Food News of the Week: NYC’s Katz’s Deli Launches Beet “Pastrami” and Trader Joe’s Vegan Halloween Treats

We’re done with summer and headed straight for a delicious fall with exciting new developments on the horizon. Trader Joe’s gets into the Halloween spirit with vegan gummies, cookies, and chips. There’s a new line of oat milk-based cream liqueurs to celebrate all of the holidays this year. 

Plus, pastrami made from beets is making its grand debut at NYC’s famed Katz’s Delicatessen. Read on for more. 

Food news

How do you celebrate Halloween? A vast majority, 94 percent to be exact, of Americans will mark October 31 with chocolate and candy, according to a recent poll by the National Confectioners Association (NCA). 

Sour Punch

“What would the Halloween season be without chocolate and candy?” John Downs, president and CEO of NCA, said in a statement. “It is clear that Halloween candy is a bona fide retail phenomenon in 2024, with demand from consumers starting earlier in the year and extending festivities far beyond October 31.”

“No matter how consumers choose to mark the occasion, there’s no question that chocolate and candy are a fun and unique centerpiece of Americans’ Halloween celebrations,” Downs said. 

If you’re in this majority, you’ll be glad to know that the vegan Halloween candy selection continues to grow this year. The American Licorice Company is doubling down this year. For lovers of all things fall, the company recently released Pumpkin Spice Red Vines. For Halloween fanatics, there’s a spooky version of both Sour Punch straws and twists. 

Sour Punch

Feeling both spooky and adventurous? Sour Punch straw also offers a Ghost Pepper Roulette variety—with a super spicy straw hidden in every pack. 

If you’re in that six percent who are avoiding candy this spooky season, perhaps a savory cracker is a welcome treat? If so, Food Should Taste Good has a new cracker with a hint of Southern Charm. 

This fall, a crunchy, slightly sweet cornbread cracker is joining the snack company’s line of crackers, which also includes Pita and Multigrain flavors. We’re already thinking about dunking these new cornbread crackers in some hearty bean chili as a fall twist on chips and dip. 

Over at Trader Joe’s, both sweet and salty snacks are getting the vegan treatment this Halloween. In the savory category, Trader Joe’s is pulling out all the spooks with its light and airy potato chips shaped like ghosts and bats. 

Trader Joe’s

In the sweet category, Trader Joe’s has a spooky version of its classic Joe Joe’s, with Halloween chocolate pumpkin cookie faces that hug a vanilla bean cream base and school lunch-friendly Halloween Bat & Cats sour gummies made with fruit pectin instead of animal-derived gelatin.

Beverage news

A crucial element for a festive holiday season is creamy liqueurs and cocktails. And while Bailey’s has long offered its Almande as a dairy-free standout, we’re ready for something new this year. Luckily, Buglisi Recobs Group—the makers of Misunderstood Whiskey—heard us loud and clear with this week’s launch of Oatrageous. 

Oatrageous

This innovative line of liqueurs uses oat milk as its base and debuts with three flavors: Coconut, Espresso, and the world’s first Dairy-Free Bourbon Cream. Each flavor is crafted with sustainably sourced oats and contains 30-percent less sugar and calories than conventional cream liqueurs.

While enjoying these over ice will be a creamy experience, we’re excited to craft the perfect EspressOAT Martini this fall. 

“We are thrilled to be able to open doors for consumers by giving them delicious, dairy-free options that are produced transparently and made with significantly less sugar compared to what is currently available on the market,” Co-Founder Chris Buglisi said in a statement. 

Oatrageous is available for $27.99 per 750ml bottle on the company’s website and at select liquor stores across Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. 

Haus of Babylon

On the flip side of boozy celebrations, we’re quickly approaching sober October and there’s a new way to indulge without imbibing. Haus of Babylon has just launched its Babylon Spritz, offering a sophisticated, non-alcoholic option that brings all the complexities of a traditional aperitif without the buzz. 

Crafted with a unique blend of premium Middle Eastern ingredients such as cardamom, hibiscus, and tamarind, Babylon Spritz delivers a pleasantly bitter flavor profile that echoes the essence of classic aperitifs like the Aperol Spritz or Negroni. With additional notes of grapefruit and orange, this non-alcoholic liqueur provides a refreshing citrus aroma that perfectly balances its herbal undertones. 

