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A MIX OF NOSTALGIA AND VISION . . . . . . .
When Jamie Kennedy and Michael St ädtlander put their visions together
in 1989 to run an outdoor picnic in a remote farmer's field, they
could not have seen the lasting effect on the Ontario food business.
Over the subsequent years after that tour of the fields at Rob Roy,
"The Feast" took shape and ran at some classic venues including the
McMichael Gallery, the Southbrook Farm on Major Mackenzie Drive, Cave
Springs Winery and the Ignatius Farm.
Also, the front-page issue of the event - that of organic food being
served fresh by chefs to knowledgeable foodies... was always
prominent. The Feast has been copied by many a venue but still keeps
its originality by focusing on local/organic while striving to match
farmer and chef in a tasteful rural setting. It's still "a walking
picnic which teaches."
The hard work of the Organic Advocates group always shines through,
whether it's the dozens of motivated volunteers, the extensive
tenting, signage and support of the event by the organizers, or the
music and frequent award recognitions by the event MC.
This year will be no exception and in fact, the venue is very close to
Organic Advocates' ecological vision. Cold Creek is literally a
perfect venue. It is pure and simple an outdoor experience which
thousands of people annually enjoy for its access and beauty.
I hope you all enjoy this 2010 Feast and that you take away some
memorable organic food experiences !
Tomas Nimmo
Organic Farm Services... and participant in every Feast since 1989
ORGANIC ADVOCATES
Organic Advocates/Feast of Fields was established in 1989 by chefs
Jamie Kennedy and Michael Stadtlander, and other like-minded professionals.
We are a non-profit organization of organic producers, environmentally
concerned chefs and other food professionals, and enlightened consumers.
Our mandate is to promote awareness of the environmental and human
benefits of organic agriculture; to increase both co-operation and
market relationships between organic producers, interested food professionals
and consumers, to establish links with other environmental organizations
with the intention to furthering public awareness of the importance
of organic agriculture, and to support organic projects and events.
Some of our proudest achievements to date:
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hosting the Feast of Fields event for 19 successful years
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publishing The Organic Gourmet, our 192 page cookbook to celebrate Feast of Fields 10th anniversary
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publishing two editions of the Consumer's Guide to Eating Organics, a directory of Ontario organic farmers, what they produced and where to buy their organic products, as well as stores that sold and restaurants that served organic fare
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establishing Toronto's first organic farmer's market in 1989, which became a place to shop and exchange information with like-minded organic advocates
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funding a cable television program about organic agriculture called "Field of Greens"
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donations to many other organizations including:
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the annual Guelph Organic Conference
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Guelph University Organic Farming Program
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Seeds of Diversity
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Organic Crop Improvement Association
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Canadian Organic Growers
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Citizens for Renewable Energy
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Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario
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