If you live for lattes, waking up to a steaming cup of local lavender tea might sound hard to swallow. Get past the lack of coffee, though, and you’ll find that there’s lots to love about only consuming foods that come from within a 100-mile radius of your home. “Is it possible, in a global age, in an age of fast food, to live off the land that surrounds us?” asked authors Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon in their book, The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating. If you’re ready to shake up your habits, then the answer is a resounding, “yes!”. 

In Oakville and Burlington, we live in an area teeming with farms and food artisans. As Executive Chef Jason Bangerter of Langdon Hall puts it, “we have everything we need right here in Ontario to fulfill a healthy diet. Fish from our lakes, heritage pork, chicken … honey, salt, maple water, craft beers, canola oil. The list goes on and on.” The problem is, we’re also spoiled for choice — used to grabbing imported, packaged goods right and left off supermarket shelves. Yet, the key to embracing the 100-mile diet is forgoing imports in favour of everything local.  

Any 100-mile-diet-meal should begin with a visit to a farm or shop specializing in local foods. From Organic Garage and Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market in Oakville to Goodness Me! Natural Food Market and Farmer Jack’s in Burlington, there are plenty to choose from. Choosing produce with a “Foodland Ontario” symbol and milk products with a “Dairy Farmers of Ontario” label is the easiest way to ensure you’re purchasing local goods.

The hunt for quality Ontario meat ends in Oakville at Just An Olde Fashion Butchery and Florence Meats where myriad cuts of beef, poultry, and prepared foods await. Ernie’s Meat Market and Denninger’s in Burlington, are two more spots for meat, sausage, salami and more. Too tired to shop? Let a company like truLOCAL or MamaEarth Organics connect you to high-end meat and fish, produce, dairy, jams, and juices from nearby farms and suppliers.  

Baked goods that truly fit the 100-mile definition require rolling up your sleeves after a trip to Arva Flour Mill, K2 Milling or another mill for locally-grown and processed flour. Relax the rules a little and you can enjoy breads and sweets from neighbourhood bakeries including Monastery Bakery & Deli.

Once the food is sorted, it’s time to focus on drinks. Barolos are off limits, but Niagara’s wineries offer tempting bottles in a variety of styles. Beyond that, local ciders from Pommies, Ironwood and more and craft beers are a perfect addition to any 100-mile menu. Many breweries, such as Goodlot Farmstead, use Ontario hops to make truly local suds. For stronger sipping, turn to Dixons, Last Straw, and other distillers making spirits exclusively from locally-grown grains. 

With programs such as Feast On, you can eat locally even when eating out. Certified Feast On restaurants like Burlington’s Spencer’s at the Waterfront and Oakville’s La Parisienne Creperie serve up Ontario’s bounty on seasonal menus. Restaurants without the designation are worth searching out, too! Try Lettuce Love Café for delectable, plant-based meals brimming with fresh produce from close to home.

It takes a little effort but eating locally supports farmers and the community, delivers fresher, more nutritious meals to your table and is better for the planet.  As Morris Gervais of Barrie Hill Farms says, “if you’re choosing local food, you are truly voting with your food dollars.” And if you just can’t live without that cup of joe? Take baby steps toward a 100-mile diet; you’ll be surprised where they take you.

by Christine Peddie

Local Links

Langdon Hall
Langdonhall.ca

Organic Garage
Organicgarage.com

Herridge’s Farm Fresh Market
Herridgesfarmersmarket.ca

Goodness Me!
Goodnessme.ca

Farmer Jack’s
Farmerjacksmarket.com

Foodland Ontario
Ontario.ca/foodland

Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Milk.org

Just An Olde Fashion Butchery
Just-an-Olde-Fashion-Butchery

Florence Meats
Florencemeats.com

Ernie’s Meat Market
Erniesmeatmarket.ca

Denninger’s
Denningers.com

truLOCAL
Trulocal.ca

MamaEarth Organics
Mamaearth.ca

Arva Flour Mill
Arvaflourmill.com

K2 Milling
K2milling.com

Pommies
Pommies.com

Ironwood Cider House
Ironwoodicder.ca

Goodlot Farmstead
Goodlot.beer

Dixons
Dixonsdistilledspirits.com

Last Straw Distillery
Madebyhand.laststrawdistillery.com

Feast On
Ontarioculinary.com

Spencer’s at the Waterfront
Spencers.ca

La Parisienne Creperie
Laparisiennecreperie.com

Lettuce Love Café
Lettucelovecafe.com

Barrie Hill Farms
Barriehillfarms.com

Tis the season of mulled wine, eggnog, and apple cider. They’re traditional. With these holiday beverages, you know exactly what to expect. But with the recent explosion of small, local brewers, there’s a new holiday drink in town. It’s crisp, it’s bubbly, and it’s only around for a short-time. We’re talking about hand-crafted, special edition, holiday brews. During the holidays, most breweries release their most coveted and rare beer. For avid beer drinkers, the release is highly anticipated. From high alcohol contents to unique seasonal spice blends, holiday releases are far from ordinary – the beer to bring the cheer during the holidays.

