2018 Boston Veg Food Fest Speakers

Organized and presented by

 

We are rolling out the speakers on the BVS Facebook page. Click here to view.

Speakers will be posted on this page as well, so please check back.

All presentations are free!

NEW THIS YEAR! We have moved the speakers to the large, amphitheater-style auditorium right across the street from the Reggie Lewis Center (part of the same campus.) LOTS of comfy, padded seats, good views, and a big stage and screen.

Authors do book signings just outside the auditorium following their presentations.

On the Reggie Lewis Center 2nd Floor: The Kids' Activity Room - Kids and their guardians can take a break and have some fun! Staffed hours are Saturday noon-5 pm and Sunday noon-3 pm

Saturday Speakers              Sunday Speakers

Saturday Speakers

11:15 - Cooking Demo: Vegan Black Chickpea Lasagna and Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse
- Chef Peppino

Chef Peppino (Shingara Singh) is Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Veggie Crust Meatless Everyday restaurants of Somerville and Brookline. Born in India, Peppino moved to Germany at the age of sixteen and lived with an Italian family in the German city of Hanover. Through this family who owned a renowned Italian restaurant, Peppino was immersed in Italian culture and language. Here Peppino trained with the best chefs, learning everything about traditional Italian cooking.

At twenty-three, Peppino moved to Boston where he continued his love for cooking. As Executive Chef at Boston area restaurants, he developed a following of loyal fans and established a name for his exceptional cuisine, gaining recognition from the James Beard Foundation.

Becoming vegetarian along the way, Peppino opened three vegetarian restaurants, most recently Veggie Crust Brookline. There, he introduces unique vegan dishes such as Black Chickpea Lasagna, rich in protein and flavor, and novel concepts like Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse. Come learn Chef Peppino's original recipes and preparation tips.

Tasting samples of the recipes taught will be available in the lobby of the Auditorium following the presentation.

12:00 - Ageless Vegan: The Secret to Living a Long and Healthy Plant-Based Life
- Tracye McQuirter, MPH

Vegetarian Times named Tracye McQuirter a national food hero changing the way America eats for the better. She is a best-selling author, public health nutritionist, international speaker, a 30-year vegan, and has been teaching people how to go vegan for the past 25 years.

Tracye is a graduate of Amherst College and has a master's degree in public health nutrition. She directed the nation's first federally funded vegan nutrition program, and co-created the first vegan website by and for African Americans 20 years ago with her sister, Marya McQuirter, PhD. Tracye helped  increase the number of black vegans and vegetarians to nearly 1.5 million people. She is author of the new book Ageless Vegan: The Secret to Living a Long and Healthy Plant-Based Life, and the national best-seller By Any Greens Necessary. Tracye co-created the first-of-its-kind African American Vegan Starter Guide, available for free through Farm Sanctuary.

Tracye will do a book signing in the lobby of the Auditorium following her presentation.

1:00 - Eat for the Planet: Saving the World One Bite at a Time
- Nil Zacharias

Nil Zacharias is the co-founder of One Green Planet, the largest digital media platform focused on food and sustainability. He is also host of the weekly podcast,"#EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias” and co-author of the book, Eat For The Planet. Nil started his career as a media and technology lawyer and worked for over a decade in the digital media and online advertising space in various business and operational roles prior to founding One Green Planet.

In this talk, Nil provides insights into the tremendous global movement to change the food system from the inside out and redefine the future of food. It includes simple steps everyone can take to be a part of the solution.

Most people understand the animal and health arguments for eating a plant-based diet, but the environmental benefits have long been overlooked. Nil uses impactful visuals and compelling statistics to explain why we urgently need to change the way we eat if we want to save the planet and future generations.

Nil will do a book signing in the lobby of the Auditorium following his presentation.

 

2:00 - The Role of Nutrition in Cancer Prevention: Foods that Heal - Foods that Harm
- Paulette Chandler, MD, MPH

Paulette Chandler, MD, MPH, is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Epidemiologist in the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is a primary care physician with expertise in clinical innovation. As a cancer researcher, Dr. Chandler's research focuses on evaluating the role of nutrition in cancer prevention and cancer survival and translating the findings into clinical practice. She was selected for an American Cancer Society career development award that aims to uncover links between nutrition and colorectal cancer risk by using metabolomics, the systematic study of circulating small molecules.

