2025 World Vegan Fest
Introducing Our Presenters
Miyoko Schinner
CHEF, AUTHOR, ENTREPRENEUR
Miyoko Schinner is an award-winning chef, author, entrepreneur and speaker. The founder of Miyoko’s Creamery, she is often credited for bringing vegan cheese to mainstream audiences. She also founded Rancho Compasión, a non-profit farmed animal sanctuary and education center for school-age youth. She currently teaches a food systems course at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
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Among her many awards as an activist, cultural icon and food innovator, Miyoko was named to the coveted inaugural list of Forbes 50 Over 50, a “Game Changer” by Food and Wine Magazine, a Top 100 Female Founder by INC., and a “Vegan Revolutionary” by UN Women.
Miyoko is the author of seven cookbooks, including the bestselling The Homemade Vegan Pantry, the book credited for launching the vegan cheese revolution, Artisan Vegan Cheese, and her most recent, The Vegan Creamery (September 2025). She was featured in a 4-part Netflix series, You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, co-hosted the cooking show Vegan Mashup that aired for three seasons on PBS, and currently hosts a show on YouTube.
Miyoko has spoken all over the world including at TedX Athens, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Korea, as well as home in the US at industry conferences and companies such as Google, Dropbox, The Smithsonian, and more. She is regularly featured on podcasts and interviews.
Miyoko has three grown children and resides in West Marin with her dogs, cats, and the over 100 animals of Rancho Compasión.
Dr. Will Tuttle
AUTHOR, EDUCATOR
Dr. Will Tuttle, visionary author of the acclaimed best-seller The World Peace Diet, published in 18 languages, is a recipient of the Courage of Conscience Award and the Empty Cages Prize. He’s also the author of the newly-released Food for Freedom, on the interconnection of health freedom and animal liberation and the companion book, The World Peace Way, filled with practical tips for staying healthy, as well as Your Inner Islands, on developing intuition.
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He is author and editor of other books as well, including Circles of Compassion, on the interconnection of social justice issues, and Buddhism and Veganism, on the connection between animal liberation and spiritual awakening.
Dr. Tuttle’s Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, focused on educating intuition and altruism in adults, and his doctoral dissertation was nominated for the Best Dissertation Award. He has taught college courses in philosophy, humanities, mythology, religion, and creativity. A former Zen Buddhist monk and a Dharma Master in the Korean Zen tradition, Dr. Tuttle is a noted composer and pianist. He has created ten CD albums of uplifting original piano music as well as several spoken word meditation CDs.
A vegan since 1980, he is a frequent radio, television, and online presenter, and has created several wellness and advocacy training programs. Featured in Cowspiracy, Christspiracy, Prayer for Compassion, Vegan: Everyday Stories; HOPE: What You Eat Matters, and Animals and the Buddha and other documentary films, he is the co-founder of the Worldwide Prayer Circle for Animals. With his spouse Madeleine, a Swiss visionary artist, Dr. Tuttle has delivered over 4,000 live audience presentations promoting compassion, intuition, and vegan living, in over 50 countries worldwide and in all 50 U.S. states.
Robert Cheeke
BODY BUILDER, INFLUENCER
Robert grew up on a farm in Corvallis, Oregon where he adopted a vegan lifestyle in 1995 at age 15, weighing just 120 pounds. Today he is the author of the books, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, Shred It!, Plant-Based Muscle, the New York Times bestseller, The Plant-Based Athlete, and his latest, The Impactful Vegan, released in 2024.
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He is often referred to as the “Godfather of Vegan Bodybuilding,” growing the industry from infancy in 2002, to where it is today. As a natural bodybuilding champion, Robert is considered one of VegNews magazine's Most Influential Vegan Athletes. He tours around the world sharing his story of transformation from a skinny farm kid to champion vegan bodybuilder. Robert is the founder of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness and VeganBodybuilding.com.
