A Grand Time At Savour Stratford Culinary Festival 2013.

This past weekend we had the opportunity to head out of town to Startford Ontario for our first experience at the Savour Stratford Culinary Festival. Stratford Ontario is a relatively small city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of just over 30,000. As we drove in pass the small town of Shakespeare on the outskirts of Stratford,  it dawned on me that I was right back in high school in English Lit class, with names Stratford, Avon, Startford and Perth.

The festival is centered around the down town core, with events on the footsteps of the city hall and the beautiful river walk along the Avon river. With live music, various tasting and demos and the path along the river was lined with vendors selling many delicious treats and fresh produce which we assumed were locally grown by the many farmers (farms) you see on your way into Stratford.

* For more photos from the Savour Stratford Culinary festival, check out the “Photo” page.

The highlights for us were the sort of artisan marketplace along the river (free pie samples were spot on), the live demos by national and locally celebrated chefs, the international feel of the event itself and the friendly spirit of the people of Stratford. Where else in a town with just of 30,000 people could you sample Thai, Burmese, Brazilian, Mexican, Indian (traditional and modern), Trinboganian and Peruvian cuisine?

Please watch the following video for more on the Savour Stratford Culinary Festival…

Some final thoughts.

Parking – we had no problem finding suitable parking within 3 minutes walk of the event(free).

Festival Location – being concentrated in the city’s core, everything is within walking distance.

Events | Demos | Educational – they were all well presented and user friendly.

People – everyone we encountered, from locals, tourists (like ourselves) and event organizers were warm, always had a smile and vendors were eager to share their story and about what they had for sale – without trying to pressure you into buying.

Celebrity Chefs – made themselves available to chat, take pictures and have fun with everyone. Including people like Roger Mooking (Food Network and The Cooking Channel) and Vikram Vij (owner / chef  one of the best restaurants in Canada).

We recommend making a weekend of it as the festival is usually a two day event and the hotels in the area are immaculate. The local restaurants can boast some of the best food in the region matched only by their attractive wine and drinks list and we found that the chefs are keen on using local ingredients, so most dishes are very fresh. Remember to check the weather forecast when you’re visiting as in our case it was a bit chilly, especially since we spent a fair amount of time on the river bank.

For more information on next year’s Savour Stratford, here are some handy links:

Official website: http://www.visitstratford.ca/culinaryfestival/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SavourStratford

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/SavourStratford