On the last Sunday in March, what looked like a typical farmers market took place in the parking lot of Pontoon Brewing in Sandy Springs. Under tents, vendors sold food and drinks, candles, clothes, jewelry, beauty products and arts and crafts while a DJ pumped bass-heavy beats.
But if you looked a little closer, and you saw this was anything but the typical market: Shirts and tote bags for sale said things like “Vegan life” and “plant based,” while food and drink options included horchata made with oat milk, jackfruit burgers, and sliders that subbed out the meat for fried green plantains topped with a “saltfish” made with hearts of palm.
Bien Vegano Atlanta, a market with a plant-based focus that has set up at breweries around metro Atlanta since 2020, now is a monthly event (except during the winter). The market seeks to be both a gathering spot for vegans and a way to introduce the lifestyle to those who are curious or are looking to make a change.
Behind the market are Luis Martinez and Ivonne Lara, who both operated pop-up restaurants (My Abuelas Food for him, VeganX for her) at the height of the pandemic.
Credit: Matthew Stepp
Credit: Matthew Stepp
“It was an idea that really was born in the kitchen,” said Martinez, a native of Puerto Rico who grew up in metro Atlanta and became interested in veganism after watching the 2008 documentary “Food, Inc.”
“We just talked about how we wanted to create a space where everyone’s welcome, and veganism was the foundation of it,” he said. “We didn’t want it to feel pushy; we just wanted to showcase it in a way that people could feel comfortable.”
Generally, Bien Vegano Atlanta attendees will find 40 to 60 vendors, almost all people of color. Some of them approach Martinez about participating, and he reaches out to others. Vendors who do not normally focus on vegan food and items are welcome, as long as they’re willing to sell plant-based products for the market.
Guadalupe Lopez, who operates Con Amor Desserts, an offshoot of Las Tias Mexican restaurant in Lawrenceville, has set up at Bien Vegano Atlanta multiple times. Though she hadn’t had experience cooking vegan food before, she adapted her menu to accommodate the market, with such dishes as flautas stuffed with mashed potatoes and flan made with tofu, coconut cream and almond milk.
“Many dishes that I was already making can adapt perfectly to the vegan lifestyle,” she said.
In addition to promoting minority-owned businesses, Martinez said it’s important to him to hold the events at local breweries.
“Breweries are always community spaces,” he said. “You can travel anywhere in the world and find a brewery and meet someone new.”
While the market has expanded and gained a steady following over the years, Martinez has plans to take it even further. There won’t be an April Bien Vegano Atlanta, but Martinez is planning to hold two in May. A May 19 market at Pontoon Brewing will feature the normal Bien Vegano Atlanta format. The other market date, tentatively slated for May 4 at Round Trip Brewing, “will be a celebration of Mexican-American heritage,” he said.
The event will feature speakers talking about veganism in Mexico, business development and Georgia immigration laws, as well as cooking demonstrations. Martinez hopes to make the interactive markets a regular part of Bien Vegano Atlanta.
He also is planning a digital cookbook, highlighting recipes from Atlanta-based vegan chefs, as well as a Taste of Bien Vegano competition that will challenge chefs to create dishes using specific ingredients.
Ultimately, Martinez said, the goal of Bien Vegano Atlanta is to educate and create events where everyone feels welcome.
“We hope that you come in, meet someone new, taste some different foods, look at local businesses that work so hard,” he said. “And if you can absorb that when you leave and maybe learn something, that’s the goal of this market.”
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