This year at the Bali Vegan Festival our Living Food Lab booth was at Oasis Canggu Bali, an eco-lifestyle resort one kilometer from the beach. The festival integrated not only delicious vegan dishes but also vegan clothing, handicrafts, jewelry and beauty brands as well as sustainable charities and inspirational talks and music!
We injected our most positive energy into the festival and had a lot of fun. Luckily, we were close to the stage so we could enjoy the comedy and the music as well as dance a lot!
As a team, it was another experience that brought us together. Events take a lot of work, with food and drink planning and logistics. For example, we have to figure out ahead of time how many containers to have, how are we going to serve the food, and how can we maintain the hygiene and sustainability standards. Besides that, there’s always the unexpected factors such as someone getting sick, a Balinese ceremony or the weather being scorching hot or the heavens opening up with rain. With anything and everything likely to happen, we need to think on our feet, and the experience creates a special bond between us. We all contribute to each event, and there’s much to remember afterwards.
We have been delighted to be at the Bali Vegan festival for two years in a row simply because of what it stands for: a kinder and more caring way of living and being towards other living beings and Mother Earth. We strongly believe in putting out the message of what’s behind the vegan lifestyle.
As mentioned in our previous blog, the best part about this festival is the opportunity to connect with like-minded people. We loved going to all the different talks and seeing what other chefs around the world are doing through their cooking demos. I was particularly fascinated by the growing trend in zero waste.
The biggest inspiration of the festival was Max La Manna from “Eating with Max”. His knowledge about food and sustainable living, as well as his consistency and dedication, are very impressive. He is an extraordinary example of the impact we can make in the world if we commit to a change in the way we consume and dispose of things. An impact that we could all generate, not just as chefs or businesses but in our own lives as individuals.
The Bali Vegan Festival was also rewarding in the sense of witnessing many people enjoying our food and giving us great feedback! Seeing the same faces coming to our restaurant after the festival was definitely one of the best parts. We even had some deep and meaningful conversation with some of them. Such a beautiful thing to connect with our customers this way!
