NEWS RELEASE
DOWNTOWN ORILLIA MANAGEMENT BOARD
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The second annual Downtown Orillia Farm to Table Dinner delighted 125 locals and visitors in the downtown core on Saturday, September 15.
Downtown Orillia played host to a seven-course dinner crafted by nine downtown restaurants and cafes and paired with wine and beer from Southbrook Vineyards and Beau’s Brewery. The dinner featured local ingredients from local farmers and suppliers in the region and were highlighted throughout all seven courses of the dinner.
The main focus of the farm to table dinner was to celebrate and promote downtown restaurateurs, as well as local producer and farmers in the region.
The sold-out dinner began with guests enjoying a pre-cocktail hour on Mississaga Street West then being seated at a 128-foot table where they soaked in the ambience of the downtown, listen to light music and began their dinner experience.
Dinner commenced with appetizers including warm buttermilk biscuits baked by Apple Annie’s Café and warm spinach and artichoke dip from Fionn McCool’s then moved on to a delicious caprese pasta salad created by Tre Sorelle, followed by a delectable seasonal butternut squash soup from Brewery Bay.
Next up were Shine Juice Bar & Café who featured the fall harvest beautifully with an array of local beets with maple “goat” cheese made in house and Eclectic Café/MRC Catering showcasing local carrots in three creative ways.
Era 67 Restaurant & Lounge then presented the main of apricot glazed pork belly, sweet potatoes and local beans and for dessert. Rustica Pizza Vino delighted guests with homemade gellato alongside homemade fudge from Apple Annie’s Shop and tea and coffee from Mariposa Market.
At the end of the evening, dinner guests were presented with goodies provided by generous downtown merchants featuring a special gift for all of the ladies from Town’s Jewellers: a stunning pair of earrings!
“The goal of the dinner was to bring new visitors, as well as locals into our beautiful downtown and to feature and promote the incredible restaurants located in Downtown Orillia year-round as well as feature ingredients from local farmers and producers,” said Director of Marketing & Events, Courtney Thompson. “We were delighted to be able to add a local charity aspect to the event this year and include The Sharing Place Food Bank. As an added feature, dinner guests were able to contribute to this local charity throughout the evening by donating money as well as participating in the silent auction. We are very thankful to our dinner guests for their generous contributions which raised a whopping $1,915 for The Sharing Place at the end of the night.”
Major sponsors of the dinner included Complete Rentals, BruceGreySimcoeRegional Tourism Organization 7, Town’s Jewellers, Mayo & Associates, Twig Creative, Candles with Care, Brewery Bay, Beau's Brewery & Southbrook Vineyards. Produce was sourced from numerous local and regional farmers: Rama Community Farm, Hewitt’s Farm-Market, McBrides Organic Farm, Wild Child Organics, Earth Valley Organics, Huron Sun, Bass Lake Farms, Bulbs of Fire, Maple Orchard Farms, Pinecone Organics, Tre Sorelles’ home garden, Farmer Lee Kelly & Nicholyn Farms.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the success of this year’s dinner are very excited to begin planning next year’s event,” said Thompson. “We would like to thank all of our amazing sponsors, farmers and of course the downtown restaurants and cafes who made the night a smashing success with their delicious creations.”
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