Dr. Chandler received her MPH at Harvard School of Public Health. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Duke University Medical School. She is committed to educating about the benefits of a plant-based diet, exercise, stress management, and other lifestyle habits to treat obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer by uniting mind, body, and spirit.

3:00 - Protest Kitchen
- Virginia Messina, MPH, RD

Learn how food choices are tied to issues of justice, misogyny, national security, and human rights, and how our diets and can unintentionally support social injustices or, conversely, how a more plant-based diet can challenge regressive politics and fuel the resistance.  

Virginia Messina is a Registered Dietitian with a master's degree in public health from the University of Michigan. She is a founding member of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group and has twice co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Position on Vegetarian Diets. She co-authored the first vegetarian textbook for health professionals, and has published papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals. 

Ginny taught nutrition and public health education to dietetics students at Central Michigan University, was a dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and was director of nutrition services for the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. She has developed nutrition education materials for many organizations, including the U.S. government’s national cholesterol program.

Ginny contributes to and helps maintain VeganHealth.org, the most comprehensive, evidence-based source of vegan information on the internet. She has co-authored numerous books on vegan nutrition and vegan ethics including Vegan for Life, Vegan for Her, Never Too Late to Go Vegan, Even Vegans Die, and her new book, Protest Kitchen. She blogs at TheVeganRD.com and is TheVeganRD on Twitter and Facebook.

Virginia will do a book signing in the lobby of the Auditorium following her presentation.

4:00 - Vegan Travel, Dining, and Celebrity Dishing
- Juliet Pennington

Juliet Pennington is an award-winning journalist who writes for the Boston Globe, including a weekly travel feature in the Sunday Globe. She is New England Correspondent for People Magazine, and also writes for New England Living, Southern New England Weddings, and is a frequent contributor to VegNews Magazine and VegNews.com. She is also an adjunct professor at Boston University, and is faculty advisor to the B.U. Veg Club.

Juliet has traveled the globe interviewing notable figures and celebrities, and as a vegan herself, has an eye to scoping out great vegan travel spots. Come to a lively presentation you won't soon forget, as Juliet will discuss vegan travel ideas and tips, vegan dining in New England and beyond, and vegan celebrity trends. To read some of Juliet's work, visit www.julietpennington.com

5:00 - Supper!

Time to go back to the Exhibit Halls, Upper and Lower floors, and buy supper from our exhibitors!

Sunday Speakers

11:00 - Planning an Optimal Diet around Plant Foods
- Virginia Messina, MPH, RD

Meeting nutrient needs on a diet built around plants is easy when you follow just a few simple guidelines. In this presentation, you will learn where to find nutrients to keep bones and muscles strong, how to choose healthy fats, and tips to ensure you are meeting needs for iron and vitamin B12.

Virginia Messina is a Registered Dietitian with a master's degree in public health from the University of Michigan.  She is a founding member of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group and has twice co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Position on Vegetarian Diets. She co-authored the first vegetarian textbook for health professionals, and has published papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals. 

Ginny taught nutrition and public health education to dietetics students at Central Michigan University, was a dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and was director of nutrition services for the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. She has developed nutrition education materials for many organizations, including the U.S. government’s national cholesterol program.

Ginny contributes to and helps maintain VeganHealth.org, the most comprehensive, evidence-based source of vegan information on the internet. She has co-authored numerous books on vegan nutrition and vegan ethics including Vegan for Life, Vegan for Her, Never Too Late to Go Vegan, Even Vegans Die, and her new book, Protest Kitchen. She blogs at TheVeganRD.com and is TheVeganRD on Twitter and Facebook.

12:00 - Matthew Hayek, PhD
- Demystifying the Science of Food & the Environment

Dr. Matthew Hayek is a science and policy researcher in climate change and food systems at Harvard Law School. He received his PhD at the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and has published papers on environmental chemistry, atmospheric transport, and food security. His current research focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture. His research highlights areas for policies to target agricultural development and institutional food procurement as effective means to mitigate climate change.

Dr. Hayek will help make sense of recent, sometimes contradictory news headlines on scientific reports about animal agriculture's connection to the environment, and will discuss the cutting-edge research in his field of climate change mitigation and policy.

