Once in a while, I enjoy interviewing a guest on Lick the Plate who promotes healthy eating and lifestyle. It tends to balance out the more decadent meals that happen on a regular basis with this gig.
Michelle May, founder of Viridian Productions, which counts Vegan Food Popup Events among the many events she produces, was the perfect person to give me a dose of the plant-based lifestyle and to tell her fascinating story. The Oceanside Sustainable Food Festival, hosted by Viridian, is happening Saturday, July 25, and is definitely worth checking out.
Part of our conversation is below. You can listen to the full interview at www.lick-the-plate.com.
LTP: Tell me about growing up as a vegetarian in Texas and how your family may have helped you accomplish that.
MM: Growing up as a vegetarian in a rural area outside of Houston — and as the daughter of a young immigrant — was certainly a unique experience. My mother moved to the United States from Ukraine as a teenager and had me when she was 19. My parents lived in Los Angeles during the first few years of my life, where they were influenced by the natural health food movement.
After we moved to Texas, my maternal grandmother also became interested in vegetarian and macrobiotic cooking after immigrating to the United States in the 1970s. She developed her own culinary style, recreating the Jewish and Ukrainian dishes she grew up with using ingredients like beets and toasted buckwheat (kasha), while incorporating healthier, lighter cooking methods and avoiding most animal products.
LTP: Walk me through your professional journey to forming Viridian Productions.
MM: I graduated from high school at 17 and enrolled at the University of Houston before transferring to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where I majored in art history, beginning a lifelong fascination with creativity, innovation and design. While in college, I worked for several years as a production assistant for my family’s event production company, where I gained invaluable experience producing large-scale events. After graduation, I built a career as a web developer and graphic designer before moving to Colorado.
About 15 years ago, I relocated to North County San Diego, where I deepened my interest in health and wellness. I graduated from several plant-based culinary and nutrition programs and created a vegan freeze-dried ice cream company.
In 2019, I launched Vegan Food Popup Events with a monthly market in downtown Encinitas to promote my food business and other local, sustainable companies. In 2024, the company evolved into Viridian Productions, which now produces more than 50 sustainability-focused markets and festivals each year.
LTP: Working with the legendary concert promoters Belkin Productions in Cleveland must have been amazing. Tell me about that experience.
MM: Working for Belkin Productions was an incredible experience. Obviously, as a young person, it was a fun environment to be in, and being backstage during some very big shows was exciting. It was inspiring to witness — and play a small role in — so many well-executed, large-scale productions.
Knowing the history of how my cousins built such a successful company from the ground up gave me a deep appreciation for the power of hard work and vision. My role as a production assistant gave me a firsthand understanding of the tremendous amount of planning and coordination required to produce events at that scale. It was also my first experience working at festivals and seeing how events can bring people together to share culture and build community.
LTP: Viridian Productions has quite the roster of markets and events around San Diego. What are some of your favorites?
MM: I have to admit that I truly love them all! With three monthly markets and four annual festivals held throughout San Diego County, we have something for everyone.
Our two night markets — one in Vista and one in Miramar — are fantastic destinations for families and friends to gather with an eclectic selection of food, local craft beverages and live music. Our monthly daytime market in vibrant North Park features a large, rotating lineup of vendors, along with special activities such as animal adoptions, roller-skating dance parties, art walks, book fairs, record fairs and other themed community events.
San Diego EarthFest in Balboa Park is the region’s largest Earth Day celebration, bringing together more than 140 vendors, multiple entertainment stages, speakers and a large wellness zone.
I’m especially excited about the debut of San Diego VegFest in Balboa Park this year. It will feature expert panel discussions and nonprofit organizations offering many resources for anyone interested in plant-based living. I’m also thrilled to bring back the BOO! by the Bay Halloween Carnival this fall after a hiatus, featuring a spooky marketplace, seasonal food and drinks, fun games, and a costume contest with prizes.
LTP: We covered this in the podcast, but it might be helpful for our vegan and aspiring vegans to know your top three vegan restaurants in North County.
MM: These are three places I dine at on a regular basis because they consistently serve delicious, high-quality food that anyone — including omnivores — would enjoy. The Plot for its incredibly creative, chef-driven cuisine and commitment to freshness and sustainability. Veggie Grill because it’s approachable, satisfying and the perfect place to introduce someone to how delicious and normal plant-based meals can be. Plumeria for its flavorful Thai dishes that prove that, with the right techniques and ingredients, vegan food never has to feel like a compromise.
LTP: Anything else you would like to add?
MM: Since the pandemic, community events have become more important than ever. As we spend more of our lives online, people are craving real-world experiences that are more than entertainment — they’re looking for opportunities to discover, connect and grow. My intention is to create space for those important moments at every event we produce.
Check out the full lineup of Michelle’s events at https://www.viridianproductions.com.
