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8 bd 5 ferloo Chronicle | Thursday, May 25, 2023 | Wat waterloochronicle.ca ‘IT DOESN'T TASTE LIKE A SUBSTITUTE, AND IT DOESN'T TASTE LIKE A CONSOLATION PRIZE’ KW VEGFEST AIMS TO PROVE THAT YOU ‘DON'T REALLY HAVE TO GIVE ANYTHING UP" IN SWITCHING TO PLANT-BASED FOODS Sometimes you have to try it to believe it. That was the message at KW VegFest on May 13, as a variety of plant-based food vendors filled Water- loo Public Square with trays of free samples and full meals to buy. "It doesn't taste like a substitute, and it doesn't taste like a consolation prize," said JP Peters, re- presenting the Toronto boutique catering busi- ness, "It tastes exactly how it's supposed to taste." chon, bite o of the Mac and you'll be hooked she cata. Her Ko- rean Bao was nothing to gloss over, either. A trip around the square was a journey through the world's pal- ate, with dishes from Afri- ca, Asia, Canada, Eastern NS ANLSD, (on A Vg 0 See ¢ \e0 Noches I eS KW VegFest photo JP Peters sets up a booth at the KW VegFest at Waterloo Square on Saturday. Europe and India. Fro! gourmet donuts to cur ries, it was a welcome ar- ray of options for seasoned vegetarian and vegans, as well as an easy starting point for those wanting to see just how good the food could be. rpime to Plan, PLANT A TREE TODAY, BREATHE EASIER TOMORROW ver 200 acres of LOCALLY GROWN ruit Trees, Ornamental & Evergreen Trees, Black, Emerald Cedars Spruce Tree Sale 2'-12’, from °19.99 les 6’-20' from ‘79.99 Fruit Trees: Apples, Peaches, Apricots from $59.99 }oxwoods 1’ from $14.99 from °54.99 J Maples 3’-8” from'59.99 Hanging Baskets SEEDLINGS-Spruce, Norway spruce, Cedar and Balsam Fir rs & Pest Control Product Weeping Trees & Topgrafted & Spirals = Roses, Annuals & Grasses ert RETAIL CONTRACTING: PLANTING SERVICES 1060 Lobsinger Line, Waterloo T: 519-664-2482 F:519-664-1510 Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 8-5, Sun 10-4 - www.johnsnursery.ca Ho) "We are here to help people try plant-based foods to help them under- stand that they don't real- ly have to give anything up," said Mo Markham, one of the event's organiz- ers. "It has changed so ww NZNUICTSTNN] Looking for a change of scenery? Make your next stop Vaughan! Visit to shop at unique boutiques in picturesque much over the dst few years, ther many amazing cheeses and milks and sausages, and we just tell people to try them and think about making that change.” Markham is passionate about the environment and sees plant-based eat- ing as areal way that indi- viduals can make a change in the health of the planet. The cost of animal agri- is immense, with studies from Johns Hop- kins University estimat- ing the livestock sector is the largest user of the planet's land and water re- sources and makes up over 80 per cent of the world's farmland. Markham also points to research from Oxford Uni- yori published in the Scien: which looked at the environmen. tal impacts of 40,000 farms and 1,600 processors, pack- aging types, and retailers. Ina wide-ranging set of findings — all on display at Saturday's events — research found that plant- visitvaughan.ca based diets reduce food's where you live and offer significantly more envi- ronmental benefits than eating sustainable meat or dairy. For Mande Tafari, a restaurateur from Toron- to, she started cooking plant-based after her son was diagnosed with can- cer over 30 years ago. She's run a series of res- taurants and catering businesses with her hus- band in the years since, and had an array of fan fa- vourites for Waterloo to try on Saturday, including their barbeque soy "wibs, curry chick peas and pota- toes, and lentil ste’ "It's definitely chang: ing, it's really catching on, and we're constantly see- ing more people come try the food," she said. "A lot of the times, people aren't even vegetarian, they just like the food, and I think that shows what we can re- ally do with more natural cooking." Ww pZoltlelatela}