CAMERON’S Brewing

CAMERON’S has a little something for everyone this holiday season. Their First Light Session Lager, now available at the LCBO is bright, crisp, and clean as the morning dawn. First Light is patiently aged and cold cellared for a perfect balance and a satisfyingly refreshing finish. Look for a light floral character, a subtle malt profile, and a delicate smooth taste all in this session light lager.

They will also be releasing a couple of small batch series available through draught only. Hazy with a Chance of Hops (4.7%) is a whirlwind of smells. Black currant, mixed with fresh peaches and subtle undertones of mint and earth fill the nose. The flavour profile is dank grass and a light undertone of sweet stone fruit.

Their Black Forest Dark Lager (4.5%) is velvety smooth with nuances of light toasted chocolatey notes and hints of bread crust. Lastly, their Belgian Virtue – Mixed Fermentation Foeder Aged (7.6%) brings subtle notes of clove and coriander, along with black-currant, red berries, and stone fruit. The front-end taste is a subtle Belgian flavour with the end palate finished with a light lactic touch.

Explore the depths of taste with CAMERON’S.

1165 Invicta Drive, Oakville
Cameronsbrewing.com

Nickel Brook Brewing Co.

Nickel Brook is brewing their annual seasonal favourites just in time for the holidays. As of the first week of November their Kentucky Bastard and Cuvee are available through the LCBO and at their Bottle Shop located at 864 Drury Lane in Burlington. The Kentucky Bastard is an imperial stout aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels while their Cuvee is a spiced ale aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels with wild yeast.

Their Winey Bastard and Café Del Bastardo will be released at the beginning of December through the LCBO and their Bottle Shop. The Winey Bastard is an imperial stout aged in Ontario pinot noir barrels, while their Café Del Bastardo is the same brew as the Kentucky Bastard with the addition of 6 pounds of locally-roasted Detour coffee.

These unique flavours are a must try!

864 Drury Lane, Burlington
Nickelbrook.com  

All or Nothing Brewhouse

All or Nothing Brewhouse, formally Trafalgar Brewery, will not be brewing a holiday beer this year due to an upcoming announcement. But have no fear – they’re still brewing up something special.

Beer fans can expect an All or Nothing Celebration Lager in January/February of 2019. It will be a light, sweet, and refreshing lager produced to help All or Nothing celebrate a key milestone of making it to their 5th year brewing anniversary. The initial establishment launched on January 13th, 2014 and All or Nothing Brewhouse will be announcing a very exciting project in early 2019, that will lead them into the next 10-15 years of brewing business. The celebration lager will be a nice golden pale yellow with 5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

We can’t wait to see what’s coming for All or Nothing.

1156 Speers Road, Oakville
Allornothing.beer

by Anneliese Lawton

 

…

In 10 words or less, what’s your restaurant all about?

Fresh, local, unique, delicious, experimental French Crêperie bistro.

Where do you source your ingredients?

We are very proud to be officially certified local by the Culinary Tourism Alliance, which is not easily achieved but we have made it our priority to source as much of our produce and ingredients from local suppliers, including 100km foods (an Ontario only distributer), Boyle Bros Greens and Creekside Winery. 

What do you love about cooking?

Cooking is a strong passion of ours, and a means to just relax and be creative. A guest’s expression of pleasure when they are enjoying something that you have put a lot of love into creating for them is incredibly gratifying.

Where do you get inspiration for your recipes?

Some of our recipes are family secrets passed down from previous generations. Others are inspired by the seasons, and what nature has available to us. We focus on a balance between traditional French cuisine and unique, experimental flavours.

What’s your favourite dish on the menu right now?

There are lots of great choices although if we had to pick our favourite of the moment, it would be Crêpe La Poule.

