Food Day Canada

There are only 16 of us on the planet who know the feeling of coming face to face with this amazing pantry.  It is a moment I will never forget.  I had several thoughts and feelings at the time, and although "scared" should have been the first one, I felt pride.  I think as Canadians we are all moved by the flag, and as foodies, what is better than the flag made out of food?!?  Absolutely nothing!  My second thought was "Who the heck did all that??"  It was absolutely incredible.  And when we were told to run to it and grab our ingredients, I thought "Oh no, I am NOT wrecking that masterpiece!!"  But it was inevitable, and after just a few moments of admiring its beauty, it was torn apart by the MasterChef Canada Season 2 home cooks.

I was reminded of this image this past weekend, as people all across the country celebrated "Food Day Canada" by shopping locally, dining at their favourite restaurant, cooking with home-grown ingredients, and sharing their love of their regional foods via social media.  Tweets flew from coast to coast and it was really fun to play along and see how Canadians were celebrating.  Everyone was so proud of their regions and traditions which also reminded me of all the friends I made at MasterChef Canada and how cooks from various provinces held different sets of skills and familiarity with ingredients.

Food Day Canada really got me thinking about the amazing ingredients that we have right around us.  In Saskatchewan, we are known for grain, but when you think about it, there is very little that we do NOT have here.  We are a little shy on seafood, I will admit that, but we have beautiful fresh water fish!  Many of us have gardens and the ability to grow an array of our own produce.  For anything we cannot grow, we probably know a farmer who can, or the local farmers markets have no shortage of talented producers and artisans.  Our Regina Farmers Market is an absolute gem and has been bursting with growth over the last several years.  Every time I attend, I am blown away by the quality of the selections, passion of the vendors, and the masses of people out to shop healthy, local ingredients, grab an amazing bite to eat, or just stroll around and listen to music and visit with friends.

All in all, I think Canadians do a great job of celebrating their food throughout the year, but it was terrific to have one day set aside to really stop and think about it.  The power of social media was very evident as we were able to connect across the country and I am happy that so many people were able to get together with friends and eat amazing food.  I was truly blessed to get to spend it with Regina's very top chefs and some incredible cooks at arguably the most beautiful location in the city.  It was a practically perfect Food Day.  Until next year, keep supporting local producers when you can, cook with all the incredible ingredients Canada has to offer, and share your recipes and food stories with your family and friends.  Let's make Canadian Cuisine and Food Culture bigger and better than ever!