While in Guelph why not check out the great organic options in town. Here are some local restaurants that feature organic items and

Conference Manager’s special note, January 10, 2012 – “KEEPING UP WITH GUELPH ORGANIC PROVIDERS HAS BECOME A FULL-TIME JOB !

When you are in Guelph and feeling a tad peckish, how about going out to one of the local restaurants during Conference week? BETTER STILL – call a caterer and have them prep some organic food trays. Last January’s Local Organic Dining Passport opened the door for many out-of-town guests to discover the great local fare.

Here is a partial list of Guelph restaurants serving local & organic food for our own Organic Week (January 23-29, 2012).

Each year we try to promote an in-town, week-long organic food focus. This list of outlets includes restaurants, caterers and foodservice providers. Within the actual Conference, there are also built-in organic food-focus events like our own Organic Food & Wine Dinner, the Organic Council of Ontario (Saturday evening) Organic Awards celebration and various other invitational food events which will be announced. Some of the restaurants listed below might also be doing tastings, wine samplings, special gourmet dinners and other private events – many are open to your request for a private catering. Plan ahead and phone them so you can maximize your Guelph experience !

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**List: Guelph restaurants/outlets serving/sampling organic/local food

**Book your company party/hospitality during the Conference

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GUELPH PROVIDERS OF ORGANIC & LOCAL

Partial list of restaurants, caterers & foodservice outlets providing organic local foods – for GUELPH ORGANIC WEEK, running January 23-29, 2012, with activities taking place throughout the Guelph area.

‘Guelph Organic Week’ is promoted by the Guelph Organic Conference & Expo which runs January 26-29, 2012 at the Guelph University Centre.

This list was updated, December, 2011 • It is continually revised as new outlets sign on.

Alex & Dan Catering :

(519) 265-1508 – www.alexanddancatering.com

Artisanale Café & Restaurant at “The Book Shelf” :

(519) 821-3359 X2 – 37 Quebec St. – info@artisanale.ca – Chef Yasser hosts large organic events/100+ people

Atmosphere Café :

(519) 824-0430 – 24 Carden St.

Borealis Grille & Bar :

(519) 341-9752 – 1388 Gordon St. – caters organic events on request/also Slow Food samplings

Carden St. Café : (sadly, after many years, the outlet closed early January)

Diana Downtown :

(519) 836-3460 – 141 Wyndham St. N.

Einstein’s Café :

(519) 822-6742 – 2 Grant St.

Fifty West Restaurant at the Delta Guelph Hotel :

(519) 780-3706 – 50 Stone Rd. W.

Green Table Foods Catering :

(519) 826-0361 – 919 York Rd. (formerly Meals That Heal)

Lucie’s Bakery & Deli :

(519) 824-0405 – 1474 Gordon St. – organic breads

Ouderkirk & Taylor Bakery :

(519) 827-9378 – 3 Wyndham Street N.

Planet Bean Organic Coffee Bar :

(519) 823-9253 – 51 Macdonell St.

Planet Bean Roasting/Coffee Bar :

(519) 837-1040 – 259 Grange Rd. #2

Planet Bean/Gordon Street Café :

(519) 265-9144 – 1467 Gordon St., #1

The Cornerstone :

(519) 827-0145 – 1 Wyndham St. N.

The Fat Duck :

(519) 827-0533 – 210 Kortright Rd. W.

The Gordon Street Lounge/Best Western Royal Brock Hotel :

(519) 836-1240 – 716 Gordon Street

The Red Brick Café :

(519) 836-1126 – 8 Douglas St.

The Stone Store Natural Foods (Benefactor Sponsor – 2012 Conference) :

(519 821-2020 – 14 Commercial St. This retail store is a long-time Conference SPONSOR. This is one of the oldest whole foods/organic stores in Ontario, with deep roots going back to the time when granola was a new food and bulk peanut butter was a novelty. When coming to the Conference, if you are heading into town, running off to the restaurant, budgeting your time en route to the busy Conference workshops, slipping away to your favourite party, or just needing comfort food for the time while you meander the aisles of the Expo… please stock up at Stone Store! Featuring: •organic snack food, •bars, •Camino chocolate, •cereal, •corn chips, •milk, •yogurt… and other exotic foods for your craving. Great for your hotel room, the B & B, or to share with friends at the late afternoon gathering point! Many of us have shopped at the Stone Store since the mid-1970′s.

The Woolwich Arrow :

(519) 836-2875 – 176 Woolwich St. – formerly the Woolwich Arms

Wild Organic Way Café :

(519) 766-1701 – 22 Carden St.

With The Grain :

(519) 827-0008 – 294 Woolwich St.

Serving an ORGANIC OPTION from the 16th to the 29th of January.

Vegetarian: Organic Sweet Green Pea Potage – This hearty and thick soup is made with orga;nic onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and sweet green peas. Blended with organic cream and finished with a splash of wine. ORGANIC INGREDIENTS: onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, green peas, yogurt and cream. Non-organic (& in small amounts): olive oil, water, white wine, salt, pepper and honey (honey is local coneybeare honey).

Feature Salad: Organic Roasted Beets with Blueberries – Organic greens are tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with organic roasted beets, blueberries and grated carrot ORGANIC INGREDIENTS: beets, carrots, blueberry, mixed greens, balsamic vinegar. Non-organic: dressing items — olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, dijon & dried basil.

