Under the golden glow of the setting sun at Alderlea Farm and Café, guests settled in with their Cherry Point Rose, eagerly awaiting the first course of the Cowichan Green Community’s  Eat Local! Eat Fresh! Fundraiser Feast.   

Musician Sheila Ryan set the atmosphere with the gentle strumming of her harp, as the silent auction items were perused; signed prints by Robert Bateman, Jewelry by Amanda Reimer, a CERES edible landscape consult, and much more.

To tide everyone over amidst the mouthwatering smell of the main course were freshly baked lavash crackers, lightly seasoned and served with butternut squash and sage dip.  As a first course salad, a gorgeously presented brie, hazelnut and pear salad, created from Dragonfly Farm’s mesclun mix, Fruitsave picked bosc pears,  Hilary’s St. Clair brie, and Wilberry Orchard’s hazelnuts, all topped with wild-picked blackberry vinaigrette.
The salad was a hit, but everyone was anticipating the main dish, as the aroma of Maple Grove beef stew simmering in Craig Street Brewery Porter wafted through the air; local herbs and vegetables gave the stew a finesse and heartiness.  Not a drop went to waste as smiling guests soaked up the thick broth with their True Grain bread rolls.

Even with that tempting stew, close to one third of the guests chose the vegetarian option of ratatouille; made from locally sourced eggplant, peppers, zucchini, onion and garlic.  To complete the feast was Cherry Point’s desert blackberry port, served with Cowichan apple torte, made with Keating Farm estate apples.

A huge thank-you to Alderlea Farm and Café, for providing such a wonderful setting, as well as giving the CGC catering team access to a fantastic kitchen to make it all happen.   Happy cooks make food with love, and we were certainly inspired by our surroundings.

Thank-you to those who supplied food by donation: Maureen McInnis of Maple Grove who generously gave us beef, Bruce Stewart from True Grain who supplied dinner rolls, and Dan Ferguson of Dragonfly Farm, for giving us mesclun mix, peppers, and tomatoes.

The remainder of the dinner was sourced from the following local producers:

• Hilary’s Cheese
• Cowichan Green Community FruitSave
• Wilberry orchards
• Alderlea Farm
• Craig Street Brewery
• Growing Opportunities

Thank-you to all our local food producers, as well as our guests who came and celebrated.  All proceeds go to support Cowichan Green Community initiatives.