After we all watched (Louisville native) vegan chef Kristina Addington take home the first place prize on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen in 2014, we all welcomed her food truck, V-Grits to the city’s budding food truck scene. And since opening for business, its savory, over-the-top juicy meatless and dairy-free cuisine has impressed even the most dedicated of carnivores.
Image: V-Grits
And this month, Louisville’s certified vegan temptress is back at it again with the first ever Bluegrass VegFest. Hosted by Apocalypse Brew Works, this festival is aiming to show just how simple becoming a vegan in Louisville can be, and its partnering with several local businesses and restaurants to prove it.
“We started thinking about doing something like this last year,” explains Chef Kristina, “but we didn’t really have the time. So we decided to wait until this year and now it’s happening.”
And when considering venues to host the event, Apocalypse Brew Works was a no-brainer. The bar has hosted V-Grits a number of times and its eclectic crowd always excitedly welcomes the truck's mouth-watering vegan burgers, loaded macaroni and cheese and bacon-topped fare.
Image: V-Grits
The folks of several local vegan-friendly restaurants like Half Peach Bakery & Café, and local businesses like Kentucky Kombucha and Tattoo Charlie’s have also eagerly welcomed V-Grits’ delectable cuisine and will be participating at the festival as vendors.
“It’s gotten much bigger than we expected,” Chef Kristina admitted when we spoke with her about the lineup of vendors.
And she’s not kidding. The festival will showcase a surprising 17 vegan-friendly businesses, like Farm to Baby, a Louisville-based baby food company that is now also producing a line of sweet and flavorful vegan nut butters that Chef Kristina herself is a fan of.
Barkstown Road has also been booked as one of the event’s vendors. This local business will be offering scrumptious treats for the dog-friendly event’s furry, four-legged guests while supplying information about nutritional pet food as well.
Image: Barkstown Road
And while you’re surrounded by so many wonderful vegan-friendly businesses, make sure to stop by V-Grits to learn about the company’s latest effort to make Louisville’s community a healthier one. Introducing V-Box, a weekly subscription box that delivers the ingredients of 3 delicious and simple vegan meals along with thorough recipes and directions. With a box of vegan food delivered directly to your door each week, converting to the lifestyle has never been easier.
The very first Bluegrass VegFest will take place on Saturday, May 28 at Apocalypse Brew Works from 2pm – 7pm. For a full list of vendors, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Image: V-Grits
