ELORA – Food Day Canada is a national event for all Canadians to celebrate their food and all the good people who make it happen, from farm to fork.
Held annually on the Saturday of the August long weekend, the event will shine a light on Canadian cuisine on July 30 this year.
Food Day Canada was founded by late Elora resident Anita Stewart in 2003 as a show of support for Canadian farmers. Since then, it has grown and evolved into a national celebration for Canadians to share their food and their stories with each other.
As a tribute to Stewart’s legacy, Food Day Canada continues to actively promote the distinctly unique food culture in Canada, with celebrations in person and online from coast to coast to coast encouraging everyone to shop, eat and dine Canadian.
To launch this year’s Food Day Canada, The Elora Mill culinary team, the BIA and Elora’s chefs and restaurants, in collaboration with the Elora Brewing Company, The Elora Distillery, local wineries, farmers, suppliers and wine agents, will come together with the Stewart family to create what officials are calling “an amazing and collaborative” four-night dinner series July 25 to 28 – the week leading into Food Day Canada.
Photo by Rick O’Brien
Each night of the dinner series includes a reception at the Elora Mill with live music, locally inspired canapes and cocktails, a four-course dinner prepared by an Elora chef with the Elora Mill culinary team and wine pairings.
“Anita’s time in Elora had an immense impact on the calibre of food and chefs in our area – she has been an inspiration for all of us,” stated Elora Mill managing partner Jocelyn Maurice in a press release.
Maurice noted Stewart “challenged us all to make the right decisions for seasonality, flavour, our farmer and our food system.
“There seemed to be no better way to celebrate than to bring everyone together in this large collaboration in her honour to host four dinner parties we know she would have loved.”
Maclean Hann, from the Elora BIA and owner of the Eveyln Restaurant, called Stewart a champion of “farm to fork” eating long before it became fashionable.
FOOD DAY CANADA FOUNDER ANITA STEWART (Advertiser file photo)
“She did so much to put local Canadian cuisine on the map, especially here in Elora,” he said.
“Whether shining a spotlight on local growers and producers or helping aspiring restaurateurs get off the ground, she was a passionate advocate for Elora’s culinary scene.”
Hann added, “Virtually every restaurant in town benefitted from Anita’s guidance at one point or another, so to have some of her favourite chefs and restaurants coming together for this dinner series in celebration of local food is a wonderful tribute to her legacy.”
Tickets are $175 or $225 with wine pairings, with $100 from each ticket given a donation receipt.
All funds will be directed to the Anita Stewart Tribute Fund at the University of Guelph.
For information or to buy tickets visit https://tinyurl.com/yc7hae9n.
