The true taste of a place is rooted in its terroir. It starts with agriculture and the people who grow our food. It moves to the artisans that craft the food into tastes such as wine, cheese and beer. It travels to the plate through the craft of cook and chef. We celebrate it at our tables, and in our communities through festivals and events. We showcase all of these tastes to the world through culinary tourism experiences.

2010 is an exciting year for the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance and the culinary tourism industry. Momentum in the investment of developing culinary tourism experiences across the province is remarkable. In 2005, we started working with five destinations across the province. We now support nineteen!

Our annual Ontario Culinary Tourism Summit is an opportunity to engage with culinary tourism stakeholders from across the province and the country. The Summit provides delegates with a networking forum and educational workshops so that they can continue to be on the “cutting edge” of culinary tourism. We are excited to be hosting our Summit at the MaRS Discovery District on Monday, November 1st.

This year’s summit features

• Head Lecture delivered by Celebrity Chef Michael Smith

• Media panel lead by NYC food writer Adam Sachs, Chicago culinary journalist Steve Dolinksy, and Vancouver food writer Randall Shirley

• Breakout sessions featuring Local Food Plus, Ocean Wise, Wine Council of Ontario (Wine Country Ontario) and communications design firm Hypenotic
• Farmer panel featuring Perth County Pork Products’ Fred de Martines and Pristine Gourmet's Jason Persall

• An Locavore Cafeteria luncheon organized by chef Jamie Kennedy, featuring the foods and wines from 11 of our province’s amazing regions

• Pickle Smackdown after-summit party at The Drake Hotel hosted by Ivy Knight

• Select and exclusive pre-post summit Destination Familiarization Tours (FAMS) to Niagara and Toronto, available for media and for an extra cost

• Thesis presentation by Lauren Baker, From Land to Plate: The Dilemmas and Victories of Alternative Food Distribution in Ontario

• The chance to network and interact with the best and brightest in the culinary tourism supply chain

Taste your way through Ontario at the 2010 Ontario Culinary Tourism Summit at the MaRS Centre in downtown Toronto. Along with your delegate pass, you’ll have access to all the food and wine sampling booths during our Locavore Cafeteria lunch, and the chance to network with some of the notable guests and unique participants in our summit – including celebrity chef Michael Smith, NYC food writer Adam Sachs, the folks from Local Food Plus, and most importantly the chefs, growers, producers and destinations that make our province shine.

We’ve also opened this event’s amazing lunch hour, organized by locavore chef Jamie Kennedy, to all the fellow MaRSians and tenants working in the building. They can also drop by the atrium at noon and be treated to local culinary delicacies prepared by top chefs from across the province.

And it’s not just all about the food either.

This Locavore Cafeteria will showcase a variety of wines from regions across Ontario. Organized by Wines of Ontario, these winery tastings will highlight the best and most unique vintages and blends.

2010 Summit Agenda*

*Agenda subject to change