Inclusion and community key at Montreal Vegan Festival

Montreal’s Grand Quay hosts a weekend of vegan flavour

Fringe ArtsCordelia Appleyard & Hayley Carolan — Published November 12, 2024 0 minutes

The event was free and welcomed everyone, regardless of dietary and lifestyle preferences. 

More than 60 vendors from Canada presented a wide array of vegan offerings, from food and cosmetics to clothing and eco-friendly products. The event organizers hoped to encourage curiosity and participation among all participants.

“What we really want them to take away from the festival is that it's surprising, it's better than we thought,” FVMtl spokesperson Emily Lamarche said. “Even on the level of cosmetics, it works just as well as a non-vegan, traditional cosmetic. We really want to show that it's for everyone and that the food is just as good.”

The FVMtl team selected businesses that uphold ethical and eco-responsible values, featuring local favourites.

Among the weekend highlights were pop-up restaurants like Véganarie, Vege Cube and Christian Ventura’s Sushi Momo. Caroline Huard, a.k.a. Loounie, showcased her renowned cookbooks. Demonstrations continued throughout the festival, concluding with a presentation from FVMtl spokespersons Marie-Michelle Chouinard and Lloyd Rose, both authors, entrepreneurs and culinary content creators. 

“Montreal has the best food scene in Quebec,” Chouinard said. “There is a lot of curiosity around it, and I think more openness than [in] other cities in Canada.”

For Rose, who started sharing vegan recipes to share the joy of plant-based cooking with others, veganism is deeply personal.

“I never try to force it onto anyone, but if they ask, I just want to share their flavours and creativity,” Rose said. His Jamaican heritage sees food often celebrated by those in the Rastafari movement, where it is believed that one should eat food grown from the earth around them—a value close to family and cultural identity, according to Rose. 

Stephanie Little, owner of Nut Grove Cheese, handed out tiny squares of fresh, nut-based cheeses to an endless stream of passersby. Little’s entry into the vegan business came through a simple desire to be included in cheese-based socializing events. 

“There was this beautiful spread of dairy cheeses from all over the world […] and I couldn't eat any of it,” Little said. “The hostess was nice enough to bring me a block of vegan cheese, but I think it was Daiya or something really gross that nobody wanted to eat.”

For festival attendee Mingimi Kim, community is also top of mind. As a newcomer to Montreal, Kim is short on friends and saw the event as a chance to build ties with people in the city who share their vegan values. 

They also said they appreciated the presence of a variety of animal rights groups at the festival, including Mission Plan B, a non-profit group that works to protect marine biodiversity. 

“For me, it was awesome because I wanted to discover it,” Kim said. They said they hope that others who come to the festival are open to learning more about veganism and connecting over animal rights.