Vegan Food News of the Week: 5 Celebs Join the Vegan Women Summit, Ultimate Whoppers, and DC Gets a New Bakery

This year’s Vegan Women Summit in Hollywood promises a celebrity-packed event with more than 100 speakers and plenty of great food.

Want to win $1 million? From now until March 17, you can design your dream Whopper—using an Impossible Burger, of course—for a chance to win the big bucks and get your burger featured on the chain’s menu. 

Plus, legendary business Sticky Fingers is celebrating the opening of its newest vegan bakery in Washington, DC this weekend, and a cookie giveaway means we’ll be in line at dawn. 

Read on for more. 

Vegan food news

For vegan food news to feel good about, we turn to Feel Good, a brand known for its gluten-free snacks and meals. New at Sprouts this week is Feel Good’s burrito line which includes a plant-based Roasted Vegetable & Bean Burrito that’s stuffed with black and pinto beans, roasted corn, bell peppers, and poblanos, along with both red and green salsas and plenty of spices. 

Feel Good is not a fully vegan brand but also offers plant-based veggie potstickers and Thai-style spring rolls. 

Goodles

For a different kind of convenience food, Goodles is expanding its line of boxed mac and cheese with a gluten-free line that includes a Vegan Be Heroes flavor made with cashew-based cheese.

“Delicious taste is always our number one goal, and gluten-free has an added goal—it needs to taste and feel like normal wheat pasta without any of the gluten,” Molly Michet, Chief Product Officer at Goodles, said in a statement. “It took over 18 months to develop the perfect gluten-free mac that we felt good enough to bring to market,” Michet said. 

Partake

For the snacker in you, allergen-friendly company Partake is releasing new cookie flavors. Now available at Target nationwide, the company’s new Mini Vanilla Wafers & Mini Grahams Variety Snack Packs feature 10, individually wrapped vegan cookie packs that are perfect for sharing (or hoarding). 

If you’re looking for a fun way to wash all those cookies down, this week, Mooala’s banana milk made its way to Sprouts in single-serving packs. These lunchbox-friendly packs come in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors, providing a lower-sugar alternative to traditional flavored milks. 

“Our Bananamilks come in craveable flavors that kids and adults love, and our organic ingredients and nutrition also pass the ‘mom-police’ test,” Jeff Richards, Mooala’s CEO, said in a statement. 

Vegan event news

Are you already making plans for this summer? This May, get ready for an ultimate experience at the Vegan Women’s Summit in Hollywood, an event that brings together more than 100 speakers, the latest in vegan food, beauty, entertainment, and more to build a more conscious future. 

Support + Feed

At VWS, you will be in good company with various celebrities who signed on to participate: Maggie Baird (founder of Support + Feed and mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas), along with actors Richa Moorjani of Fargo, Elaine Hendrix from The Parent Trap, and reality TV star Jayde Nicole. 

“There are very few events like VWS that are truly building sustainable change, and actually do empower women, foster innovation, and drive positive change in our world,” Baird, who will be the VWS host committee chair this year, said in a statement. 

“Each year, I’ve been floored by the growing impact the summit has had, and I am excited to be part of VWS this year,” Baird said. 

If you can’t wait to finally get outdoors after the winter cold has passed, head to Orange County next weekend for the inaugural San Clemente Vegan Food Popup. On March 2, you’ll find a vibrant gathering of more than 50 vendors, showcasing an array of global cuisines, all plant-based. 

The event, organized in collaboration with the North Beach Community Association (NBCA), promises a family-friendly atmosphere with live music, a beer garden, and a diverse selection of vegan-friendly food, apparel, and wellness products.

“The NBCA Board is excited to present the San Clemente Vegan Food Popup,” Kristin Shively, NBCA Board Member and Treasurer, said in a statement. 

“North Beach is a cornerstone for small and unique businesses in San Clemente. Events like this create a positive impact for both residents and visitors by promoting a healthy lifestyle and contributing to the overall wellness of our community,” Shively said. 

