Spring Into Spice The Social
May 28, 2022
Our 2022 Spring Into Spice open air food and wine festival was a one day extravaganza with 30 food and wine vendors, and just over 1,100 festival attendees.
Our goal was to take our small 40 person ethnic food and wine pairing dinners to a more accessible level that allowed for more denizens across the GTHA to participate, and we did just that. To put it simply, the day was magical!
WHAT YOU MADE HAPPEN
What YOU Made Happen!
Here's what the Spice Food & Wine team and our GTHA community accomplished at this year's Spring Into Spice, outdoor food and wine festival!
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30 food and wine installations
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Local Ontario winery representation from:
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The Niagara Peninsula
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Lake Erie North Shore
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Prince Edward County
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Our foods represented several countries:
Dominica
180 wines
the churroman
Guyana
India
Canada
Jamaica
Mexico
Trinidad
West Africa
arcadia catering
Age range of festival goers as a percentage
19 to 24 - 4.8%
25 to 34 - 41.9%
35 to 49 - 39.7%
50 to 64 - 11.3%
65+ - 3.2%
The festival drew attendees from as far east as Pickering and as far west has Woodstock. Survey results also show that a number of European vacationers joined us for an epic day of food and wine!
We anticipated a diverse presence at the festival, and the numbers confirmed that:
African / Caribbean - 33.6%
Asian - 14.6%
Hispanic / Latino - 5.2%
Indigenous Peoples - 0.4%
White / Caucasian - 40.1%
Other - 6.1%
TESTIMONIALS
"This was a wonderful event. I am not typically into spicy foods, but I was surprisingly shocked at how much I enjoyed the food. It was a beautiful day, and it was a fantastic first-time experience at the Stackt market."
~V.M.
It was an amazing event. I purchased tickets for myself and others who came from out of town, as something to do together. It was a wonderful experience, learning about the foods and the wine, and being able to sample them all.
~A.D.
It was great getting to try different wine and food that I wouldn't usually try and it was inclusive.
~D.B.
LOVED this event and am so looking forward to next year!
~V.H.C.
We need more events like this in Canada. More things like this that bring people together is what this Country is about. Fantastic job and I cannot wait until next year. I know it will be even bigger and better!!!!
~S.A.M.
WHY THIS MATTERS
WHY THIS MATTERS
The face of our community is changing, has changed, and gives cause to celebrate our country's diversity, including acknowledging our food culture and expanding the purview. Pairing ethnic food with wine from both the old and new world is another expression of our diversity. It allows us to bring different cultures together with the opportunity for discovery, including understanding the historical significance of food culture in other countries.
The Spice Food & Wine series gives everyone a chance to build their own narrative around wine and, more specifically, wine and their national dishes regardless of background and race. We dispel the myth that wine cannot be paired with many ethnic foods due to food preparation and cooking methodology. Moreover, we aim to spur conversation on why the myths exist in the first place, which leads to a broader discussion on world history that was aimed at creating a divide.
CBC Radio Gill Deacon interviews Beverly Crandon, Founder. Click to listen.
The team behind the Spiced Food & Wine Series are individuals from the African-Caribbean Diaspora. Their passion is wine, and their heart is in spreading that love of wine to their respective communities.
What is wine if not something to be shared with a community over food, merriment, and togetherness?
This is done in support of cognitive diversity in wine.
PAIRING THE WINES WE LOVE WITH THE SPICES WE LOVE
PAIRING THE WINES WE LOVE WITH THE SPICES WE LOVE
THANK YOU!
SPECIAL THANKS
The first-ever Spring Into Spice, outdoor food & wine festival, could not have happened without the assist of partners large and small and the community that reached out to show support.
As the first of its kind, the Spice Food & Wine event series not only draws a diverse crowd, but also a diverse set of partners, and I am grateful for this.
A special Thank You goes out to the companies that jumped on board to support, whether financial or with in-kind product.
Next year's Spring Into Spice, outdoor food and wine festival, will be even bigger with the goal of giving access to the Spice Food & Wine event experience to as many people as possible.
We're on a journey and building new and diverse narratives around food culture and wine. I would love to have each of you come along for the ride as we pair the wines we love with the spices we love!
Cheers,
Beverly Crandon
Event Founder and Chair
List of Exhibitors 2022
Arcadia Dining
Savoury Sweets
The Churroman