August 11, 2025
Learn from the pros and get inspired in the kitchen!
One of the most exciting parts of Twin Cities Veg Fest is the live cooking demos! This year’s festival on Sunday, September 21, 2025, will feature two amazing cooking demo sessions at the American Vegetarian Association Speaker and Cooking Demo Tent. These talented chefs will show you how to make tasty, plant-based dishes you can re-create at home. You’ll even get to taste a sample dish! Whether you’re new to vegan cooking or a seasoned home chef, you won’t want to miss these sessions! Once again the festival will be at Harriet Island Park in St. Paul from 10 am- 4 pm on September 21.
Curried Chickpea Salad With Beth Dooley and Margaret Telfer
Time: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Stage: American Vegetarian Association Speaker and Cooking Demo Tent
First up, we welcome Beth Dooley, a James Beard Award–winning food writer and local foods advocate, along with Margaret Telfer, a whole-food, plant-based chef and wellness coach. Together, they’ll demonstrate how to make a fresh and flavorful Curried Chickpea Salad — a colorful, protein-packed dish that’s perfect for picnics, potlucks, or quick lunches. You’ll pick up simple techniques for bringing bold flavors to everyday ingredients — no fancy tools or hard-to-find spices required.
More About Beth Dooley and Margaret Telfer
Beth Dooley is a columnist for the Minneapolis–St. Paul Star Tribune’s Taste section, a regular guest on KARE 11 (NBC) television, and a frequent voice on MPR’s Appetites with Tom Crann. She co-authored The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen with Sean Sherman, winner of the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2018, and has written over a dozen other acclaimed titles, including Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine, Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland, Appetite for Change, Chile Clove and Cardamom, and The Perennial Kitchen. She currently serves as Endowed Chair at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and is working on a forthcoming book, NIXTA: The Art of Corn.
Margaret Telfer has been eating whole-food, plant-based for over 15 years and studied nutrition with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. She’s an NBHWC-certified wellness coach, a Rouxbe-trained plant-based chef, and was a founding board member of the Physicians Association for Nutrition alongside Dr. Michael Greger. Margaret teaches plant-based cooking classes and provides coaching for people who need to make diet changes for health reasons.
She also tested recipes for Dr. Greger’s latest cookbook and had her tasty recipe for Makhani Pie in this year’s Minnesota Veg Living magazine, produced by Compassionate Action for Animals.
Pulled Pork Tacos With Banana BBQ Sauce by Food on the Fly
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Stage: American Vegetarian Association Speaker and Cooking Demo Tent
In the afternoon, prepare for something bold and unexpected from Food on the Fly, a Minneapolis plant-based restaurant and catering company. Their chefs will be showing how to make one of their most popular dishes: Pulled Pork Tacos With Banana BBQ Sauce — but this version is completely plant based.
You’ll see how they transform ingredients like vegan pulled pork, seitan, tempeh, or extra firm tofu into a hearty taco filling, coated in their signature Vegan Banana BBQ Sauce. Served in warm corn or flour tortillas, these tacos are layered with vegan gochujang mayo, a vibrant corn salsa with mushrooms, and topped with fresh scallions for a burst of flavor and color.
More About Food on the Fly
Food on the Fly is known for bringing fine-dining techniques to plant-based cooking, creating high-quality versions of classic meat dishes with innovative textures, flavorful vegan sauces, and thoughtfully paired sides and garnishes. While not fully vegan, nearly everything on their menu has a vegan option. You can catch them for lunch on weekdays in downtown Minneapolis, order through DoorDash or Uber Eats, or enjoy their plant-based meats at Stray Dog in NE Minneapolis. For a fast, flavorful bite blending Midwest comfort with Korean-inspired flavors, Food on the Fly delivers — literally.
Don’t Miss the Cooking Demos at Twin Cities Veg Fest!
Whether you’re into salads or tacos (or both!), these cooking demos are sure to inspire your next plant-based meal. Come hungry, take notes, and ask questions — you’ll leave with recipes and ideas to try at home. You’ll even get to taste samples of the dishes!
See you at the American Vegetarian Association Tent on September 21!
Other Activities in the American Vegetarian Association Tent
Along with these two exciting cooking demonstrations, you can catch two engaging speakers: Austin Frerick, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry, and Sierra Carter, wellness visionary and founder of The Zen Bin and Heal MPLS. Then, at 3:30 p.m., don’t miss the big moment — the winner of the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge will be announced!
About Twin Cities Veg Fest
The Twin Cities Veg Fest is the Midwest’s largest celebration of plant-based living, hosted by Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA), a local nonprofit founded in 1998. At CAA, we encourage people to cultivate empathy for animals This year’s 13th anniversary festival theme is Cultivating Compassion, Harvesting Change — a reflection of how individual choices can add up to a healthier, more compassionate world.and move toward a plant-based diet.
At Twin Cities Veg Fest, you’ll find:
- Around 100 exhibitors with vegan food, products, and information
- Cooking demonstrations from top local chefs
- Inspiring speakers from across the country
- A family area with activities for kids
- Live music and entertainment throughout the day
Everyone is welcome — whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or just curious. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged! Entry is sliding scale, with a suggested donation of $5 per adult and $2 per child. No one will be turned away due to inability to pay. With over 5,000 people expected, it’s the perfect place to eat amazing food, meet new friends, and learn more about plant-based living.
Stay tuned for updates at Twin Cities Veg Fest and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news, mouth-watering previews, and behind-the-scenes fun.