Seasoned chicken breast, fresh arugula, creamy avocado & aged cheddar finished with a herb
& shallot Aioli.

The evolution of the coffee industry has been one of steady growth since the 1960’s when brands like Sanka, Folgers and Maxwell House became a recognized household names. The first wave brought increased popularity. The second wave introduced us to the readily available big-name cup of coffee, such as Starbucks and Tim Hortons.

Today’s third wave coffee culture is flying high with an ethical and progressive movement towards better control over the process of sourcing, testing, roasting, and brewing. Untraceable coffee is no longer acceptable practice and mass-produced over-roasted beans are being cast aside in favour of high-quality, small batch specialty coffee. 

With a much-needed resurgence of quality over quantity, coffee enthusiasts can now enjoy individually crafted brews, made fresh to order. Artisanal coffee roasters are passionate, and as with any other artistry, they believe in the delicate quality of their product, and hope the true flavour of their coffee beans can be fully experienced.

Our local roasters are working to provide consumers with some truly delectable choices in coffee and cuisine.

Detour Coffee

2234 Harold Road, #2, Burlington  |  Café at 41 King Street West, Dundas

905.331.7800  |  detourcoffee.com

Detour Coffee Roasters believe in reducing their environmental footprint while simultaneously creating an enhanced community experience. They view the customer as an integral part of the creation chain, and readily admit to obsessing over the art of getting their roasting perfected, “to the point of mild insanity.”

They recently travelled to Rwanda to enable social changes by supporting procurement from women-owned coffee farms. Detour is equally as serious about their Loring Kestrel roaster, the masterpiece of the operation, and clearly the Ferrari of the roasting world. It’s self-contained and smokeless, reducing emissions by 80% compared to traditional machines. Their seasonal coffees are also complemented by a full-scale bakery and restaurant, Dear Grain, serving slow ferment artisan breads, jams, and pastries by Master Preserver Camilla Wynn.

The Detour Café in Dundas also serves a gluten-free brownie bar adorned with crunchy cocoa. Resistance is futile.

Firebat Coffee

407 Speers Road Back #7, Oakville

289.400.9551  |  firebatcoffee.com

Firebat Coffee is owned by husband and wife team Gustavo and Leena. They describe their coffee as a “unique transfer of energy and flavour from source to cup”, made possible through meticulous micro farming, clean production methods, and a focus on fostering respect for the environment.

In Mayan mythology, the bat, or Sotz, was a guardian figure of protection, spreading seeds and furthering growth.  Firebat similarly strives to guard the quality of their coffee forests. Gustavo and Leena’s dedication and fiery passion for honest craftsmanship culminates in their impressive flavor-based portfolio of coffee that originates solely from El Salvador.  Working with producers to ensure direct trade and fair prices, Firebat always pays farmers far above commercial prices for their delicate shade-grown Arabica varietals. They stand by three main principles: flavour, transparency, and sustainability. Firebat’s slow-roasting techniques extract subtle notes from their beans, and successfully deliver coffees rich in both history and flavour. Buy beans directly from their roastery on Speers road in Oakville.

Brothers Coffee Roasters

2172 Wycroft Road, #6, Oakville |  298 Kerr Street, Oakville

289.837.1535  |  @brotherscoffeeroasters

Shaun Waitzer opened Kerr St. Café with his partner Alex Flye in 2010 which was then followed by Brothers Roasters in 2014. The “small batches, good vibes” mantra has been a lucky one for them; business has blossomed into a popular full-service event company where quality coffee, clean eating, and environmentally sustainable practices are a way of life.

Shaun furthered his roasting knowledge at Vermont’s Coffee Lab and is currently planning trips of origin to increase direct trade partnerships with farmers.  

Brothers recently switched to 100% biodegradable take-out cups and compostable packaging.  You can easily find information online about their selection of specialty coffees from Brazil, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica, with the added bonus of reading uniquely diverse information about altitudes, varieties, and specific producers. Word has it that they serve a delicious medium dark roast espresso, made from a complex four-origin blend, and tasty single-origin coffees that are rotated regularly. Stop by Kerr Street Cafe and try one for yourself!

Cloud 9 Coffee

81 Florence Dr, Oakville

905.510.0509   |  cloud9coffeeroaster.ca

Located in Kerr Village, Cloud 9 Coffee Roastery was born from the passion Lynn Roberts held for drinking coffee made from the freshest beans possible. Beginning as a hobby, she began roasting green beans at home and experimenting with both time and temperature, as well as different varieties. That hobby soon turned into passion, as she discovered the amazing flavours that could be obtained by roasting the same bean to a light, medium, medium-dark and dark level. She opened Cloud 9 Coffee Roastery in March of 2013, and encourages people to drop by on Saturdays or Sundays to taste the various beans she has sourced, and find their personal preference.

