With more live entertainment slated for the St. Louis Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 22, than ever before, this year's celebration is bound to knock St. Louis up to the second largest Earth Day festival in the country -- after all we are world champs, at things both big and small (but mostly big: obesity, crime, baseball).
Talking with Cassandra Hage, executive director of St. Louis Earth Day, Gut Check gleaned a few facts about this year's festival. We wondered what hippie-friendly hot-spots would make it on our must-see list (Quinoa samples at the Whole Foods booth? Vegan cookies? Witnessing could-be scenes from Portlandia?). But talking with Hage we realized our meager to-do list was not going to cut it. There's a lot of wacky fun in store, so get ready to mingle with the hippies, young hipster parents and Gut Check in Forest Park (Highway 40 [I-64] & Hampton Avenue) this Sunday.
The intriguing melange of fare includes lemon mustard chicken in onion sauce with rice, lamb with veggies and fried rice, vegetarian curry and fried plantains.
This booth will be slinging organic kettle corn made with only five ingredients (because it's kettle corn).
Feast on chicken or vegetarian burritos and tacos or nachos washed down with margaritas and organic fruit mojitos.
- Bayou Seasoning and Catering
Local, organic vegetarian jambalaya, organic chicken jambalaya, organic chicken on a stick, organic fruit cups...basically all the organic delights your heart could desire.
Though decidedly not healthy, quasi eco-friendly Ben &Jerry's will be serving scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate fudge brownie, cherry Garcia, Stephen Colbert's American dream, vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chunk, it's new frozen yogurt flavors and lemonade sorbet.
Check out the lamb, chicken or eggplant gyros for a bit of Mediterranean flavor or try Bulgary Catering's wild mushroom and pesto quesadillas, Greek salad, Greek baklava or peach iced tea.
Gut Check loves the earth-friendly eats at Foundation Grounds. At the Earth Day fest the cafe will be serving hot and iced organic, fair-trade coffee, iced lattes, mochas, chai, as well as scones, muffins, cookies and brownies.
Hot Aztec, a new addition to the St. Louis food truck scene, will be offering a variety of meat-free and meat tortas, oaxacan hot dogs, chicken tortilla soup, chips and salsa (or guacamole) and Mexican chocolate brownies for dessert.
- Juicemaster's Fresh Juice & Smoothies
Take the wheel and build your own smoothie or choose from one of the shop's more than ten flavors.
Tasty falafel or chicken schwarma wraps stuffed with romaine lettuce, onion, Arabic pickle and yogurt cilantro sauce, as well as a tempting hummus bar with pita bread, round out the food menu at Labeebee's booth.
- Michele C Catering & Events
Though it's non-alcoholic, the cherry mint sangria served at this booth sounds too good to pass up, as does its roasted tomato, cherry or rasin componata with flatbread.
- Moss Grills St. Louis Style BBQ
Stick-to-your-ribs St. Louis favorites make the cut at Moss Grills booth, where brisket sandwiches, ribs, chicken, hot links, potato salad, baked beans, all made with organic ingredients, will sate meaty appetites.
Latin American cuisine at its booth-bearing best, Peruvian will be serving vegetarian, chicken and pork tamales wrapped in corn husk. Be sure to wash down one of those tasty tamales with the eatery's tangy mango juice.
A Gut Check favorite and one of our
Five Best Thai Restaurants in St. Louis, Rearn Thai will be doling out servings of pad Thai, chicken satay and Thai iced tea. This is definitely a don't-miss destination.
Indulge in custom cocktails such as garden Marys, the subcontinental, star fire margaritas and bathtub gin punch.
- Schlafly Beer
Get your drink on at the Schlafly booth with its organic pale ale.
Choose from four varieties of enticing empanadas: spinach, creamy corn, beef or ham and cheese.
Meaty fare includes a chicken mozzarella dog with Asian slaw and BBQ pork bao, while meat-free palates can enjoy vegan wraps and boozy or not boozy fresh squeezed pineapple and carrot juice.
In addition to the options at the Earth Day cafe area, there will also be food for sale at the event's Farmer's Market area including food from: Issac Vending, Rams 5 Star Kettle Korn, The Sweet Divine and Pi Pizzeria.
