Vegan chicken wings will make their first appearance at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, NY from August 31 to September 1. The vegan wings—which will be offered by Buffalo-based vegan restaurant Root and Bloom Cafe—are made from jackfruit and served with a choice of traditional Buffalo sauce, house-made cashew bleu cheese, or house-made cashew ranch. At the festival, Root and Bloom—which typically sells 3,000 vegan wings per week at its restaurant—will also debut new Ghost Pepper Peach Wings. The wings are created using a three-step process to achieve a golden chicken-wing flavor and texture. “We feel that this event is a great way to introduce a crowd of around 60,000 people to wings that can be absolutely delicious with the characteristics they are looking for in a wing but without any of the cruelty,” Root and Bloom co-owner James Ernst told VegNews. “Especially since the organizers are seeing a demand for vegan products and personally invited us to partake. We feel the best way to advocate is to show people an alternative in a non-threatening environment.” At the 2013 wing festival, local chef and TV personality Steven Binks served a vegetarian wing with hummus dip and breaded green beans coated with hot sauce and gorgonzola cheese, but this year is the first time a vegan wing will be offered in the festival’s 18-year history.
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