Bella O'Connor
Founder, Vermont Coalition Against Factory Farms
Bella is an attorney and organizer interested in implementing the transformative solutions emerging within the animal rights movement.
She received her JD with a concentration in Animal Law from Vermont Law & Graduate School, where she served as an Environmental Mission Scholar and was the recipient of the Marc Mihaly Environmental Leadership Award for outstanding service in her volunteer and clinical work.
In both her personal and professional life, she has collaborated with local, state, and national organizations on a broad range of grassroots campaigns and policy initiatives combatting our climate crisis and the exploitative nature of industrial agriculture. She is also the founder of the Vermont Coalition Against Factory Farms (VCAFF), co-coordinator of the 350VT White River Node, and serves on the board of the Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions.
She currently works as attorney for the Center for Agriculture & Food Systems and has been following a plant-based diet for 14 years.
12:30pm in the Wellness 201
Presentation: Moving Past "Right to Harm" Laws
Factory farming has devastating public health consequences, but have you ever wondered what specific laws and policies make this harm possible? Even more importantly, is there an actual way we can stop it?
In this talk at the 2026 New England Vegfest, Bella O'Connor will discuss how "Right to Farm" legislation has been corrupted by agricultural conglomerates to give factory farms a free license to pollute, and how the Vermont Coalition Against Factory Farms played an instrumental role in preventing the state of Vermont from adopting some of these devastating policies.
This presentation will give the audience a window into critical frameworks of environmental law, and how ordinary people can create change at a local level to better protect our neighbors, animals, and the natural resources we all share.
Cara Marie Mourning
Executive Chef, Mill's Tavern & Competitor on Hell’s Kitchen Season 24
Cara - also known as Chef Daddy - is a Rhode Island–based Executive Chef, fearless kitchen creative, plant-based innovator, and competitor on Hell’s Kitchen Season 24. “Chef Daddy” isn’t just a nickname - it’s an energy. With a talent for transforming seasonal, globally influenced ingredients into memorable vegan dishes, Cara has become a standout presence in the East Coast culinary scene.
With 24 years of professional kitchen experience, she has been winning over guests one plate at a time. Known for her ability to “cook for everyone,” Cara has focused on vegan cuisine since 2010. Her plant-based journey began when she chose vegetarianism at 16 and later fully embraced veganism at 30 - motivated by personal wellness and a strong dedication to environmental stewardship and animal welfare.
Whether you're a foodie, a Hell’s Kitchen fan, or simply curious about thriving as a vegan in unexpected spaces, this is a presentation you won’t want to miss.1:00pm in Wellness 204
Presentation: A Vegan In "Hell" & Cooking Demo (Vegan Ceviche)
What does it take to be a proud vegan chef in one of the most notoriously intense, meat-heavy kitchens in the world? Join us for a presentation and live cooking demo with Cara Marie Mourning, AKA "Chef Daddy Cara," the newly appointed Executive Chef of Mills Tavern, and Rhode Island’s vegan powerhouse who competed on the most recent season of Hell’s Kitchen. In “A Vegan in Hell,” Cara shares her journey from becoming a vegetarian at 16 to living fully vegan for the past decade, all while building a 25-year professional culinary career in an industry that rarely centers plants. Chosen to represent Rhode Island on national television, she stepped into Gordon Ramsay’s high-pressure arena as a vegan chef in a very non-vegan world.
Cara will present a live vegan cooking demonstration, showcasing bold, crave-worthy flavor with a delicious vegan ceviche dish. Whether you're a foodie, a Hell’s Kitchen fan, or simply curious about thriving as a vegan in unexpected spaces, this is a presentation you won’t want to miss.
John Sanbonmatsu
Author, The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves
John Sanbonmatsu is Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he teaches courses in ethics, political philosophy, and existentialism.
His new book, "The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves," has been described in Forbes magazine and on the Our Hen House podcast as the best book ever written on veganism and animal rights.
Professor Sanbonmatsu is also author of "The Postmodern Prince" and editor of "Critical Theory and Animal Liberation," as well as creator and curator of the website CleanMeat-Hoax.com, which takes a skeptical stance toward the potential of cellular or cultivated meat to solve “the animal question.”
His opinion writing has appeared in CounterPunch, Huffington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and the New York Times.
Learn more at JohnSanbonmatsu.com
2:00pm in the Wellness 201
Presentation: The Omnivore's Deception - Veganism in Defense of Terrestrial Life
Join us at New England Vegfest 2026 for a thought-provoking presentation by Professor John Sanbonmatsu examining the ethics and impact of animal agriculture.
