• Home
  • popular
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Charity Guide
  • children
  • education
  • health
  • veterans
  • SOCIAL SERVICES
  • ARTS + CULTURE
  • animals
  • lgbtq
  • New Charity
  • Series
  • Delivery Limited
  • DTX Giveaway 2012
  • DTX Ski Magic
  • dtx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Your Home in the Sky
  • DTX Best of 2013
  • DTX Trailblazers
  • Tastemakers Dallas 2017
  • Healthy Perspectives
  • Neighborhood Eats 2015
  • The Art of Making Whiskey
  • DTX International Film Festival
  • DTX Tatum Brown
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Dallas
  • DTX McCurley 2014
  • DTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • DTX Beyond presents Party Perfect
  • DTX Texas Health Resources
  • DART 2018
  • Alexan Central
  • State Fair 2018
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Zatar
  • CityLine
  • Vision Veritas
  • Okay to Say
  • Hearts on the Trinity
  • DFW Auto Show 2015
  • Northpark 50
  • Anteks Curated
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving
  • Maggie Louise Confections Dallas
  • Gaia
  • Red Bull Global Rally Cross
  • NorthPark Holiday 2015
  • Ethan's View Dallas
  • DTX City Centre 2013
  • Galleria Dallas
  • Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty Luxury Homes in Dallas Texas
  • DTX Island Time
  • Simpson Property Group SkyHouse
  • DIFFA
  • Lotus Shop
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Dallas
  • Clothes Circuit
  • DTX Tastemakers 2014
  • Elite Dental
  • Elan City Lights
  • Dallas Charity Guide
  • DTX Music Scene 2013
  • One Arts Party at the Plaza
  • J.R. Ewing
  • AMLI Design District Vibrant Living
  • Crest at Oak Park
  • Braun Enterprises Dallas
  • NorthPark
  • Victory Park
  • DTX Common Desk
  • DTX Osborne Advisors
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • DFW Showcase Tour of Homes
  • DTX Neighborhood Eats
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • DTX Auto Awards
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2017
  • Nasher Store
  • Guardian of The Glenlivet
  • Zyn22
  • Dallas Rx
  • Yellow Rose Gala
  • Opendoor
  • DTX Sun and Ski
  • Crow Collection
  • DTX Tastes of the Season
  • Skye of Turtle Creek Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival
  • DTX Charity Challenge
  • DTX Culture Motive
  • DTX Good Eats 2012
  • DTX_15Winks
  • St. Bernard Sports
  • Jose
  • DTX SMU 2014
  • DTX Up to Speed
  • st bernard
  • Ardan West Village
  • DTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Taste the Difference
  • Parktoberfest 2016
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House
  • DTX Smart Luxury
  • DTX Earth Day
  • DTX_Gaylord_Promoted_Series
  • IIDA Lavish
  • Huffhines Art Trails 2017
  • Red Bull Flying Bach Dallas
  • Y+A Real Estate
  • Beauty Basics
  • DTX Pet of the Week
  • Long Cove
  • Charity Challenge 2014
  • Legacy West
  • Wildflower
  • Stillwater Capital
  • Tulum
  • DTX Texas Traveler
  • Dallas DART
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Alexan Riveredge
  • Ebby Halliday Realtors
  • Zephyr Gin
  • Sixty Five Hundred Scene
  • Christy Berry
  • Entertainment Destination
  • Dallas Art Fair 2015
  • St. Bernard Sports Duck Head
  • Jameson DTX
  • Alara Uptown Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival fall 2017
  • DTX Tastemakers 2015
  • Cottonwood Arts Festival
  • The Taylor
  • Decks in the Park
  • Alexan Henderson
  • Gallery at Turtle Creek
  • Omni Hotel DTX
  • Red on the Runway
  • Whole Foods Dallas 2018
  • Artizone Essential Eats
  • Galleria Dallas Runway Revue
  • State Fair 2016 Promoted
  • Trigger's Toys Ultimate Cocktail Experience
  • Dean's Texas Cuisine
  • Real Weddings Dallas
  • Real Housewives of Dallas
  • Jan Barboglio
  • Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
  • Hearts for Hounds
  • Okay to Say Dallas
  • Indochino Dallas
  • Old Forester Dallas
  • Dallas Apartment Locators
  • Dallas Summer Musicals
  • PSW Real Estate Dallas
  • Paintzen
  • DTX Dave Perry-Miller
  • DTX Reliant
  • Get in the Spirit
  • Bachendorf's
  • Holiday Wonder
  • Village on the Parkway
  • City Lifestyle
  • opportunity knox villa-o restaurant
  • Nasher Summer Sale
  • Simpson Property Group
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Dallas
  • Carlisle & Vine
  • DTX New Beginnings
  • Get in the Game
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • Dallas DanceFest
  • 2015 Dallas Stylemaker
  • Youth With Faces
  • Energy Ogre
  • DTX Renewable You
  • Galleria Dallas Decadence
  • Bella MD
  • Tractorbeam
  • Young Texans Against Cancer
  • Fresh Start Dallas
  • Dallas Farmers Market
  • Soldier's Angels Dallas
  • Shipt
  • Elite Dental
  • Texas Restaurant Association 2017
  • State Fair 2017
  • Scottish Rite
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • DTX_Stylemakers
  • Alexan Crossings
  • Ascent Victory Park
  • Top Texans Under 30 Dallas
  • Discover Downtown Dallas
  • San Luis Resort Dallas
  • Greystar The Collection
  • FIG Finale
  • Greystar M Line Tower
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • The Shelby
  • Jonathan Goldwater Events
  • Windrose Tower
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • State Fair of Texas 2016
  • Choctaw Dallas
  • TodayTix Dallas promoted
  • Whole Foods
  • Unbranded 2014
  • Frisco Square
  • Unbranded 2016
  • Circuit of the Americas 2018
  • The Katy
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Partners Card
  • Omni Hotels Dallas
  • Landmark on Lovers
  • Harwood Herd
  • Galveston.com Dallas
  • Holiday Happenings Dallas 2018
  • TenantBase
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2018
  • Hawkins-Welwood Homes
  • The Inner Circle Dallas
  • Eating in Season Dallas
  • ATTPAC Behind the Curtain
  • TodayTix Dallas
  • The Alexan
  • Toyota Music Factory
  • Nosh Box Eatery
  • Wildflower 2018
  • Society Style Dallas 2018
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital 2018
  • 5 Mockingbird
  • 4110 Fairmount
  • Visit Taos
  • Allegro Addison
  • Dallas Tastemakers 2018
  • The Village apartments
  • City of Burleson Dallas

