OFFICIAL JUDGES
2019 SoCal VegFest Vegan Cupcake Competition
Joni Marie Newman
is Food Editor for VegNews Magazine. She is the author of ten vegan cookbooks, the latest of which is “The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (Just Got Better!)”, published in July 2019. Joni is a passionate vegan activist and chef, frequently giving cooking demos to show easy it is to make delicious and satisfying vegan foods. She can also be found giving tours and spearheading all-vegan events such as PlantFest at Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California. Her Buffalo Mac and Cheese (recipe available, along with others on her blog, Just the Food) was crowned First Place Winner at the 2017 Mac Down LA Competition in Pasadena, California.
TED LAI
is Chef and Owner of Plant Alchemy, which specializes in global comfort foods, and produces small batch plant-based cheese, seitan, protein subs, creamy sauces, and more. They can be found at the Marina Farmer’s Market in Long Beach, California and at pop-ups around Southern California. From humble beginnings as a four-year-old making peanut butter and pickle sandwiches to his work as a vegan chef, Ted understands the power of food in life. A vegan father of a plant-based family, he is known on social media as @WokWildside. Ted also hosts the @VeganMacGyver show where he shows how easy it is being vegan by cooking in a hotel room with an iron, a coffee maker, a blow dryer, and an ice bucket.
JENNY ROSS
is Executive Chef of Tribest International, and teaches workshops worldwide on raw and vegan foods. She is a 5 time best-selling author. Her most recent book (with Doreen Virtue), Veggie Mama, published in 2016, is a manual for raising healthy vegan kids. She also works as a food and beverage consultant for creative work with brands, products, and wellness centers. In 2014, Jenny was named as one of the 10 Exceptional Orange County Women by Orange Coast Magazine. Her accomplishments and services can be found on Jenny Ross Living Foods, or on Instagram @jennyrossrawfood and Facebook @Jennyrosslivingfoods.
LAURA JARDON
is Chef and Owner of Veggie Y Que, a vegan deli in Whittier, California. Her popular menu items include Tortas, Chilaquiles, Burritos, and more. They make their own vegan meats like Al Pastor and Chicarron in-house. Laura is also the founder of the La Vida Verde Festival, where she brings vegan food vendors and businesses into Whittier. In an October 2018 interview with OC Weekly, Laura said that she decided to host La Vida Verde in the city she lives in to show her community that embracing your culture and being vegan is possible. “There is a big demand for vegan options out here,” she says. “If I bring it to you in your neighborhood, there’s a chance that you might say ‘let’s go check it out.’ And that is my purpose.”