Keynote Speakers, Chefs, and Performers

A graduate of Stanford University and Cornell Law School, Rich is a 45-year old, world-renowned vegan ultra-endurance athlete, wellness advocate, husband, father of 4 and inspiration to people worldwide as a transformative example of courageous and healthy living.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is an exhilarating speaker, a powerful writer, a talented chef, and a persuasive advocate whose success can be measured by the thousands of people whose lives have been changed by her compassionate message.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is an American author, magazine columnist, and former host of community access cooking show Post Punk Kitchen. She has authored several best-selling cookbooks, including Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Veganomicon, Vegan Brunch, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and Appetite for Reduction.

Terry Hope Romero, author and co-author of bestselling vegan cookbooks Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and Viva Vegan!: Authentic Vegan Latina American Recipes.

A riveting story of transformation and healing, PEACEABLE KINGDOM: THE JOURNEY HOME explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic assumptions of their way of life.

Michael Greger, M.D., is a physician, author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the International Bird Flu Summit, and was invited as an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey at the infamous "meat defamation" trial. Dr. Greger proudly serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States.

John Pierre is a nutrition and fitness consultant who has devoted more than a quarter century to helping and improving the lives of others through his expertise in the areas of geriatrics, nutrition, fitness, women’s empowerment, green living, and cognitive retainment and improvement.

Victoria Moran has been a Main Street Vegan for almost 30 years and is the bestselling author of eleven books, including Creating a Charmed Life (in 30 languages around the world) and the plant-based weight loss classic, The Love-Powered Diet. Her college thesis became Compassion the Ultimate Ethic: An Exploration of Veganism, originally published in 1985 and the first work on vegan philosophy and practice to come from a major publisher.

Anna Pippus is an animal rights lawyer and activist living in Toronto. She focuses the majority of her efforts on advocating on behalf of farmed animals because their suffering is profound, widespread, and largely socially accepted. Anna was a founding board member of Mercy For Animals Canada and is currently serving as the organization's Acting Director of Operations.

Taymer Mason grew up in a family of cooks who taught her to make—and love!—traditional Caribbean cuisine. She went vegan in 2006 while an undergraduate at the University of the West Indies and discovered that, far from being limiting, it was an exciting new way to cook her old favorites. Now she writes the popular cooking blog Vegan in the Sun. She lives with her husband and their cat in the French West Indies, but she appreciates the unique culture and cuisine of all the islands—and especially of her birthplace, Barbados.

Douglas McNish is an executive chef, cooking teacher and raw food consultant who is passionate about sharing his knowledge about the raw food lifestyle. He has personally experienced the benefits -- he lost 100 pounds in 2 years since embracing the diet. Douglas lives in Ontario.

The We Animals project was created by award-winning photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur who has been documenting the plight of animals on all seven continents for over ten years. Her documentary project, We Animals, is internationally celebrated and over 80 animal organizations, among them Igualdad Animal, Sea Shepherd and the Jane Goodall Institute, have benefited from her photography.

A vegetarian since the age of six, Lisa became a vegan quite early owing to her body’s inability to digest animal proteins. But that decision — to eliminate animal foods — she says “changed her life.” “I was full of energy and the daily stomach aches disappeared,” she says. Lisa’s continued interest in veganism saw her becoming an ethical vegan when she turned 16. A full-time social worker, Lisa holds a Raw Chef certificate and dabbles in cooking demos, creating food-based outreach events and contributing recipes for One Green Planet and the Toronto Vegetarian Association.

Nicole is a Canadian writer, editor, wife, and mother of two adorable rescue cats, Leola and Eli. She loves animals too much to eat them, and she discovered that teaching others through food is an effective vegan outreach tool—otherwise known as baketivism. She began developing wholesome, all-natural vegan dessert recipes to inspire others to think differently about what they eat, and has yet to meet a person who refuses to take a second bite of her sunbutter bites or raw coconut brownies.

Larra Skye is a singer / songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Her album of original music, The World Disappears was the #1 bestselling independent jazz album of 2006 for national retailer HMV. She’s working on the follow-up.

In addition to being a senior instructor with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Caroline is an energy worker, meditation and yoga teacher, dedicated to helping people and our planet to heal in all ways. She is the author of the book The New Enlightened Eating and has taught hundreds of food classes to thousands of students.

Wayne Roberts is a Canadian food policy analyst and writer, widely respected for his role as the manager of the [Toronto Food Policy Council], a citizen body of 30 food activists and experts that is widely recognized for its innovative approach to food security, from 2000-2010.