Several Central Alberta establishments are participating in a province-wide program this summer.
Anchored by a ten-day Dine Around Festival highlighting local restaurants and products, Alberta on the Plate connects consumers to agriculture through the local restaurant industry, the program’s website states.
In Red Deer, Cilantro and Chive, Memphis Blues BBQ, Occam’s Razor and WestLake Grill are all a part of Alberta on the Plate.
“It’s a reminder, more than anything, of the access we have to products and services in this region,” said Joel Martens, owner of WestLake Grill and Heritage Ranch, where the restaurant is located.
Alberta on the Plate will “get people out to try and sample some of the local food that’s professionally prepared.”
WestLake Grill has participated in the program in the past, Martens noted.
“I encourage anyone that’s curious about what’s going on in the Alberta food scene to stop by and check us out to sample one of our five-course dinners,” he said.
In addition to the Red Deer location, Cilantro and Chive’s Lacombe establishment is also participating in the program. Two additional Lacombe restaurants are participating: Blindman Brewing and Moe’s Pizza Co. Meanwhile, Sylvan Lake’s Lodge 43 and Wetaskiwin’s The Glens Grill are also on the list of featured Central Alberta restaurants.
The Dine Around Festival runs from Aug. 12-21.
Each year during Local Food Week in August, Alberta on the Plate hosts the province-wide Dine Around festival where participating restaurants offer multi-course, fixed price menus highlighting local producers, growers, distillers and brewers.
“These restaurants range from casual to fine dining and everything in between. Each menu has recommended local pairings to be sure you get the perfect match for your meal (not included in pricing),” the Alberta on the Plate website said.
“Alberta on the Plate takes place in conjunction with Alberta Local Food Week, and wraps up the same weekend as Open Farm Days. Closing the loop of farm-to-table, it brings the same farm freshness to the plate all across Alberta.”
For more information, visit www.albertaontheplate.com.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter