Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - Sips and Bites: Ten Top-of-Mind Things from #Terroir2018

Sips and Bites: Ten Top-of-Mind Things from #Terroir2018 

These days locally-sourced product, or food and drink from a given terroir, are paramount for many people. I was privileged to participate in the 2018 version of the Terroir Symposium where some 800 foodies, students, hospitality professionals, chefs, members of the media and others networked around a theme of how terroir can support environmental sustainability at the same time as economic profitability.

Here are a few top-of-mind impressions, trends and lessons that bubbled up as I drove home after a whirlwind few days of food and fellowship.

1. Chefs are among the most giving of people but often find it difficult to ask for help themselves. U.S.-based author, Kat Kinsman spoke eloquently about her own journey and founding her Facebook page Chefs With Issues dedicated to the care and feeing of the people who feed us.

2. The burbs really are a portal to some delicious immigrant cuisine. Kudos to Food writer Suresh Doss for being our guide and curating a great “World Food Court.” (In late 2017 on CBC he featured Burlington’s D Hot Shoppe a long time favourite of mine that has been featured in Food for Thought previously.)

3. Carolina Avaria Chef Concierge of the 4 Seasons in Toronto and President of Les Clefs D’Or Canada underscored the importance of service, telling us that seven of 10 people won’t return to a restaurant or hotel in the face of a culture of indifference. 94% of individuals whose problem is solved WILL come back.

4. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, a Prof in Food Distribution and Policy at Dalhousie University noted as a nation we are #farmilliterate. Most Canadians have never been on a farm. That is something we should seek to rectify, especially given how close most of us in the region are to a real farm.

5. In a fast-paced talk, New York-based Jason Clampet, co-founder of Skift Table, gave us a series of takes on the state of the restaurant business, and in particular, the future of dining, in and out. For instance, he told us “delivery companies have done well to incorporate as much efficiency-supporting technology as possible, but the real barrier to total optimization will continue to be the complicated logistics of real life. Logistics complicate delivery algorithms.” Simply put, if the guy delivering your food is stuck in traffic, or the doorman won’t let him in, your food is going to be late or cold.

6. Chocolate now comes in a fourth flavour! We are all familiar with white, milk and dark chocolate. Add Ruby to the mix. Made from ruby cacao beans by Callebaut chocolate, it is smooth and fruity and coming to Canada in 2019.

7. The genuinely nice and funny Elena Arzak, a 4th-generation chef at the Michelin 3-star Arzak Restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain spoke of the matrilineal Basque culture noting 70% of the staff in the kitchen at her world-top-50 restaurant are women. A lesson for us all…

8. Norfolk County was a sponsor of a relaxed cookout for select symposium participants after the symposium proper. It is home to some wonderful producers of both wine and beer. Burning Kiln Winery hosted the event and I was smitten by the “Cab Frank” named after the previous owner of the property. 45% kiln dried and with soft tannins, it was a terrific match to some of the fire-roasted foods on offer.

9. Likewise, a nod to two great Norfolk County brewers: I loved the Hometown Brewing Company’s offerings, some of which are made with seasonal fruit like apricots and blueberries. Likewise, the New Limburg Brewing Company makes a fantastic complex high-alcohol Belgian-style Quad ale. Seek them out.

10. Finally, at I was shocked, shocked to have been given the (shrimp) finger by two very distinguished leaders, Food Laureate Anita Stewart and the seemingly innocent CBC and Globe and Mail contributor Julie Van Rosendaal, both abetted by the, I’m-coming-to-realise, mischievous Chef Jason Bangerter of Langdon Hall fame. See the photo to see what I mean!

There is much more to process after as intense an event as this, and I’m sure my future writing will be informed by the experience. Thanks to the speakers all of whom volunteered their time, and the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance who were kind enough to invite me, with no expectation that I would do anything but learn from the event. The date of the next one is set for May 6th, 2019 at the Carlu in Toronto, so reserve the date!

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Alex (Alex can be reached on twitter @AlexBielak)