Seasonal Food is Focus of Kamloops Event

On August 7, everyone gets to enjoy the very best of seasonal local food. Chefs from Kamloops to Salmon Arm are gathering at Thistle Farm in Westsyde to show off the very best of local produce in an event called “Farm2Chefs”. Guests will nibble and sip their way around this gorgeous organic farm, exploring the work of local farmers, chefs, brewers and vintners.

Farm2Chefs is the inaugural event for the Thompson-Shuswap Chef Farmer Collaborative. The collaborative joins together those who cook with those who grow to enable local restaurants to feature local, seasonal food and drink. Farmers and chefs have been working together for months to create a stronger market for local food, and Farm2Chefs is the fruit of that collaboration.

“We’ve been sourcing local produce for several years, but the collaborative allows us to extend our sources into meat, dairy, fish, beer and wine,” says Ed Walker, chair of the Collaborative and of the Thompson Rivers University Culinary Arts Department. “We are very excited to see so many area chefs putting local food on their menus. It’s great for farmers and the local economy, and our food tastes better.”

Deiter Dudy of Thistle Farm is the host for this event. “I love working with chefs – they are so passionate about great food,” he enthuses. “We’re very pleased to be able to have everyone explore the farm and all the great dishes the chefs are making.”

Farm2Chefs is a “grazing” event, where everyone wanders around the farm, sampling small dishes prepared by 19 different local restaurants and finding exciting new pairings for that food with local wines, beers and mead (honey wine). All participants use local and seasonal ingredients, and food is served on natural or edible dishes, so waste is reduced while flavours are enhanced.

“I have had the pleasure of previewing the menus for Farm2Chefs, and my mouth is watering,” says Rebecca Kneen of Crannóg Ales in Sorrento. “Chef Rob Sengotta from Shuswap Chefs in Salmon Arm will be using our beer to prepare his offering, and it’s delicious! I’m really looking forward to seeing people get inspired about local food and the great things that local chefs are doing with it.”

Tickets for the event are available at the Kamloops Farmers Market every Saturday – just look for the Chefs Collaborative booth. They are also available by calling Ed Walker at 250-320 6974, or at www.tscfc.org. Tickets are also available through many of the participating restaurants. All tickets are in advance only – there will be no tickets at the gate.

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