Feast of Fields (is it worth it?) [General]

2010 Sep 11
I only heard about Feast of Fields for the first time this year, and only because of the whole Loblaws sponsorship debacle and people pulling out (Piggy Market & Red Apron).

Anyway, since my plans for tomorrow have fallen though I was thinking of giving it a try. Looking at the website it looks like it a pay once at the door, and then the rest of the food is free, but any know exactly how it works?

Does each team have just one dish to sample, or multiple?

Do you just get one dish per team, or can you go back for seconds if you really like one team but don't like what others are offering.

Basically is it worth it? I realize I'm not going to go leave there stuffed and it's quality over quantity, but at $60 on the door I'd like to get some feedback first.

How many of you foodies are going? I was surprised at the lack of chat/buzz about the event on here.

Cheers,
Ratty.

2010 Sep 11
And what a coupe for Loblaws - they got their name on the thing for a song! I don't recall the exact figure but when I saw it I thought "wow, they get to put their name on it for that paltry sum?" My farmer was telling me a few days ago that an awful lot of people are pretty upset about it - far more than the few who pulled out. He's going anyway though. I forget who he said he's teamed up with.

I'd go but I'm unemployed and broke :-(

2010 Sep 11
It was $5000. I agree, I was surprised when I heard it.

I realize that there are a lot of people that are upset and will probably boycott it. On the other hand there must be others like me (scary thought) that only heard about it because of the 'scandal' so it may just balance out.

2010 Sep 12
We did Feast of Fields today and quite enjoyed it.

Loblaws presence was muted, yes, their logo was on the signage, but it was not all over the place and certainly not in your face like some of the other sponsors of other Ottawa events. Feast of Fields is a relatively small event, if they can get a major corporation to sponsor them and help defray some of the costs, then so much the better.

Events like this help change corporations - they're profit driven, and if they see that there is a demand for fresh, local farm products then they will respond. (Unfortunately, sometimes it seems to take the equivalent of a baseball bat to get them to notice).