Chipotle

February has always been a special month, with its quirky number of days. This year, Chipotle is celebrating that “extra” day by offering unique promotions to its rewards members. On February 29, members can use the code “extra24” for free guacamole on orders placed through the Chipotle app or website. 

Additionally, Chipotle has organized an “Extra Day, Extra Codes” challenge on Instagram from February 26 to 28. Fans can participate by finding hidden keywords in Chipotle’s Instagram posts, with a chance to win free guacamole for a year. 

“Our guests understand that ‘guac is extra’ is not just a phrase, it’s a testament to the quality and freshness of our real food,” Stephanie Perdue, Vice President of Brand Marketing, said in a statement. 

“There’s no better way to celebrate an additional day on the calendar than with our iconic guacamole not being extra,” Perdue said. 

We’re putting our guac winnings into a sofritas-stuffed burrito pronto!

Vegan restaurant news

Now through March 17, you can win $1 million for helping Burger King design the ultimate Whopper. Obviously, the best burgers are made from plants and Burger King’s Impossible Burger patty is a perfect starting point.

Burger King also asks that you make your ultimate Whopper without common allergens like peanuts and shellfish—we’re thinking dairy and other animal products should stay off, too. Also, vegan cheese and vegan bacon are part of the more than 200,000 available options. 

Burger King

Entries for the contest—which generates images of your burger and its toppings using AI—should be made via Burger King’s website or app. Three finalists will refine their creations at Burger King’s Miami headquarters, and the $1 million winning sandwich will be featured nationwide. 

“Burger King is all about Having It Your Way, and this contest is a true embodiment of that,” Pat O’Toole, Chief Marketing Officer at Burger King, said in a statement. “More than 50 percent of guests customize their Whopper sandwich, and now, the possibilities of what those customizations include are endless.”

“And, whether or not your Whopper ends up in restaurants nationwide, we’re giving guests the opportunity to experience and share their creation using the power of AI technology,” O’Toole said. 

Smashburger

While we’re on the topic of burgers, Smashburger has a new menu item made for jackfruit lovers. 

After a successful trial last year, the fast-food chain just added a vegetarian jackfruit burger to its permanent menu in partnership with meatless brand Jack & Annie’s. Now available at all 235 Smashburger locations is a classic vegetarian burger that features American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, Smash Sauce, and ketchup on a toasted bun.

To order the burger fully plant-based, Smashburger suggests removing the sauce and cheese and requesting lettuce in place of the bun. 

“Plant-based alternatives have continued to show up on menus throughout the industry, so making sure we offer more diverse and plant-forward options was the natural transition to expand our menu,” Eric Marcoux, Smashburger Chief Restaurant Support Officer, said in a statement. 

“Once we connected with Jack & Annie’s, we knew it was the right fit with our mutual Colorado ties and shared food philosophy rooted in offering delicious, crave-worthy food made with high-quality ingredients,” Marcoux said.  

The jackfruit patty, as a single or double, can also be substituted into any of Smashburger’s Signature Burgers.

Sticky Fingers

If you’re craving something sweet, Sticky Fingers is officially opening a new location of its pioneering vegan bakery in the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, DC on February 24, with a celebration hosted by local drag queen Tara Hoot.

“When I first moved to DC in 1995, I lived in and fell in love with Takoma Park,” Sticky Fingers Founder Doron Petersan said in a statement. “Ever since we opened our first shop in 2002, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to get back to the most welcoming community I’ve ever known.” 

The menu here is all about indulgence and includes Cowvin Cookies, brownies, seasonal and classic cupcakes, as well as custom cakes. The shop will also serve as a production facility to help get Sticky Fingers’ vegan goodies into more hands nationwide.  

“I am so excited to bring our sweets and eats to the Takoma and Takoma Park community, and have an opportunity to serve Shepherd Park, Silver Spring, Brightwood, and other neighborhoods in the area,” Petersan said. “I feel like we’re coming home.” 

The first 100 customers get a free chocolate chip cookie. See you in line!

Anna Starostinetskaya is the Senior News Editor at VegNews and is always keeping an eye on all things vegan in her home city of San Francisco, CA and everywhere else.