In addition to supporting charities, the capital’s premiere gourmet event — with a conscience — is also going green this year.
When it’s held at Lansdowne Park on May 4, Bon Appetit Ottawa will use biodegradable plates, reusable wine glasses and recycling and compost receptacles on site. The City of Ottawa and Goulbourne Sanitation will conduct waste and energy audits.
For thousands of people in the Ottawa area, this event is the food equivalent of Christmas morning — the 19+ show, which is held at the Aberdeen Pavilion, features over 90 restaurants and caterers and dozens of wineries and breweries. The show allows attendees to sample the creations of the region’s top chefs and renowned wineries and help a good cause at the same time.
Bon Appetit Ottawa has 21 beneficiaries in 2010, including the Boys & Girls Club, Bruce House, the Carlington Community Health Centre, Harmony House, Harvest House, Maison d’Amitie and Operation Come Home.
More than 2,000 people are expected to attend this year’s show.
“Bon Appetit Ottawa is so popular because it’s the perfect way to sample many different culinary experiences — with over 90 restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries and more offering samples, you’re sure to find something you like,” said Jantine Van Kregten, a board member with Bon Appetit. “Many people use the event as research for their next big night out. You can meet the chefs and sample so many different things that it truly is a one-stop shop.”
Exhibitors include a Culinary Conspiracy, Algonquin College’s Restaurant International, ARC the Hotel, Ballygiblin’s Restaurant and Pub, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co., Big Easy’s Seafood and Steak House, Big Rock Brewery, Black Dog Bistro, Colio Estate Wines, Countryman’s Estate Wines, Courtyard Restaurant, Epicuria Fine Food Store & Catering, Fresco Bistro Italiano, Heritage Brewing Limited, Hockley Valley Brewing Company, HogsBack Brewing Co., Mill Street Brewery, Petit Bill’s Bistro, Prime 360, Social, Steam Whistle Brewing, Steak Modern Steakhouse and the Wakefield Mill.
• Bon Appetit is May 4
