The term “hat trick”, the holy grail of scoring in hockey, was originally coined in Guelph where one day nets a hat trick of experiences of gastronomic proportions.
Guelph has long been known as an agricultural powerhouse; a bastion of innovation and invention from the Yukon Gold Potato to DNA barcoding. There are 2,600 farms in Wellington County surrounding Guelph, many of which are diversified and engage in value added processing from direct sales to consumers, to farm stays and a host of tourism activities. This has set the stage for a unique haven of tourism experiences unlike anywhere else in Ontario, that inspire us to Gather in Guelph.
The mantra is “circular economy.” The goal is carbon neutrality and collective community. No small feat in a world of imbalance where economic policy trumps environmental policy, and sustainability precludes affordability. But here in Guelph, like the song goes, “The circle of life—it's the wheel of fortune.”
In the centre of town is a mall. The Old Quebec Street Shoppes is a mixed-use building that includes a tool library. “What is a tool library?” You may ask. The Guelph Tool Library is a community engagement manager that stores over 1500 different tools, which library members can borrow upon need. It’s like a tool shed shared between 850 people—and it’s in a mall. From crafts to robotics, this hotbed of inventory enables locals to grow, discover, build, borrow, create, share and play with their ideas. Down the hall we find Mini Chefs, a place to drop off our kids, and by the time we pick them up they’re bakers! But what really grabs my attention is the farm—in the mall. Noki Farms redefines the supply chain by eliminating the truck and the distance between consumer and source. Ingredients are grown hydroponically. An incredible selection of mushrooms, sea buckthorn and the most vibrant micro-greens imaginable are grown right here on site by bio-technicians Nykole Crevits and Karl Fellbaum. Their packaging is compostable and the quality is impeccably fresh.
Outside the mall is a bustling neighbourhood of shops that generate the pulse of this university town. The Tomme Cheese Shop must be on everyone’s bucket list. This is a cheese emporium made for cheese lovers. Check out their 5 Amazing Taylor Swift Cheese Pairings selection that will have you singing You Belong With Me! In between Killer Cupcakes, vintage clothing shops and retro coffee shops, is La Poche, quintessentially Guelphite in its multi-purpose community hub vibe. It’s considered a “third place”--one that is neither home nor workplace, but a comfortable space to hang out. By day, it’s a barber shop with one barber chair and great conversation, as well as a quiet workspace with tea and cookies. By night, it transforms into a jazz bar chock full of antiques and soothing sounds. How cool is that?
In keeping with the circular economy, hair salons in Guelph contribute all their accumulated-hair into a green bin system, so that their nutrients can be composted and put back into the soil. It’s a system shift that makes so much sense.
Just around the corner is Milk and Co Gourmet Cookies, the only site I’ll enter where I would drop all my privacy settings and accept all the cookies. There are five different flavours on rotation, including allergen-conscious cookies, and each one is a dreamy confection made with local ingredients and love. “We aim to bring something fresh and unique ever single week, so that there is always something fun and exciting to try,” they tell me. It’s hard to respond with a mouth full of OG Chocolate Chip, but I nod with approval as I point to the Toblerone Chip, Bailey’s Brownie, and Festive AF. Honestly, what could be better than a thick cookie with a thin crunch enveloping a soft centre with the perfect balance of sweet and salty notes? And what will it be next week? Strawberry Matcha? Banana Skor? Or their Cereal Killah of Belgian white chocolate, fruity pebbles, marshmallow and cereal milk glaze?
There is no shortage of great dining in this agricultural mecca. Tonight, we choose Miijidaa, which means “Let’s eat” in Ojibwe. Miijidaa Café + Bistro is at the forefront of Guelph’s circular economy movement and is completely carbon neutral—as are its sister restaurants, Borealis Grille + Bar, The Wooly Pub, and Park Eatery. Even beyond ensuring that ingredients are local, seasonal and conform to fair trade, and the wines selection is 100% VQA, the practice of sustainability and supporting local economies extends to the tables and the uniforms, and making sure everything is sourced from Ontario. Containers are compostable, straws are metal, and the rooftop houses a pollinator garden. Miijidaa also works closely with local communities to combat iron deficiency in indigenous communities; raise money for local nor-profit organizations from Kidsability to Food4Kids and Women In Crisis; as well as raise money and awareness to keep the Speed and Grand Rivers safe and clean.
