Local is the New Black

Last season, on November 9, 2009,Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA) made like harvest and gathered together some of Ontario’s most vital farmers, distributors and producers for a feast of the foodie minds – the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance Summit.

The event began with a discussion between three titans of culinary tourism, Jason Parsons, Head Chef, Peller Estates Winery Restaurant, Arlene Stein, Director of Events at Hart House and Mike Whittamore, Producer, Whittamore Farms.  The lively debate, moderated by Kevin Brauch, host of The Food Network’s “The Thirsty Traveller,” moved down a food chain of topics relevant to culinary arts activists.

One major topic served up was the importance of relationship building between local farmers and chefs – a key connection to improving the quality of food served in Toronto.

Local growers should feel confident in their expertise and extend offers to educate chefs on the quality of their crops.

“Chefs are like rock stars now,” said Brauch, noting the rising status of those behind some of the city’s most revered restaurants.

But despite an intimidating status, “It’s important for farmers to face the fear and knock on the kitchen door of restaurants and get chefs to taste their produce,” said chef Parsons.

Basically when it comes to initiating culinary tourism, the real ‘rock star’ should always be the food. And according to one of best in Ontario growing it, Mike Whittamore, it is.

“Ontario has some of the best soils in the world,” said Whittamore, “and that means our province also grows some of the best crops.”

According to research by Local Food Plus (LFP) a non-profit organization working to build a market for local sustainable food, 79 per cent of Central Ontarians recognize this and prefer to buy locally grown food.

“The driving force behind this preference is both the anxiety of bioterrorism and the desire to buy good food with a good story attached – people like to support hometown heroes of the culinary world,” said Rebecca LeHeup, Executive Director of OCTA .

Next to the stage was the Ontario Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs Leona Dombrowsky, who rallied the crowd towards measures for agricultural success.  “When agriculturalists innovate, that’s when culinary tourism get an edge,” said Dombrowsky.

The Minister stressed the importance of the culinary arts community not resting on their laurels. She also stated that a profitable future for Ontario farmers requires producers to stay ahead of culinary trends. By tailoring crops to chef requests, using the most advanced and environmentally safe farming methods, and expanding their customer reach, farmers can start putting more forks in their produce.

OCTA started that trend at lunchtime, by inviting all guests to a meet and greet lunch hosted by Green Belt Canada.  Attendees were treated to lunch supplied by local chefs and farmers, as well as a room full of Ontario food samples. Hungry for both snacks and opportunity, fresh produce and business cards were handed around like hors d’oeuvres.  The meet and greet was a excellent way for local-minded guests to network and exchange tasty treats and tips.

For the afternoon portion, the crowd was led back into the conference to learn about “Mapping a Culinary Destination,” three representatives from emerging culinary destinations were given the floor to discuss their plans, successes and challenges for putting their regions on the foodie map. Rebecca LeHeup moderated the discussion between Danielle Broadhagen of Savour Stratford, Kerri King of Durham Tourism, and  Jaimi Ruoho-Long of  Peterborough and Kawartha Tourism.

After a lively chat regarding issues surrounding the local food movement, the representatives counted down a top ten list of solutions:

1. Create local food ‘clusters’ in your region
2. Work closely with growers associations’ agricultural action committees
3. Support and fund local initiative that links farmers to consumers
4. Educate consumers and food service providers about how to use and source local products
5. Advocate for a Local Food and Farming Act
6. Advocate for a Local Food Procurement Policy
7. Encourage regional farming strategies
8. Compile regional food action plans
9. Establish agricultural enterprise zones
10. Initiate multi-sector food and farming councils

The last talk of the day was given by communications expert Barry Martin of Hypnotic. Martin laid out a recipe for success through social media. He discussed how a local farmer and/or producer can cook up business by becoming a dynamic presence on online culinary communities. Martin suggested the regular use of Twitter, writing a personal blog and expanding contacts online as vital ways to help local foodies stay connected.

Finally, the OCTA Summit closed out with a Taste of Ontario Reception and a pairing of the day’s stew of helpful information with some award-winning VQA wines.

The main dish of the day was certainly the theme of “farm to table” cuisine.  But like any great meal, there must be several courses served up in order. The first step for Ontario farmers and producers to promote the “farm to table” movement is taking their local goods out on the town. Promoting local edibles to busy shops and restaurants, respected chefs, and popular urban spaces is a sure-fire way to make local cuisine the hottest plate around.

