Penn Vegan Society celebrates Food Week with ethical and sustainable eating

Balsamic-roasted kale, white bean meatballs, garlic scampi and dairy-free chocolate pudding filled the Terrace Room at Claudia Cohen Hall last night. These dishes were served as part of Penn Vegan Society's kickoff party — the latest event in a series for this year's Penn Food Week — co-sponsored by Bon Appetit at Penn, the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (AUNI) and Penn Environmental Group.

Members of the group shared their experiences of being vegan at Penn. Co-President of the Penn Vegan Society and College sophomore Brianna Krejci was a vegetarian when she came to Penn, but decided to go vegan after being exposed to the wide variety of vegan food options at Penn. Though Krejci was initially interested in the health benefits of a vegan diet, she quickly came to appreciate the role of veganism in promoting ethical and sustainable living.

College freshman Christina Zhou echoed this sentiment. She attributed her vegan lifestyle to her Buddhist upbringing, which emphasized showing compassion to all living things. As a dining liaison for the Penn Vegan Society, Zhou works closely with Penn chefs to develop vegan options for Penn dining halls. Nicole Tocco, fellow for the Bon Appetit Management Company, said that they are collaborating with the Vegan Society in hopes of introducing a vegetarian eatery in the spring.

Like the Vegan Society, Tocco added, Bon Appetit also keeps ethical concerns in mind when catering to Penn dining halls.

“Bon Appetit chefs always make vegan and vegetarian options available to our guests, whether or not they are full time vegans or vegetarians,” she said. “Making vegan and vegetarian options an attractive choice to our guests is one way to reduce our environmental impact and help our guests make the healthy choices.”

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