Vegan Block Party on Mud Island

On Saturday, Cynthia Daniels & Co. hosted a free Vegan Block Party on Mud Island. Cynthia organizes Memphis Black Restaurant, an annual week-long highlight of Black-owned restaurants, and that's always a great event. And she's put on a few other vegan events over the years. So I knew this would be great! Plus, the location — inside the Mud Island River Park overlooking the Mississippi River — is such a cool spot. I didn't know what time I'd be finishing my long run on Saturday, so I wasn't sure when I could go to the fest. Otherwise, I would have made plans with friends. But instead, I just went alone after my run.

There were about 20 vegan food vendors — some were food trucks and others had booths. The food truck lines were pretty long when I got there, so I just made my way through the park to the booths. When I saw the Loaded Vegan Nachos on The Vegan Goddess' menu, I knew had to have have that. These had the best jackfruit steak and chicken ever! When I make jackfruit at home, it's always kind of liquidy, but this jackfruit was dry and really had a great texture.

Many of the booth vendors were run by local vegan meal prep services, rather than restaurants. So this was a rare chance to try some food I might not otherwise get to try. I'd probably never subscribe to a meal prep service since I love to cook at home, but the food I tried was stellar. Also, bonus: all of the vendors were Black-owned, which is awesome. 

I ran into a friend while in line for nachos, so I hung out with him for a bit while I ate. And then I decided to get back in a line to grab something for dinner. Loc'd and Vegan's line seemed to be moving pretty quickly, and I saw they had Pad Thai, which would heat up well. So I got that. This was a tasty pad Thai loaded with fresh veggies (lots of red cabbage) and full of flavor. 

After I got my food, I wasn't quite ready to leave yet. So I got in yet another line, this time at the Rich Health booth, for a slice of their Sweet Potato Cake. I'd tried a bite of my friend's cake earlier, and it was SO GOOD. Such a moist cake and not too sweet. I needed more. I sat on the hill overlooking the river and enjoyed my cake in the sunshine. 

What a perfect day! I hope this becomes a regular event!