The VegFest event Sugar Rush! gives you the opportunity to buy yummy, decadent desserts from June 4-11, 2021 while supporting local restaurants and helping a bunch of adorable rescue animals at The Little Red Barn Micro Sanctuary (where a portion of the restaurant's participation fees went)!
Nearly 40 restaurants created new, super-sweet menu items just for Sugar Rush! For a full list of restaurants check out the VegFest website.
Restaurant Spotlight
Cocoabeans Gluten-free | 774 Corydon Avenue
Cocoabeans specializes in gluten-free food and has an incredible selection of vegan options too. For Sugar Rush! they’re bringing back an amped-up take on a popular, seasonal customer favourite: the Lemon Meringue Tart for One.
This refreshing and tasty tart is heaven for lemon lovers, says owner Betsy Hiebert. Hiebert, who can’t eat dairy, was thrilled when her baker created a lemon meringue pie made with egg-white substitute aquafaba, which tastes exactly like meringue, plus the crust is torched at the top just like it’s meant to be!
Banh Mi King | 510 Portage Avenue
Banh Mi King has created a unique dessert for the Sugar Rush! Lineup: Bamboo Charcoal Matcha Lava Toast. This creation started the way many Banh Mi King menu items do, as an experiment in owner Hien Dang's family kitchen. Lava Toast was a hit with his family so now it’s revamped for Sugar Rush!
The Lava Toast dessert is made with bamboo charcoal powder which looks pretty, tastes great and offers health benefits, says Dang. Plus the Lava Toast comes in huge portions. Dang suggests buying one to share or skipping dinner to enjoy the dessert on your own. The Lava toast is served with Traditional Vietnamese coconut ice cream and fruit.
Hildegard's Bakery | 686 Portage Avenue
Nothing screams summer like an ice cream sandwich. Owner Michael Harms is excited to bring a new take on a summer staple to life.
A partnership with local favourite, Chaeban Ice Cream led to this glorious combination of Chaeban’s delicious vegan coconut ice cream, Hildegard’s chocolate-rye espresso cookies made with locally grown rye they mill in-house, and finally dipped in chocolate and covered in coconut.
Hildegard's also makes a mean vegan pizza if you want to make it a full picnic!
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Contact each restaurant and vendor directly to order for pick-up or delivery. Contact details are found at vegfest.ca.
Try as many confections as you can and make sure to vote for People’s Choice Award at winnipegvegfest.ca until midnight on June 11, and stay tuned on VegFest’s socials, @WpgVegFest on Twitter and @winnipegvegfest on Instagram, see more of the fabulous desserts featured and to hear local (and vegan) celeb John Rush’s selection for Judge’s Choice!