1:00 - A Pro Athlete's Journey to a Plant-based Lifestyle and Achieving Wrestling Stardom and World Championships
- Austin Aries

Plant-powered pro-wrestler, author and speaker Austin Aries is one of the world’s most recognizable professional wrestlers from his time in Ring of Honor (ROH), Impact Wrestling (TNA), and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Known for his athletic ability in the ring, and charismatic personality outside the ring, Austin currently wrestles around globe for various top promotions. He is an outspoken advocate for the plant-based diet since he transitioned to vegan in 2011, after being a vegetarian for 10 years.

His recent book Food Fight is a revealing memoir chronicling his plant-powered rise to fame as he climbed the ranks in his wrestling career, along with detailing his ongoing food education and the personal awakening that gradually led him to swear off eating any and all animal products. With his book, speaking engagements, and tweeting to his 361,000 followers, Austin hopes to inspire others to consider how the decisions people make about their food choices impact their health, their lives, and the lives of others.

A decorated competitor, Austin has held multiple championship titles over his career including ROH World Champion (2), ROH World Tag Team Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, TNA X-Division Champion (6), Impact World Tag-Team Champion, Impact Global Champion, and Impact Grand Champion. In early 2018 Austin was holding five championships simultaneously, including both Impact Titles, as well as World Series Wrestling Championship in Australia and Defiant and IPW:UK Championships from the UK.

Austin will do a book signing in the lobby of the Auditorium following his presentation

 

2:00 - Cooking Demo: Dominican Style Stewed Chickpeas (Garbanzos Guisados) and Roasted Cauliflower with Salsa Verdey
- Cecilia Flores and Ivannoe Rodriguez Sierra

Cecilia and Ivannoe are owners of Coco Verde Vegan, thorough which they demonstrate that fully plant-based Latino cooking is approachable, familiar, exciting, and delicious. Drawing from their Dominican heritage, they have created two recipes to demonstrate, with tasting samples! They say, "We are excited to develop and promote Latino flavors into the vegan revolution." Come learn their original recipes and preparation methods!

Ivannoe is a classically trained chef who studied at Le Cordon Bleu. He has since worked in many high-end restaurants and learned top techniques within the culinary industry all over Boston and the surrounding areas. He is able to use his culinary background and Dominican culture to create seamless flavor fusions that take typical vegan dishes to the next level. Ivannoe received a Master’s certificate from Cornell University in Food Service Management.

Cecilia has always loved the kitchen and grew up cooking traditional Dominican foods with her grandmother and mother. She is a PhD candidate at Brandeis’ Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She has over 10 years of experience studying, understanding, and working to eliminate differences in health and health outcomes. She worked for three years at a health center where she was able to hone her skills in thinking about the way that nutrition impacts our health and the structural barriers that may be preventing this for some people. She is an experienced facilitator and has created seminars and workshops for groups of all sizes and backgrounds.

Tasting samples of the recipes taught will be available in the lobby of the Auditorium following the presentation.

 

3:00 - You ART What You Eat: The Arts, Animals, and Veganism
- Compassion Arts presenters Jane O'Hara, Donald Vincent, Michael Harren, Ellie Sarty

Compassion Arts presents You ART What You Eat: The Arts, Animals, and Veganism, a multi-arts talk and performance with artist/curator Jane O'Hara, poet/spoken word artist Donald Vincent (aka Mr. Hip), composer/musician Michael Harren and Compassion Arts founder/director Ellie Sarty. 

Compassion Arts is an all-volunteer arts and education initiative for exploring our connection with all life. Its collective of artists hosts yearly programs and an annual Compassion Arts Festival (October 22 -27) to cultivate understanding and respect for animals and the Earth we share. The artists at this festival who are presenting You Art What You Eat are all vegans who use their artistry for advocacy and have been honored in recent years by a grant program created by the late Tom Regan for Culture & Animals Foundation.

These presenters include: visual artist Jane O'Hara who is curator of Beasts of Burden group exhibit and author of the gallery book by the same title www.janeohara.com, literary artist Donald Vincent (aka Mr. Hip) who is a poet with an upcoming album Vegan Paradise and founder of the vegan company LePamplemuse http://hidonaldvincent.com and composer/musician Michael Harren who is the creator and performer of the acclaimed one-man multi-media piece The Animal Show, which has been performed across the country in a  national tour that included NYC's Dixon Theater and Symphony Space. It is also the subject of Harren's newly authored The Animal Book.  www.michaelharren.com

Learn more about the artists and their work at www.compassionarts.org 

 

 

 

2017 Speakers List