vegan holiday festival pictures

back to Vegan Holiday Festival 2009

Thank you to all who attended the Vegan Holiday Festival this year in Ha'iku, Maui! It was a great success and brought in over 200 people! There were dynamic speakers, cooking and food prep presentations, lots of great prizes given away, laughter yoga class, live music and dancing, a huge holiday feast and more! Scroll down to see some of the highlights from the event. . .

Live Music! - POSITIVITY by Mateus

A Welcoming from Brook and Home - the founders of the Optimum Living Alliance

Cooking/Food Preparation Contest Winners. . .

Some attendees enjoying the Vegan Holiday Feast and Maui sunshine at the same time. . .

Magic for the kids. . .

The Huge Holiday Feast fed about 200 people that day. . .

In line for the good food. . .

The holiday menu included Tofurkey and meat substitutes to taste, mashed potatoes, squash, stuffing, two kinds of gravy, salad and dressings, fruit salad, amazing sweet potato salad, steamed seasoned veggies, sautee'd purple cabbage, caraway, onion dish, barbecue ribs, pumpkin pies, chocolate cream pies, frozen yogurt, and more! everything vegan! . . .

Keynote Speaker Dr. Steve Blake tells us how to prevent and reverse heart disease, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and diabetes. . .

Jerome Kellner, health and fitness coach, tells us about the virtues of exercise and eating a plant based diet.

Food prep presentations . . .

Health benefits of raw vegan food by Dajah Hunt, owner of the Abundant Aina Cafe, and Igor Boutenko with taste testing - yum!

Saradha and Maile presented Mock Chicken Tofu and Chocolate Banana Cream Pie!

Some members of the audience won gift certificates to Down to Earth Natural Foods!

The store also donated some of the ingredients to make the feast.

Thanks Down to Earth! - an all vegetarian health food store!

Brook, one of the founders of the Optimum Living Alliance, presents vegan pumpkin pie and divine cashew gravy

Laughter Yoga class - we took the time for a good belly laugh. Thanks David!

Many prizes were given away that day (total value around $800). . . Gift certificates for health services on Maui, Blossoming Lotus Restaurant on Kaui donated dinner for two and a cookbook, we had foot spa treatments, colonics, massages, home prepared meal for four from Paul Fiske - a seasoned chef who prepared most of the delicioius feast that day (thanks Paul! you are an angel), magazines, many books, hike and raw vegan dinner for two from OLA's Brook and Home, Veg society membership, lots fo good treats to munch on, and more. . .

Happy Winners! Forest won the cooking contest for most artistic, he made the pumpkin pies.

Literature, samples, and taste tests (thanks bumblebar! - a vegan sweet sesame seed snack bar) on tables around the community center.

Live Music - POSITIVITY by Mateus wrapped the event up with evening dancing. thanks Mateus - you rock!

Vegan Holiday Festival Nov. 17th Events:

12 Noon-2:15-

Food Preparation Demonstrations: Brook Le'amohala - Quick & Healthy Divine Cashew Holiday Gravy and Vegan Pumpkin Pie. Home Le'amohala - Healthy Egg-free Nog - Raw vegan recipe! "BaNog". Cathrine Blake - Garlic Gomasio. Oahu guest chef Saradha Johnson - Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. Oahu guest chef Maile Moore - Mock Chicken Tofu. Dajah Hunt, owner of the Aina Cafe' - Fresh Living Coconut Persimmon Pumpkin Pie

Grand prize for the cooking contest winner - Dinner for two at the Blossoming Lotus Restaurant on Kaui!

2:15-

Guest Speaker- Jerome Kellner- “Vegan Vitality”

3:00-

Guest Speaker- Steve Blake - Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease, Osteoporosis, and Diabetes”

3:15-

Food Contest Entries are finalized, food contest judging begins at 3:30 Food Contest Guidelines

4:20-

Food Contest winners announced, Contributors, Volunteer acknowledgement etc.

4:30-

Blessing and Huge Holiday Feast

5:00-

“The Night Before Thanksgiving” Story read for the children

5:15-

Brook and Home Le’amohala

5:55-

Raffle prizes drawing

6:00-

Live Music - POSITIVITY by Mateus, and Dancing until ?

After Dark -

Fire dancing by Lunara Cheshire