Carleton University Wins the Ontariofresh.ca Buy Local Challenge!

We are pleased to announce Carleton University as the winner of the first Ontariofresh.ca Buy Local Challenge. Carleton demonstrated outstanding commitment to promote and serve local food in their institution.

To celebrate the launch of Ontariofresh.ca we held the first Buy Local Challenge from November 27th to December 3rd, 2011. We asked public institutions to promote and serve local foods they have sourced through Ontariofresh.ca and other local food providers. We were extremely pleased by the response we received, and by the new connections that were made through Ontariofresh.ca during the Challenge.

We would like to thank all the participating institutions and for demonstrating an impressive level of enthusiasm and effort.

Here is a brief description of the winner and finalists Challenge submissions:

Carleton University – Ottawa, Ontario

Carleton University is the winner of the Ontariofresh.ca Buy Local Challenge. The University went above and beyond to promote the Challenge and include local Ontario food in their menu. They informed students and staff of the Challenge and the importance of local food by including posts on their website, print advertising, messages on LCD screens across campus, at the point of sale, in their monthly newsletter and table toppers in their cafeterias.  They also prepared a video featuring menu items and student testimonials, which can be viewed at Ontariofresh.ca. This multi-media approach inspired students and faculty to ask for more information on local products and local food initiatives.

During the Challenge week students, faculty, staff and other customers had the opportunity to choose from the newly created “Eat Local Menu”, each featuring a local main, side and desert. The menu featured several fantastic dishes, including:

·         Butternut Squash & Gala Apple Soup

·         Fresh Ontario Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with a Fire Roasted Tomato & Basil Sauce

·         Homemade Local Apple Pie

·         Ontario Ground Beef and Pork Sliders

·         Maple Cupcakes

The Challenge generated a lot of enthusiasm at the University. Compared to previous years, the traffic flow at the cafeteria increased over the lunch hour during the Challenge week. They received positive feedback from students, who expressed their support for buying local and continuing to engage in initiatives like the Buy Local Challenge. The Buy Local Challenge has inspired Carleton University to permanently include local items in their menus and encourage their suppliers to continually select and offer local Ontario food.

Finalists

Metro Toronto Convention Centre - Toronto, Ontario

The MTCC engaged their staff in several ways during the Buy Local Challenge Week. To kick-off the Week they held a contest asking staff to submit stories of local food in their own lives. This sparked a lot of enthusiasm for local food, encouraging staff to support the Challenge. Some of the featured local menu items included:

·         Smoked Ontario Duck Panini with local cheese

·         Slider Bar that featured Ontario Beef, Chicken and Mushrooms

·         Ontario Beet Risotto with Ontario Hothouse Peppers

·         Ontario Apple Tart

The quantity of local food MTCC managed to incorporate into their menu during the Challenge week was incredible, with the total food purchases for the week coming in at approximately $50,000.

Michener Institute (Operated by Dana Hospitality) – Toronto, Ontario

Despite being an exam week at the Michener Institute the Buy Local Challenge went off with great success. In fact, it was noted that the Challenge “provided a good distraction during exam week as everyone was raving about the fresh tasting food”. Its success can be attributed to several promotional efforts, including notices posted throughout the school, on menus and at the point of sale. During the week students and faculty were treated to several local dishes, including:

·         Thai Chicken and Bean Sprout Wrap

·         Locally Roasted Vegetables and Feta Cheese Panini

·         Bacon, Brie and Ontario Heirloom Tomato Panini

·         Spaghetti and homemade meatballs

These dishes and others sparked an increased interest in catering orders that featured local ingredients.

Northdale Manor - New Liskeard, Ontario

The Buy Local Challenge was abuzz not only within Northdale Manor, but also throughout the Town of New Liskeard. Their local paper, the Temiskaming Speaker, featured the retirement home’s effort to promote and serve local food.  Northdale Manor also brought in a guest speaker who discussed local food promotions with residents. During the week residents at Northdale had the opportunity to indulge in:

·         Pasta Primavera using locally grown vegetables

·         Beef Stroganoff and Chili Con Carne that incorporated locally raised beef

·         Pumpkin Loaf

The Challenge was a nice complement to other ‘local food’ activities being pursued by Northdale Manor, including developing stronger relationships with local producers and a Harvest Celebration held in the fall.

The Hospital for Sick Kids – Toronto, Ontario

The Hospital for Sick Kids took a number of creative steps to promote the Buy Local Challenge in their institution, including placing ads and local menus on inpatient trays, advertising the Challenge over LCD screens and featuring the Challenge on their weekly Child Life Activity handout. The Hospital also integrated the Challenge into their other ‘local food’ initiatives, such as their weekly indoor farmers market. The following menu items were placed in their cafeteria

·         Ontario Roast Beef with Rosemary Demi Glaze served with O’Brien potatoes and Roasted Ontario Butternut Squas

·         White Sangria-Glazed Ontario Grilled Chicken with Julienne Vegetables served over a bed of rice and Julienne Ontario Harvest       Root Vegetables or Spring Mix Green

·         Silly Squash and Pear Soup

·         Apple French Toast Pockets

Some of these menu items were absolute hits and accounted for over a quarter of the daily sales.

St. Michael’s Hospital Marketeria (Operated by Marek Hospitality) – Toronto, Ontario

St. Michael’s Hospital Marketeria is one of several food providers at St. Michael’s that is open to the public and visitors. The Marketeria offers a mixed menu, with different hot menu items prepared daily by their chef Jean Luc Touchard. The Marketeria was a perfect fit for the Buy Local Challenge.

The Challenge week was so successful for the Marketeria that they have permanently changed their menu to highlight more local food.

The following are some of their featured ‘local’ menu items that received praise from staff and visitors were: 

·         Corn Cakes with Apple Relish

·         Apple Cider Brussel Sprouts

·         Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Beyond these items St. Michael’s successfully integrated Ontario carrots, potatoes, parsnips, mushrooms, and chicken into their weekly menu.