At first glance, the idea of a vegetarian attending an event like Ribfest is as crazy as sending an alcoholic to the Naperville Ale Fest or inviting a Brit to your Fourth of July party.
Ribfest isn’t only about ribs, of course. It’s about listening to world class music just a few miles from your house, thrilling your kids on carnival rides and mingling with 249,999 of your closest friends.
Ribfest is my favorite Naperville event, but in everything I’ve written and read over many years, I’ve never seen any reference to vegetarian food. Having a vegetarian daughter and a couple of veggie friends, I decided to come up with the definitive vegetarians’ guide to Ribfest. The good news is you don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy these treats.
Dot Maginot is the Exchange Club’s food vendor chairperson, a volunteer position she has held for the past four years. Her job is to manage the 27 food vendors and 11 ribbers who will be vying for your dollars at Knock Park from July 4 to 7.
“The ribbers say if you want to go to Ribfest, you eat ribs, but we do have healthier eaters, although it’s a smaller population who comes to Ribfest for anything other than ribs,” Maginot said. “We’ve tried to get people just selling salads, but they tend to be only as a side. Almost all the ribbers offer mac and cheese and cornbread, of course.”
This year, there are other vegetarian options from new vendors. Cookout on Wheels will be offering a Portobello mushroom medley served over Caribbean rice, and you can get a vegetarian gyro from George’s Fun Foods. Long-time ribber Desperado’s offers a veggie burger and there are the usual sweet and savory treats, which are naturally vegetarian.
Naperville-born Dana Ross, who now lives in Aurora, has been a vegetarian for 12 years. She made the choice because she says she loves animals and was shocked when she found out about the meat-packing process. She’s also attended Ribfest many times.
“Typically, I eat sides like French fries or cheese sticks,” she said. “As an entree, there is usually a cheese pizza option. There is always plenty of dessert to eat! You can never go wrong with funnel cake and ice cream!”
Ross said she’s not put off by the fact the event is called Ribfest.
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“It does not make me feel excluded. I typically attend for the entertainment and know that there will be some options for me to eat,” she said.
She is excited to try the Portobello mushroom medley and the veggie gyros. Although she’ll be indulging in some unhealthy treats on July 4, she says generally being a vegetarian keeps her healthy.
“For me, being a vegetarian helps me avoid a lot of fried food and fast food items,” she said. “Most fast food chains only carry meat products and or make their French fries with beef flavoring. Being a vegetarian also helps me choose less processed foods, fresh fruits and veggies, as my go-to snacks. If a vegetarian diet is followed properly, and does not become a carb-only diet, it can definitely help you have more energy in the day.”
Gill Brooks, who moved to Naperville nine years ago, has been a vegetarian since 1991.
“My main thing about being vegetarian is that it really is my choice and I am not going to preach to the unconverted. I don’t want to be an inconvenience to anyone else through my choice, but I really appreciate it when someone thinks about making my meal a pleasurable experience too,” she said.
Brooks is also excited for the vegetarian gyros because usually she picks sides like sweet corn, coleslaw, potato salad or curly fries.
“It is nice when something is specifically made as vegetarian, rather than having a meal where you have to remove things in order to make them edible or have to piece together side dishes,” she said. “I normally eat something satisfying before I go. The VIP tent is something we have done with friends, but as a non-meat eater, it makes for an expensive portion of coleslaw.”
Both women have vegetarian-friendly suggestions for future Ribfests. Ross would like to see all vendors clearly list any veggie options while Brooks would like to have more choices in the sponsors’ tent.
“It would be fun to still have the option of trying all the different rib sauces available with a vegetarian option instead of the rib,” she said. “For example – Beyond Burgers are a great-tasting meat substitute so to be able to have one of those or an equivalent and taste the rib sauces would be great!”
Here’s a guide to all the vegetarian options available at this year’s Ribfest:
Hugo’s Frog Bar (Naperville): Carrot cake cupcakes
Salt Creek BBQ (Aurora): Funnel cakes, fried Oreos, fried Twinkies, fried Snickers, French fries, Dragon Breath frozen cereal treat
Cookout on Wheels (Merrillville, Ind.): Portobello Mushroom Medley (grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions, green peppers and asparagus over Caribbean rice), veggie burger, 6-cheese mac-and-cheese, fried onion strings, fries, sorbet
Coldstone Creamery (Woodridge): Ice cream
Paisan’s Pizza (Lisle): Cheese pizza, fries, cheese fries, gelato
Fruit ‘n’ Cream Hut (Princeton, Ky.): Ice cream, frozen bananas, milk shakes, root beer floats, chocolate-covered cheesecake and strawberries
Dippin’ Dot’s Ice Cream (Plainfield): 12 flavors of ice cream
George’s Fun Foods (Gibsonton, Fla.): vegetarian gyro
Lee Concessions (Forest Park): Vegetable rice, shaved ice, deep-fried Oreos, Snickers, Twinkies. cheese fries, cheese curds
LC Restaurant (Forest Park): Blooming onions, chip fries, funnel cake with toppings
Strawberry Patch (Glen Ellyn): Smoothie cups in pineapples, fresh fruit cups, chocolate-dipped berries, cheesecakes and bananas, strawberry coolers, blue raspberry coolers
Suzie’s Fun Foods (St. Charles): Cheddar curds, mozzarella sticks, deep-fried pickles, onion rings, Texas-style French fries, nachos, soft pretzel, funnel cakes, deep-fried Snickers, Twinkies, Oreos, toasted ravioli, curly fries, potato skins
Caney Creek Corn (Elizabethtown, Ky.): Fresh-roasted corn with butter
Lemonade & More (Pizza Guy) (Riverview, Fla.): Cheese pizza, cheese calzones
Desperado’s BBQ & Rib Co (Hinkley, Ohio): Veggie burger
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Sgt. Oinks (Tiffin, Ohio): Baked potato with sour cream
Just North of Memphis (Clearwater, Minn.): Peach bread pudding
