The feast of the season: Taste of Winterlude
- Ottawa Travel Guide
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- Monday, 03 December 2012 16:52
As if Ottawa's Winterlude celebrations couldn't get any sweeter, next year's festive event is set to include Taste of Winterlude, which has been successful since it first began. Talented chefs from Ottawa and nearby Gatineau will serve up their creative dishes so that visitors can get an idea of the spectacular culinary scene in the Canadian capital. Many of the participating restaurants are conveniently located near Ottawa accommodations.
Succulent schedule of events
On the first day of Winterlude, which will be February 1, 2013, visitors can watch as chefs pit their talents against each other in the exciting Stew Cook-Off. This charity event, which is funded by a number of ByWard Market businesses, is open to travellers and residents with a penchant for steaming bowls of delicious stews, from beef and borscht to vegetarian dishes as well. For a mere $10, attendees can enjoy all-you-can-eat stew and cast their vote for the best of the bunch.
Featured chefs
That night, chef Marc Lepine of Atelier restaurant will put on a five-course tasting menu at the Ottawa Convention Centre for the Winterlude gala kick-off, complete with fashion show by designer Lucian Matis. As the winner of the 2012 Canadian Culinary Championship, guests attending his feast are sure to be impressed.
Not just a food festival
The core of Taste of Winterlude is a series of prix-fixe meals at participating restaurants, to be announced soon. Past events have included dueling sommeliers (perfect for wine lovers), walking tours, bathrobe cocktail parties and special farmers' dinners where attendees could actually wine and dine with the very people who harvested the food on their plate.
Every year, Winterlude brings nearly half a million people to the city of Ottawa and its region, and many of the events throughout the city are free. Ice sculptures in Confederation Park, the Ice Hog family and Snowflake Kingdom, the world's largest snow playground, are just a few of the things those who travel to Ontario can expect between February 1 and 18, 2013.
