Locavore News by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: July 13, 2009
Categories: Food in the News / News from Sustain Ontario
Locavore-minded ice creams
When it comes to ice cream, pastry chef Carrie Summer really has her priorities straight. “Instead of buying a new car this year, I bought a Pacojet,” she said, referring to her newly acquired Swiss-tooled toy, the Rolls-Royce of frozen dessert makers. She is turning out locavore-minded ice creams, including a tangy vanilla, an intense chocolate and, food critic Rick Nelson’s favorite, beet. Minneapolis Star Tribune story.
 Lighten up summer parties with tapas meals
With all the farm-fresh produce arriving in markets right now, the opportunities for creativity are almost limitless. Canwest News Service story.
Local Food Buying Club
Mugshots Coffee House, which has locations in both Manayunk and Fairmount, started its local food buying club just over two years ago. Every Sunday afternoon, registered members grab an order form off the café’s Web site, and have until Tuesday to pick and choose from an array of local farm-fresh products. Orders are filled by the approaching weekend, with the option of picking up at either café. Non-members have access to a limited line up of in-store choices, but you’ll have to enrol to gain access to the full selection of meats, dairy and veggies, as well as treats like garlic parmesan baguettes, coffee crumbcake rice pudding and Mugshots’ own chocolate chip banana bread. Philadelphia Citypaper story.
The Flavours of Summer Are Set to Shine at Harvest Wednesdays
Harvest Wednesdays is back for its fourth year, offering up dishes made from locally grown produce, as well as locally-produced meats, cheeses, wines, beer and more. Conceived in 2006 by Gladstone Hotel owner Christina Zeidler, the original idea of Harvest Wednesdays was to support local growers and bring them together with the public. Taste T. O. website.
It’s just like great-great grandma used to make – Lakeside Locavore Lunch
The John R. Park Homestead Conservation Area will host its second annual Lakeside Locavore Lunch on Sunday, July 12. The event is meant to encourage people to adopt the locavore lifestyle by eating food grown within a 100-mile radius of their home. Organizers will highlight locavore opportunities in Essex County and try to convince people to eat like their great-great-grandparents, who relied on fresh, local, seasonal produce. Windsor Star story.
Farmers ‘thrilled’ after city relents on markets
The city has backed down and will now allow farmers’ markets to go ahead at civic squares. The farmers are allowed back at Metro Hall tomorrow and Nathan Phillips Square next Wednesday, after being shut out since the city workers’ strike began June 22. Toronto Star story.
Foodservice company Sodexo promotes use of produce
Among the 10 million consumers who eat a meal each day at any of the locations served by foodservice management company Sodexo Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., the idea of eating healthfully, seasonally and locally grown almost is automatic. In Sodexo’s vast operations, local growers are heroes the management company supports and promotes. It requires each of the 75-100 regional produce distributors it buys from to purchase local produce when it’s in season. The Packer story.
Sod-turning held for new abattoir
With surveyors laying out the building site in the background, about 90 district farmers and residents were on hand Monday to observe the official start of construction of the long-awaited new abattoir in Emo. Fort Frances Times Online story.
Locavore dinner with the Guernsey crowd
The annual meeting of the American Guernsey Association comes to the Dallas area Saturday, and with it, a locavore dining op. When the Guernsey breeders and owners from around the world sit down to dinner, they’ll eat all manner of locally produced foods, from ….Dallas Morning News story.
The Obamas’ first harvest
It’s yielded pounds of produce, and good will from activists, but will the White House garden change food policy? The garden has been more than just a prop for photo ops. Assistant White House chef Sam Kass, whose other title is “food initiative coordinator,” told Salon the kitchen staff has been using at least some produce grown on-site every day. So far, it’s yielded more than 225 pounds of food — right now, beans, tomatoes, eggplant and cucumbers are in season — some of which the White House has donated to a local food bank that serves meals made from fresh ingredients only. Mike Madden writes in Salon.
Obsolete law works against our grape growers
Among the critics of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are many of Ontario’s small wine producers. They say the retailing giant ignores them in favour of large producers, who fatten their wallets by unscrupulously duping the public with the chronic, openly disgraceful Cellared in Canada scheme. Cellared in Canada is legal under the Wine Content and Labelling Act, but it’s mean-spirited. It permits up to 70 per cent of wine advertised as Cellared in Canada to be foreign wine — usually inferior bulk plonk that Ontario’s two major wineries buy dirt cheap, blend with other mediocre varieties and then sell under the illusion of it being Canadian wine. Owen Roberts writes in the Guelph Mercury.
Celeb chef’s local-fare empire cooked by our export-first ag policy
I read about chef Jamie Kennedy possibly going broke in the front-page news (not a bad profile for someone who’s not a banker or carmaker getting bailed out) at the same time that I got an invite to see the preview of Food, Inc., a doc by Robert Kenner. This food serendipity made me pause: Food, Inc. and Food red ink – there’s more cause and effect here than we might realize. Wayne Robertswriting in Toronto’s Now Magazine.