The
TasteUS! Culinary Festival made its Canadian debut in
Toronto on June 8, 2005, featuring an amazing selection
of regional specialties of U.S. gourmet food and
beverage products. The special trade and media event was
organized by the Southern United States Trade
Association and by the FAS Offices of Agricultural
Affairs in Toronto and Ottawa. It attracted about 250
people and set a top-quality precedent for TasteUS!
events to come.
Photos courtesy of U.S. Food & Beverage Alliance
The festival highlighted the diversity,
quality and regional flavors available from the United
States, Canada’s closest source for fresh and processed
food and beverage imports.
The festival also highlighted the supply
chain channels that make the United States Canada’s
closest source for fresh and processed imports.
Four state-regional trade groups, two
state departments of agriculture, 18 nonprofit commodity
and trade associations cooperating in USDA’s Foreign
Market Development Program and 15 companies participated
in the event. The Mid-America International Agri-Trade
Council and Food Export USA-Northeast, as well as the
Brewers Association, exhibited at the TasteUS! Culinary
Festival and hosted their own trade missions.
The event provided many U.S. producers
with an invaluable opportunity to introduce to the
Canadian market some of the latest trends on the
culinary horizon and to highlight the mosaic of flavors
from the Western, Southern, Middle Western and
Northeastern regions. Many of the products had never
before been seen in Canada.
The walk-around tasting experience
approximated a gastronomical journey, encouraging
attendees to sample some of the finest U.S. foods and
wines. A wide selection of fresh and prepared foods,
including produce, desserts and specialty items, were
available for sampling. Premium wines from California,
Washington and New York, spirits and micro-brewed beers
accompanied the myriad food flavors. Chef Jim
Coleman, host of PBS’s "Flavors of America," was the
featured guest speaker during the media luncheon, and
four other guest chefs showcased Californian, American
Indian, Southern and Northeastern cuisines.
In late Spring 2006, FAS offices in
Canada plan to expand the festival to include a consumer
component. Cooperators and companies that participate in
the festival will pay fees according to their level of
exposure — display table, new product showcase and/or
chef competition.
For more information, contact the FAS Office of
Agricultural Affairs in Ottawa, Canada. E-mail:
AgOttawa@usda.gov
Web site:
