everybody wave to the Sysco truck...

We are incredibly blessed here in Perth County, surrounded by a sumptuous bounty of farmland, protein, produce, cheeses - a 'veritable pantheon' of local producers offering superior products to the array of Stratford restaurants.  Yet, I find myself, weekly (if not more often) watching the Sysco truck parade brazenly around the city delivering its wares to sub-par kitchens and restaurants of every ilk.

For those of you who are not familiar with what I am talking about, Sysco is a massive over-produced food company that will provide you with less-than-quality ingredients at 'bargain basement' prices.

Note: Flannagan's is a similar company, much like shopping at Target instead of Walmart.  But Sysco claims the 'Walmart of food products' place in my heart.

Now, some restaurants use Sysco products for things like: canned goods, bar stock (cherries, straws, mini-swords, etc.) and that's okay, even necessary.  Not every joint on the block can afford the caraffa olives from Pazzo bakery.  But other restaurants are using these foreign products to make up the bulk of their menus, from the very expensive lamb at the Church Restaurant to the eggs on your breakfast plate at Features, some restaurants think it is okay to offer cheaper, low quality products at prices that would be understandable for a hand raised local product.

To extend the olive branch: I'm not suggesting that every restaurant can nor should source everything locally - I understand it gets expensive, I want to eat things like lobster and oysters as much as the next guy, and some restaurant price-points don't allow for every product they serve to be of superior quality.  Let's be honest, we all eat hotdogs right?

Basically I'm just suggesting that the next time you're out dining in a fine establishment (or what you consider to be one) ask your server a few questions.  Where do they get their beef?  Is the fish sustainable?  Are they using local produce?

We the consumers should encourage our dining venues to use products with integrity wherever possible.  Then maybe we can wave good-bye to the Sysco truck altogether!


Footnote:

I feel some of the wording in this post came across harsher than intended.  When I write, it is with a certain inflection in my head, often meant to be tongue-in-cheek.

I understand that there are lots of reasons to use large suppliers and have worked for establishments that do so conscientiously - and I applaud them for this.

I have also worked for establishments that don't have to use large suppliers (they have the liberty of a higher price-point/smaller space)  Some of these establishments still use Sysco products but charge prices that reflect a high quality local/specialized product.

It's great to see the comments below because it means that this post has people thinking - and responding intelligently - which is kind of what this blog is meant to do.

Thanks again for reading!

(bi) weekly linkage: liquor laws, eating local, iron chef uptown finals and more!

Shall we dive right in?  I get a little over-excited sometimes and want to get straight to the new things that I have been enlightened by recently.  The internet is a vast place filled with useless information, here I boil it down and let you know about the things you may have missed of late - and shouldn't have!

First I must beseech the local decision makers to get on the band-wagon that our provincial government has decided to jump aboard!  I look forward to strolling the garlic festival and Savour Stratford with a frosty beer in hand!

As food trends come and go restaurants are always looking to the future to see if they are making the right decisions for their guests.  You decide: has eating local become annoying?

Finally BBQ season is upon us, with a vengeance.  I look forward to warm evenings spent grilling something delicious!  But besides all the great things to eat we of course need some suggestions on what to drink with BBQ deliciousness.

To get everyone in the mood for some sun and remind us yet again why we love this great abundant countryside in which we reside, how about a video?

In case you haven't been paying attention: there has been a great event re-occurring just down the road in Waterloo at Uptown 21.  Iron Chef Uptown was hosted Wednesdays for the past 2 months where a number of Stratford's own chefs were featured battling against the best restaurants of the Waterloo region.  Tomorrow night is the final and it features one of Stratford's greatest chefs: Aaron Linley.  If you can't make it to Waterloo (tickets are $5 with all proceeds going to the food bank) then watch from home and cheer really loud so Aaron can hear you! (link is live in real time so if it's blank for now, just wait until tomorrow night @ 9:30pm)

To get you psyched for what the secret ingredient could be please enjoy a ridiculous video from our 'honourable chairman'...

when foodies go too far!

Now I'm all for supporting local/sustainable food. I prefer small independent restaurants who know their producers and use great products presented in delectable fashion, but there is a line!  This line is too often crossed by the people who launch far past 'foodies' to become 'gastronomes'.  These pretentious people believe that EVERYTHING that crosses your table should be 100% organic, even if you have a family of 6 and are hoping to feed them on a reasonable budget.

These 'gourmands' are stuck on the finer points of old European service, requiring even the most casual restaurants to flambe their bananas foster table-side.  They argue over the differences between wagyu and kobe beef ad nauseum.  They correct you constantly with pronunciations of uncommon food words and always use extravagant inflection and of course, every conversation about food somehow ends up with a discussion about how much they loooove FWAAAH GrrrRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!

I have served these people and I've cooked for them, but they are most irritating when you eat with them.  There is constant criticism of your choices, "that year in the Southern Rhone Valley was NOT a good vintage" "I cannot believe you would order THAT!"

The sad part is, the 'gourmands' are missing out.  They have forgotten the most important thing about food and drink; the enjoyment of it!  It's great to appreciate the finer things but one must always be careful to not take it too far lest your friends stop going out for dinner with you!

 

(Thanks to Catherine Cassidy for introducing me to this great video!)

organic? local? free range? grain-fed? what do these terms really mean?

Our city is very focused on the terminology of food, we are blessed to live in the abundance of Perth County, surrounded by local farmers and artisans who offer superior products, but what does it all mean?

Organic:
My grandfather was a pioneer of organic farming and though he was rather brilliant, his timing sucked.  He was too early and didn't get a great response from buyers as his products always had a shorter shelf life than the non-organic producers.  Now that 'organic' has grown in popularity new challenges face small organizations.  In 2009 the federal government took a stand on what could be labelled certified-organic.  This offers some guarantee to the consumer but creates plenty of difficulties for the small farms who have to shell out significant amounts of money to have their products labelled as such.  It also causes some confusion - does the average consumer know the difference between "certified" and ordinary organic?  It's all in the labelling.

Local:
'Think Global, Eat Local' right?  Of course during the growing season and beyond into the harvest there is nothing like local produce.  But during the long harsh Canadian winter everyone loves a juicy apple, or a little guacamole now and again, it's hard to last 5-6 months eating only rutabaga and preserved veggies.  "We have greenhouses, technology!" the people shout, 'but what of the power sources to run such operations?' I reply.  There are some who say that there is less negative impact on the environment from shipping Florida fruit to Ontario than there is from growing it in greenhouses in sub-zero temperatures.  At least we will always have luscious pork year round!

Free-range:
Upon hearing this term everyone's heart warms at the thought of bright yellow chicks pecking at springtime bugs in a lush green meadow, I too feel hopeful of this.  But the reality is that free-range means that an animal has access to an outdoor area for an indeterminate amount of time and there may or may not be grass in that area.  Very few strict rules have been attached to this term, it falls in with things like 'ethically raised', 'free-run', 'artisanal', 'natural' etc. which all have lovely connotations that terrible corporations take advantage of.

Grain-fed:
There is one very important thing about this term and that is: an animal cannot be labelled 'grain-fed' if it has been fed animal by-products, and that is a good thing!  Who am I kidding, that is a GREAT thing!  Here comes the but...BUT unfortunately it can also mean that the animal in question is fed only grain (usually corn) which is not a healthy alternative to grass.  Even the term grass-fed is deceiving as it can mean an animal was started on grass but ultimately fattened on corn.

Fortunately for those of us living in Stratford and the surrounding areas we can have a REAL connection with a lot of the producers who provide our food.  From Perth Pork Products and Monforte Dairy to Soiled Reputation and beyond!  We are also lucky to have such incredible events such as Savour Stratford that allow us to meet these producers and even sample some of their products.  So forget the labels and get to know the people so you can build a relationship and maybe even meet your dinner before it gets to your plate.