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VegFest Happenings
Check back for final line-up the week of Vegas VegFest!
We're happy to share our line-up of amazing guest speakers!
Supreme Dow: The Harvest Academy was born out of Chef Supreme’s passion for service and his profound understanding of the healing power of food. An U.S. Army veteran and seasoned chef, Chef Supreme has always believed that food is medicine. When a product donation from Tofurky presented him with an opportunity to serve his community, he chose to feed the people rather than profit from it. This single act of kindness, in turn, sowed the seeds for The Harvest Academy and the ’10K Meals Across LA’ initiative.
With an ambitious goal to serve 100,000 meals across Los Angeles within the next decade, Chef Supreme’s journey is a testament to his vision of creating a healthier and happier world through the power of food.
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Rey Ortega is the founder of numerous successful businesses, including Sun Flour Baking Company. He began his vegan journey after suffering numerous illnesses as a child. After the illnesses compounded in his early 20s, Rey began to pursue dietary changes in order to improve his health. This turned out to be transformative for him in every way.
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While improving his well-being, Rey founded The Alternative Baking Company, a hugely successful vegan cookie brand. A dysfunctional partnership prompted Rey to move on and found Sun Flour Baking Company, another vegan cookie brand that sells to major chains, airlines, hotels, restaurants, and schools.
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Rey also has experience in the vegan restaurant business, package design, food development, marketing, sales and more. He's now sharing his knowledge with others via his new project Start A Vegan Business.
Dr. Shabnam Islam is a true leader in the health and fitness industry: She is a Professor of Kinesiology, Clinical Exercise Physiologist, and spokesperson for health-based projects across the country. Her commitment to education and community health has been widely acknowledged through her academic research efforts where she has earned special recognition as a pioneer for free fitness programs for people in low-income communities.
As a proud vegan, Shabnam joined the Vkind team as their official spokesperson in 2022. She was the co-host of “Peeled” – a vegan cooking competition show developed by Vkind Productions that featured an all-vegan cast. Shabnam is also the host of Vkind Connects where she interviews industry executives in the plant-based space and aims to connect them with conscience consumers.
Shabnam has a Masters degree in Exercise Physiology and is currently completing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy where she continues to develop sustainable and affordable public health programs for communities in need.
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Instagram: @drshabnamislam
Twitter: @ShabnamSays
Youtube: @vegancornhub
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Jane Velez-Mitchell is a television and social media journalist and author with specialties in vegan lifestyles, animal rights, addiction, and social justice. She is a New York Times bestselling author, former CNN Headline News (HLN) host, and founder and managing editor of UnchainedTV.
She is the co-executive producer and host of New Day New Chef. This vegan cooking series has won two Taste Awards, considered the Oscars of food and streams on Amazon Prime and UnchainedTV, and has aired on local public television stations across the US through NETA. Also that year JaneUnChained released its first documentary "Countdown to Year Zero" featuring Dr. Sailesh Rao. The award-winning documentary Countdown to Year Zero, is now streaming on Amazon Prime and UnchainedTV. Countdown to Year Zero has won several awards. UnchainedTV streams Pig Little Lies, an UnchainedTV Original Series, made with Eamonn McCrystal.
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Carrie LeBlanc is the executive director of CompassionWorks international and founder of Vegas VegFest. She works diligently to improve and enhance the techniques and strategies in the animal advocacy movement. Her leadership has led to the demise of circuses and circus performances, and helped to change hearts and minds with regard to issues of animal captivity and trophy hunting. In Las Vegas, she has spearheaded campaigns to end the use of animals in entertainment and prevented two tiger magic shows from taking to the stage in 2022.
Prior to founding CWI, Carrie worked alongside many notable organizations including Compassion Over Killing, FARM, and Darwin Animal Doctors, and was the first-ever Director of Operations for Mercy For Animals.
For more information: cwint.org.
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Steven Lee August is The Vegan Heretic.​
Why is he called that? Apparently, preaching compassion makes him a Heretic…..but he's good with that.
If this was a bio on Steve’s lifelong career as an entertainer, there would be lots to share. Juggling and magic put him on the road to a become the go-to for unique juggling and magic show in Las Vegas.
Now, he is at a new “stage” in life that he never expected. Not as a variety entertainer, but an educator. Being a vegan in a church atmosphere stirs up a lot of aggression from his church brethren, so he wrote a book called “Vegans vs The Verses” for vegan activists on how to deal with that hostility.
