Picture yourself meandering through the wooded paths of Central Saanich's Heritage Acres, with a fine local wine in one hand and a freshly prepared bite in the other. With a friend or loved one, you stroll from tent to tent, connecting with local chefs, brewers, and winemakers, trying to decide what to sample next.
If this sounds like a perfect way to spend your Sunday afternoon, you will want to mark your calendar for next year’s Feast of Fields, organized by the Victoria non-profit FarmFolk CityFolk.
From humble beginnings, the event has now evolved into a full-fledged gastronomic celebration, says Cheryl Johnson, executive director of FarmFolk CityFolk, as the festival marked its 23rd anniversary on Aug. 25.
“Feast of Fields was born to connect the chefs and the farmers who grow and make locally sourced foods or items and connect them to the eaters,” Johnson said.
From cheeses to beers and wines, including the local talent needed to showcase these ingredients, everything at the event is locally sourced.
“The restaurants we partner with for this event usually have to be within the Vancouver Island area, [while] the wines and the libations have to be at least from B.C.,” said Johnson. “It's one thing to be a local restaurant and source your food internationally, but these particular establishments, for the most part, source all or most of their ingredients locally to create locally curated dishes.”
This event, along with the other 60 Feast of Fields hosted throughout the province over the past two decades, represents a major fundraiser for the non-profit, she added.
“We really rely on events such as Feast of Fields to continue to offer our programs and initiatives across B.C. including in the Greater Victoria area towards strengthening sustainable food systems,” said Johnson. “I think what's really important is if folks are looking for ways to support local, attending a Feast of Fields, event… is a great way for them to do that.”
The festival also acts as a vector of information for those wishing to learn more about the region’s food system, as Johnson highlighted.
“Besides being a fundraiser for us it is also a really great educational opportunity to help folks learn more about where the food comes from, where they can get local foods and how delicious they can be,” Johnson said.
In the end, Johnson explained this festival ultimately serves as a way for people to get together.
“It's really an opportunity to immerse yourself in local cuisine while listening to music and just enjoying the lovely weather and the company that you're with because that's what food does: it brings us together.”
Among the crowd were Sidney couple Daryl and Lorna McIntyre, who chose to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary at the event.
“All the wines are amazing,” Daryl said. “There are no lineups, you just help yourself. Everything is delicious.”
“At other festivals, you sometimes have to wait in a room and everybody's lined up and you can't get to see what is going on,” Lorna added. “But this is nice and in the open. This is wonderful.”
For more information about FarmFolk CityFolk and Feast of Fields, visit farmfolkcityfolk.ca.
