OFFICIAL JUDGES

2018 SoCal VegFest Vegan Cupcake Competition

ALAN CAMPOS ARROYO

is Regional Executive Chef of Neiman Marcus. He recently oversaw the opening of Café on 3, Neiman Marcus’ first (largely) plant-based café, in Beverly Hills, CA, USA. Alan was previously Sous Chef at Plant Food and Wine in Los Angeles, and also worked at Mesa Verde in Santa Barbara. Current offerings at Café on 3 include a Wild Mushroom Toast with Black Garlic Truffle Cashew Cream with Caramelized Onions, and a Little Gem Caesar Salad with Caper Berries and Sourdough Croutons. This noteworthy opening of a predominantly plant-based café in a major luxury department store has been covered in publications including One Green Planet, Viva Glam Magazine, VegNews, and LiveKindly, and Alan plans to execute more plant-based restaurants throughout the company.

SOOZEE NGUYEN

is Chef and Owner of The Wild Chive (inside MADE by Millworks in Long Beach, CA, USA), which serves Vegan Brunch every Sunday morning and Dinner on Thursday evenings. In 2017, TWC was named LA’s Best Vegan Brunch by VegOutLA, and Best Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich in LA by Buzzfeed. Soozee was previously Executive Chef of Black Flamingo, and Head Chef at Brooklyn’s Champs Diner, both in New York. She incorporates the tastes of her childhood and reinterprets comfort foods from across globe in her menu with items such as the Monte Cristo and Banh Mi Bowl. Soozee and her creations have been featured in numerous publications including VegNews, TimeOut New York, Chickpea Magazine, Beach City Food Tours, Gothamist, OC Weekly, and Long Beachize.

EARVIN LOPEZ

is the Owner of Vegan By Victoria’s, a Mexican bakery (panaderia) in Santa Ana, CA, USA. In his own words in an interview by Mercy for Animals, “I veganize all Mexican sweet bread (Pan Dulce). I just take out all the cruelty and make it vegan”.  Earvin also bakes a wide variety of Mexican comfort desserts and treats, including bolillos, tres leches cake, strawberry besos (sandwich cookies), flan, puerquitos, and smiley face galletas. He has been featured in the LA Times, LiveKindly, and more. He often travels to vegan pop-ups and events in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, and San Diego to bring his food to a wider audience. Earvin aspires to show that going vegan doesn’t mean giving up cultural traditions, and is committed to spreading veganism to the Latin community, one concha at a time.

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