by Tami Hoey

GMAZ interview by Gina Maravilla

Posted on January 8, 2015 at 10:17 AM

Updated today at 10:17 AM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It's been a popular event in New York City for years, and now for the first time, it's arrived here in our state. It's the Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival!

More than 30 vendors of vegan foods and lifestyle products will hand out free samples and sell their wares on Saturday Jan. 10 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Scottsdale Civic Center.

One of the festival vendors, Southern Innovations, makes a line of gourmet, gluten-free, and no-sugar-added sauces.

Their hot sauce is called Fire Lips, which joins a roster of Saucy Lips products. Another vendor, Sweet Earth Natural Foods, will offer burritos and burgers featuring seitan and vegan bacon. And the pit bulls will scamper in, taking the form of artisan chocolate bars, presented by Rescue Chocolate, whose products are for humans to enjoy but whose profits are all donated to animal rescue organizations.

Additionally, the festival will provide a forum for talks by leaders in the vegan and health community. Among those scheduled to speak are Matt Ball, the senior advisor at VegFund; bodybuilder Will Tucker of Plantfusion; Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary; Sarah Pressler, CEO of the Arizona Foundation for Women; Kari Nienstedt of the Humane Society of the United Sates; Lauren Walls, founder of the Vegan Radiance franchise; and acclaimed medical researcher Dr. Amish Shah who is board certified in emergency and sports medicine.

The festival will also be full of cooking demonstrations by cookbook authors and celebrity chefs such as Madelyn Pryor, Jason Wyrick, Fran Costigan, Ali Metzger, Cesily DeAngelo, Johnna Gale, and JL Fields. To round out the experience, attendees (kids and adults alike) can participate in yoga classes offered by Caleb Willow and receive wellness treatments and education at the "Ask the Wellness Professional" area.

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Vegetarian Food Festival comes to Scottsdale this weekend