Celebrate local food and ingredients on Food Day Canada: Jasmine Mangalaseril

It's peak harvest time across the country, which means it's an excellent time to celebrate Canadian food.

Food Day Canada shines a spotlight on what we harvest and cook, as well as the growers, producers, and chefs who make Canadian food a vibrant reflection of who we are.

"There's so many great interpretations of Canadian food, whether it's traditional Canadian food or whether it's this sort of new evolution Canadian food," said Jeff Stewart, chef, educator, and Food Day Canada Board member. "The cool thing about Canada is I think we're a nation of foodies."

Anita Stewart, Jeff's mother, started the national celebration of Canadian food and agriculture back in 2003.Every year since,the Saturday of the August long weekend has been theday to continue that tradition.

The Elora-based writer, researcher, and broadcaster was University of Guelph's first food laureate. She was so influential in helping us recognise the quality of our foods, she's been called "the Wonder Woman of Canadian cuisine."

"Anita Stewart had a tremendous impact on my career and the career of many other young chefs like me," explained Michael Smith, cookbook authorand cooking show host.

"Anita was part of the growing Canadian cuisine movement at a time when across Canada we were all sort of finding our legs and finding the confidence to be Canadian, and to show off local ingredients with pride."

Homegrown ingredients

Waterloo-Wellington's locally-produced foods hasn't escaped Middle Eastern-trained chef Marc Gebran's notice.

"Why buy something from outside since you have good quality here? Especially in Elora, we are just surrounded by farmland and agriculture and local food stands. It's just so fresh tasting. We're just very lucky to be around so much great food," noted Gebran, executive chef of The Friendly Society and its sister restaurant The Lobby Bar, both in Elora.

Apart from being fresher and higher in nutritional valuethan imported foods, in-season local foods offer other important benefits.

"More money going to people in our own neighbourhoods. We're supporting jobs. We are supporting agriculture. We're keeping agriculture alive," said Court Desautels, president and CEO of Guelph-based The Neighbourhood Group.

Canadian classics like poutine, rappie pie, and Nanaimo bars are often top of mind when it comes to Canadian food. And sometimes peanut butter, California rolls, and Hawaiian pizza also make the list.

But Canadian food is constantly evolving.

Farmers are introducing non-traditional crops, like saffron in Nova Scotia, and truffles in British Columbia.

Newcomers adapt home cooking, like using pickerel in the Portuguese caldeirada de peixe, and create third-culture foods, like Sichuan pepper-spiked maple syrup.

"That's the otherexciting thing about Canadian food," explained Jeff Stewart. "It's constantly moving and constantly evolving and constantly changing because we as Canadians are as well."

Celebrating Canadian cuisine

Food Day Canada 2024 launches on July 30 with Elora's Longest Barbecue. The evening willfeature15 restaurants offering small plates that highlight Canadian and local ingredients.

Announced dishes include tuna tostadas from Elora Brewing, vegetarian wood-fired focaccia from The Elora Mill, and lamb sujuk from The Friendly Society.

Smith, Food Day Canada's honorary culinary ambassador, will also host the All-Canadian Oyster Bar, and together with a team will shuck5,000 oystersfrom each of the oyster-harvesting provinces.

Admission is free. Food and drink tickets are available for pre-purchase onlineor day-of at the event.

This year's Food Day Canada is on Saturday, Aug. 3. There are several ways to participate:

• Buy Canadian: Purchase Canadian or local foods at a retail outlet (like a grocery store, bakery, or specialty shop), farmers' market, or farmstand.
• Cook Canadian: Prepare your meal with Canadian ingredients: blueberry muffins, grilled satay skewers with Canadian chicken, or a dinner salad with local farmstand veggies and pyo berries.
• Dine Canadian: Head to a restaurant that features local or Canadian ingredients. Food Day Canadahas a list of participating restaurants.

Then, share on social media what you've bought, made, or dined on and use the hashtag#FoodDayCanada.

As Jeff Stewart said, "it's just a groundswell of people getting excited about local regional, seasonal food it's just people who love good food."

Local #FoodDayCanada restaurants

Waterloo Region:

• The Blackshop, Cambridge
• Borealis, Kitchener
• Crowsfoot, Conestogo
• Hespeler Village Market, Cambridge
• Langdon Hall, Cambridge
• Odd Duck, Kitchener

Wellington County

• Borealis, Guelph
• Miijidaa, Guelph
• Park Eatery, Guelph
• Taste Real, Guelph
• The Wooly Pub, Guelph