    Vegan News

    Texas Veggie Fair, one of Dallas' biggest food festivals, shuts down

    Teresa Gubbins
    Sep 22, 2021 | 11:14 am
    Texas Veggie Fair
    The festival featured all vegan and plant-based foods.
    Texas Veggie Fair

    One of Dallas' longest running foodie festivals is canceling indefinitely: Texas Veggie Fair, an annual festival featuring vegan/plant-based vendors, is pulling the plug after 10 years.

    Established in Dallas in 2010, the event was the largest, longest-running VegFest in Texas.

    But organizers decided that the event, which was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, had reached a point where moving forward would require untenable changes.

    "The COVID-19 pandemic made the decision to cancel in 2020 an easy one, but those same questions about the future persisted into 2021," said founder James Scott.

    The cancellation comes, ironically, right as the vegan market advances towards world domination, valued at $14.2 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $31.4 billion by 2026, according to Allied Market Research. It's a dramatic change from 2010, when finding vegan anything was somewhat of a challenge. Having one event such as the Veggie Fair with offerings from local and national vendors was a revelation.

    The Veggie Fair experienced exponential growth during its decade-long tenure, from its early days in a parking lot near I-30 to its final iteration in 2019 at Dallas Farmers Market where it drew more than 12,000 attendees with its combination of veggie foods, local and national speakers, vendors, games, and live music.