After all, it only takes an amuse bouche of local produce, before the rest of the world becomes hungry for Ontario’s culinary arts.

Photo courtesy of Rick O’Brien

One bottle of wine down and it’s time for lunch.

We stroll back to our quaint hotel nestled amongst the rolling vineyards, proudly tendered by local vintners to be bottled and drank by happy travelers like me. The lush scenery and the delicious vino beg the question – is Niagara the new Napa?

The Niagara wine region, stretching across the southwest part of the province, along Lake Ontario, is host to a community of wineries and boutique hotels. The temperate climate, diversity of glacial soils and moderating lake effect are important factors in the terroir, that help to create distinctive, not to mention award-winning wines.

Photo courtesy of Rick O’Brien

“Alot of Torontonians don’t get down to wine country,” said Tony Aspler, Canada’s top wine commentator, “but it is really necessary to really see where the wines are made, and make contact with the industry.”

Before the trip I had anticipated something else. In Toronto, it’s as if the world’s wine industry were high school – Italy is the sexy girl with an older boyfriend, California is the captain of the cheerleading squad, France is voted ‘most beautiful’, and Niagara is the girl with the thick glasses and  the 80’s sweater.

I mean isn’t Niagara the land of Grandma and Grandpa theatre dates and table wine? After having been to Tuscany for wine-tasting, in comparison the idea of Niagara seemed well, not so comparable.  But, don’t knock it till you’ve tasted it.

Photo courtesy of Rick O’Brien

“We are a genuine wine region with vineyards and a number of great accessory functions around us, restaurants, cool tasting rooms etc.,” said Helen Young, owner, Inn on the Twenty, “you really can see a wine region in action here.”

Getting out of Toronto was one quick shot down the QEW, and an hour later we arrived at our hotel, the Inn on the Twenty in Jordan, Ont. The village was pretty and quiet, maybe a little too quiet. But after check-in, as we looked around at our room’s wood-beamed ceilings, fluffy bed, and marble tub, our city cynicism surrendered.

Thirty minutes later we were nose deep into wine glasses at the inn’s winery across the street, Cave Spring Cellars. We swirled, we swished, and we listened to Brian Kelly, the in-house wine consultant, talk passionately about the Niagara region. It only took one taste of the Cave Spring Cellars’ VQA Cabernet Franc, and it was official – Niagara makes some serious wine.

“The one thing that is holding the industry back is the price of the wine. The best Ontario wines are too costly,” said Tony Aspler. “The cheapest wines are non-VQA, so people go for those and think that’s what Ontario wines are.”

Before the trip I hadn’t realized how important the VQA standard is to the industry – it is what defines the wine as locally grown. And although 40 per cent of wines at the LCBO are Ontario wines, of that 40 per cent are a good 75 per cent that are not VQA. “Cellared in Canada,” could actually mean 70 per cent Chilean grapes.  The VQA wines we drank at Cave Springs were nothing like an Ontario wine I’d had before.

The revelations continued the next day with an afternoon of wine-tasting with Crush on Niagara Tours. Our tour-guide Paul, arrived at the inn’s front door with a big van to tour us around wine country. In four delightful hours we had hit four vineyards and had drank four bottles worth of some of the best wine I’ve ever had.

Photo courtesy of Rick O’Brien

What I saw at the Niagara wineries was the same thing I saw in the Tuscan wine region – a commitment to the crop.  Vintners see themselves as farmers, but more than that they are artists; they create, they experiment and they live in their fields every day. This is true of all wine-makers, from Italy to Ontario. To grape-growers, it’s not just wine, it is a way of life.

“Our hope in building our business was to present context for wine awareness and enjoyment. You do that best in wine country where the whole process from vineyard to cellar is integral to your awareness,” said Helen Young. “Wine country lifestyle is all about that awareness of place.”

Photo courtesy of Rick O’Brien

Coming back to the city, I wondered, what if one day people talk about Toronto and Niagara like they do San Francisco and Napa? Is it possible that people might come to our city for the great local food and wine? Yes it’s possible. But the difference is, is that Californians have always been and still are behind their wine industry, while we in Ontario aren’t so much.

So how about this: next time you’re at the LCBO, treat yourself to a Niagara VQA wine, she’s a prom queen in disguise.