Food Demo with Chef Nick Bovenzi

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executive chef at Natural Oasis Restaurant

We’re excited to welcome Chef Nick Bovenzi of Natural Oasis to this year’s Rochester VegFest!

Natural Oasis, is a vegan restaurant and health food store located in Rochester, NY. Since 2009, Mr. Bovenzi has been known for maintaining the pre-existing Ethiopian lunch menu and expanding dinner service to a tapas style menu. Its focus is global flavors interpreted using french techniques, Indian ayurvedic principles, and American ingredients and concepts..

Mr. Bovenzi has become a prominent figure in the Rochester vegan community, frequently appearing as a speaker for the Rochester Area Vegan Society and conducting food demonstrations at events like Rochester VegFest. His cooking philosophy focuses on health and inclusivity, ensuring that even those with restrictive diets or allergies can find satisfying meals.

Catch Chef Nick Bovenzi at Rochester VegFest 2026

🍽️ 12:00–1:00 PM – Live Culinary Demo at the Food Demo Tent
Watch Chef Nick Bovenzi demonstrate his unique style and delicious plant-based recipes!

Chef Anthony Miller at Rochester VegFest 2026

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Founder of The Veg-E-Table

We’re excited to welcome Chef Anthony Miller of The Veg-E-Table to this year’s Rochester VegFest!

Chef Anthony is known for serving up bold, flavorful, plant-based comfort food through his local business, The Veg-E-Table. With a rotating menu that keeps fans coming back for more, he specializes in dishes like Vegan Oxtail, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Rasta Pasta, Vegan Garlic Butter Steak Bites, and other creative takes on soulful classics. He also offers fresh-pressed juices and delivery or pickup options through social media.

Chef Anthony’s passion for vegan food is rooted in flavor, community, and the power of plants to bring people together.

Catch Chef Anthony Miller at Rochester VegFest 2026

🍽️ 1:30–2:30 PM – Live Culinary Demo at the Food Demo Tent
Watch Chef Anthony share his signature style and skills live, and take home some inspiration for your next plant-based meal!

Follow The Veg-E-Table on Facebook and Instagram to check out his latest offerings and place your next order.

Food & Drink Offerings at Rochester VegFest 2025 🍴🌱

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What’s VegFest without amazing food and drink? This year’s festival will feature everything from refreshing beverages and frozen treats to hearty hot meals and artisanal packaged goods you can take home.

Drinks & Refreshments

  • B+ Healthy Fresh Food Market – Juices, detox shots, fresh fruit cups.
  • Frio’s Pops – Dairy-free frozen fruit pops (strawberry mango, blackberry ginger lemonade, pink lemonade, pickle + more).
  • Happy Earth Tea – Organic tea and herbal blends.
  • LemonLove Lemonade – Specialty lemonade, squeezed fresh on site.
  • Love Fern Lemonade – Fresh-squeezed lemonades, limeades, orange-aids, dirty sodas, and citrus fizz.
  • TiA Coffee – Freshly brewed coffee and roasted beans.

Hot Food Offerings

  • Grass Fed Vegan Butcher – Seitan sandwiches.
  • Hollycake House – Vegan breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon buns, cookies, scones, brownies, muffins.
  • Moonshadow Kitchen – Cheesesteaks, spiedies, birria tacos, garbage-style plates (all vegan + gluten free).
  • Neno’s Mexican – All-vegan tacos, burritos, and elote.
  • Philomina’s – Prepared vegan dishes (cold foods and beverages).
  • Polska Chata – Vegan hot food (menu TBD).
  • Sunshine Vegan Eats – Mac and cheese, vegan hoagies, jerk “cheesesteak,” yams, greens, and Nikki Special combo.
  • The Veg-E-Table – Rasta pasta and sea moss.

Prepared & Packaged Foods

  • Bravely By Jax – Cashew butter (flavors: vanilla bean, cacao, almond crunch, chocolate chip cookie).
  • F. Oliver’s – Olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
  • Flint’s Maple – Maple syrup, infused syrups, sauces, mustards, lemonades, mixes, and spices.
  • Junebar – Vegan, oil-free nutrition bars.
  • Long Weekend Bake Shop – Packaged vegan cookies and baked goods (with gluten-free options).
  • Lorenz Farms – Black garlic purée, smoked black garlic, dressings.
  • Once Again – Organic vegan nut butters and graham crackers.
  • Rochester Kettle Corn – Vegan kettle corn and drinks.
  • Spirit and Abundance – Plant-based cheeses, ferments, condiments.
  • The Fun Guys – Fresh mushrooms and mushroom burgers.
  • The Spice Project – Handcrafted spices, blends, and trail mixes.
  • The Vegan Pantry – Stickers, bags, snacks, nut butters.

Come Hungry, Leave Inspired

From fresh fruits and cold drinks to soul-warming comfort food and one-of-a-kind vegan products, VegFest 2025 has something for every appetite. Come explore, sample, and support the incredible plant-based businesses that make our community thrive!

See the full vendor lineup for 2025: https://rocvegfestny.org/exhibitors/

Rissa The Righter at Rochester VegFest 2025

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“Revealing Inner Greatness to Empower Rightness”

Rissa the Righter is a multi-talented musician, songwriter, and performer dedicated to creating music with purpose. With a background in orchestra and experience playing multiple instruments, Rissa writes and performs all her own music—blending artistry with authenticity. She has shared the stage with artists such as LaRussell and AJ McQueen, captivating audiences with her powerful presence and meaningful lyrics.