    Two factors key to its success were also liabilities: #1 It was put on by an all-volunteer staff and #2 it was free to get in.

    "The reality is that our ability to raise the funds through sponsorship and vendor fees has not kept pace with the continually rising costs of organizing an event in the way we think it should be done," Scott said. "We understand that many would be willing to pay to attend, but charging for entry makes it a different kind of event."

    Scott said that running a free event was particularly challenging.

    "To do it right, by following all of the rules and regulations for official events in the city, makes it extremely difficult for free events," he said. "Furthermore, there are few suitable locations for an large events such as this."

    And yet having it be free for all was part of the DNA.

    "The approachability of a free event for veg-curious people and families is what allowed our event to be well attended by non-vegan people, something that would be missing if a fee was ever involved," he said.

    As with any nonprofit/volunteer effort, there was a significant case of burnout. But despite the volunteer staff, the event was executed with polish and professionalism, guaranteeing return attendance year after year.

    Following the debut of Texas Veggie Fair, two other veg fests in Texas were founded in 2011 — VegFest Houston and Texas VegFest in Austin — although both smaller in size; both have also been on hold since 2019.

    The fair also gave Dallas' vegan scene some serious momentum, helping to establish that such a market existed in the stereotypical steakhouse capital, and providing a platform and audience for restaurants and entrepreneurs. It also drew attendees from across Texas and outside of the state as well.

    "While the world is not vegan (yet), the progress that has been made since our first event in 2010 has been inspiring," Scott said.

    rankingsweatherreports
    news/restaurants-bars

    most read posts

    Veteran Dallas restaurant team to open innovative Indian to-go spot

    Official list of 4th of July events and fireworks around Dallas in 2025

    6 new restaurants touch down in Dallas in a mini-flurry of openings

    Greek News

    Savvy chef team to open Elia Greek Tavern in Dallas' Bishop Arts

    Raven Jordan
    Jun 23, 2025 | 7:27 pm
    Branzino with olives and tomatoes
    Weight Watchers
    Branzino with olives and tomatoes

    A new restaurant is coming to a revered Oak Cliff location: Called Elia Greek Tavern, it will open this summer in Bishop Arts at 205 N. Bishop Ave., better known as the former home of Nora Restaurant and Bar.

    Elia is from highly prolific chef Habip Kargin and his partner Hayko Sherenian, who also own Selda Mediterranean, the growing Turkish restaurant concept which now has four locations in Dallas — including The Mayor's House by Selda, also in Bishop Arts — as well as a location in San Antonio.

    When Nora closed in May, they saw an opportunity to offer something new to the neighborhood.

    "We wanted to bring an authentic Mediterranean/Greek seafood restaurant to Bishop Arts and also bring another attraction to the area," Sherenian says.

    Elia will be a fusion, combining Turkish and Greek cuisine, especially seafood such as baked Greek branzino, dorado, swordfish, and snapper, as well as Greek classics like chicken and lamb.

    They'll also do classic Greek dishes like tzatziki and caviar dips, calamari, and saganaki — a pan-fried Greek cheese. Prices will be reasonable for a nice place, from $20-$40 per person.

    As is their habit, they're bringing in chefs with expertise: Abdullah "Apo" Acik and Yusuf Alasulu, two chefs from Cyprus, an island south of Greece, to head the culinary team.

    The restaurant will be open late nights until 2 am and feature a full bar with wine, beer, and cocktails, as well as a weekday happy hour from 3-6 pm.

    The inside of the restaurant is also being renovated with a classic Greek vibe incorporating lots of the color blue.

    "It will be upscale but cozy and relaxed at the same time," Sherenian says. "We want the customer to feel as if they just had a meal at a small family restaurant in Greece."

    Kargin opened his first restaurant in Mersin, Turkey, before moving to the U.S. He founded Pera, a Mediterranean concept, in 2012 and later opened the original Selda on Belt Line Road in 2020. Sherenian became a partner when they expanded with a location in Frisco, which opened in May.

    oak-cliffopenings
    news/restaurants-bars
    Loading...