Those who enjoyed the hearty traditional Peruvian fare that was served up last November by the Canada World Youth can anticipate the same quality for the second annual Harvest Supper.
The community feast will be served up at the Seniors on the Bow Centre (SOTB), located on the second floor of the Spray Lake Sawmills Centre, on Nov. 16 where the dinner bell will ring at 6:30 p.m. sharp.
The event is a partnership between the Cochrane Community Gardens Society (CCGS), the Cochrane CookHouse and Cochrane Canada World Youth (CWY).
“We will serve local potatoes and beets that we picked from Bucklers Farms and the Cochrane Community Gardens (located by Glenbow Elementary),” explained Cochrane CWY project supervisor, Alison Steward.
“Our carrots are from Becks Farms in Innisfail; our chicken and eggs are from Bowden Chicken (all natural, antibiotic-free) . . . we will be using goats cheese from Noble Meadows Farm and serving bread from Bernie’s Bavarian Bakery, with flour sourced from Saskatchewan. . . we are also on the hunt for local tomatoes and beans,” she said.
The menu includes two hearty soups — a traditional Peruvian chicken-vegetable soup, as well as a tomato-bean soup; two salads, including a Peruvian mashed potato salad and a roasted beet and goat cheese salad will be served; the evening will be finished off with two desserts, which includes carrot cake and chocolate beet cake.
“This Harvest Supper is an opportunity to call attention to the great food places in and around Cochrane,” said Steward.
The Cochrane CWY program has operated for several years in Cochrane; this season, some 17 youth from Peru and elsewhere have been working as dedicated volunteers for a lengthy list of local area businesses and non-profits, integrating themselves in the Cochrane community while sharing their cultural traditions and experiences with area residents; the three-month program wraps up on Dec. 16.
“What we’re focusing on a little more is the food emphasis,” said Steward, listing lunches at the CookHouse, the Harvest Dinner, turkey dinners and the Food Bank Drive as several of the food-related endeavours the CWY volunteers have assisted with; most of the CWY volunteers are between the ages of 18-24.
“For me, the need for the program is even more present than ever . . . the work placements the volunteers do out here are tremendous,” said Steward.
The CCGS are in their third year of operations; some 74 plots are rented out to various individuals and businesses for community gardening, including 15 plots which are in use by Glenbow Elementary for their educational programming.
Harvest Supper proceeds will go toward an ongoing yogurt project for food security in a rural Peruvian community, as well as programming initiatives at the CookHouse and at the CCGS; tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children and available at the CookHouse at 109-519 First Street West or by phoning 403-932-4292.