Shattering the conventional wisdom around the meat economy, Professor John Sanbonmatsu reframes the question of animal agriculture from one of "sustainability" to one of existential and moral purpose, presenting a powerful case for the total abolition of the animal economy. Raising and killing animals for food is not only environmentally destructive, he shows, but the wrong way to live a human life.
In a rejoinder to Michael Pollan and other critics who have told us that we can have our meat and our consciences, too, Professor Sanbonmatsu explains why "humane meat" is always a contradiction in terms. Veganism is not a “lifestyle” choice,” but the horizon of a new, superior civilization in defense of terrestrial life.
Sabrina Vixama
Chef, Founder/CEO, Discover Vegans
Over the past eight years of her journey with a plant-based diet, Sabrina Vixama, Chef and Owner of Discover Vegans, has learned that nourishing the body with high-quality vegan foods is essential to overall well-being. Her culinary path began in 2018 in her home kitchen, where she created an authentic Vegan Haitian Patty. What started as a single recipe quickly grew into several unique and flavorful variations.
In 2019, just one year after graduating from college, Sabrina began catering a variety of plant-based and vegan dishes full-time to her community. Even through the challenges of a global pandemic, she has continued expanding her vision and creating new opportunities to serve and uplift those around her.
Sabrina believes that what people put into their bodies is just as important as how good their food tastes. She is passionate about educating others on the powerful impact food has on everyday life. With a family history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, she feels a deep responsibility to reach and inspire the younger generation.
Through her food, Sabrina hopes to make a meaningful impact—not only within her community, but throughout the world.
Learn more about Discover Vegans
3:00pm in Wellness 204
Presentation & Cooking Demo: Discover Vegan Haitian Dishes (Haitian Akra)
Join Sabrina Vixama, Chef and Owner of Discover Vegans, for an engaging and flavorful vegan cooking demonstration, "Discover Vegan Haitian Dishes," celebrating the vibrant essence of Caribbean cuisine. During this interactive session, Sabrina will prepare Haitian akra, (a savory fritter,) while sharing tips on how to recreate bold, authentic flavors using wholesome vegan ingredients.
Drawing from her years of experience in plant-based cooking and her cultural roots, Sabrina will highlight how traditional cultural dishes can be thoughtfully reimagined without sacrificing taste, texture, or authenticity. Whether you’re new to vegan cooking or looking to expand your culinary skills, this demo will inspire you to embrace flavorful, nourishing meals that honor tradition while supporting a healthier lifestyle.
HariKirin Khalsa
Founder, Yoga Therapist, Gobinday Yogic Health
Hari Kirin Khalsa, MD, C-IAYT, E-RYT® 500, YACEP® served for 35 years in healthcare, first as a nurse and later as a busy physician. Through her own experience, she discovered the restorative benefits of yoga and meditation, eventually retiring from medical practice to explore the powerful intersection of science, medicine, and yogic technology in preventing and relieving stress-related suffering.
Today she works as a skilled and compassionate yoga therapist, bringing a grounded, uplifting, and family-friendly approach to wellness. Hari Kirin is part of the leadership team at Gobinday Yogic Health, a central Massachusetts 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 that creates equity-centered spaces for wellness and belonging by removing physical and financial barriers to mind-body practices and one-on-one yoga therapy.
She also serves as faculty in the International Kundalini Yoga Therapy Professional Training, from which she graduated, and remains connected to the medical community as volunteer faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UMass Memorial Health. She is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
A dedicated vegetarian for more than 20 years as part of her yogic lifestyle, Hari Kirin integrates plant-based nutrition as a key component of healing and recovery in yoga therapy. Through Gobinday Yogic Health, she helps maintain accessible educational resources that support plant-based living and holistic wellbeing.
Learn more about Gobinday Yogic Health
3:30pm in Wellness 201
Presentation: Eat Plants, Stay Strong & Prosper
Feeling a little frayed around the edges? In this 30-minute interactive, TED-talk–style session, participants will join medical doctor and yoga therapist HariKirin Khalsa of Gobinday Yogic Health to strengthen their plant-powered well-being.
Attendees are invited, if they wish, to bring a small snack that can fit in a pocket. During the session, Khalsa will guide participants through a series of simple, accessible experiences that can be done either standing or sitting, with no mats required. These practices include an empowering grounding breath to release what may be weighing on the mind in the moment, mindful eating techniques that increase food awareness and bioavailability, and a brief group meditation designed to help participants reconnect with their inner strengths.
Participants will leave the session with renewed energy and practical tools they can use in everyday life.