Canada's emerging culinary mecca

This morning, I pulled the dreamy 2010 Stratford and Area Culinary Guide from my mailbox. Developed by the Stratford Tourism Alliance, it's a step-by-step guide on how to eat your way through the jewel in Canada's gastronomic crown: Stratford, Ontario.

Sure, I'm a resident, and therefore a little biased, but don't just take my word for it: aol.ca named Stratford Canada's Hottest Food Destination.

The proof is in the pudding: Stratford is home to the highly esteemed Stratford Chef School, which has received international attention throughout its 27-year history, and recognition for being the only culinary institute in Canada operated by working restaurant professionals. You might remember the Food Network's program, Chef School, a few years ago, which centred around this school's burgeoning culinary geniuses.

And Stratford Northwestern Secondary School acts as an incubator for this post-secondary program. It's here where high school students can learn from Paul Finkelstein, affectionately known as "Fink" and Canada's Pied Piper of good food, about culinary arts and how to eat, taste, cook and appreciate what's on their plates and the bountiful goodness offered by the Perth County agricultural community. Fink also founded the Screaming Avocado Cafe, which has won the hearts of Jamie Oliver and Chef Michael Smith, among many others.

A disproportionately large number of restaurants per capita has fermented Stratford's rich culinary culture. Here you will find a full range of epicurean delights from haute cuisine to gastro-pub fare. We even have our own culinary festival - Savour Stratford - in its third year, and running September 25 to 26, 2010. Mark your calendars now - I'm still coming down from last year's high.

If all this isn't enough to electrify each taste bud, Stratford Delicious kicks off this weekend, where some of Stratford's hottest restaurants are offering three-course lunches starting at $20 and dinners starting at $35 throughout May and June. Join A Delicious Stratford Stroll this Sunday, May 2, to whet your appetite for what's to come over the next couple months.

Kudos and link love to Matty Ian and The Local-Come-Lately who join me in blogging about Stratford's finest.

Really, what's not to write about?

If you can tear yourself away from the feast.

A walk on the wild side

Nothing connects me to the bigger picture like a walk in the woods. It's here where I find pieces of my soul hidden under dewy rocks, curled into fiddlehead spirals and peeking through the flaps of jack in the pulpits. On Sunday morning I discovered these and countless other treasures on a foraging trek at Wildwood Conservation Area, led by expert forager Peter Blush.

It's amazing what plentiful harvest you'll find on the forest floor: morel mushrooms, watercress, fiddleheads and wild leeks just a 10-minute drive up the road. A calm misty rain only added to the splendor; I haven't traipsed through the mud like that since I was a kid. I loved the way the fresh air seemed to electrify each cell. And the sound of my rubber boots suctioning to the earth: pure joy.

Chef Chris Woolf of Woolfy's Restaurant, at the edge of St. Marys, joined us and later treated the group of 18 foragers to a freshly plucked meal, including wild leek and potato soup. It was absolutely delicious, as was the rest of the meal, which ended with a white mousse made with McCully's Hill Farm maple syrup.

I will definitely return to Woolfy's soon. In addition to impeccable service, the food is fresh, delicious and clearly made with the greatest of care.

Thank you to McCully's Sara Bradford for organizing such an enchanting event. I'll be back for next season's series.

A foraging we will go

Last Friday night, I caught the Food Network’s 100 Mile Challenge, a TV show where six families take part in a daring gastronomic journey/social experiment for 100 days, only consuming food grown within 100 miles.

This particular episode involved a foraging trek, where the families followed a master forager through the BC wilderness to gather edible plants and berries they’d later cook for dinner.

And what was the dish du jour? Fried dandelion blossoms scrambled into eggs. While it sounded a little daunting, the families seemed to lap them up. Who knew those pesky little weeds could harvest such heavenly goodness?

Or maybe they were just hungry. Who knows.

What I do know is that this episode got me very excited, because this Sunday I too will be participating in a foraging trek of my own, just down the road at McCully’s Hill Farm. Spaces are limited but it sounds like a fantastic opportunity, planned by the Slow Food Perth County Convivium.

Expert forager Peter Blush will lead Sunday’s trek through the St. Marys countryside as we search for Perth County’s seasonal and most indigenous bounty. Afterward Chef Chris Woolf, of Woolfy’s Restaurant, will prepare a menu including the ingredients found during our foraging adventure and lunch will be served!

I’m so excited. I can’t wait. Now to get the Food Network to come to Stratford for a 100 mile (km?) challenge...

I heart Sirkel Foods

It's good, it's fresh, it uses local produce and carries only Ontario wines and beers. And it's home to the greatest Thai-inspired "bikini salad" in town: it's Sirkel Foods at 40 Wellington St., one of my favourite lunch spots in Stratford.

Sirkel is family-friendly with its bright yellow walls, kids' play area, chalkboard specials and no-fuss decor. You're not there for the atmosphere or hit-or-miss service, but for the creative and deliciously gourmet foods, with lots of vegetarian options and extremely reasonable prices.

I love grabbing a sandwich or salad to go and taking it down to the river to savour and enjoy amongst the swans.

I rarely let a week to go by before circling-back for more.

Run, don't walk.