Pastabilities

Of all places in the world one would not think of Sarnia as a town of interest in my quest for perfect fresh pasta. However thanks to www.chowhound.com, while we were looking for a lunch spot, we may have found a supplier.
Under the Bluewater Bridge, literally directly under, in the town of Point Edward you will find Salvatore's restaurant serving Italian food. As a side business the owners have set up a fresh pasta business as well as sauces.
We sat down with the owner over a bottle of Morretti and discussed a possible partnership. The product looks good as does the possibilities. But the search continues today....

BeefSteak Fundraiser and Grand Opening Celebration

I was thinking that for my launch I would host a BeefSteak dinner. For those not familiar with a BeefSteak dinner please see this NY Times article (a must read) .
Essentially a BeefSteak is an old New York City style fundraiser popular now in New Jersey. I would have a long charcoal bbq and cook lots of beef tenderloin, green salad, potato salad, dessert and coffee. Of course it be would all you can eat. The food would be exclusively local from my suppliers, the bar will be open with Labatt 50 and red wine. All of the proceeds will be split between the Huron SPCA and the CT Scanner fund raising initiative.
The event will be held at The Town Hall in June to celebrate the opening of Forager Foods! Let me know your thoughts, especially if you have ideas about entertainment.

Help Wanted!

Wanted: Persons with nimble fingers, keen eyes, knowledge of wild food plants and time. We can provide you with something to do with them in exchange for currency of negotiable form including cash. For further details e-mail us : foragerfoods@gmail.com

Refrigeration Service?

I plan to open the store in mid to late April. However the task is a little more daunting than I had anticipated.
My chief partner will be Metzger Meats of Hensall. Gerhardt Metzger (did you know: Metzger is German for butcher) will supply me with the fresh meat products as well as some charcutterie. Metzger has great natural meats grown by his brother and the Coleman family of Kippen however what I need now are the four deli cases to display the meats.
Getting a quote from these refrigeration dealers is like pulling teeth, they either get the order wrong or take the order and ignore it for two weeks until you call back inquiring. Not to name any names but the big refrigeration dealers out of the GTA and London have terrible service, are expensive, and ignore their customers. Not that my project is large but I am dealing with tens of thousands of dollars.
So, the good news is that the two local companies returned quotes within 4 days and will hook the units up (hydro, drains, etc). I am encouraged by this since Forager Foods is all about being local, I will be supporting one of the two local refrigeration outfits.
side note: I have watched some members of my family start new businesses in Toronto, it now strikes me as a painfully slow and expensive process. Not everything is easier in the country but by my experience buying refrigeration is!

Announcing: Forager Foods, A Specialty Food Store

Welcome to the Forager Foods Blog!
Over the next few years of my life, I intend to keep you up to date on the freshest of Huron County and regional foods products.
By way of my retail store, located in Bayfield, Ontario you will find locally raised and natural meats, chef quality prepared meals, artisanal cheeses from Ontario and Quebec (with the odd French bleu!) and interesting foodstuffs for your larder from the immediate region and from places further away.