And what about the menu? It’s a celebration of dishes that reflect the bounty and diverse roots of the region from First Nations to French, English and Portuguese, to name a few, and includes adaptogens that nourish and replenish our bodies. Our starter of fresh-from-the-oven, cast iron baked pumpkin bread with sage butter, sage-smoked salt, crème fraiche and pumpkin puree, is wholesome and divine. Our thin crust Forager pizza is lavished in pesto and porcini powder, roasted mushrooms and baby spinach, and a duet of mozzarella and goat cheese. The Sheshegwaning First Nations trout, accented with brown sage butter, fried capers and sorrel, shares the plate with celeriac purée, seasonal vegetables and crisp roasted fingerling potatoes. Red wine braised beef cheeks are slow-cooked over six hours to luxurious tenderness. They’re complimented by contrasting textures of crunchy potatoes, Mountainoak nettle gouda and caramelized onions for a decadent plating of savoury goodness.
On this Choose Your Own Foodie Adventure I can head to Graffiti Alley, appreciate the stone work, meander through the maze of angles and dead ends that feel like something out of 19th Century London, and discover cool secret spots for coffee or that wonderful aroma of pizza that’s wafting through the air. Or, I can head to the 196-year-old Guelph Farmer’s Market that hosts over 100 vendors, and local artists and musicians, to showcase a cornucopia of just-plucked-from-the-ground regional produce, as well as specialty coffees, and global cuisines from Vietnamese to Lebanese, Chinese dumplings to Argentine empanadas, and oh, the glorious freshly baked pies!
While farmers gravitate to the market, there is a buffet of tastes trails spanning out to the farms. Taste Real leads us from farm-to-table restaurants to authentic farm experiences including tours, u-pick farming, workshops and classes from over 200 businesses across Guelph and Wellington County.
At Heartwood Farm & Cidery, Val Steinmann shares with us that circularity starts with the land. Here, it’s all about Regenerative Farming—aligning with the natural cycles that keep carbon, methane and water doing what they’re supposed to be doing to create and sustain life. Nature does not produce waste. Everything is up-cycled or recycled naturally. From trampling to fertilizing, livestock can support and benefit from that process, contributing to an increase in biodiversity, rather than strip away from it. This is evermore important with climate changes, since conventional farming can lead to soil erosion in which dry soil, bereft of nutrients and the capacity for carbon sequestration, emits that errant carbon and methane into the atmosphere.
What begins with soil conservation yields beautiful apples, hazelnuts, heart nuts, the most wonderful potatoes, and lots of shade and shelter for the cattle and rustic ranger chickens housed within the contours of the landscape.
In addition to farm tours, Heartwood offers Farm Stays where we can immerse ourselves in the farm, reconnect with nature, reconnect with animals, learn how food is grown and how to prepare it.
Over lunch we enjoy the most crisp and juicy tender chicken I have ever tasted. This is how chicken is supposed to taste! We pair it with a selection of Heartwood ciders including Eve Goes Badass with its kick of cayenne and hint of honey.
We find the spirit of Guelph at Dixons Distilled Spirits where Ontario-grown corn is fermented, distilled 18 times and carbon filtered for 30 hours. All of Dixons spirits are crafted from local, natural products combined with pure, clean Guelph water for 100% Made in Canada spirits that are silky smooth. The range of small-batch premium spirits here includes unique products like Trickle Down Maple Whisky, Wicked Licorice Gin, Peach Mango Vodka and my new favourite, the award-winning Flaming Caesar Vodka, infused with horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and other spices like dill and chili peppers that envelope my palate in gentle fire. On our tasting tour we indulge in a Spiced Apple Tequila Smash of Dixons’ tequila with apple puree, lemon juice, maple-aged whisky and cinnamon topped with sage, apple and club soda. An ambrosial symphony!
So, what’s the hat trick? The three pillars of the circular economy that Guelph has adopted as a model for sustainability. The idea is simple: “waste” is a design flaw. Guelph’s circular economy rectifies that by 1) reducing the amount of waste in food, so that it’s not rotting in a landfill with maximum Green House Gas emissions; 2) supporting innovative businesses who freeze ingredients at their peak freshness to save them rather than toss them; and 3) making sure more people have equitable access to good food. Replacing extracting, taking and wasting with reusing, up-cycling, rebuilding, sharing, using less and using more wisely, is the essence of Guelph's circular economy.
After enjoying a coffee and a stroll in Guelph’s natural wonders and in its vibrant downtown core, we don’t throw our plastic cups away. Instead, we pop them into a bin, and at the end of the day, their QR code is used for tracking and scanning. The cups are then professionally cleaned and re-used. And, we get one dollar back. The cups are used 100 times before they’re recycled. Smart.
There is a vibe in Guelph. The connectivity and the synergy inspires us. The heartbeat of Guelph comes from its community spirit that is both rooted in the past and keeps it pulsing forward.
For more information, go to Gather in Guelph.