A year and a half ago, Rissa chose to give up eating meat, aligning her lifestyle with her mission: The Righter Way—a movement centered on embracing our greatness, empowering righteousness, and living authentically without harming ourselves, others, or the world around us.

Catch Rissa The Righter Live at Rochester VegFest 2025

🕚 1:00 PM–1:45 PM
📍Speaker Tent, Parcel 5 – Downtown Rochester

Explore Rissa’s work:

Rob Nipe & Anthony Miller on ARC Rochester

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Two of our highly-anticipated vendors — Grass Fed Vegan Butcher and The Veg-E-Table — recently sat down with Dan Schrack and Abby Fridmann of 13WHAM News to share their stories, and what they’ll be bringing to this year’s festival.

Rob Nipe

Grass Fed Vegan Butcher

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Rob owns Grass Fed Vegan Butcher, a brick-and-mortar spot on Monroe Ave serving up mouthwatering seitan sandwiches. On August 24th, you can find him at his booth — the perfect place to grab lunch while soaking in the festival fun.

Rob will also be joining our Rochester Vegan Entrepreneurs Panel moderated by 13WHAM’s Dan Schrack to close out the day. This inspiring conversation will explore how local business owners are putting their values into action to create change for people, animals, and the planet.


▶ Watch Rob on 13WHAM → VegFest Guest Talks Being a Vegan Butcher

Chef Anthony Miller

The Veg-E-Table

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Chef Anthony runs The Veg-E-Table, a local catering and meal delivery service offering bold, flavorful vegan dishes. Customers rave about his signature Rasta Pasta and other big hits, which can be ordered directly through Instagram or Facebook.

This year at VegFest, you’ll be able to enjoy some of those fan-favorite dishes right from his booth.

Want to learn how to recreate some of Chef Anthony’s magic at home? Don’t miss his food demo at 2:40 PM, where he’ll be making crispy black bean tacos.


▶ Watch Anthony on 13WHAM → The Veg-E-Table Heads to Rochester VegFest

Huge thanks to Anthony, Rob, Dan, and Abby for helping us spread the word about this year’s event. We can’t wait to see you Sunday, August 24th at Parcel 5!

August 2025 is Plant-Forward for the Planet Month in Rochester!

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We’re thrilled to share that, for the second year in a row, the City of Rochester—and now Monroe County—are officially proclaiming August 2025 as Plant-Forward for the Planet Month!

This proclamation, led by Black, Brown, and Diverse Plant-Based People for Equity Inc. (BBDPPE) in cooperation with Rochester VegFest, highlights the many ways plant-based living benefits both our health and our planet.

Celebrate All Month Long

The proclamation sets the stage for Plant-Powered Weekend, August 23–24, featuring:

  • 2nd Annual Plant-Forward Achievement Awards & Anniversary Gala – August 23 at the RIT Inn & Conference Center, honoring changemakers in plant-based advocacy.
  • Rochester VegFest – August 24 at Parcel 5, a free outdoor festival with 60+ vendors, live music, yoga, cooking demos, and nationally recognized speakers.

Join the Movement

Tag us at @bbdppe_inc and @rocvegfest and show us how you’re celebrating Plant-Forward for the Planet Month—from trying local plant-based offerings to joining us at the events!

Follow along on Instagram and Facebook to see how we’ll be celebrating all month long, and spread the word about why plant-forward living is better for your health and the planet.

Stay tuned for updates: rocvegfestny.org | equalvalueforall.wordpress.com

VegFest 2025 T-Shirts

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Sorry, pre-ordering is now closed.

Please swing by the VegFest tent on August 24th to buy from available stock there!

We’re thrilled to team up once again with local artist Julia Jones of Nearby Design for this year’s VegFest shirt. The adorable design features our pig mascot celebrating this year’s theme: “Compassion in Action”.

  • Color: Carolina Blue
  • Styles: Relaxed, Fitted
  • Price: $20 each

Volunteers receive one free! All shirts will be available for pickup at the VegFest booth on festival day. A limited number will also be available for purchase at the event — but pre-ordering is the only way to guarantee your size.

Relaxed
Fitted

Dan Schrack to Moderate the 2025 Rochester Vegan Entreprenuers Panel

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13 WHAM News, Morning Anchor

Dan Schrack is a morning anchor at 13WHAM News and a committed vegan with a passion for storytelling and community engagement. Since joining the 13WHAM team in 2019, Dan has been a familiar face to viewers across Western New York, bringing compassion and clarity to the morning news.

This year, he brings that same thoughtful presence to Rochester VegFest as the moderator of our Rochester Vegan Entrepreneurs Panel. With his professional experience and personal commitment to plant-based living, Dan is the perfect guide for this inspiring conversation.

Catch Dan Schrack at Rochester VegFest 2025

🎤 3:30–4:30 PM – Rochester Vegan Entrepreneurs Panel
📍 Speaker Tent, Parcel 5 – Downtown Rochester

Follow Dan on social media for more on his work in journalism, behind-the-scenes moments, and insights from his plant-based life: