Local Vegan Festival in its 15th Year
Sep 01, 2025 06:00AM ● By Paul Chen
The veggie taste 2024
“I wanted [to teach] people [that it’s a] myth that vegan food tastes nasty, that it’s a myth that it is expensive,” says Nyemay Aya, founder of Veggie Taste, an Atlanta vegan festival that takes place on the third Saturday in September. “I wanted to cater to people who were eating healthy and to educate other people.”
Aya was vegan when she and her then business partner, Jamila Crawford, a vegan chef, started what became Veggie Taste. They produced several events under the brand Bazaar Noir. In 2011, they introduced the Vegan/Vegetarian Taste of ATL festival. Aya changed the name to Veggie Taste two years later, after Crawford departed. After that year’s festival, a friend suggested the event lose the Bazaar Noir umbrella and gain a new name: Veggie Taste. Aya liked it and made the change.
The 2011 event was held indoors and attracted about 500 attendees, but since then, it has mostly been held outdoors, with the location changing every couple of years. This year it will be at the Shrine of the Black Madonna on September 20 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aya estimates that last year’s festival attracted 1,500 to 2,000 people and about 80 vendors, and expects about the same numbers this year.
One long-time vendor, Cynthia Steed, owner of Masjestea, is a purveyor of all-natural, handcrafted teas. What drew Steed to Veggie Taste was the large variety of foods and drinks that the festival made available. Plus, it was kid-friendly; “I have a bunch of children,” she says.
While that sounds more like a comment from an attendee than a vendor, Steed is quite happy with her tea sales at Veggie Taste. Aya and her team “almost feel like an extended family,” she says. “[They’ve] always been so helpful. I love how they put it together. I love how they plug it. So even if I wasn’t selling much of anything, I would be there every year.”
Long-time attendee, Angel Drayton, didn’t need to see What the Health for motivation. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, and veganism became a foundational component, along with deep inner work, in her seemingly miraculous healing. “The journey was not easy, and I endured great loss: home, job, car, support from others, etc.,” says Drayton. “"I trusted in God and followed the process with consistency, resilience, grace, love and humility. Today, I am the healthiest I have ever been physically, mentally, and spiritually! I have no pain, no symptoms, and I can run, do yoga, cartwheels, laugh and so much more.” She credits Veggie Taste as a “vital source of whole-food, plant-based information, and keeping me informed of community events of like-minded, beautiful people.”
Attendance at Veggie Taste used to be free, but it has begun charging for attendance. Today, the fee is $10. A major reason for the change is to support the talks that are at the center of Veggie Taste. As education was a primary motivator behind producing Veggie Taste, the event has featured speakers and panels for many years. Last year’s speakers included chefs, a cancer survivor and a juicing panel. This year’s lineup has not been finalized yet.
She also bemoans the fact that large corporations, to the detriment of vegan pioneers, are taking advantage of the trend toward plant-based eating. She gives the example of Hellmann’s offering a vegan mayonnaise. “Why not buy Veganaise, a product from plant-based pioneer, Follow Your Heart?” she asks. ❧
For more information, visit TheVeggieTaste.com.
Nyemay Aya
The 2011 event was held indoors and attracted about 500 attendees, but since then, it has mostly been held outdoors, with the location changing every couple of years. This year it will be at the Shrine of the Black Madonna on September 20 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aya estimates that last year’s festival attracted 1,500 to 2,000 people and about 80 vendors, and expects about the same numbers this year.
One long-time vendor, Cynthia Steed, owner of Masjestea, is a purveyor of all-natural, handcrafted teas. What drew Steed to Veggie Taste was the large variety of foods and drinks that the festival made available. Plus, it was kid-friendly; “I have a bunch of children,” she says.
While that sounds more like a comment from an attendee than a vendor, Steed is quite happy with her tea sales at Veggie Taste. Aya and her team “almost feel like an extended family,” she says. “[They’ve] always been so helpful. I love how they put it together. I love how they plug it. So even if I wasn’t selling much of anything, I would be there every year.”
What the Health Blows Up Veggie Taste
Cynthia Steed
2017 saw a huge jump in attendance. What the Health, a documentary by Kip Anderson, appeared on Netflix earlier in the year, and the lines at Veggie Taste got “very long” come September.
Aya saw the effect in a personal way. Having long seen herself as the “different” family member, a relative of hers called in 2017 asking for vegan recipes. “Why?” she asked. “What’s wrong?” The relative had seen the film on Netflix. “After that documentary came out,” says Aya, “a lot of people were ready to change, ready to eat healthy. It was just a beautiful thing to see.”Long-time attendee, Angel Drayton, didn’t need to see What the Health for motivation. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, and veganism became a foundational component, along with deep inner work, in her seemingly miraculous healing. “The journey was not easy, and I endured great loss: home, job, car, support from others, etc.,” says Drayton. “"I trusted in God and followed the process with consistency, resilience, grace, love and humility. Today, I am the healthiest I have ever been physically, mentally, and spiritually! I have no pain, no symptoms, and I can run, do yoga, cartwheels, laugh and so much more.” She credits Veggie Taste as a “vital source of whole-food, plant-based information, and keeping me informed of community events of like-minded, beautiful people.”
Attendance at Veggie Taste used to be free, but it has begun charging for attendance. Today, the fee is $10. A major reason for the change is to support the talks that are at the center of Veggie Taste. As education was a primary motivator behind producing Veggie Taste, the event has featured speakers and panels for many years. Last year’s speakers included chefs, a cancer survivor and a juicing panel. This year’s lineup has not been finalized yet.
A Surge of Interest in Plant-Based Foods
Angel Drayton
While Aya senses much more interest in veganism, surveys show little change in the percentage of self-described vegans in the U.S. today as compared to 2011; it’s somewhere between one and two percent. However, interest in plant-based eating has increased dramatically. A 2025 survey by VegOut Magazine / EAT Forum shows that 68 percent of Americans want more plant-based meals, but only 20 percent do anything about it.
Regardless, American businesses have taken note, and Aya finds that problematic, as she sees a flood of processed vegan food come on the market. “Some of [those trying to transition to veganism] don’t understand that you use [processed food] as a transition food—but you don’t stay on it,” she says. “Or, you can just go right into plant-based whole foods.”She also bemoans the fact that large corporations, to the detriment of vegan pioneers, are taking advantage of the trend toward plant-based eating. She gives the example of Hellmann’s offering a vegan mayonnaise. “Why not buy Veganaise, a product from plant-based pioneer, Follow Your Heart?” she asks. ❧
For more information, visit TheVeggieTaste.com.
Publisher of Natural Awakenings Atlanta since 2017, Paul Chen’s professional background includes strategic planning, marketing management and qualitative research. He practices Mahayana Buddhism and kriya yoga. Contact him at [email protected].