*If you are short of info, of details or needing something more in depth about your Guelph experience, please also call the Visitors Convention Bureau – (800) 334-4519 or check them out at: guelph.ca/visiting.cfm or: visit@guelph.ca

*Other restaurants, outlets, caterers………. will be listed when confirmed

*To be included on this list, contact Guelph Conf. Mgr: organix@georgian.net or phone (519) 824-4120 X56205

*All suggestions, first-person reviews and diners’ comments welcome.

Barry Estabrook – Barry Estabrook is a former contributing editor at Gourmet magazine. He is the author of the recently released Tomatoland, a book about industrial tomato agriculture. He blogs at politicsoftheplate.com. More

From The Atlantic

Given that current production systems leave nearly one billion people undernourished, the onus should be on the agribusiness industry to prove its model, not the other way around

“We all have things that drive us crazy,” wrote Steve Kopperud in a blog post this fall for Brownfield, an organization that disseminates agricultural news online and through radio broadcasts. Kopperud, who is a lobbyist for agribusiness interests in Washington, D.C., then got downright personal: “Firmly ensconced at the top of my list are people who consider themselves experts on an issue when judging by what they say and do, they’re sitting high in an ivory tower somewhere contemplating only the ‘wouldn’t-it-be-nice’ aspects.”

At the top of that heap, Kopperud put Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle, a contributor to Atlantic Life and the author of Food Politics, the title of both her most well-known book and her daily blog.

“There’s a huge chunk of reality missing from Dr. Nestle’s academic approach to life,” Kopperud wrote. “The missing bit is, quite simply, the answer to the following question: How do you feed seven billion people today and nine billion by 2040 through organic, natural, and local food production?” He then answers his own question. “You can’t.”

MORE…

Join the Urban Farmer for the fourth year of our inspiring, motivating and incredibly enjoyable educational tours to organic farms, permaculture and urban agriculture projects in Cuba. Over the past few decades, Cuba has become a world leader in transforming its food system towards organic, local and sustainable production, with very few resources available from the outside world.

Please click here for more information

www.theurbanfarmer.ca

OTTAWA, Canada (June 30, 2011) — Canada’s Organic Products Regulations will be fully enforced after June 30, two years after the regulations became law in 2009. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has followed a two-year Stream of Commerce and Enforcement Policy, allowing operators time to become fully compliant with the regulations. During this “phase-in” period, the CFIA managed minor non-compliances through notification and education, requiring correction within reasonable timelines.

“Full compliance with all provisions of the Organic Products Regulations is now mandatory. The Stream of Commerce policy was a great help for organic operators working to bring their documentation and labeling into compliance,” said Matthew Holmes, Executive Director of the Canada Organic Trade Association. “Now products labeled as ‘organic’ in Canada and subject to the regulations must be certified by a CFIA-accredited certification body, and all organic product labels must carry the name of the certifier.”

The CFIA consulted with the organic sector to build upon the pre-existing industry self-regulated standards. The 2009 regulations made Canada’s organic standards mandatory for both domestic and imported products, and launched the now familiar “Biologique Canada Organic” logo, which allows consumers to identify products that meet Canada’s organic requirements. The CFIA oversees and enforces the organic certification system, as well as organic claims in the marketplace. Now in full effect, the Organic Products Regulations have leveled the playing field and given both domestic and foreign consumers confidence in the organic label.

In addition to providing consumers with confidence at home, the Canadian organic system is trusted by our two major trading partners: the United States and Europe. In 2009, Canada and the U.S. announced the world’s first organic equivalency agreement, which allows for trade of organic products between the two countries. In June 2011, the European Union added Canada to its “third country list,” recognizing Canadian organic products and certification as valid for import into the EU.

“Recognition of Canada’s organic standards by both the EU and U.S. shows that our standards are among the best in the world, assuring consumers that strong organic standards have been followed, while eliminating the burdensome costs of multiple organic certifications now carried by farmers, processors and traders,” Holmes said.

The Canada Organic Trade Association is the membership-based trade association for the Canadian organic sector. With the Organic Trade Association, COTA advocates for organic agriculture and products throughout North America. Their combined membership includes growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others throughout the U.S. and Canada. Their shared mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.

To all the participants in the Kids Local Organic Colouring Project

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE !

The project received over 60 entries from across Ontario.  Many of the entries demonstrate that kids from age 3 to age 12 spent extensive time and energy and had a sincere interest in local organic food.  Everyone will receive a certificate from us.

After great deliberation by several Conference Management Committee members, we chose these winners to whom we will send their prize:

• Best colouring – ages 8 to 12:  Joas Jay, Ontario – $100

• Best colouring – ages 7 & under: Benjamin, Ontario – $100

Those drawings will be posted on the Web Site shortly.

Best Mascot Name

Then, in the ‘Best mascot name’ category, we had an equally difficult choice to make, having to choose only ONE from these excellent names:

• Stan the organic man
• Local Larry
• Red Fife
• Fresh Freddy the apple farmer
• Andrew Appleman
• OrgaNick
• Jolly Apple Jack
• The Laughing Farmato
• Earthy Murphy
• Dr. Organico
• Farmer Mitchell
• and many, many others which showed skill and creativity

We chose

LOCAL LARRY as the name of our Conference Mascot, submitted by Ella, age 7, Ontario, who will receive her $50 prize.

THANK YOU to everyone and we look forward to seeing you at the Organic Conference next January.  Another colouring project is being considered.

Tomás Nimmo/Conference Manager