A not-to-miss event for foodies

I’m so excited to be able to experience this year’s Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival taking place in Stratford, Ontario from September 21 to 23. It’s one of the perks of working for a magazine that regularly features the healthy benefits of great food’you get to attend amazing events like this one.

Best Health has been a sponsor of Savour Stratford for the past three years and it’s a delicious way to spend a fall weekend. With top Canadian foodies, including fresh-food chef Paul Finkelstein, who is a resident of Stratford and a regular contributor to BH, it’s sure to be an non-stop fest of great food, drink and music all in a picturesque setting along the Avon River.

The event is all about regional food’Stratford and Perth County are surrounded by lush farmland and have top-notch restaurants, a world-class chef school and a community that’s passionate about food’and celebrating the region’s chefs, farmers and producers. It’s been named Ontario’s "Best Culinary Tourism Experience" and is fun way to spend a weekend for the whole family.

Here are just some of the great highlights to check out if you go:

-International celebrity chef and cookbook author David Rocco (pictured below), will lead demonstrations and present his family’s favourite heritage recipes on the Culinary Stage. (Saturday 2:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.)

-Top Chef Canada past season winners, Connie deSousa (Saturday 11:30 a.m.) and Carl Heinrich (Sunday 2 p.m.), will also share their expertise at the Culinary Stage.
-In the Chef’s Learning Centre ecologist and author David Tracey will show you how to grow a vegetable garden in your yard or on your balcony for apartment and condo dwellers.
-The Kids’ Tent will have educational programming for children, including how to make their own healthy food, and while they do that parents can hit the Craft Beer and Wine Pavilion.
-The Band Shell and City Centre Stage will host an eclectic mix of musicians featuring some of Perth County’s greatest musical talents.
-You can shop for the best the region has to offer with more than 150 vendors at the Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market.
-Paul Finkelstein will host a "Pig in a box" bbq (Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
-And don’t miss The Savour Stratford Sunday Tasting, which is the highlight of the weekend. Spend the afternoon meeting regional producers and chefs and sampling great food along with Ontario VQA wines and craft beers.

For more information and tickets, visit www.savourstratford.com. See you there!