While in Austin, TX, Jon visits Sweet Ritual, a vegan ice cream parlor located inside of a juice bar. Jon talks to Valerie and Amelia, the owners/managers of Sweet Ritual about the Austin vegan scene and how they play a delicious role. Using knowledge from years in the food service industry, the ladies of Sweet Ritual have secured their role as one of the best vegan ice cream parlors out there. Check out SweetRitual.com for a menu and photos!
Jon talks to Kristen and Jared, the friendly folks behind Capital City Bakery - a vegan food truck near UT in Austin, TX. They talk about the Austin food truck scene and the boom of the vegan scene out in Austin. Also, Jon tries his very first chick-o-stick!
Jon heads to AUSTIN, TEXAS to record 5 episodes of VEGAN SNACK ATTACK! The first is with the three geniuses behind Food For Lovers, the first and only vegan queso dip! The products from @FoodForLovers can be found nationwide and in some other countries. Not bad for a young company of 3 people!
Zach Sherwin (@ZachSherwin) is a musical comedian and vegan who is excited to share his vegan know-how with Jon and the rest of the podcast-listening world! He talks about his experiences as a touring college comedy act and his past & present as a vegan. Zach even turns the tables and asks Jon some questions!
Snacks include: Hearts of palm, pineapple plums, Mi-Del Ginger Snaps & Snap Pea Crisps
Tony Yanow owns 3 of LA's most vegan-friendly bars/gastropubs and he opened them all within 2 and a half years! Vegan-friendly aside, they are some of the most popular establishments in town! Tony is also one of the masterminds behind Golden Road Beer. Tony sits down with Jon to discuss his rise of prominence in the pub-scene and they discuss some of the pubs' fantastic snacking options!
Wait, what? Tattoos aren't always vegan? What would make a tattoo not vegan?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?! Jon chats it up with James Spooner, a documentary filmmaker turned tattoo artist who has been vegan for 20 years. He has taken his beliefs to the needle and is now devoting his life to providing the people of Los Angeles and New York with all-vegan tattoos. As James tells Jon all about his background and the world of vegan tattoos, they munch on James' snack of choice: veggie burgers from the deli next to his studio, Monocle Tattoos.
Jon hops across the pond to London and meets up with Sean (AKA @FatGayVegan) for some serious snacking -- UK STYLE! After heading to Tibits in Piccadilly, Jon and Sean talk about Sean's double life as a school teacher by day and a vegan event organizer by night! After breaking to eat some of Tibits' fine foods, Jon and Sean continue their conversation while sampling some of Sean's favorite snacks: Three different varieties of MOO FREE chocolates, Sainsbury's BACON CRISPIES, Sainsbury's STRAW BERRY PENCILS, a few treats from BEAR foods, inSpiral cocoa-cinnamon KALE CHIPS, and Dairy Free CHOCOVERED RAISINS from Redwood Foods. @VeganSnacker
Get your pencil and paper ready and get comfortable because Jon has a chat with Ernest and Rose from the Master Food Preservers program for over an hour and 40 minutes! Ernest (who teaches the class) and Rose (a recent graduate) discuss food drying, fermentation, canning, jam, etc. This is a great introduction for anybody interested in food preservation and how a vegan can benefit from it. For any questions, email VeganSnackAttack@gmail.com and Jon will forward your questions to Ernest and Rose. Their mission is to spread the preservation know-how!
How many vegetarian children's song writers do YOU know who promote the joys of eating fruits and veggies via song? Well, here's one more! Jon snacks it up with APPLE BRAINS! They talk music and snacking as they enjoy the Apple Brains Special, a tasty popcorn treat and Date Sandwiches! @VeganSnacker @HeyAppleBrains
Jeremy Castañeda from LA's Plant Food For People talks converting to veganism due to his wife's health issue. They discuss the difficulties of raising children in a vegan household, opening a restaurant and the magic of jackfruit while snacking on CHEESECAKE, beer from GOLDEN ROAD BREWERY, PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES from Gobble Green, and DIRTY POTATO CHIPS! @plantfoodforppl @gobblegreen @dirtyschips
Antoanet Aburto of LA's M Cafe is here to discuss her macrobiotic restaurant as well as the future of her all vegan coffee shop, Evolution Café! They discuss healthy living and being vegan on a budget, but also pig out on some serious junk food: Baked Lays potato chips, Fritos, Oreos, Airheads, 3 Go Max Go candy bars, Justin's peanut butter cups, Isabella's Cookies and fresh Nut-bars from M Cafe!
Professional stand-up comedian MYQ KAPLAN is fresh off an airplane from New York and itching to talk veganism and snacking with Jon! They nosh on some delicious kale chips, a few different types of vegan jerkey and Justin's Peanut Butter Cups.
Being that Myq lives in NYC and is originally from Boston, they chat about vegan living and dining along the east coast!
How many teenagers do YOU know who started their own vegan pop-up bakery? Prepare to know one more! Jon is joined by Clara Polito, who is currently setting up shop in Los Angeles, but will hopefully be able to one day spread her rampant empire of vegan baked goods!
While they talk about random veganry and the life of a vegan teenager, they chomp away at one of Clara's recent concoctions: INCEPTION COOKIES (a cookie WITHIN a cookie)
Jon sits down with BRIAN PATTON, author of the new vegan cookbook, THE SEXY VEGAN: EXTRAORDINARY FOOD FROM AN ORDINARY DUDE. As they discuss personal vegan histories, they nosh on Cheesy Chipotle Kale Chips, Trader Joe's Baked Onion Rings and Trader Joe's Falafel Chips.
Jon sits down with Jake Beemer (@ManlyVegan), who was diagnosed with cancer at 19 years-old. Since then, Jake has turned his life around by going vegan.
Jon & Jake snack on: mango, pistachios, figs & almond butter!