Published on December 1, 2022
The culinary scene in Ottawa is thriving and putting the Nation’s Capital on the map as a notable gastronomic location in Canada. Ottawa is home to many award-winning restaurants with top Chefs who leverage the thousands of local farms in the Ottawa valley. DNA Live recognized this talent and decided to showcase Ottawa’s amazing food and beverage options at the Shaw Centre by hosting the CRAVE Food and Wine Festival.
Activities kicked off on November 11th and 12th in our Parliament Foyer and Canada Hall and was a smashing success with over 2,000 attendees over the two days. The festival ran from 4 pm to 10 pm each evening and was buzzing with local foodies, ready to sample some delectable food items from local vendors. Patrons purchased tickets before entering to indulge in the vendors’ samples. The number of tickets for each item was left to the vendor’s discretion. Upon entry, visitors were greeted with a sampling glass they could use at each booth.
In total, there were 40 vendors from restaurants, distilleries, wineries, and breweries, to name a few; North & Navy, Le Cheesecake Bar Gatineau, Green Papaya, Meatings, El Camino, Olivia, Broadhead Beer, Dunrobin Distilleries, Dominion City and more!
This festival was an elevated epicurean event with a chic casual dress code in place, with many dressed to impress! There were themed sections on the floor, such as fiesta corner, island escape, southern valley, the spice hut, wines of the world, and more! Photo opportunities were galore throughout Canada Hall, and foodies alike posed throughout to capture their fun evening!
Not only did attendees have the opportunity to sample from vendors but also to attend sixteen masterclasses from distinguished local chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists. One of them being Joe Thottungal from Coconut Lagoon, who filled the Parliament Foyer with attentive festival goers taking notes on their phones as he explained the mastery behind a great curry dish. Other topics from master chefs were cake decorating, making a perfect seafood chowder, proper knife sharpening techniques, creating a signature cocktail, and many more. Masterclass chefs included Dominque Dufour from Top Chef Canada, Steven Flood, an award-winning mixologist from Riviera, and master Sommelier Emily Pearce, who is currently the second-best Sommelier in Canada and many more.
Foodies enjoyed sharing their experiences through social media; based on their posts, they had an epic food and beverage experience. This event was a great success, and we’re glad to have hosted it here in Canada’s meeting place. We’re looking forward to welcoming CRAVE Food and Wine Festival back to the Shaw Center. View the highlights of the event by clicking here.
