by Edith Cody-Rice
The Almonte Food and Drink Show returned for its third season at the Almonte & District Community Centre on Saturday September 16. Founded by Emily Arbour, the show was organized this year by her husband Brad Weir and his friend Ryan Guthrie. Ryan’s father Peter Guthrie staffed the ticket desk. 30 vendors from eastern Ontario were featured with their locally sourced products and the quality was excellent. A $20 ticket included 4 sample tickets which were presented at booths for tastings and visitors could purchase more sample tickets for 50 cents each. Certainly many people were back at that ticket table for refills. You could eat cheese paired with chocolate from Almonte’s Pêches et Poivres, taste sweet potato appetizers from North Market, sample excellent sausage srom Seed to Sausage, tipple samples of wine and generally munch and quaff your way around the room. An Air Stream trailer converted to an innovative bar called Cellar 82 added panache to the event. The owner Kasey Boudreau found the trailer through Kijiji and renovated it into a travelling lounge which is available to rent for parties and other events
Brad West told that Millstone that this show gives small businesses an opportunity to showcase their products and to establish their brands, an important outlet in the crowded field of food purveyors.
