San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Honors San Francisco As 1 Vegetarian City in US



February 4, 2005 -- The city of San Francisco and six of its businesses are set to receive Veggie Awards on February 9 at the "Best of Vegetarian San Francisco" event co-hosted by VegNews Magazine. Julie Butterfly Hill will act as Master of Ceremonies at the gala awards reception for 200 invited guests at San Francisco's award-winning Millennium Restaurant.

Mayor Gavin Newsom will accept the award on behalf of San Francisco being named the Most Veg-friendly City in North America as voted by thousands of VegNews' readers around the country. San Francisco edged New York and Toronto as the city with the best variety of restaurants, shops, employers, organizations and other resources that cater to vegetarians. Other San Francisco Veggie Award recipients include:

- Millennium Restaurant, honored as the Favorite Vegetarian Restaurant in the country for the third year in a row
- Eric Tucker, Millennium's long-standing chef, received his second Veggie Award as Favorite Veg Chef
- Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco's renowned health food cooperative, was honored as Favorite Health Food Store
- The Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, a San Francisco institution, was voted Favorite Farmers' Market in North America
- Herbivore Restaurant, an eatery that offers such delicious vegan entres as pancakes, French toast, and crepes, received Favorite Vegetarian Brunch
- Whole Soy, the delicious dairy-free yogurt alternative, was voted Favorite Soy Yogurt

"The Veggie Awards mark outstanding contributions by individuals and organizations in the vegetarian community, and are designed to inspire others to consider healthier, more environmentally sustainable lifestyle choices," said Joseph Connelly, Publisher of VegNews Magazine. "As the recipient of a record seven Veggie Awards this year, San Francisco has shown itself to be a vegetarian powerhouse and a model of cities throughout the nation."

Guests will be treated to delicious organic hors' d'oeuvres, ample organic wine and champagne, desserts, surprise favors, and an evening of fun and entertainment. Winners in other categories will also be present to share their top-rated products, including wine tasting by Frey Vineyards, herbal coffees by Teeccino, and vegan chocolate by Tropical Source. Sponsors include Southern Wine & Spirits and Young's Market.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door (space available) and can be purchased by calling Millennium Restaurant at 415.345.3900 x 11. The event will be held from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Millennium (580 Geary Street @ Jones).

About the Veggie Awards
The VegNews Veggie Awards (http://www.vegnews.com/veggieawards.html) recognize excellence in the vegetarian industry. With thousands of readers voting for their favorite veg products, people and places in over 60 categories, this annual survey is the largest of its kind in the world. The awards showcase the best of vegetarian in categories ranging from soymilk, veggie burger and restaurant to celebrity, website and even most veg-friendly airline. The annual celebration of the best that veg living has to offer has become the most popular feature in the publication.

About VegNews Magazine
VegNews (http://www.vegnews.com/), America's premier vegetarian lifestyle magazine, has a readership of over 100,000 and is read around the world. Each issue is filled with the latest in vegetarian news, global events, tantalizing recipes, nutrition updates, hot new veg products, must-read books, celebrity buzz and even vegetarian weddings. Recently nominated for "Best Design" in the 2004 Utne Independent Press Awards, the magazine is headquartered in San Francisco and has been published since 2000.

About Millennium Restaurant
Millennium Restaurant (http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/) is the premiere vegetarian restaurant in the country. Opened in 1994, Millennium moved to its current Geary Street location in 2003, where it dishes up tantalizing dishes seven days a week under the direction of its award-winning Executive Chef Eric Tucker. Tucker is known for his use of fresh, organic, locally-grown produce, and can often be found on Saturday mornings at the city's venerable Ferry Plaza Market. Millennium, Tucker, and the Ferry Plaza Market will all receive Veggie Awards at the February 9 event.





San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Honors San Francisco As 1 Vegetarian City in US