Chefs plan national celebration of local food

By Mike Deibert

SINGHAMPTON—Michael Stadtlander was in Italy at a slow food festival, celebrating the local wine and cuisine, when he thought, “Why not do this in Canada?”

He worked on the idea with other chefs and together they came up with the first Canadian Chefs’ Congress, scheduled for Sept. 21–22 on Stadtlander’s Eigensinn Farm in Singhampton, near Collingwood, about a two hour drive northwest from Toronto.

Stadtlander and his wife and business partner Nobuyo hope this will be the first of a series of gatherings every two years in different regions of Canada, to go on for 26 years.

The organizers of the inaugural event are hoping to draw 500 chefs from across Canada willing to pay $250 to camp out and take part in activities at Stadlander’s property where he runs a restaurant serving local food that has won him international acclaim in gourmet circles, and holds imaginative, sometimes whimsical food events.

Chefs from some of the best restaurants in each of the provinces, as well as in Yellowknife, have already confirmed their attendance.

The mission statement for the culinary gathering reads: “The Canadian Chefs’ Congress connects chefs to our land, in solidarity with farmers, fishers, gardeners, foragers and all artisanal food producers. It is a biennial gathering of chefs from across our country that reinforces the passion and integrity of the Canadian food culture.”

On opening day chefs from each province and territory of Canada will serve regional delicacies paired with local wines.

The day will end with a late night feast with some of Toronto’s leading chefs at the stoves: Jamie Kennedy of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens, Anthony Walsh of Canoe, Lino Collevecchio of Via Allegro, Daisuke Izutsu of Kaiseki Sakura and Mark Cutrara of Cowbell. Also feeding the masses will be chef Kevin McKenna of Loyalist College in Belleville, Scott Miles of Grey County Meats in Ontario, and Adam Colquhoun, owner of Oyster Boy restaurant in Toronto.

Colquhoun will put on a firework display finale. Between meals, during the day, there will be seminars and panel discussions.

Author Jeffrey M. Smith, whose books about genetically modified organisms are read around the world, will speak at the congress about GMOs. Robert Clark, from C Restaurant in Vancouver, will lead a discussion on sustainable aquaculture.

Breakfast on the second day, highlighting artisanal products from Grey County, will be prepared by chef school students from George Brown College under the guidance of chef school director John Higgins.

Students and staff from Loyalist College and Georgian College in Barrie will provide support during the two days of the event.

Second day activities include workshops on contemporary cuisine, food security, biotechnology, conservation, sustainable agriculture and responsible aquaculture, taking place in sculpture gardens designed and built by Stadtlander and his apprentices.

Chefs from Niagara, Prince Edward County and Pelee Island/Lake Erie North Shore will create a feast celebrating the emerging food and wine culture from the three Ontario VQA wine regions.

In the week leading up to the congress, chefs from the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Newfoundland and Labrador will cook for Canada North events at three restaurants in Toronto and one in Singhampton.

For information, updates and online registration go to www.canadianchefscongress.com.