It’s Thursday, so that means we’re back with another edition of the Vegan Insider.

Hello to those who’ve been here since the beginning, those joining us for the first time, and everyone in between!

There’s a lot happening this week—from a hands-on seitan workshop to vegan drinks, cooking classes, and more. Plus, a few big fall festivals were just announced, and there are plenty of upcoming events to keep an eye on.

Did you make it out to anything last week? Tag @veggieinthe6ix or send us an email—we’d love to hear what you thought or share your pics!

Now, let’s jump into the details of this week’s events:

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Week of Mar 27 - Apr 2:

News:

• Ontario-based vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has officially abandoned its plans to expand into the U.S. market. The company had initially pursued a franchising model south of the border but cited shifting economic conditions and internal strategy changes as reasons for pulling back. Instead, Odd Burger will focus on strengthening and growing its Canadian presence, particularly in Ontario, where it already operates several locations.
  

• Planted Expo returns to the Enercare Centre on May 10–11, and the exhibitor list is packed with over 150 plant-based businesses spanning food, wellness, and sustainable living. Notable names this year include Nuts For Cheese, a fan-favourite for its gourmet vegan cheeses; ChocoSol, known for its ethically sourced stone-ground chocolate; and Made Good, a staple in allergen-friendly snacks. Also appearing are Harmless Harvest (organic coconut water), Herbaland (vegan gummies), and Ecoideas, offering a wide range of superfoods and eco-products.

  🎟️ : Planted Expo Tickets

Events:

• 10 Tips to Eating More Plant-Based Foods: Healthier Choices for a Better You
  📅 Date: Friday, March 28, 2025
  🕒 Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Time (10:00 AM Pacific Time)
  📍 Location: Online via Zoom
  🎟️ Tickets: Join for free

  Plant-based chef and educator Karine Lang is hosting a free virtual workshop aimed at helping participants incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets. The session will cover topics such as health benefits, practical tips, time and money-saving strategies in the kitchen, and essential plant-based foods to include daily. A Q&A session will follow the presentation. For those unable to attend live, a recording will be emailed to all registrants.

• Toronto Vegan Drinks – Slushy Nuttea Spring Vibes
  📅 Date: Friday, March 28, 2025, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
  📍 Location: Nuttea - Nut Mylk Café, 637 Bloor Street West, Toronto
  🎟️ RSVP: Meetup Event Page

  🍹 Join fellow vegans and friends for a casual evening of socializing at Nuttea, a plant-based tea shop known for its bakery items, bubble tea, coffee, homemade nut mylk, and nut cream. This month's event features a pop-up by Hey!Mom Onigiri, offering made-to-order plant-based onigiri. Indoor capacity is capped at 100 due to fire code regulations. Vegan-only food and drinks available for purchase. Name tags provided for mingling. RSVPs via Meetup are required.

• Vegan Dungeons & Dragons Session
  📅 Date: Friday, March 28, 2025, 6-10 PM
  📍 Location: Wishbone Animal Rights Lab, 600 Bay Street, Suite 305, Toronto, M5G 1M6
  🎟️ Registration: Wishbone AR Lab Events Calendar

  🎲 Join fellow enthusiasts for an immersive Dungeons & Dragons session with a vegan twist. This campaign blends fantasy storytelling with ethical themes, hosted in a vegan activist space. Beginners and experienced players welcome. Vegan snacks and all game materials provided. Free to attend, but registration is required.

• Small Plates, Big Flavor: Plant-Based Mezze Cooking Class
  📅 Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
  📍 Location: Animal Liberation Kitchen, 100 Broadview Ave., Toronto
  🎟️ Tickets available now: Register Here

  Join Chef Tanya Spasic of Animal Liberation Kitchen for an interactive evening learning to prepare a variety of Mediterranean mezze dishes. This hands-on class offers participants the chance to cook and enjoy small-plate dishes that are staples in Mediterranean cuisine. Wine and beer will be available for purchase, with sodas and juices included in the ticket price. All attendees will receive recipes and instructions to recreate the dishes at home. Spaces are limited to ensure an intimate experience, so early registration is recommended.

• Thai Cuisine With Seitan Class
  📅 Date: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
  📍 Location: Wishbone Animal Rights Lab, Toronto
  🎟️ Tickets available now: Eventbrite

  🍽️ This hands-on workshop will teach you how to make seitan from scratch and incorporate it into Thai dishes like green curry, Thai salad, and stir-fry. All recipes are vegan and beginner-friendly. Led by experienced instructor Kay Kaewprasert. Tickets include all materials and tastings.

• Fatty Bear x Lizzy Downes: One-Day Collab Sandwich
  📅 Date: Sunday, March 30, 2025 (starts at 11:00 AM)
  📍 Location: Fatty Bear Bakes (in-shop only)

  Fatty Bear is teaming up with Lizzy Downes, sous chef at Parallel Brothers, for a special one-day sandwich collab. They’ll be serving a vegan croissant sandwich stuffed with fried oyster mushrooms, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber, and gochujang mayo. Available Sunday only, starting at 11 AM until sold out.

