FOODSTOCK organizers nominated for tourism awards

NDACT news release November 8th, 2011

Honeywood, ON – Two key organizers of FOODSTOCK are nominated for the regional Hills of Headwaters Tourism Awards. Less than a month has passed since the October 16th event took place, yet FOODSTOCK has become something of a legend.

On that blustery Sunday, 100 chefs from Nunavut to Saskatchewan descended on a small Ontario farming community north of Shelburne, ON to help put a stop to a proposed mega quarry project that would potentially devastate thousands of acres of high yield, Class 1 farmland. They cooked up a storm for an estimated crowd of over 28,000—quite possibly the largest protest dinner in the history of the world.

“This year we’ve received more nominations for tourism awards than any I can remember,” says Michele Harris, Executive Director for The Hills of the Headwaters. “Carl Cosack’s and Michael Stadtländer’s nominations in connection with FOODSTOCK fit right in with our organization’s values: respect for our natural landscapes, our rural heritage and our sense of community.”

FOODSTOCK is nominated in two categories: Best Agri-Tourism Experience and Best Culinary Tourism Experience. Lead organizers Michael Stadtlander and Carl Cosack are jointly nominated as Tourism Ambassadors of the Year.

Stadtländer—a celebrated chef whose nearby Eigensinn Farm and Haisai Restaurant have become internationally celebrated gourmet destinations—headed up the event together with the Canadian Chef’s Congress. “People see us as standing up for the land and what’s at stake. I’m really honoured to be nominated,” says Stadtländer. “I’d also like to thank all the chefs, farmers and musicians that also helped to make this happen.”

Hundreds of people like Stadtländer helped with FOODSTOCK. The Canadian Chef’s Congress organized, financed and produced the event, aided by local farming families and volunteers from as far away as Toronto who donated food, time and resources to make the event possible.

Carl Cosack is one local that you might recognize. The Stetson-wearing rancher, owner of Peace Valley Ranch and ubiquitously clad in jeans and cowboy boots, has led rallies in front of Queen’s Park and made appearances on television shows such as The Agenda. The North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce (NDACT) board member has been at the forefront of the movement against the proposed mega quarry in Melancthon Township north of Orangeville for several years. “FOODSTOCK was a great victory in a battle that is ongoing,” says Cosack. “I just want to acknowledge that I’m accepting this nomination on behalf of those tens of thousands of people that came. You own it—without your participation there could not have been an event.”

The mega quarry proposal in question was put forward this spring by The Highland Companies, a Canadian corporation created by the Boston hedge fund, the Baupost Group. The proposed quarry would:

·         Be Canada’s largest open pit quarry at 2,316 acres

·         Require extraction of at least 600 million litres of water per day FOREVER, affecting the watersheds of southern Ontario rivers

·         Impact thousands of acres of high yield, Class 1 farmland made up of Honeywood Silt Loam—a specialty soil now producing many kinds of vegetables in addition to approximately 50% of the potatoes consumed in the GTA.          

See nomegaquarry.ca or NDACT.com for more details.