*This is a previous post from my old blog

The Vegan Beer and Food Festival at SOMA Street Food Park in San Francisco this Saturday was such a hit, they ran out of food. Who says vegan food isn’t good? The food I tried was tasty, tested boundaries and inspired me to get creative in the kitchen. It was also really cool to be able to browse any menu and not worry about finding a vegan item– I could get anything I wanted! But I tried to stick with the vendors who used organic ingredients.
It would be great if SOMA Street Food Park continued this event every year and maybe even hosted an all vegan food truck event once a week at their 11th and Harrison location. The Vegan Beer and Food Festival was packed with hungry vegans, so the clientele would certainly be there and the menus and vendor variety were great. Among the vendors there were also businesses selling vegan products to take home, nineties tunes and even karaoke in the evening.

Enjoying Dusty’s delicious chocolate ganache buns
The Eats:

Lumpia from No Worries
I have a love affair with lumpia that started years ago when I would eat these by the dozen at my then-boyfriend’s house. His step-dad was Filipino and would buy them in bulk at Costco and serve them at family events.
Years later, I’m happy to find a healthier, vegan version. These crisp, delicious rolls were made with a soy sausage and came with a sweet dipping sauce. It seemed like everyone who attended the event ordered these. They were quite the hit. I’m not sold on them entirely though, as I’m not sure if they use local, organic ingredients.

Stone Ruin Ten IPA Vegan Beer
Vegan beer options at the event

Among the beer available at the event was a selection of vegan beer.s I loved having it available, but it was pretty expensive at $6 for a 12 oz. cup. But who wants beef fat and fish gelatin in their beer? Ew. And that’s what you are guaranteed to avoid when you drink vegan beer. I chose the Stone Ruin Ten IPA and it was deep in flavor with a strong, hoppy aftertaste that I liked. Delicious. I wondered as I sipped, if this Stone IPA was the same Stone IPA I’d been having in a restaurant down the street from my place in the Mission. It turns out, that this vegan friendly beer was from the same brewery as the beer I’d been drinking, which I found out was also vegan as well as some of their other beers on this list.
Vegan beer should matter to everyone, not just vegans, because I don’t think anyone signed up to have animal products in their beer.
Raw Cones from Raw Daddy’s Fun Cone Food
I was excited to try this food in a cone because the idea of raw, vegan food in a cone interested me so much. And also because they use local, organic ingredients whenever possible. I love finding places that are tasty, vegan and organic and it’s important to support these places so we keep getting organic food at cheaper prices.
Mando and I shared the trio of three mini cones (3 for $10), which included The Italian, Forest and Earth Mushroom Polenta and Spicy Thai Salad cones.
The mini cones from the left: Forest and Earth Mushroom Polenta, Spicy Thai Salad and The Italian
They were super delicious! I loved the ingredients chosen for each “themed” cone and that they were raw. I’m officially sold on raw food and how flavorful it can be. And the cones are made of flaxseed, which sells me even more. The Italian was the best by far, using a creamy cashew sauce as a ricotta replacement. It was the combination of this and the pesto that won me over. Raw Daddy’s Fun Cone Food is only available at the Palo Alto Farmers Market, according to their schedule.
I was hoping to try one of their dessert cones later in the day, but by the time I returned, they had run out of food and were closing down shop. I might find myself hunting them down in Palo Alto in order to try it, but I’m hoping they find themselves around my way again very soon.

Mini Buns w/ chocolate ganache & Cauliflower Salad from Dusty’s Buns–The cauliflower salad was a refreshing treat while sitting in the heat. It featured purple cauliflower as well as white and had a nice vinegar base. It came with a side cup of pesto as well, which was pretty tasty.
I’m usually not a fan of sweets, but these chocolate ganache buns were amazing! I can’t wait to try to recreate their light, fluffy bite with a thin layer of chocolate topped with nuts. I should’ve ordered ten. Dusty’s Buns food truck is in both Fresno and SF. I will definitely look for them again. They also try to use organic ingredients whenever possible.
Tasty Cauliflower salad from Dusty’s Buns

Dusty’s chocolate ganache baby buns
Spicy Buffalo Tempeh Bites from Rhizocali Tempeh–These are a triple threat: cheap, local and organic. It was the best bang for its buck at $4 for this tray with cashew cream on top. I got two of these amazing delights and recommended them to a hungry onlooker who couldn’t take her eyes off them.
It’s so great to support local, organic food. I found out that they sell their tempeh at my local co-op so I picked some up. I also found out that one of my favorite vegan food trucks, Hella Vegan Eats, uses their products in their delicious menu items.
I can’t wait to try more of Rhizocali’s food. Here’s where to find them.
Delicious BuffaloTempeh bites from Rhizocalitempeh
Southern Fried Chicken sandwich w/greens from Southern Fried Vegan–When I came back for a second go at the food, this vendor’s line was wrapped around the corner and their menu too, had dwindled. The line moved quickly, though, and I was pretty happy with my Fried Chicken Sandwich and sautéed greens. The greens were excellent–cooked well with lots of lemon. The chicken sandwich could go up against the real thing and put up a good fight. I’d bet you could fool some carnivores. I wish the sandwich had been bigger and served with a healthier bun. But overall, I’d order from them again. Unfortunately, they are located in LA. So I’ll be dreaming of those lemony greens until I see them again.
Fried Chicken Sandwich with greens from Southern Fried Vegan

Potsticker Burrito from Hella Vegan Eats–This favorite food truck of mine was serving up a variety of treats at the event from pumpkin-cardamom glazed doughnuts to their signature potsticker burrito. Some of the portions were smaller than usual at this event and their menu, too, dwindled toward the end because of their popularity. But I was happy to see that they were there. Mando got the burrito and a friend of ours got the chicken and waffle mini bite. I would’ve ordered the doughnuts but noticed that they were topped with a processed treat–bummer. For the most part, however, they do use local, organic ingredients often in their dishes.
I get to see them pretty often as they are at two Farmers Markets in the city and host pop-up dinners at a bar nearby pretty frequently so I didn’t feel the need to order much from them. Overall, I was happy to see them and they were certainly a hit with the hungry vegans.