He is a regular contributor to Forks Over Knives, The Center for Nutrition Studies, Plant Powered Athlete, Vegan Strong, and No Meat Athlete, is a former multi-sport athlete, and has followed a plant-based diet for more than 29 years. Robert lives in Colorado with his wife, Karen, and rescued Chihuahua, Ellie.
Jason Kartalian
FILM PRODUCER, PODCASTER, INFLUENCER
Jason Kartalian is the creator behind @veganhackspod, a dynamic social media platform with over 500K followers across social media channels. He’s known for crafting short, impactful, and wildly shareable vegan content that blends humor, creativity, and accessibility helping bring veganism to a viral audience. Through over-the-top food experiments, unapologetically weird and wonderful culinary hacks, and relatable storytelling, Jason demystifies plant-based living and makes it fun, inclusive, and impossible to scroll past. Jason also co-hosts the Vegan Hacks Podcast. There is a method to his madness: To make compassionate, mindful eating go mainstream.
Jan Allegretti
AUTHOR, EDUCATOR
Jan Allegretti, D.Vet.Hom, has been a consultant in holistic health care for nonhuman animals for more than 35 years, specializing in nutrition, homeopathy, and lifestyle assessment. She is the author of The Holistic Animal Health Series, which includes the bestselling The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions, a comprehensive manual for health and healing through nutrition, homeopathy, herbal medicine, and a supportive home environment;
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and The Fresh & Flexible™ Meal Plan: The Easiest, Most Nutritious Way to Feed Your Dog and Cat, an innovative approach to feeding home-prepared meals based on the same principles we use to eat a healthy diet ourselves. She is the founder of Holistic Animal Health and Advocacy, working with home caregivers, shelter and rescue organizations, and veterinary professionals throughout the United States and internationally through private consultations, workshops, and as a speaker at conferences and outreach events. Her work has been published in professional and trade publications including the International Animal Health Journal, the Journal of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, and Vegan Life Magazine.
Jan is deeply committed to animal advocacy, writing and working to foster a better relationship between humans and other species. In 2006 and 2007 she successfully led a coalition to prevent the building of a slaughterhouse in her community; in 2007 co-founded the Mendocino County, California, animal advocacy organization CARE: Compassion for Animals, Respect for the Earth; and has been nominated for the American Red Cross (Sonoma and Mendocino Counties) Real Heroes Award in the Animal Category.
Supporting caregivers in offering healthy, home-prepared meals and, when possible, a vegan diet, to companion animals is a natural melding of Jan’s work as a healer and as an advocate for animals of all species. She finds great enjoyment in empowering humans to integrate their compassion into all aspects of their relationships with other animals—and in seeing the animals they care for thrive as a result. Her commitment to enhancing awareness and relationship among all species is evident in her writing, including her book Listen to the Silence: Lessons from Trees and Other Masters and the extensive library of articles archived on her website, HolisticAHA.com.
Jan lives in the hills of northern California, where she shares her mountaintop home with the resident deer, ravens, coyotes, rattlesnakes, bears, jackrabbits, and countless other wise and wild ones.
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
AUTHOR, PODCASTER
For nearly 30 years, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s compassionate living philosophy has been propelling plant-based eating into the mainstream and forever changing how we regard animals and treat the planet we live on. A recognized expert and thought leader on the culinary, social, ethical, and practical aspects of living compassionately, healthfully, and sustainably
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She is a bestselling author of eight books — including The Joy of Vegan Baking, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, The Joyful Vegan, and her newest book, A Year of Compassion: 52 Weeks of Living Zero-Waste, Plant-Based, and Cruelty-Free. (All of her books can be found here.)
Colleen is also an acclaimed speaker and the host of all-inclusive luxury sustainable, vegan, animal-friendly trips around the world. Host/Producer of Food for Thought Podcast (one of the longest running podcasts) and a regular contributor to Perspectives on KQED, NPR’s San Francisco affiliate, Colleen lives in Oakland, CA with her husband David and their beloved cat Michiko. Subscribe here for daily articles and inspiration.
