In true fusion fashion, the empanadas came with two sauce options — a sweet tamarind chutney and a refreshing savoury cucumber apple chutney. I split one with Ahutal, who loved it so much that he went back for seconds.

The last vendor I spoke to was a New Jersey-based soul food brand called Fed by Vegans. Although I wasn’t able to try the food from the sold-out vegan cuisine, I wanted to interview the owner. From Newark, New Jersey, the founder, who goes by “Dafedbaby”, was joined by his fiancée, Shannon Farrar, and their team.

“We’ve been here since 6am. We started selling food at around 11am. It was a big event, non-stop lines from 11am until like 4pm. It was an amazing day, it feels good to be sold out. It’s our first time being here,” said Dafedbaby.

The vegan soul food brand opened three months ago and had the opportunity to display its vegan dishes at Vegandale. Between balancing parental duties with crafting a menu for Vegandale, he said their achievement on this day was “a very big win”.

By the time Ahutal and I returned to the Williams’ tent it was time to take down the decor and pack up.

The speakers continued to pump out music, from hip hop to dancehall — and you won’t believe it, even amapiano! I think the universe is trying to tell me something about my current tie(s) to South Africa, but I will leave that for my reflection piece.

The evening ended with the three of us loading up Williams’ truck before he dropped Ahutal and I at the train station.

Vegandale is more than a food festival — it is a chance to collaborate, embrace culture and community, and, if you’re brave enough, try vegan cuisine. DM