Vegans vs The Verses is a wonderful resource for the vegan animal rights activist, atheist activists, and Christians looking to understand how to harmonize their compassion with the scriptures.
Fitness Panel hosted by Dr. Shabnam Islam
Mylique Rivera is a lifestyle entrepreneur, community builder, and mental health advocate on a mission to elevate others. He leverages his platform as an elite lifestyle/mindset coach, vegan activist, through social media to inspire and provide a safe space for others to be authentic, express vulnerability and feel empowered. Mylique can harness the power that comes from a highly physical experience like performance training or a bodybuilding competition and translate it into an experience for mental clarity that allows his community to step up and grow into new opportunities.
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Mylique's passion for fitness goes beyond the gym. He believes “being fit” comes down to more than just training. His ideology is that the mind, body, spirit are interconnected. If one is lacking the others lack as well. His coaching system is based on lifestyle changes and not quick-fix diets or workout routines. When clients work with him they begin to believe they are capable of so much more than they could have ever imagined. He loves when clients bring that energy into their everyday lives. He believes that everyBODY is different yet one thing remains the same, our desire to be more.
Bobby Lynch is a fitness and nutrition pro
who feels passionately about sharing the joys of a vegan lifestyle.
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His mission in life is to show the world the AMAZING benefits of vegan living that extend to more than just our health as humans, but also the animals and our environment.
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Bobby shares that leaving a lasting positive impact on this earth is what he was meant to do, and he's thankful for the opportunity to do it. It’s more than a diet. It’s a LIFESTYLE!
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Ready to join Bobby on your vegan fitness journey? Join him and other experts at Plant Strength, an online resource that makes learning accessible, fun, and inspiring!
Elicia Bell Elicia Bell has been teaching yoga for 9 years and practicing for over 2 decades. Her plant-based journey began 15 years ago and she now promotes a whole-food plant based vegan diet. After decades of dieting, Elicia found her healthiest self at 40 by combining a plant based diet with her yoga practice. She believes the combination nourishes our body, mind and spirit.
Elicia teaches the yogic principle of “ahimsa” meaning non-harming, through her accessible yoga classes and sharing plant based recipes. Check out her Be Well With E Bell and at @BeWellwithEBell.
Our Event Emcee
Cesar Asebedo is co-director of the Animal Alliance Network, part of the worldwide Animal Save Movement, and campaign organizer for Plant Based Treaty.
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Vegan for more than a decade, Cesar loves spreading positivity and the all of the amazing benefits of veganism.
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We are excited to bring Cesar's enthusiasm for life and saving lives to the Vegas VegFest stage!
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Instagram: @we_are_all_everywhere_forever
Cooking demos will be offered free-of-charge and will take place from 12-4pm. At 4, we'll convene on the main stage for our Creeptacular Cupcake Competition!
A huge thank you to Tarantino's Vegan for sponsoring!
This year we are excited to bring some true heavy hitters to our stage: recipe developer and blogger Lauren Boehme of Rabbit and Wolves, Jane Velez-Mitchell formerly of CNN and the force behind UnchainedTV, cookbook author Jackie Sobon of Vegan Yack Attack, and our own Michael Tarantino of Tarantino's Vegan and Graze.
The Cena Vegan Burrito Eating Competition is back! This year we are upping the game by taking 6 brave competitors and pitting them against each other on our main stage. First to finish takes home the prize! Think you have what it takes? Pre-register here!
Trick or vegan treat! The Vegas VegFest Trick-or-Treat will take place from 3-4pm. We'll have more than 10 treat stations located around the festival. Look for the large orange and black Halloween decorations and lanterns tied to a tent or table bowl, and you'll know you're at a participating treat station!
Prior to the trick-or-treat, kids can enjoy a day of fun and games in our designated Kids Zone. We'll have coloring activities, jump rope, and lots of Halloween-themed fun!
Grab some spooky photo ops in our Haunted Forest (psst...we hear there will be a trick-or-treat station there too).
Following our trick-or-treat, get ready to dazzle on the main stage. We'll be having a kid's Halloween costume contest...with a twist! Not only will we be looking for "Best Costume", but also "Best Werewolf Howl," and "Best Monster Mash"!
Don't forget about our new Creeptacular Cupcake Competition! We'll be live judging the creations of amateur bakers on our main stage. Ready to compete? Click here for info!
Your creepy cupcake judges are: Lauren Boehme of Rabbit and Wolves, Jane Velez-Michell of CNN and Unchained TV, Rey Ortega of Sun Flour Baking Company, and Vegas VegFest Founder Carrie LeBlanc!
