The Ottawa Wine and Food Festival kicked off at the Shaw Centre Friday.
This is the 30th anniversary of the show- making it one of the oldest food and wine shows in the country. This year over 1,400 wines, spirits and microbrews as well as gourmet foods from restaurants around Ottawa and the region are on display and ready for tasting.
For Jeremy Steeves of Perth Brewery it is a chance to put his local microbrewery on a big stage. “Anytime you can get in front of this amount of people and showcase your product it is a fantastic opportunity.”
And having the chance to try new brews is what brought Matt Chan and his friends to the show. “I think you get to go to Niagara Falls and try a few wineries once in a while, but here you get to try a wide range of wines, and try the local food as well and a lot of different breweries.”
Other people were drawn to the show specifically for the food. Corinna Giorgi wants to make coming an annual tradition with her husband. “I know everyone comes for the booze but I come for the food, but I love to try all the different foods from Ottawa so I can decided where my husband and I go on date night.”
One dish Giorgi will get to try this weekend is a special creation by Trinidad-born twins and former Masterchef Canada competitors Marida and Narida Mohammed. “We have made a pilau- which is a rice and chicken dish flavoured with pigeon peaand coconut milk… with lots of delicious seasoning and scotch bonnet pepper.”
But the twins aren’t just serving up delicious food from their culture- they say they have also been inspired by Canadian cuisine. “We are from Sudbury, we are from Trinidad, and we are Canadian, so it is nice to incorporate all parts who we are into our food,”
Celebrity pastry chef Anna Olson will also be on hand Saturday to give demonstrations and help people plan for the upcoming holiday season. “This time of year is our peak entertainment season, maybe you’ve been in backyard all summer - all of sudden you are playing host,” she says.
Olson says she will have lots of great advice to give, “Lots of great holiday tips for planning ahead, taking the stress out of holidays because ‘stressed’ spelled backwards, is ‘desserts,’”
The Wine and Food Show wraps up Sunday at 5:30 pm.
