Fellowship of the Vegetable: L.A. Vegan Beer & Food Fest 2012

Last year I was moving to L.A. the same day as the Vegan Beer Fest and I was so bummed I couldn't go; I was determined to get to it this year. Luckily, I saw the call for volunteers in time to get on the list and got to be part of the action! Funny thing is, I really don't like beer at all, but I knew this would be a great place to meet a ton of super cool like-minded folks...and I was right!

The Third Annual L.A. Vegan Beer & Food Fest was sponsored by Tony's Darts Away, QuarryGirl and The Roxy (where the event was held). These guys did such an amazing job pulling together a ton of beer and food vendors and live entertainment. I love the t-shirts we got as volunteers!

Proceeds from the event benefit the California Wildlife Center and these lovely ladies were there to represent!

My job for the day was "roamer" which meant that I went wherever I was needed: grabbing things for vendors, letting other volunteers take breaks etc. At first I felt a little lost, but I got to wander around and meet a lot of cool people. It also gave me a chance to sample a lot of the vegan food that was there. I started off with a delicious Franken dog from The Frankenstand, a vegan sausage made with sun dried tomatoes and basil - YUM!

Next up I had a vegan maple bacon donut from Amanda's Bakery, which was pretty freakin tasty! My only wish was that I could have tried this just baked and warm, but it was still really good.

After I did some grubbing, I went to relieve some fellow volunteers who were pouring beers behind the bar of the VIP lounge. I have never poured a beer from a tap in my life, but I got a quick lesson and after a few tries I was an expert. Maybe a career change in my future.....

Once I was ready to try more food, I had to go check out the tacos from Seabirds Truck as everyone was raving about them. I ordered one jack fruit taco and one beer battered avocado taco. Both were good, but OM MY GOD that avocado taco changed my life. One of the best things I have ever tasted! I'm sad this is an Orange County truck, but I will definitely be stalking them to see when they come back to L.A.!

Once the event was over and everything was cleaned up, M Cafe was kind enough to donate a ton more food for all the volunteers to munch on and chill out after a long day of beer slinging!

Then, as if I hadn't had enough to eat during the day, the husband was determined to go to Mohawk Bend for dinner that night. They were actually at the Fest, but I didn't get a chance to try their Buffalo Cauliflower, so that's what I ordered and oh man, they were delish! Lightly battered florets smothered in spicy buffalo sauce and served with vegan blue cheese dressing. Totally hit the spot and was a perfect ending to a day full of food, fun and sun!