March 2014
Culinary giant Julia Child once said, “People who love to eat are the best people” - and who would dare argue with Julia? The activity of cooking, sharing a meal and having the honour of doing so with local fare grown in your own County, is a privilege. Food is Love. The Perfect Marriage is a bit sweet, a little spicy and, in the end, about making memories.
Our rocky path to romance began with a bad first date - a community consultation that produced no spark. No phone call to ask us out again. No invitation for our CFDC to help advance the promotion, consumption and access to local food, and ultimately help improve our rural economy. So, armed with a flipchart and a desire to fill our dance card, we inventoried the amazing assets of Lambton County, noted our minor shortcomings and, with a goal to put GOOD food, LOCAL food, on the map, we held our own consultation - inviting farmers, fishers, artisans, chefs, tourism representatives and some hardcore foodies to the table.
Flash forward a few months and we’d organized a successful pilot Farmers’ Market. A producer-based, no re-selling permitted, market. It was a hit. We were now in a committed relationship with no end in sight. Winter arrived and we hosted "Home for the Holidays", pairing local chefs with producers to make Holiday-themed treats, providing recipes to attendees and, to no one’s surprise, the not-so-subtle opportunity to buy and order product at the event. The love affair grew stronger.
Summer came and a full market season was underway. Food writer Lynn Ogryzlo, of "The Ontario Table", came to explore our county in June and sell cookbooks. “We want to come back again”, she said; and, in July, the call came. “We’d like to come back”. “When?”, we asked. “How about August?”, came her reply. "Well, let’s put on a dinner". In a stress filled 3 ½ week period, the impossible happened: A Food Day Canada Farm Dinner - "The Perfect Marriage" - for 80 was executed with panache, ending with a rainstorm as happy, satiated guests ran to their cars.
So, how to top this in 2013? Here’s where relationship building, treasuring the unique assets of your community - building a strong marriage, if you will - pays off beyond expectations. We approached one of our market vendors – Cynthia Cook of Forest Glen Herb Farm, a two-time winner of the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence, to be our host. She accepted and, armed with a plan, we engaged our Federation of Agriculture, Tourism Sarnia-Lambton, and obtained funding from the newly-minted Creative County Fund. In Lambton County, our Cultural Plan recognizes food as a cultural cornerstone. With local chefs prepping and executing a multi-course meal for 120 (incorporating Cynthia’s greens, herbs, vinegars, spices and more, and with her farm grown wildflowers gracing each table), our farmers providing reasonably priced or donated product and many enthusiastic guests, the happy marriage continued.
And to think it all started with a bad first date. There is magic in working with what you’ve got, recognizing your strengths, and putting yourself out there to establish and nurture relationships. Your projects deserve that dedication and commitment. For better or worse.
