Boston Vegetarian Food Festival
Saturday, Oct 20, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Reggie Lewis Athletic Center
1350 Tremont Street
Free
More info

Boston is proud of its efforts to become a foodie-haven; and the success of such chefs as Ken Oringer, Barbara Lynch, and Michael Schlow have brought well-deserved publicity to the Hub. So while cutting-edge cuisine is on the rise, Beantown has not been known to fully live up to its legume-y name.

Enter the Boston Vegetarian Society, who for over 20 years has sought to encourage greater awareness of the vegetarian lifestyle. Bostonist spoke with the President of the BVS, Evelyn Kimber, about the upcoming Boston Vegetarian Food Fest.

This is the 12th year that the BVS has held the food festival, and, judging from the reviews, it ranks among the biggest and best around the country. So while Boston doesn't necessarily have the most veggie-friendly climate, Ms. Kimber was eager to point out that in her time working with the BVS she's seen much positive change. She noted that almost every restaurant has a vegetarian or vegan option, and there are many all-vegan restaurants that have popped up around town (The Grasshopper in Allston is a great example).

While progress has definitely been made, there is much more that Boston can do as a community to be more friendly and accomodating to the vegetarian lifestyle. The Boston Food Festival this weekend is a great place to start if you would like to learn more about the Boston Vegetarian Society. As stated, the event is free, there is free parking available at the Reggie Lewis Center, and there will be free-food tasting galore. And aren't most things in life better when they're free AND healthy?