Open Jaw :: On The Town ::

with Martha Chapman
13MAR09

Josie Heisig of Tourism BC admiring the knees of Nova Scotia’s Alain Bossé

Jason Woodside showing off a harvest of PEI oysters

Carol Horne from P.E.I. and Gillian Marx of Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador

Savouring Canada, Coast To Coast

A downtown Toronto treasure, the elegant St. Lawrence Hall is adjacent to the famous St. Lawrence Market, home to some of the most delectable munchies in the city. So what a great choice as the venue for Wednesday night’s Canadian Tourism Commission “Evening Of Style”.

As reps from every province and the Yukon told mingling travel types about their various attractions for this coming summer, we were treated to regional delicacies ranging from beet-cured wild salmon from B.C. to smoked cod cakes with Newfoundland Screech dipping sauce.

So I thought I’d take the opportunity to get, straight from the horse’s mouth (as it were), recommendations on what’s best in the local food scene from sea to shining sea.

Kilted chef Alain Bossé, proudly representing Nova Scotia, says the local scallops can’t be beat, though he also thinks Nova Scotia’s maple syrup and apples are the best in the country. Daryl Demoskoff of Tourism Saskatchewan says your clients should try the local venison: “Solid protein, low fat and really flavourful – especially when served with one of our Cypress Hills wines.”

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Gillian Marx votes for Bacalao, a St. John’s resto which serves nouvelle and traditional Newfoundland food; while Josie Heisig from B.C. thinks everyone should make like a local and check out their sushi and Indian food scenes – then head for a walk around the sea wall, latté in hand (how west coast is that?). P.E.I’s Carol Horne recommends “The oysters. No, the lobster. No, no – the mussels. Maybe the potatoes? No. All of those.”

And the Yukon’s Jim Kemshead assured me that in the Yukon, it’s not all about caribou and bison. “We have it all, including a lot of fresh food. The only thing we don’t have is a pro hockey team!”

Bon appetit!