Another great event by Michael and the Yep team! Absolutely loved my time at Aloft Providence Downtown. There were plenty of drink options, and even a special sangria where proceeds for that drink wen to a great doggy charity, PARL! Also loved seeing so many donations for PARL from the Yelp community as well!

The food available for purchase was from a yummy pizza food truck. The wait for the food was a bit long, and they only had pizza (and something that was basically a pizza sandwich). I wish there were other food options, especially for those with dietary limitations (dairy, gluten, etc.), but I understand that the food truck was just a perk and we could have gone to one of the restaurants inside or somewhere else downtown.

I came with a few friends and my fur-baby, and everyone was comfortable and enjoyed themselves. Plenty of Yelp swag for my friends, who got to enjoy their first Yelp event, and tons of treats and swag for the pup!

It was a great evening, and I really appreciated the call to push back the start time to 6pm to avoid the heat. Made for a great experience with the cooler temperatures.

Aloft was a great place to just grab a drink and unwind for the night. Definitely want to go back now and visit their rooftop bar!

I think I'm actually obsessed with this place. In the last week, I've had to stop myself from going nearly every day, and limit my visits to the weekend!

Juice Bar is legit. From the acai bowls, to the protein shakes, and the energy bites, I haven't had a bad thing here. They keep things vegan, so if you're like me who has some minor issues with whey protein, their options can keep you from any tummy troubles. All of their foods are made real ingredients, so you are getting the best, whole foods from this shop.

Of the protein shakes, their Funky Money is best. You can't go wrong with pb and chocolate. That said, the other options are on the nose with their flavoring. Lemon poppyseed tastes bright and citrusy, and the pb&j has that fruity, peanuty flavor you expect.

Acai / pitaya bowls always hit the spot. It's plenty of food and you can customize however you want. I always add protein to the bowls, and feel completely full from it. Fruits are always so fresh and sweet. Perfect pairings!

The energy bites are AMAZING. I've gotten my friends into them and we all agree that 1-2 balls get you satiated for the next couple of hours. So if you're looking for a great snack to curb hunger before your next meal, grab a few of these to keep on hand. Side note: if they last more than 5 minutes, they do store really well in the fridge! The texture is soft and chewy from the dates, and had just the right amount of sweetness based on each flavor.

Last but not least, the baked goods: The chocolate banana bread is RIDICULOUSLY good. I absolutely love grabbing a slice whenever I'm there. They have pieces of banana on top, and the inside stays moist and decadent from the rich chocolate.

The only things I haven't tried are their juices. I know people that swear by them, so I'm sure I'll be grabbing a few next time I'm in the shop!

RI Veg Fest was so fun! I almost didn't make it but squeezed in at the last 2 hours of the Saturday event. The crowds had died down by then, so it was nice and calm. Vendors still had a ton of food and items to chose from.

I got to try so many new vendors: Joro Protein, Lumpia Bros, and Chi. I took a bunch of stuff home and can't wait to enjoy it!

I ended up grabbing some sandwiches from Piata, which ended up being BOGO since they had lots of food and wanted to prevent food waste. SO GOOD! I ate the Chicken Caesar at home and it was perfect. The breaded "chicken" (pretty sure it was tofu) was tasty! I really liked the breading and it tasted bakes which I really enjoyed the texture of. Even the buffalo chicken wrap was great the next day!

Joro Protein is phenomenal. You still have the protein smell, but after 5 minutes, the graininess that most vegan proteins have disappeared! It was a great smoothie and I appreciated that the protein itself had additives like BCAAs which are great for muscle repair.

Lumpia Bros and Chi were great too! Got little samples of each and took food home for the week. I can't speak highly enough at how kind they were, taking time to explain their products to me.

All of the other vendors were willing to talk to you about their offerings, even at the end of the evening. Truly appreciated the event and all that went into it!

Thanks Michael, for setting this up!

The Badges and Bagels event was a blast! I finally got to stop into Providence Bagels with this event and the service did not disappoint. I went at 8:30 AM among the breakfast rush, and everything went smoothly.

Grabbed my bag, ordered my bagels and coffee, and made my donations while I waited. The ladies working that Friday morning were phenomenal! They were quick and the bagels tasted great!

Listen, I'm in the middle of a new nutrition plan, and while bagels don't cut the mustard, I made it work! And it was WORTH IT. I got the onion bagel with chive cream cheese, and my partner enjoyed an everything bagel with bacon and scallion cream cheese. I loved how well toasted they were, and the amount of cream cheese was appropriate but not obnoxiously full. The bacon cream cheese was wicked bacon-forward so enjoy at your own risk!

This is a great treat for a solid morning pick me up! Thanks for planning a great event!