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Eating local is more than a trend for these chefs and restaurants.
For chef Kevin Mckenna of South Pond Farms, eating local isn’t a trend – it’s a lifestyle.
“I believe in what I put out, and I believe in our local providers and suppliers,” said Mr. McKenna, who started working for the Feast On-certified restaurant, working farm and culinary learning centre in Bethany Hills about a year ago.
“We try to showcase the bounty of our farm and our land,” he says. “My specialty is sourcing out local ingredients and the best I can find in the area. I don’t serve ocean fish anymore, only Ontario lake fish – it’s Kawartha-Peterborough first, then Ontario, then Canada, almost nothing from anywhere else. Black peppercorns don’t grow here, but we get our salt from Windsor, and I don’t use olive oil at all.”
Mr. McKenna also forages for food to use in his dishes, from wild leeks and fiddleheads to spruce tips, morel mushrooms and wild strawberries. Using whatever is in season and found locally, he creates country farmhouse suppers (twice a month, seasonally) in a restored barn, served family-style – such as local lamb with a wild-leek pesto and organic red-quinoa pilaf with dried cherries from Niagara.
South Pond also offers full-moon suppers and farmhouse feasts in the wintertime, using pickled and cellared products, as well as themed workshops such as bread-baking.
“I write the menu as close to the dinners as possible,” said Mr. McKenna. “I have to see what Mother Nature gives me – I’m at her mercy. I can’t put asparagus on the menu if it’s not growing, because I will not use asparagus from the U.S. or Mexico.”
In the region, there are several ways to celebrate local eats, from berry picking (starting mid-June) to the Incredible Edibles Festival on July 14 in Campbellford, Trent Hills, which features local specialties from more than 35 chefs and vendors. Farm to Table Peterborough also operates walking tours in Peterborough, telling the story of local food culture and locally sourced foods.
Nearby, in Ontario’s Central Counties – which encompasses York and Durham – local food is featured in Feast On restaurants, a province-wide certification program that recognizes businesses committed to sourcing Ontario-grown (or made) food and beverages.
“We have about 10 Feast On locations that span our region,” said Eleanor Cook, field manager for Durham with Central Counties Tourism. “We also have fifth-generation farming families that are modifying their products to help merge with restaurants and chefs and consumers – it’s a really exciting time.”
At Landman Gardens & Bakery, a working farm north of Grand Valley, guests are served farm-to-table dinners in an authentic dry-stone blackhouse. The farm also has a bakery (using grains grown in Ontario) and butcher shop, with pasture-raised chickens, turkeys and pigs. Kendal Hills Game Farm is another working farm on rolling woodland in the Oak Ridges Moraine, which sells what it calls “naturally raised fowl, fungi, foragers and forest food,” with on-farm experiences such as foraging.
The idea is to connect diners to the land, while honouring local farmers, said Ms. Cook. It’s also a chance for them to discover local wines, beer, cider and spirits that can’t be found at the LCBO. Archibald Orchards and Estate Winery, for example, has “amazing award-winning ciders,” she said. “They produce cider in glass bottles like wine – it’s the best cider I’ve ever had.”
The Brewery Discovery Routes offer nine self-guided itineraries in Southern Ontario – such as ‘Rural Routes & Dirty Boots’ in Central Counties – featuring more than 200 craft breweries, 40 craft cideries, 20 craft distillers and dozens of Feast On restaurants. The initiative is designed to support local producers; new this year is a partnership with Craft Beer Passport, offering $2 pours at select breweries.
The routes also point out local gems, such as farmers’ markets. “We are fortunate to have our Alliston farmers’ market right in the heart of our urban centre,” said Linda Spurr, general manager of the Alliston BIA.
This reinforces the town’s concept of ‘rurban,’ and allows restaurants and event vendors – such as those at the Rurban Food Truck Rally – to source local products right downtown. Alliston is known for its potatoes (there’s even a dedicated annual festival), and restaurants such as Peake BBQ source their potatoes locally.
Over in Niagara, Ontario’s ‘fruit belt’ produces everything from apples and pears to peaches, plums and cherries – and, of course, grapes, used to produce top-notch wines. These can be sampled at roadside fruit stands or in one of five Feast On restaurants located along the scenic Niagara Parkway.
This summer, Niagara College’s Canadian Food & Wine Institute is bringing back its pop-up dinner series, serving locally sourced gourmet fare, from produce to meats, cheeses and craft beer. The idea is to showcase local food stories in unique spaces, such as Old Fort Erie.
In northern Ontario, the growing season is short, but there’s a new focus on developing the food tourism industry. “We know we have some unique flavours, but we have a lot of work to do to tell our story,” said Dana Jennings, business development officer for tourism and culture with the City of Greater Sudbury, which launched a food tourism strategy in May.
Smart Greens-Sudbury, for example, is a new indoor hydroponic container farm producing kale, while Greenhouses Canada produces fresh produce year-round using a vertical aeroponics system.
Craft breweries and distilleries are also popping up, like Stack Brewing (which has been getting a lot of attention for its association with CraveTV comedy series Letterkenny) and Crosscut Distillery, producing grain-to-glass vodka, gin and whiskey. Sudbury also has its own Feast On restaurant, Verdicchio, which serves rustic Italian fare; the owner cures his own meats and pickles, and has a beehive on property.
Though it has a limited growing season, the north has its own food specialties, such as pickerel. And with 330 lakes in Greater Sudbury, it’s a fisher’s paradise (you can even take out fishing gear at the local library). It’s also known for its wild blueberries. “Our blueberries, because of our soil composition, have the most unique flavour,” said Ms. Jennings. “You can’t get those flavours in your grocery store.”
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.