A vegan food festival in Columbus? New event wants to boost cuisine, give back to community
As Columbus’ food scene expands, so too does its options. A new festival hopes to highlight a cuisine exploding in popularity nationwide — plant-based vegan foods.
The Planty Pantry, an outdoor vegan food fair and farmer’s market, will be held May 15 at the Food Mill (3781 Second Ave.). Over 30 vendors, including food, drinks, artists, crafters and others have signed up, said organizer Ben Redding, who began planning the event after friends said they wanted to see a food festival in the city.
Some of the listed vegan vendors include:
“I wanted to do something that was community-oriented. I wanted to do something progressive as far as food culture and current,” Redding said. “A lot of people are interested in that culture. ...I’d like for restaurant owners and people who are defining what our food culture looks like in Columbus to see the value of more alternative diets.
“We don’t have to be a meat-and-three community,” he added. “That’s amazing, and I love that we have that, but that’s not all we are.”
The festival is an extension of the city’s small but expanding vegan offerings, some of which includes entrepreneurs selling meals and treats at their own restaurants, during pop-up events, in food trucks or through social media.
Places like FlavoRite, Jordan’s Girls Vegan Dreams and others are helping push the market forward. Most supermarkets carry vegan items, but Country Life Natural Food Store and Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant has a large supply of ingredients as well.
Roughly 90% of the food options at Planty Pantry will be vegan, but there will be some vendors selling meats or animal products. The Astro Band and Carrie Welling will provide the event’s live music. Kids can participate in an interactive chalk challenge, Redding said.
“It’s really exciting,” said Mandy Manic, owner of Plant Hustle Vegan Bakery. “When I first arrived (in Columbus,) I didn’t think there would be a day when something like this would happen. So, this is really cool.”
A portion of ticket sales and all purchases will go to support UGrow Inc. and healthcare organization MercyMed’s medically tailored meals program designed for people suffering from one or more diet-related illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease or obesity.
UGrow Inc. is a nonprofit that works to fight food insecurity. It serves as the parent organization for The Food Mill and other entities.
“We’ve just adopted their mission and we are using it as a platform to spread awareness about food insecurity, especially in the Bibb City community and the 31904 neighborhood,” Redding said. “Our city is growing, and I want them to grow with us. I think our city really loses something when we overdevelop too quickly. We maybe lose some people along the way. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
If you go
Event: The Planty Pantry
Date: May 15
Address: 3781 Second Avenue, Columbus
Time: 1-6 p.m.
Price: $5-15 for children and adults; $70 for VIP tickets with priority parking. Purchase tickets here.
This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 8:00 AM.