Salt Lake City Veg Fest 2018
Salt Lake City Veg Fest took place at the beautiful setting of Library Square where you can see the mountains in the distance. Because heat seems to follow me, it was around 90 degrees that day, but thankfully I was able to escape into the library for a screening of The Last Pig and to hear Food Empowerment Project's lauren Ornelas speak.
Since it was a veg-fest-only special, I started my day with a macaron ice cream sandwich from Passion Flour Patisserie. Everything they make is vegan, and this was chilled perfectly. I was attending on my own, so it was nice to have this small sweet treat which still allowed room for plenty of other goodies.
I was most excited about this Philly Cheesesteak offered by sister restaurants Ice Haüs and Piper Down Pub. Both places regularly include The Herbivorous Butcher's products on their menus, and the cheesesteak was a veg fest special using HB's Ribeye Steak. It was amazing! The ooey gooey cheese tied it all together.
I didn't have time to get to Vertical Diner's restaurant, so I was happy to see them at veg vest. I ordered their Buffalo Tigers which were borderline too spicy for me, but thankfully the ranch toned it down. The seitan has a good, meaty texture.
Practically next to Vertical Diner is The Big O Doughnuts, so I also didn't get to their brick and mortar. I enjoyed this blueberry lavender doughnut at the fest and got a peanut butter and chocolate doughnut for breakfast the following morning. They're lovely, light, yeast doughnuts, and the frosting isn't too sweet - just the way I like it.
Overall, the Salt Lake City Veg Fest was an awesome event. They had a nice selection of food and non-food vendors, plus a beer garden for the 21+ crowd. I like that they closed off the street which gave attendees plenty of room to walk around, as well as space to form lines. And the ability to escape to the air-conditioned library was hugely helpful. SLC has a ton of delicious vegan food, and I would go back again.
Click here to see what else I ate on my trip