Eating Algoma (14 photos)

Hundreds gathered at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre Sunday afternoon for a beautiful afternoon of sun and local goodies.

The 2nd annual Eat Algoma Local Food Festival hosted by the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) featured six restauranteurs who created tasty bites from locally sourced producers.

Participating food services were:

    •    Embers Grill and Smoke House - Sourcing from Desbarats Country Produce, Pearce Farm, Loonsong Farm, Penokean Farms, Marshall Farms, Locl City Dairy, and Thornloe Cheese.
    •    Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site - Sourcing from their own gardens, Manitoulin Fishery via the City Meat Market, and Lock City Dairy.
    •    Monique's Bistro and Catering - Sourcing from Fowler Farms and Applehill Farm.
    •    MorningStar Hospitality (Algoma University) - Sourcing from Karhi Farms, Agawa Fisheries, Collholm Farms, and J&M Farms.
    •    Willow Teach Restaurant (Sault College) - Sourcing from Collholm Farms and Pearce Farm.
    •    Voyageur's Lodge and Cookhouse - Sourcing from Algoma Highlands Wild Blueberry Farm and Winery, Sunnynook Farms, and Fiddlehead Farm.

"[This event] is a great way to bring the public and the farms together. It raises awareness about local agriculture and the great restaurants that source their products," Sandra Trainor, Eat Algoma event manager, told SooToday. "It's also a great way for farmers and chefs to meet each other."

In addition to an increase in participating restaurants, this year's event saw a location change from 2014's inaugural festival.

Moving the event from Queen Street to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre offered a greater capacity to host more vendors, participants and visitors, Trainor said.

Protection from potential inclement weather was an added bonus.

Attendance exceeded expectations, she said, adding: "We really want to see this grow. It's a great fundraiser for RAIN. RAIN works on projects around research, education and marketing for the agricultural community in Algoma."

To learn more about RAIN and its initiatives, please click here.

(PHOTO: Sandra Trainor, event manager; and Edie Suriano, marketing and promotions coordinator for the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, at the 2nd annual Eat Algoma Local Food Festival on Sunday, August 30, 2015. Donna Hopper/SooToday)