Maybe living for a long time in SoCal inevitably turns you into a raw food fan. I still have no compulsion to go all raw — I simply don’t see the need — but I find myself actively seeking out raw foods, raw restaurants, and raw events. And I’m not the only accidentally raw food connoisseur. Even the next Fiscally Green Cuisine event by the Sustainable Business Council features a bunch of raw chefs!

But raw foodies now have their own monthly event: The Raw Living Vegan Bazaar, organized by a hippie-sounding group called Katharsis. I went to the March bazaar held at Jerry’s Garden, a lushly decorated shop on Pico. There, fans of all things raw and healthy gathered to sample foods, hear health-minded talks, and hang out with fellow raw foodies.

Raw foodies are often eco-foodies, since both seek out organic, local, freshly made unprocessed foods– and both types flocked to this free event. I tried the raw and organic Divine Organics Bliss Mix, learned about raw organic bali butter from Earth Circle Organics, and ogled the desserts at Chrissy’s Raw Chocolate (below). Hungry foodies could buy a full lunch from any of those vendors or Rawsheed (above) and Better Life Cuisine — whose kale salad so impressed me I visited the actual restaurant a week later!

Hands down my favorite snack came from Bar-Yochai Delights — organic, raw, vegan fudge delights in carob, mesquite, and dates flavors that taste deliciously sweet, moist, and somewhat fudge-y.

The event was fun, though not perfect: Many vendors only offered samples by specific request — a practice perhaps to be expected at a free and public event, but unhelpful if you’re a try-before-buy type who’d rather pay an admission fee for freedom to graze. I also wasn’t a fan of the speakers, who noisily expounded throughout the event on topics I didn’t find particularly appetizing (crave a detailed lesson on colon health while eating lunch, anyone?), though perhaps related to the benefits of raw food.

Still, I plan to attend the next Raw Living Vegan Bazaar — especially since the invite says speakers will be in a lecture room, not the outside courtyard where the vendor tables are like they were last time. The next Bazaar happens Sun., April 11 from 11 am – 5 pm at Jerry’s Garden, 6132 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles.

Earlier: Raw vegan restaurants in Los Angeles

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