2018 Atlantic City Vegan Food Festival
Zygote Nation was there! ... At the 2018 Atlantic City Vegan Food Festival on July 14, 2018, at the Showboat Atlantic City casino.
Dozens of vegan food and drink vendors gathered near the Atlantic City boardwalk to sell their products and celebrate the vegan lifestyle. Also present were vegan body care, clothing, and jewelry sellers and vegan-advocacy and animal-rights organizations.
It was a gorgeous summer day in Atlantic City. The festival was not outdoors, however; rather, it took place on the Showboat casino’s ground floor. I was able to find nice food options without soy and seitan—ingredients I avoid—and good drinks. I enjoyed myself at the well-attended show.
Here is my list of the festival’s top notable vendors and products:
Yeah Dawg
Photo by Michael Sirak
This Brooklyn, New York-based company’s vegan hot “dawgs” are delicious. I first came across Yeah Dawg at a vegan food event in Washington, D.C., in 2017. The dawgs are soy- and gluten-free and have these ingredients: potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, sunflower seeds, organic gluten-free flour blend (chickpea, fava, brown rice, potato, tapioca), herbs, spices, onion, garlic, hickory smoke, and salt. The dawgs have substance, meaning they are pleasantly filling, and I like their taste. At the festival, I enjoyed a Cali Krush Dog (see first photo), a Yeah Dawg in a bun topped with kale caesar, coconut bacon, chipotle mayonnaise, and avocado. At home, I am able to buy the dawgs in frozen eight-packs in local organic grocery stores. I like to eat the dawgs themselves (i.e., without buns) topped with organic yellow mustard. I hope the company will consider moving to more organic ingredients.
Photo by Michael Sirak
Photo by Michael Sirak
Supernatural! Foods of Riverton, New Jersey, sells coconut jerky in packaging that seems geared towards children. The jerky was quite tasty, and I would buy it again. The jerky comes in two varieties: Original and It’s Alime! The latter flavor, as its play-on-words name implies, has a lime flavor with a bit of a kick thanks to the addition of cayenne pepper. The ingredients in both flavors are clean. For example, the Original variety has these ingredients: organic young coconut, organic coconut aminos, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, organic black pepper, and salt. The company states on the jerky’s packaging that it dries the young coconut at low temperatures to give the jerky its “chewy” and “hearty” texture. Supernatural! Foods is on Instagram (@snackinpeace); its website, linked above, was still under construction as of this writing.
Absolute Green
Photo by Michael Sirak
I’m always on the lookout for “green” household cleaning products that are free of toxic chemicals and synthetic fragrances. That’s why I was happy to come across Absolute Green of Metuchen, New Jersey. Absolute Green uses only natural, non-toxic ingredients and pure essential oils, according to the company’s website. Its products are free of ammonia, chlorine, colorants, dyes, genetically modified substances, phthalates, phosphates, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances, states the website. The company offers multi-purpose cleaners in three fragrances (Lavender Spa, Lemon, Peppermint), air fresheners (Ginger Spice, Lavender, Peppermint), linen & fabric spray (Geranium, Lavender, Mandarin), wood cleaner and polish (Citrus, Lemongrass, Spice), yoga mat wash, and diethyltoluamide (DEET)-free bug repellant. Absolute Green’s scents are nicely clean and fresh. Also of note: Absolute Green’s website states that the company received the highest quality rating (i.e., “green” ) on Whole Foods Markets’ Eco-Scale, a third-party-audited rating system that measures the environmental impact, safety, and sourcing of natural household cleaning products.
Rooted Athlete
Photo by Michael Sirak
Rooted Athlete of Austin, Texas, sells USDA-certified organic deodorant sticks. It offers three unisex variants: Fresh Scent, Lavender, and Unscented. I bought the Fresh Scent and it smells quite nice; applies easily, with no ripping of my underarm hair; and lasts throughout my active day. Its ingredients are: organic coconut oil, organic carnauba wax, organic arrowroot powder, organic shea butter, baking soda, and organic essential oils of cedar, clary sage, and cypress.
