Perth County Regional Food Summit

The Second Annual Perth County Regional Food Summit is taking place on March 22nd, 2010 at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford, Ontario. The Regional Food Summit is a one day event that it brings farmers, chefs, producers, buyers to create a forum to discuss the hospitality industry and local food.
The 2010 summit will include our keynote speaker, Dr. Stephen Smith, professor of tourism at the University of Waterloo who will be focusing on culinary tourism statistics and trends. The day will include a Chef/Farmer “speed-dating” session where farmers will be stationary at tables around the room with their product and information and chefs and buyers will rotate around the room to interact with the farmers. A Taste of Perth County lunch will be served at round table discussions to further the dialogue around local food, followed by four break-out sessions. Topics to include: Local Abattoirs & Local Food; Distribution - an answer for farmers and chefs; Marketing for Farmers - at the farm gate, farmers' markets, events, internet and print materials; and Culinary Tourism Best Practices Panel. The day will finish with "next steps" closing remarks.