Dr. Joanne Kong
AUTHOR, EDUCATOR
Dr. Joanne Kong has been praised as one of today’s most compelling vegan advocates. Her TEDx talk, The Power of Plant-Based Eating, has over 1 million views on YouTube. She has appeared at numerous conferences and festivals, including the North American Veg Society Summerfest, National Animal Rights Day, VegFest Colorado, Oakland VegFest, Sedona VegFest, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Plant-Based Climate Summit, and many others.
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Her advocacy has been recognized around the world with international talks in Italy, Spain, Germany, Norway, Canada, and a three-week tour of India. Dr. Kong is the author of If You’ve Ever Loved an Animal, Go Vegan, she is editor of Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, and her new book, Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living, is on sale here today. She appears in the major documentary Eating Our Way to Extinction. In her advocacy activities, Dr. Kong draws upon a diversity of skills as a writer, speaker, and creative artist, and performs in the duo, Vegan Virtuosi, with cellist and vegan advocate Christoph Wagner.
The Humane League
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
🔥Want to make a real difference for animals?
The Humane League is on a mission to end the abuse of animals raised for food—and it’s working. Recognized by Animal Charity Evaluators as one of the most effective animal advocacy groups in the world, THL has secured groundbreaking victories through bold corporate and legislative campaigns.
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Now, THL’s Bay Area team is pulling back the curtain:
🚨 Get an inside look at THL’s strategy
🎯 Learn about current campaign targets
✊ Find powerful ways YOU can get involved
If you’ve ever wondered “What more can I do to help animals?”—this is your chance to find out. Don’t miss it. #ForTheAnimals 🐔
Steven Marcus Releford
VEGAN COMEDIAN
A 15-year veteran of stand-up and a 13 year vegan, Steven takes audiences on a cruelty-free, high-energy rollercoaster of laughter. His work is both introspective and electric, blending philosophy with punchlines in a way that feels effortless yet deeply intentional. Like the best jazz solos, his sets are unpredictable, yet every note lands exactly where it’s meant to. His comedic voice is distinct, his timing razor-sharp, and his approach—completely unmatched.
Meet the Chefs
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is a Plant—Based Chef, Educator, Instructor, Chocolatier and professional Vegucator. Lisa has been sharing the joys of veg with the SF/Bay Area for over two decades.
Lisa is also a licensed Food for Life instructor with PCRM and helped develop and teaches the WFPBD program at Kaiser Permanente hospitals. Additionally, she won Vegan Iron Chef (San Francisco 2013) and Best of Raw (NYC 2010) and is a lifetime SFVS member.
Lisa uses her MS in healthcare to serve marginalized populations and persons in institutionalized care as a nationality certified Recreation Therapist.
Lisa has released over 100 lbs and regained her health through plant based foods and is excited to share her delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare culinary creations with everyone! Let’s Get VEGUCATED!
Visit https://www.cheflisaveg.com/ to learn more.
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As a self-proclaimed lifelong foodie, Jake always dreamed of turning that passion into a business but never knew where to start.
After discovering a love for cultivating fungi in 2022, he launched Fungi Farms, a local mushroom farm that laid the groundwork for his next big move: becoming a chef.
Jack’s mission is to turn locally grown, organic mushrooms into crave worthy comfort food that delights every kind of palate. With mushrooms finally getting the spotlight they deserve, Jack is here for the mycelial movement, one bite at a time.
Through his creative dishes and hands-on farming, he’s on a mission to nourish and educate, showing the world just how powerful (and tasty) fungi can be!
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At Alma y Sazon, we believe that food is more than just sustenance. It's a way to connect with our heritage, share our culture, and bring people together. That's why we use only the freshest ingredients and put love into every dish we make.
Whether you're a long-time vegan or just looking to try something new, we invite you to join us on a flavor journey to Michoacán. ¡Buen provecho!
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Get ready to be inspired by our expert line up of speakers and chefs!