Listen to our LIVE broadcast from Louisville VegFest on Saturday, September 12, 2026 from noon-6pm at the Mellwood Art Center (1860 Mellwood Ave)! Learn more at https://vegkentucky.org Forward Radio was a proud media sponsor of Kentucky’s premier celebration of all things vegan! Our booth showed how you can turn all that plant-power into community radio! Participants enjoyed music, performances, craft beer, cocktails, a plant-based marketplace, and inspiring speakers, including: 12:15pm Dominick Thompson, Activist, Athlete, Creator & Author We’re incredibly grateful to welcome @domzthompson back to Louisville VegFest, speaking on: “Beyond the Walls: Masculinity, Compassion, and Becoming Human.” An Ironman triathlete, social entrepreneur, author, and animal rights activist whose story and work have inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world. After choosing vegetarianism while incarcerated 25 years ago, Dom went on to become a leader in the No-Meat Athlete movement and build a life centered around compassion, wellness, and advocacy. He is the creator of Eat What Elephants Eat, his wellness brand and cookbook, and the real-life inspiration behind the upcoming film Land of Wolves. 1:15pm Kim Giovacco, founder of Veg Jaunts and Journeys “Creating Community through Vegan Travel.” As vegans, one of our favorite parts of traveling is researching the vegan food scene before we even get there. Kim has built an entire business around exactly that - making vegan travel easier, more meaningful, and a whole lot more fun. An experienced world traveler herself, Kim founded Veg Jaunts and Journeys to create the kind of travel experiences she wished existed. Her small-group tours have taken vegan travelers on adventures both in the U.S. and around the world, while creating something just as important along the way: community. She’ll share how a community-led initiative inspired the creation of Veg Jaunts and Journeys, how travel has helped build connections and friendships around the world, and plenty of practical tips for traveling while vegan. 2:15pm Reya Andrews presents The Plant-Based Nutrition Prescription! Reya is a licensed nutritionist and Assistant Professor of Food and Nutrition at Eastern Kentucky University, with more than two decades of experience spanning nutrition science, holistic health, sustainable food systems, research, and health education. Her work explores one of the most powerful -and practical- questions in nutrition: If the scientific evidence for food as medicine is so strong, why isn’t your doctor talking about it? Reya will share realistic, practical ways to use nutrition to take a more active role in your health. 3:15pm Marilyn Almonte, a master teacher, intuitive food therapist, energy healer, and co-owner of Sri Mantra, a family-owned Sri Lankan restaurant. Her work is rooted in the belief that healthy, plant-powered food can be delicious, accessible, simple, and deeply satisfying, and that the right spices can completely transform the way we experience food. Whether you’ve ever dreamed about opening a vegan restaurant or food business, love supporting local businesses, or are simply curious about what happens behind the scenes, this is a conversation you’ll want to hear. 4:15pm Lakisha Morris, award-winning cake artist, educator, and founder of Pink Batter Cake Studio Lakisha presented a live vegan cake decorating demonstration in which Lakisha will show us some of the creativity and technique behind cake decorating, all while sharing her belief that cake can be about so much more than dessert. Lakisha is a three-time KY State Fair ribbon winner, graduate of the SBA THRIVE Emerging Leaders program, and nominee for Today’s Woman’s Most Admired Woman in Hospitality. She’s also currently serving as the September Chef-in-Residence at the Northeast Regional Library. Through Pink Batter Cake Studio, Lakisha creates guided, hands-on cake decorating experiences.
