Today was a huge day for Durham Region. The new Durham College Centre For Food launched tonight with a star-studded line-up of Durham Region celebrities including the visionary behind the Centre for Food, Mr. Don Lovisa, President of Durham College, celebrity Chef Christian Pritchard and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo. We were also blessed to have renowned Chef Jamie Kennedy, the official ambassador for the Centre for Food join us to share his perspective on how important the field to fork movement is.
The Centre for Food could not ask for a more passionate, celebrated Canadian to inspire chefs in training than Jamie. I had the pleasure of serving on the Ontario Culinary Tourism (OCTA) Board of Directors with Jamie Kennedy for a short period of time in 2009/ 2010, and it is amazing to see how far agri-culinary tourism has come since then. Jamie joined us for a Durham Tourism industry conference in north Durham back in the spring of 2009, along with Rebecca Leheup, Executive Director of OCTA to promote and kick start the development of culinary tourism in Durham Region. Restauranteurs and chefs came from across Durham to hear Jamie’s story. Like most entrepreneurs, Jamie hasn’t aways had a smooth ride, but Jamie’s passion shines bright and continues to inspire chefs and have an enormous impact on the local food movement in Ontario and around the world.
I was lucky enough to corner Chef Kennedy and Chef Pritchard for a quick photo op and a glass of Ontario’s delicious Hinterland bubbly to wash down a delectable duck confit prepared by the super-talented Chef Thomas Heitz (another local treasure) of Port Restaurant.
The students did a phenomenal job presenting a wide variety of dishes including: lobster and beef tenderloin skewers, crab cakes, lamb on mini yorkshire puddings, mushroom ragu, and of course a great selection of Ontario wines.
The highlight of the evening was a very special performance by my friend Kate Boothman, joined by Greg Keelor on guitar and vocals, accompanied by Anna Ruddick of the incredible band Ladies of the Canyon and Mike Boguski of Blue Rodeo on double bass and keys respectively.
Thanks again for the stellar entertainment Kate, Greg, Anna and Mike! Special thanks to Wendy Boothman for your commitment to making cool things happen in Durham Region.
After an awesome evening, my husband Jay and I were reminiscing about what an incredible milestone this launch represents. It’s about field to fork, its about culinary tourism, its about inspiring young chefs, but bottom line is that none of this would have happened without the vision and leadership of Don Lovisa.
Congratulations to you and your entire team at Durham College Don. Your work and commitment to field to fork will have a lasting impact on people’s lives for many years to come.