Oly
mp
ia^ A
use
t:^ Jo
hn^
F.^ P
ete
rs
VEGNEWS.COM^ VegNews 45
yet: Impossible Foods launched a 2.0
gluten-free version of its signature
patty; announced in-the-works
development of vegan pork sausage
and fish products; and brought
its burgers to fast-food empires
including Burger King, Red Robin, and
Little Caesars. With Brown at the helm
of vegan food tech, nothing (and
everything) is impossible.THE CULINARY KING
Nic Adler
³The wave of next-level vegan food
sweeping the nation is cresting in
Southern California, and Nic Adler—a
fixture on the Hollywood music scene
for more than two decades—is at the
helm. As Coachella’s official culinary
curator, Adler is the reason why
99,000 festivalgoers were treated to
an unforgettable lineup of vegan food
options in 2019, including empanadas,
ramen, and enoki mushroom reubens,
while more than 10,000 attended his
10th annual beer and food festival EatDrink Vegan in Pasadena, CA. And those
who missed out on Adler’s burger
joint Monty’s Good Burger (dubbed
“the vegan In-N-Out” by fans) at either
festival can hit up its newly-opened
third location in LA’s trendy Echo Park
neighborhood. When your parents
are Tinseltown heavyweights (dad is
legendary producer Lou Adler and
mom is actress Britt Ekland), the pressure
to succeed is high, and his newest
venture, the chic Nic’s on Beverly, has
already secured his legacy by enticing a
glam crowd with wood-fired focaccia,
Moroccan chickpea tagine, and vegan
egg-topped horchata cocktails. Festival
by festival, restaurant after restaurant, if
Adler has anything to say about it, the
future is about to get a lot more vegan.THE COMMUNITY
BUILDER
Amy Quichiz
³Queer people of color have found
themselves at the forefront of almost
every progressive social justiceNIC
ADLER
OLYMPIA
AUSET
³In 2016, frustrated by the two-
hour bus ride she regularly endured
just to buy groceries, South LA
native Olympia Auset had enough.
Motivated to end the “food
apartheid” plaguing her community,
the vegan Howard University
graduate started SÜPRMARKT, a
low-cost, organic produce pop-up
serving residents whose access to
fresh food is largely limited to what’s
available at corner liquor stores and
fast-food outlets. This year, after
one of the region’s only health-food
markets closed, the 28-year-old
launched the #KeepSlausonFresh
crowdfunding campaign with
the aim of purchasing the empty
storefront and transforming it once
again into a haven of healthy food
options. With the support of the
community and celebrities like Issa
Rae, Roy Choi, and Common, Auset
raised more than $80,000 to bring
the dream to life, even prompting
communities as far away as Atlanta
and Chicago to reach out and ask
for help in transforming their food
deserts into healthful oases. With
enormous drive, dedication to her
community, and a wisdom beyond
her years, Auset is primed to help
bring an end to food inequality,
one community at a time.THE FOOD JUSTICE WARRIOR