• Sausage Party at Leslieville Farmers’ Market (Indoor Season Opener)
  📅 Date: Sunday, March 30, 2024, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  📍 Location: Leslieville Farmers’ Market (indoor), 1470 Gerrard St E

  Sausage Party kicks off their 2024 market season with a pop-up at the Leslieville indoor market. The menu includes their signature hotdogs, croissant dawgs, sourdough pretzels, and a limited hotdog-pickle focaccia cake. This marks 8 years for the vegan biz—early arrival recommended for the special items.

• Ghosts in Our Machine – Special Screening
  📅 Date: Sunday, March 30, 2025
  🕒 Time: 3:00 PM
  📍 Location: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West, Toronto
  🎟️ Tickets: Available via Hot Docs website

  This special screening of the acclaimed documentary Ghosts in Our Machine revisits the powerful film following photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur as she documents the lives of animals trapped in industries around the world. The event includes a Q&A with director Liz Marshall and McArthur herself, providing insight into the ongoing relevance of the film and the animal rights movement.

Activism:

• A new exposé by Animal Justice reveals disturbing details about how the Canadian government has killed millions of birds in response to avian flu outbreaks. Documents show that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) used methods including carbon dioxide gassing, neck-breaking (cervical dislocation), captive bolt pistols, and experimental nitrogen foam—many of which caused prolonged suffering. Mass killings were often carried out in poorly regulated conditions, sometimes by companies with histories of animal cruelty. Despite clear biosecurity failures, over $107 million in taxpayer money was spent on compensating farms, including those previously convicted of animal abuse.
  🔗 Read the full report

The Toronto Vegan Restaurants Guide 2025

World Vegan News:

• Michelin-Starred Vegan Pastries Return to NYC

  Madison Squares, the acclaimed vegan pastries from Eleven Madison Park's executive pastry chef Laura Cronin, are making a comeback in New York City this spring. Starting April 19, these plant-based treats will be available at the Bake It Nice pop-up outside Eleven Madison Park, featuring new flavours weekly. ​

• The British documentary 'I Could Never Go Vegan,' directed by Thomas Pickering, explores the plant-based lifestyle and addresses common misconceptions about veganism. Released in April 2024, the film features interviews with nutritionists, environmentalists, and individuals who have adopted a vegan diet.

In the Near Future:

*(more info will come closer to the dates)

• Vegan Speed Dating
  📅 Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
  🕒 Time: Doors open at 6:30 PM; event runs from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
  📍 Location: Star School, 758 Bathurst Street, Toronto
  🎟️ Tickets: Available via Eventbrite

  An opportunity for vegan singles to connect through a series of brief, timed interactions in a welcoming environment.

• Vegan Kimchi Workshop
  📅 Date: Monday, April 14, 2025,
  ⏰ Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
  📍 Location: 26 Sousa Mendes St, Toronto
  🎟️ Tickets: sodaam.com

  Learn the basics of Korean fermentation at So Daam’s Vegan Kimchi Workshop, where you'll make your own vegan kimchi from scratch—no fish sauce or shrimp paste involved. The session also includes a warm serving of Vegan Kimchi Jeon (Korean kimchi pancake) and a recipe to take home. This hands-on class is designed for all experience levels and offers a fun, informative dive into plant-based Korean cooking.

• 🚶‍♀️ 3rd Annual Anti-Vivisection Walk
  📅 Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
  ⏰ Time: 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM
  📍 Location: Village of Yorkville Park, 115 Cumberland St, Toronto
  🔗 Event details: Facebook Event Page

  Join this annual walk to raise awareness about animal testing and vivisection. The event aims to educate and advocate for cruelty-free alternatives while fostering a compassionate community.

• Plant-Based Toronto TTC Ad Campaign Launch Party
  📅 Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025
  📍 Location: The Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard Street East,
  ⏰ Time: 7:00 PM – 2:00 AM
  🎟️ Tickets: Eventbrite (Early bird discount until May 18)

  🌱 This event celebrates the launch of the Plant-Based Toronto ad campaign, which will run across Toronto’s two main TTC subway lines throughout June. The campaign features 22 local leaders from the food industry and non-profit sector advocating for a more plant-based Toronto.

  The launch party will bring together members of the plant-based community, including foodies, creators, and influencers.

• 2025 Toronto Animal Rights March
  📅 Date: Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 12:00 PM
  📍 Location: Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON

  The annual Toronto Animal Rights March returns this July as part of a global movement demanding justice and legal protection for animals. Organized by local activist groups including No Low – Plant Powered, the event invites participants to unite in solidarity for animal liberation. Full details to be announced—participants are encouraged to save the date and invite others.

  🔗 Event link

• Vegandale Toronto 2025
  📅 Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
  📍 Location: Woodbine Park
  🎟️ Tickets available: Here ($$ increase after today)

  Vegandale returns to Toronto for another full day of food, music, art, and ethical consumerism—all 100% vegan. While specific vendors and performers have yet to be announced, past events have featured global plant-based brands, bold branding, and an unapologetically vegan atmosphere.

• VegTO Fest 2025
  📅 Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025 (11:00 AM – 7:00 PM) & Sunday, September 21, 2025 (11:00 AM – 6:00 PM)
  📍 Location: Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto
  🎟️ Free admission

  🌱 VegTO Fest announced it will return for its 40th anniversary with the theme Eat. Innovate. Transform. Expect two full days of plant-based food vendors, guest speakers, and community-driven experiences focused on the future of sustainable and compassionate living. More details to come closer to the date.
  

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