A tweep who goes by the handle @missfish (Andrea Tomkins) tweeted about being in Toronto this past weekend: sitting in Dundas Square, taking a picture of Yonge street empty (quite the sight for those of us familiar with downtown Toronto), visiting Pottery Barn on Bloor, and attending an event at the Pantages Hotel. Yesterday (May 26, 2009), she put up a blog explaining the event she attended while stricken with a bad cold and advocated eating locally. It is yet another good read in the "Fish Bowl."

Regarding her weekend, the event was funded by Hellman's (the mayonnaise company) and was organized by a marketing firm called Harbinger. Accordingly, its intention was to discuss the subject of "local food", which Hellman's believes is simply buying Canadian. Andrea was one of eight Canadian foodies invited. I've a feeling her following as a trusted writer and recognized blogger on family and parenting factored into her invite as well. That said, as always she encouraged comments with her blog post.

When I arrived, most comments involved Ottawans speaking about the virtues of eating locally and their experiences. As a local foodie, I added my two cents. They follow:

#REALFOOD

A discussion about local food in Ottawa needs to mention Savour Ottawa. When you go to outdoor markets, producers and retailers who show their Savour Ottawa posters demonstrate that they have been audited by a third party organization to either produce local products or employ local food in their products. The poster provides a level of assurance that you are supporting local farms or businesses that support local farms.

Some outdoor markets for example sell produce that is no different than that of the larger grocery stores. Clearly, bananas are not grown locally. With respect to garlic (as is stated above) and onions, they are also not in season. However, wild garlic is and some producers are also bringing green onions to market.

As an avid foodie, I try to eat, not only locally, but also seasonally, and support restaurants that do the same. Look for those that have seasonal menus (menus that change often - monthly, weekly). Many openly support local farms. Atelier on Rochester, for instance, is again modifying their menu because forage-able spruce tips are quickly going out of season.

Andrea, feel free to remove the following link if you feel it is inappropriate. It links to my blog and new ways I?ve discovered to enjoy local asparagus and fiddleheads, simple and delicious.
http://www.foodieprints.com/item/1552

The hash tag (in twitter parlance), #REALFOOD, is being tracked by Hellman's and raises funds for Evergreen, "a national charity that works to make our cities more green by funding community gardens, facilitating outdoor classrooms, and collecting monies for said projects from corporate donors."

Thus, foodiePrints is now responsible for two "actions": a comment and blog post.

Unfortunately, in my haste to mention Savour Ottawa in the comment, I neglected to point out another Ottawa destination for local food, Chef Tracey Black's Epicuria. Epicuria is a food store and catering business that was recently and successfully audited by Savour Ottawa to be both a local producer and retailer. Regarding the former, like many modern restaurants, Epicuria maintains its own garden. You don't get more local than that! Go check it out.

Particulars:
Epicuria
419 Mackay Street
(613)745-7356