Vereda Central

310 Kerr Street, Oakville

905 842 0887  |  veredacentral.com

Vereda Central’s mandate it to find the best possible coffee beans from a variety of Colombian veredas, or small villages. Their coffee is personally sourced, and all processes of milling, roasting, and packing are done themselves.

Their attention to detail is evident in the close relationships they build with their farmers. Through honest connections with growers, complete traceability, and a focus on direct trade, they work to improve crops with training and feedback to achieve the best quality harvests.

Vereda believes in better control over their hand-picked beans, following the standards outlined by The Specialty Coffee Association of America. They use smaller roasters for their 5 kg batches, compared to some of the bigger 60 kg machines that roast much larger amounts. The owners Juan and Laura Sarmiento believe large batches can often result in defects.

Vereda’s coffee is 100% natural with no additives.  Juan understands the importance of indulging individual tastes, as each customer is unique, and he experiments with brewing techniques to find just the right blend for his clients. Vereda is available online, in coffee shops, and wholesale in restaurants and bakeries. Visit their cafe on Kerr Street in Oakville.

by Adrienne Roman

The first Thanksgiving began as a celebration of the harvest and seasonal bounty that is available during the autumnal season. From root vegetables, preserved summer berries, hearty greens and meats – so much can be harvested right in your own backyard.

Though, of course, times have changed since the first Thanksgiving celebrations, there are still many ways to enjoy locally grown foods during fall, from roast turkey and stuffing, to cranberry sauce, root vegetables, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie

For those in the Burlington area, there are many locations to pick up a locally-sourced meal.

Denninger’s Foods of the World can be found in both Burlington and Oakville, and can offer some delicious options for your meats, produce, and sides. With their own in-store butcher counter, they are able to assist you with anything you are looking for and with over 60 years in service, they know what they’re doing!  If you’re looking for something a little bit different for your main, their signature sausages are the way to go. They also offer a produce section which is ideal for seasonal root vegetables.

Offering fresh turkeys and ham orders during the Thanksgiving season, Ernie’s Meat Market is a favourite in Burlington due to their extensive knowledge and friendly customer service team. Carrying a wide selection of beef, pork, and chicken as well – the options for your  
Thanksgiving dinner are quite vast at this local butchery. Ernie’s is also known for their famous meat pies, which are made by hand, in-store, and baked daily. A perfect addition to your family Thanksgiving!

Another option for your main is Farmway Foods, who provide home delivery for high-quality, naturally raised Ontario meats. Usually specializing in beef, chicken, pork, and fish, they add turkey to their well-rounded selection in the fall. Farmway Foods takes the stress out of the Thanksgiving meal so you can focus on having fun with your family and friends.

The Burlington Mall Farmer’s Market is open right until the end of October, providing a wonderful opportunity to purchase locally-grown produce, baked goods, meats, cheese, and much more! From root vegetable favourites like sweet potatoes, beets, and traditional potatoes – the Burlington Mall Farmer’s Market is an easy way to get most of your Thanksgiving shopping done in one place. 

For those in the Oakville area, the options for purchasing local meats and produce are extensive.

Florence Meats has been offering top-notch quality and service to the Oakville community for over 35 years. Though they have the knowledge and know-how of the big guys, they keep their butcher shop small – focusing on the customer. Place your order for their local and fresh grain-fed turkey for this special occasion, or if you want to put an interesting spin on your Thanksgiving meal, why not try a Cornish Hen or Pheasant

If ham is more your thing, Just an Olde Fashion Butchery specializes in just that, serving up meats and seafoods in the Oakville area since 1986. Their spiral-cut glazed ham has been a favourite among Oakville families since their opening date. Looking for something in particular? Their knowledgeable staff is sure to help you find something amazing! 

The one-stop-shop for produce and sides, the Dorval Crossing Farm Market has been providing fresh, local produce to the community for over 35 years.  Located on the corner of Dorval and North Service, the market runs right until November 25th and offers those who live in Oakville an opportunity to purchase straight from the farmers
and growers. 

These are just some of the many options we have available to support local businesses and local growers.  Happy Thanksgiving!

by Heather Peter