What better way to learn about local food than to experience it firsthand? Taste Local! Taste Fresh!  is all about bringing together farmers, chefs and consumers to celebrate our local harvest and the diversity of great food we have here in Waterloo Region.  Everyone is guaranteed to have a great time at this culinary feast (except maybe the event co-ordinator!)

Now in its 8th year, Taste Local is Foodlink's Annual Culinary Showcase and Fundraiser.  It takes place Sunday, September 18, 2011, 2-5 pm in Riverside Meadows Park, St. Jacobs. Once again guests will be able to spend a delightful afternoon outdoors tasting original food creations prepared by teams of the area’s finest chefs and farmers. This year’s event will feature 20 all-new chef/farmer pairings offering participants an opportunity to sample exquisite new recipes featuring local foods and farm-fresh products.

Guests will be able to meet and chat with chefs about the art of cooking and farmers about the local food they grow. To add to the ambiance they will be treated to the live music of the Tim Louis Jazz Trio and will have an opportunity to bid on fabulous silent auction packages while sipping on Pelee Island Wines and Wellington County brews. Each guest will receive a “passport” providing information about the tasty creations as well as the participating farms and restaurants.

The Culinary Studio, owned by chefs Kirstie Herbstreit and Jody O’Malley, opened in Belmont Village this past spring and will be joining the Taste Local line-up this year. Kirstie is no stranger to the event, however, having participated for the past five years through various other establishments she has worked at. “I love the camaraderie of working alongside other chefs. It is an exciting opportunity to see what others are creating and it inspires us all to put our best food forward,” says Kirstie. This year the Culinary Studio is paired with Herrles Country Farm Market. Suffice to say their imaginative canapé will feature corn, but the rest is a highly-guarded secret!  

A limited number of tickets for Taste Local! Taste Fresh! is available while quantities last. There is an early-bird price of $65 until August 31; and then any remaining tickets will be available for $75 each. The price includes all tastings and an exquisite one-of-a kind hand-crafted pottery plate. There are also group discounts available on books of ten tickets. Last year the event sold out drawing approximately 500 guests. Tickets can be purchased online http://www.foodlink.ca/index.php?p=52 or by contacting the Foodlink office 519-513-8998.

For the first three years Taste Local! Taste Fresh! took place in New Hamburg, followed by two years on Victoria Park Island in Kitchener. Since 2009 the event has taken place in St. Jacobs, thanks to the Township of Woolwich and St. Jacobs Country, who are the Golden Apple Sponsors of the event.

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to taste Waterloo Region's local food at its finest!