Sudbury food strategy consultations hear from local restaurateurs

The Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council is in the midst of putting together its food strategy for the city, which is expected to propose solutions to issues surrounding food that Sudbury residents think are important.

Some of the input is being taken through a series of short, lunch-hour submissions called "4-minute foodie" presentations, which give stakeholders the chance to pitch why their organization matters to Sudbury's food landscape.

Leslie Moutsatsos, a long-time restaurateur in Sudbury, and a representative of the Sudbury Hospitality Association of Restaurant Entrepreneurs, was one of the presenters. Her four minute pitch surrounded how local eateries should be be featured in food tourism promotion.

"Sudbury has so much to give, more than the large conglomerates that come in," she told CBC News. "We have a lot of local and really cool places that are part of our heritage, and we should be supporting that."

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Moutsatsos said she wants young people in Sudbury to understand that dining at smaller, local restaurants shows you're part of a family.

"It's like walking into your grandmother's kitchen and having that smell," she continued. "You just know you're home."

Other presentations to the food council dealt with issues like urban agriculture, rural food production and food access.

The council's co-chair, Joseph LeBlanc, said a strategy can also be used to help address issues like the declining moose population, for example.

"If it's important to our community members that advocacy and education occur related to hunting, that's something we'll be undertaking," he said.

The council is also taking submissions through an online survey.

There is no set date yet for the publication of the strategy's document.