Babylon Spritz is made using an artisan distilling process, which ensures a full-bodied, complex mouthfeel that lingers on the palate.

Haus of Babylon, born in Dubai, is the first non-alcoholic spirit brand from the Middle East to make its way to North America. Founded by entrepreneur Annabel Arcari-Bowler, the company aims to provide adults with a refined drinking experience that fits seamlessly into social occasions without the need for alcohol. 

“After searching for an elevated non-alcoholic cocktail choice in Dubai, I found it difficult to find anything that wasn’t just a sugary sweet mocktail,” Arcari-Bowler said in a statement.

“Now, with the launch of our Babylon Spritz, I’m proud to offer consumers a luxurious adult aperitif that is able to transport you to exotic lands and delivers an authentically sophisticated drinking experience without alcohol,” Arcari-Bowler said. 

Available in 750ml bottles, Babylon Spritz retails for $36 USD and can be found on Amazon, as well as in select retailers, restaurants, and bars across the US and Canada. 

Event news 

Festival season is wrapping up but not without a few more outings. Over in California’s hottest up-and-coming vegan city, the Oceanside Vegan Food Festival is slated to welcome festival goers this Saturday with an array of globally inspired plant-based options.

Oceanside Vegan Festival

The event will feature more than 60 vendors offering everything from indulgent barbecue and cheese sticks to lighter dishes like sushi, ceviche, and vegetable curries. Representing a variety of cuisines—including American, Mexican, Egyptian, West African, Korean, and Turkish—the festival aims to showcase the diverse flavors of plant-based cuisine.

Sponsored by ZENB, the festival will also include free product samples from the brand’s mobile Plant Pantry, along with a curated selection of local crafts, apparel, art, and wellness products. 

Oceanside Vegan Festival

“This event celebrates the vibrant diversity of plant-based cuisine and the community’s growing interest in healthier, more sustainable eating,” Michelle May, Director of Vegan Food Popup Events, said in a statement. 

“We’re excited to bring together such a large and diverse vendor lineup that appeals to vegans and non-vegans alike,” May said. 

Beyond the food, attendees can enjoy games, and music from live DJs, plus even meet adoptable pups from the local dog rescue group, A Way Home for Dogs.

On the East Coast in New York City, there’s an indoor vegan festival planned for February 2, 2025, that’s just for kids. The Plant Powered Kids Festival will take place at Industry City and is designed to inspire and educate young minds with a full day of plant-based fun. 

Families can look forward to interactive workshops, including culinary demonstrations and plant-powered nutrition talks, as well as engaging movement classes like family yoga and dance sessions to keep everyone active. The festival will also feature a Plant Powered Vendor Hall with more than 30 vendors offering kid-friendly foods, drinks, and products, along with opportunities to connect with local nonprofits.

In addition to learning about healthy eating and sustainable living, kids can participate in art-making activities, enjoy storytime at the book reading hangout nook, and take part in the Plant-Powered Kids Get Together. The day will conclude with a lively concert by Jumpin’ Jamie, featuring music, magic, and puppets. 

With general admission tickets available for just $10 per person or $20 for a family pass, this event promises to be a fun and educational experience for families exploring plant-based living together.

Katz’s Delicatessen

RELATED: Food News of the Week: Trader Joe’s Turkeyless Roast Returns, Free Meatless Sandwiches, and Peet’s Gets Into Mocktails 

Also in NYC, famed Katz’s Delicatessen is doing something special this Saturday. For just one afternoon, the iconic deli will serve a vegan version of its beloved pastrami sandwich, created in collaboration with renowned chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill. 

Featuring Badger Flame beets that are brined, spiced, smoked, and steamed to perfection, this unique take on pastrami captures the same smoky, savory notes of the original, all without the meat. Chef Barber himself will be on hand from noon to 4pm, slicing and serving this innovative creation on deli rye with mustard. 

“We’ve been hunting for years for a vegetarian pastrami option, but everything we tried just wasn’t quite right,” Katz’s owner Jake Dell said in a statement.

“Meat substitutes didn’t hold the flavor correctly and were sometimes full of additives anyway,” he said. “Other vegetable recipes just didn’t hold up in a sandwich form.”

If you’ve ever wanted to see if a vegetable can truly stand up to Katz’s legendary pastrami, this is your chance.