Written and published April 2015 by Olivia Engel, Green Dining Alliance Program Coordinator
If you made your way to Forest Park on Sunday, chances are the tantalizing scents on the air led you to the Earth Day Cafe at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival – where vendors with cuisine from around the world showcased delicious festival fare with a sustainable flair.
Over 85% of vendors in the Cafe were GDA-certified, and it showed. Local and organic ingredients, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and pastured meats made near constant appearances. Whether you craved a Missouri grass-fed burger, raw zucchini pasta, spicy bayou chicken, pad thai, or even street food from Mumbai, the Earth Day Cafe had you covered. Drinks and desserts were also plentiful, like Vietnamese coffee popsicles, Kakao chocolates, or freshly juiced carrots with rum.
Photo of heron on Deer Lake (credit: Forest Park Forever). Several of these small white herons were seen fishing in the lake and creek beside noshing humans in the Earth Day Cafe.
Another exciting thing about the Cafe was the location: the vendors thronged Theatre Drive, right beside Deer Lake, shady trees and a collection of stepping stones in the water for jumping and playing. The Earth Day Cafe never looked so good.
“This is better than ever before,” said John Chen, co-owner of Urban Eats Cafe and vendor at the Festival. “The space is just lovely for families, and it’s much better for vendors.”
Were you there with us on Sunday? Show us how you chose to #EatGreenSTL at the Festival on social media for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to a GDA-certified restaurant.
