Press Release
Jul 5, 2023
On June 27th and 28th, the Culinary Tourism Alliance in partnership with George Brown College brought together taste of place makers from across the globe to come together and share inside secrets, stories and of course, a few delicious bites together along the way.
Building Tastes of Place with Others
Day one of the Taste of Place Summit offered delegates a chance to head out on the road by bus and visit three stops in Waterloo Region to learn from them. On day 2, all conference guests met up in Toronto at George Brown College for the inaugural Taste of Place Summit.
Day 1: The Taste of Place Excursion through Waterloo Region and Opening Reception
On day one, several conference go-ers all piled on a bus from Toronto to Waterloo Region to discover three delicious businesses doing exciting things!
Mountainoak Cheese
The first stop was Mountainoak Cheese where Adam and Hannie VanBeirjeik and their team led delegates on a tour of their cheese factory and aging room and shared some samples of their multi-award-winning Goudas.
Finally, guests were brought into the barn to learn about how they care for their cows and use robotic milking.
Langdon Hall
Next up, we headed to Langdon Hall (a Relais & Châteaux) property for lunch where Chef Jason Bangerter and his team greeted us with a refreshing beverage made with herbs from their on-site garden.
Drink in hand, guests followed the head gardener, Jeremy Gehl, on a garden tour, enjoying a few canapés and tasting and smelling some fresh delights from the garden along the way.
With uncertain weather instore, we headed indoors for an incredible garden lunch. Guests perused several food stations and had the opportunity to interact with the renowned culinary team, watching their meals being prepared and plated right before their eyes. The menu at Langdon Hall features over 80% local ingredients – from the fresh scallops, pea risotto, and lamb to the hazelnut mousse for dessert, it was quite the treat!
Willibald Farm Brewery and Distillery
We wound down the day with a tour of the Willibald Farm and Distillery in Ayr, Ontario. This rural stop packs the punch and a tour brought guests into the world of the brewers and distillers.
We ended our time here with a guided tasting of some of Willibald’s beer, spirits, and seltzers before heading back on the bus!
Day 2: The Taste of Place Summit at George Brown College in Toronto
Day two of our summit welcomed all attendees to join us at George Brown College for an immersive day of learning (and eating)!
A Welcome to Attendees
The morning began with welcomes from the following delegates:
· The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Member of Parliament, House of Commons of Canada
· Liza Frulla, Chair of the Board of Directors, Destination Canada
· Ion Vilcu, Director for Affiliate Members, UNWTO
· Rebecca Mackenzie, President and CEO, Culinary Tourism Alliance
· Dr. Eileen De Courcy, Vice-President, Academic, George Brown College
· Tony Garcia, Director, Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts
A huge thank to all!
Great Taste of Canada Launch
An exciting announcement was then made by Rebecca Mackenzie and Beth Potter, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
The announcement was for the Great Taste of Canada Program – the CTA’s new national initiative to tell Canada’s delicious taste of place stories one bite at a time.
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