Food Day Canada: Celebrating Canadian Food and Drink

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Anita Stewart
Food Day Canada (FDC) is an annual mid-summer celebration, always held on the Saturday of the August long weekend, when we share Canada’s rich culinary heritage and our delicious northern bounty. FDC will be held this year on Saturday, July 30th. “It is a chance for all Canadians to join hands in one massive celebration in praise of our farmers and fishers; our chefs and researchers…and, above all, our home cooks,” says, founder Anita Stewart.


TOOK (The Only on King) celebrates its favourite area farmers and producers with a “Food Day Canada” menu. It runs Tuesday July 14th–Saturday August 1st and is $35.00 for a delicious three-course menu. 


Abruzzi is partnering up with Growing Chefs! for Food Day Canada. Chef Dave Lamers is offering a three-course menu from July 18 to 30th, which will feature all the local suppliers and farmers’ he collaborates with every day. For each guest that orders the Food Day Canada menu, Abruzzi will donate $5.00 to Growing Chefs! Chef Lamers believes in engagement between, farmers, chefs and the general public. He thinks it’s a great way to give back to the community. Growing Chefs! educates children, families, and community members about nutrition, sustainability and healthy food systems by providing programs, seminars, and workshops to promote local and healthy eating. “It’s a great way for us to come together and celebrate all things Canadian, we get to showcase the farmers, artisans and suppliers that work so hard to supply us with the best ingredients possible, says chef Lamers, “and I think Food Day Canada brings awareness to people about what amazing local/Canadian ingredients we all have available to us, and it will remind people to look at labels, ask questions and source out local/Canadian ingredients as much as possible.” http://fooddaycanada.ca/events/abruzzi-london-ontario/

Chef Arron Carley

Chef Arron Carley at The Bruce will be preparing a six-course tasting menu that weekend that will feature wild Canadian Flavours.
The Bruce: Food Day Canada Menu
Tomato: Fuzzy Peach Tomato, Nasturtium, Wild Garlic & Colt’s Foot Vinaigrette, Charred Tomato Puree

2014 Adamo Riesling, ‘Wismer Vineyard, Foxcroft Block’, Twenty Mile Bench, Ontario

Squash: Summer Squash, Smoked Patty Pan, Hemp, Heirloom Basil, Wild Mustard

2012 Nyarai Cellars Viognier, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Perch On Spadina: Ontario Lake Perch, Smoked Sagamite, Fermented Pigweed, Sea Buckthorn Crème

2012 Flat Rock Cellars Chardonnay, ‘The Rusty Shed’, Twenty Mile Bench, Ontario

Spuds In Dirt: Cedar & Ale Compressed Marble Potatoes, Peanut & Sumac Soil, Celtic Blue Reserve, Cowder, Ramp Powder, Beef Fat Sponge, Torched Herb Jus

2012 13th Street Gamay Noir, ‘Sandstone’, Four Mile Creek, Ontario

Gin & Juice: Cucumber & Ungava Gin

Boileau Venison: Charcoal Yellow Beets, Smoked Carrot Puree, Reindeer Moss, Chantrelle Mushrooms in Spruce Butter, Wild Licorice Root Jus

2012 Rennie Estate Merlot, ‘Scarpata’ Beamsville Bench, Ontario

The Road To Gunn’s Hill: Milk, Curd’s, Whey, Young & Old 5 Brothers Cheese

2011 Rosewood Estates Dry Mead ‘Harvest Gold’, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Woodruff Split:  Sweet Woodruff Mousse, Sassafras Savarin, Roasted Cocoa, Chantilly, Candied Heartnuts, Ontario Cherries

NV Southbrook Framboise, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario




Last year Ontario had the richest showing on Food Day Canada  with great menus from London’s Abruzzi and Stratford’s The Red Rabbit, which both received Food Day Canada Good Food Innovation Awards. Other restaurants participating include Eric Boyar's sixthirtynine in Woodstock, Mercer Hall Kitchen Hotel in Stratford, Langdon Hall in Cambridge and Jonathon Gushue's The Berlin in Kitchener. www.fooddaycanada.ca   

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