At the beginning of this month, a bustling group of Kohala Country Fair-Goers learned why mealtime is our favorite time at Gentle World!
This annual event always attracts thousands of attendees, but a change of venue made the Country Fair even busier this year, causing an ongoing line of hungry diners to express their appreciation for the Gentle World booth – an oasis of healthy, ethical food that is truly satisfying and incredibly delicious!
This time around, our enthusiastic team were able to serve more vegan meals than in any previous year. One of our volunteers even walked around the fairground to deliver wraps, plate lunches and dessert treats to the booth-holders who were unable to leave their stations. We couldn’t even keep track of the number of times we heard the words, “Your food is always the best!”
We’re always grateful for the kind support of our generous sponsors, but what makes it exciting as well is that our sponsors are also the providers of products for the new world – showing the public that vegan living is not only easy and convenient, it’s also highly pleasurable! Many Gentle Worlders remember the days when the existence of these products was only a dream, and when there wasn’t a single vegan burger, cookie, cheese, ice-cream or mayonnaise, let alone a huge variety to choose from! It’s a wonderful thing to have the opportunity to spread the word about these exciting products that make vegan living more enjoyable for us all.
From picnic classics like Bionaturae pasta salad and Gentle World’s famous coleslaw with a touch of Follow Your Heart Vegenaise, to barbeque treats such as our Better-Than-Beef Seitan in an Organicville Barbeque Sauce, all in all it was a mouth-watering spread.
An array of veggie burgers, including Wildwood and Sunshine, were all nestled on top of Rudi’s and Ezekiel buns. Patrons were amazed to discover how realistic Vege-USA’s mock Chicken Tikka Masala was, and flipped for the Tumaros and Food for Life wraps stuffed with Gentle World’s famous Carrot Cashew Pate and Tofu Eggless Salad.
We barely had time to refill the chafing dishes before a wave of both new and returning customers lined up to enjoy our healthy, home-style dishes. Some were lured in by samples of San-J crackers topped with Galaxy Nutritional Foods delicious dairy-free cream cheese, or Sjaaks scrumptious chocolate bites in various flavors. Other people were drawn in by the smiling faces and savory smells emanating from plates piled high.
After the main dishes, the Alternative Baking Company cookies called, Raw Revolution bars beckoned, the little ones pleaded for WholeSoy yogurt or a slice of delicious gluten-free chocolate cake topped with AhLaska! or Santa Cruz chocolate syrup.
The day was piping hot, and the Blue Sky sodas, Knudsen’s Spritzers, Amy & Brian’s Coconut Juice and Santa Cruz Organic Berry Nectar were flying. But, coming out of left field, our rookie beverage MVP this year was Organic India’s Tulsi (Holy Basil) tea, iced and lightly sweetened with Wholesome Sweeteners Stevia and Agave.
While filling the bellies of many happy fairgoers is its own reward, the true joy of participating in the Kohala Country Fair lies in laying out vegan fare that makes even the more staunch meat-eaters pause to ask “what smells so good?” Thank you once again to everyone who stopped by to support us and to all our amazing sponsors for making this day possible.
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*A special thanks to Lotus Brand Eco-Dent, we couldn’t restock your samples fast enough! We would also like to send a special thanks to Real Salt, Frontier Herbs and Spices, and LeSaffre Yeast’s Nutritional Yeast… We owe the fabulous seasoning in our dishes to you!
