Sunday, October 4, 2009
To all the chefs, farmers, vintners, organizers, sponsors and volunteers, thanks for helping make the third annual Picnic at the Brick Works a sensational event. Besides the food-tasting fun with good friends, a picnic like this allows Evergreen Brick Works to centrally highlight its four fundamental themes in action: Innovation and Discovery, Food and Community, Natural and Cultural Heritage, Gardening and Greening.
With one writer exclaiming that she was in “post-prandial bliss,” all we can answer is that we were happy to oblige. Here are some pictures and links to what was said about the awareness-raising fundraiser. We invite you to share your pictures and observations with the online community as well.
To learn more about our plans for food programming at Evergreen Brick Works, download our Food Strategy summary (PDF, 580 kB).
Some quotes:
“The event was sold out—1,100 people – and it's clear the Brick Works knows how to handle a crowd… kudos to the organizers for not selling more tickets than they did. The concentration of local food energy propelled the event above and beyond expectations.”
“Toronto…'s culinary best showed up at The Brick Works on Bayview for another incredible year of delightful food and wine.”
Articles:
Slow Food Picnic Serves Fast Bites at the Brick Works
Joshua Tusin, BlogTO
“Picking a favourite from so many different chefs would be impossible… I left more convinced than ever that using the best local and seasonal ingredients possible, given a little care in preparation, yields the best food.”
Another Successful, Belly-full Year!
By AKH, The Restaurant Club
“On a somewhat dreary fall day, Toronto and beyond’s culinary best showed up at The Brick Works on Bayview for another incredible year of delightful food and wine…”
Ontario kiwis a hit at Brickworks locavore picnic
Jennifer Bain, Toronto Star
“Berry farmer Morris Gervais found it ‘really fun to see the creativity of these chefs and what they do with the product.’”
The Brick Works Picnic shows off the local harvest
Toronto Life
“In only its third year, this annual celebration… has become one of Toronto’s favourite food events, largely due to the contributions of big-name restaurants (Langdon Hall, Canoe, Frank and Cowbell, to name but a few).”
And one from an NYC blogger:
Slow Food Toronto and Evergreen: Celebrating Slow Food and Green Spaces
Hannah Wallace, The Faster Times: Food Politics
“There are worse ways to get to know a city than through its food.”
Congratulations to The winners of the Dining in Style Raffle!
Grand Prize Winner
GE Kitchen Grand Prize – Winner: Sean Davidson
Personal Chef Experiences
Chef Johnathan Gushue, Langdon Hall and Sommelier Wine Maker, Norm Hardie – Winner: Kendra Nagel
Chef Tawfik Shehata, Vertical Restaurant and Sommelier, Jamie Drummond – Winner: Amber Gulbis
Chef Scott Vivien, The Wine Bar and Sommelier Paul De Campo – Winner: Evan Penny
Chef Cory Vitiello, Harbord Room and Sommelier Anton Potvin – Winner: Kathy Sherliker
Presenting Sponsor
Sponsors
About Slow Food
Slow Food, founded in 1986, is an international organization whose aim is to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life.
Through a variety of initiatives, it promotes gastronomic culture, develops taste education, preserves agricultural biodiversity and protects traditional foods at risk of extinction.
It now boasts over 80,000 members in over 100 countries.
About Evergreen
Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more livable. By deepening the connection between people and nature, and empowering Canadians to take a hands-on approach to their urban environments, Evergreen is improving the health of our cities — now and for the future.
Evergreen Brick Works will be a year-round destination for experiential learning, collaboration, fun and celebration on the themes of Nature, Culture and Community. Intended to transform the way we think about our cities, the innovative facility will demonstrate and promote practical solutions that make our communities sustainable and more livable, and our urban lifestyles healthier.