The Vegan Outlet Has a New Location!

What is The Vegan Outlet?

The Vegan Outlet, a FREE bimonthly event hosted by the Orlando Bearded Vegan, has a brand new location in Apopka. If you’ve never experienced this event before, The Vegan Outlet includes a variety of plant-based and environmentally-friendly vendors. Depending on a particular week’s selection, you might find a delicious lunch, vegan condiments or grocery items, conscious clothing and home goods, or even beautiful works by local artists. Each event also features live entertainment, such as a DJ, musician, or topical speaker. While The Vegan Outlet is mostly an outdoor event, there is also an indoor dining space and bar with beer and wine available for purchase.

Where is the new location?

The Vegan Outlet is now located at Pinka Expressive Art Space in Apopka. This beautiful event space offers regular art classes and private music lessons to the local community. It features a large, air-conditioned area for eating and socializing, a small stage, as well as a comfortable sitting area.

When you arrive at Pinka, you can park in the shopping center lot and head inside the studio. You’ll have to walk through the studio to the back door to find the event. Most of the vendors as well as shaded outdoor seating can be found behind the building. Pinka is located at 502 S Hunt Club Blvd in Apopka, which is less than 15 minutes from their old location.

When is The Vegan Outlet?

The Vegan Outlet takes place twice monthly, on *sometimes* alternating Saturdays from 11am-4pm.

*While the dates generally occur every other weekend, it doesn’t always happen this way. Check the event’s Facebook page for the exact schedule.

The Vegan Outlet Vendors

With around 30 vendors carrying meatless and environmentally-conscious products, there’s something for everyone at The Vegan Outlet. Let’s take a look at some of the awesome locals and businesses I met at last weekend’s event!

Flora Plant-Based Cuisine

Flora Plant-Based Cuisine offers plant-based, Equadorian-Latino fusion fare. Their menu includes burritos, veggie/mushroom burgers, and even vegan ceviche!

While the ceviche sounds delicious, I was in the mood for something a bit heavier. I decided to try the Burrito Animal, and it was AMAZING! With sautéed portobello mushrooms, brown rice, black beans, lettuce, tomato, onion, two types of vegan sauces, and a flour tortilla spread with potato cheese; this burrito was as satisfying as it was tasty! In addition to all the flavorful ingredients, the mushroom added an umami element that really brought the dish together. I would recommend this item to both vegans and non-vegans!

But while Flora makes amazing vegan food, we also need to discuss their mission! One hundred percent of their net proceeds are donated to Sikuanga Ecoaldea, an Ecovillage in the Amazon Rainforest. This eco-tourism site and spiritual retreat is dedicated to regenerating the Amazon Rainforest, recovering ancestral memory and creating a self-sustaining permaculture for the indigenous Kichwa Canelos people.

You can learn more about the village in this mini-documentary:

To keep in touch with Flora Plant-Based Cuisine, visit their webpage, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram!

Mad Hombre Hot Sauce

Mad Hombre Hot Sauce is a local, family-owned business specializing in small batch condiments. They have five spice levels ranging from Mad Hombre (which has little to no “heat” with sweet undertones) all the way to the Strangle Hold (which is flavored with Carolina reaper, habanero, Scotch bonnet, cayenne, and serrano peppers). These sauces are not only tasty, but they are also vegan, gluten-free, and keto/paleo-friendly.

The Mad Hombre team brought samples (with tortilla chips) of all five sauces for people to taste and see how much spice they are able to handle. I like a fair bit of heat, so I started with their Medium flavor (appropriately named), “Pandemic.” This sauce is delicious! Unlike many hot sauces, it maintains a tasty flavor while adding a good kick of heat. Additionally, the flavor profile is versatile enough that you can use it with a variety of foods, instead of only being able to compliment certain dishes. I liked it so much that I actually ended up buying a bottle.

Because I was insanely curious, I also tried their spiciest sauce, “Strangle Hold” (but not without buying a water bottle first). This sauce was definitely hot. If you’re not used to taking a high level of spice, it’s going to be too much. For those who are more experienced, however, it was surprisingly pleasant! Mad Hombre has found the right balance of flavor and challenging heat to make a tasty and unforgettable hot sauce!

You can find out more about Mad Hombre (or buy your own bottle of sauce) on their website. Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram and Facebook too!

Ayderi & Friends Art Shop

At Ayderi & Friends Art Shop, four local artists come together to display their work and show off their talents! These creators each feature unique styles and themes. From original concepts, fan art, Disney princess stickers, demon girl artwork, and more; there was a huge range of characters and imagery!

Here’s a little bit about the artists and their styles. If you’d like to see more of their artwork or visit their online stores, it’s best to follow their Instagram accounts (linked below).

Ginnighost designs Disney fan art as well as original characters. I love these princess stickers she was selling at the Outlet!

AYDERI ART uses a mix of traditional and digital mediums. My favorite is this eyeball-centric piece featured at The Vegan Outlet, but there’s much more on his profile!

Eddie’s Instagram page is full of smiley faces, “pixelated” images, and other original artwork. I really enjoy the pixelated paintings.

Kayla Bugs focuses on horror-themed art. On her page you’ll find demon girls, bugs, clowns, and more! In addition to prints, she sells stickers and key chains.

I loved meeting this group of friends and learning about their art. I hope to see them again at The Vegan Outlet!

Of course, this is just a small selection of the vendors you might meet at The Vegan Outlet. There’s always a wide variety of awesome people!

No matter the location, The Vegan Outlet provides a fun afternoon with the opportunity to meet new friends, discover local businesses, and reinforce your plant-based (or plant-curious) lifestyle! Make sure to check out the next two Outlet dates on April 24 and May 15!

Find more events hosted by the Orlando Bearded Vegan!

Important Things To Know About The Vegan Outlet:

• The main event is located BEHIND Pinka. Please park and walk through the studio to find the outlet.
• Masks are required.
• This event is pet-friendly.
• There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating available.
• Inside Pinka, there’s a bar with beer and wine available for purchase.