Feast for the Palate showcases the culinary excellence of the region

Anyone with a passion for fabulous food and exceptional wines will want to attend this year's Feast for the Palate, which returns to Caledon for its fourth year at the Royal Ambassador Event Centre May 26.

Supporting a very worthwhile cause, all net proceeds from the Feast will be dedicated to Family Transition Place which serves abused women and children in the Caledon and Dufferin area.

First introduced to the community in 2005 as the Festival of the Senses, the name was changed the following year to Feast of the Palate and continued to tempt visitors with its incomparable selection of outstanding food creations and exquisite wine samplings in an unparalleled atmosphere.

In 2007, event organizers changed the focus of the showcase event, presenting it instead as the Chefs' Challenge, a culinary competition which attracted top chefs from across the Greater Toronto Area.

For 2008, the event promises to surpass all previous undertakings, building on the strengths and successes of these very different style food festivals by combining them into one outstanding culinary experience.

Officially recognized as the Greenest Town in Ontario and more recently as the Safest Town in Canada, dining aficionados already recognize Caledon and the surrounding region as a virtual Mecca of exceptional dining establishments. Guests at this year's Feast for the Palate will have the unequalled opportunity to "sip and savour" from signature selections prepared by the region's premier restaurants and catering companies.

Held on the beautiful lakeside property of the Royal Ambassador Event Centre, the Tuscany-style venue provides the perfect backdrop to stage the gourmet event of the season. Guests will have the opportunity to sample all of the delectable delights and vote on each of the selections.

Using a "people's choice" style voting system, guests will be asked to select the premier chef in each of the different categories. Event organizer Hugh Sutherland, owner of Carriage Trade Wine and Spirits, said the categories have been expanded this year and winners will be named for appetizers, main course entries and desserts, providing an even broader palette for the participating gourmet talents. Guests will also select an overall winner to receive the Chefs' Challenge Grande Award.

Last year's winner was Caledon's own Belfountain Inn, owned by Jim and Susan Wallace. Toronto's Fairmount Royal York took second spot, preventing Caledon's restaurants from nabbing all three top spots. Third place went to the historic Caledon Inn on Airport Road.

Wallace was justifiably proud to have his local business earn the coveted top spot from among the talented fraternity of chefs, crediting the culinary genius of his chef Jason Perkins. It was the creative marriage of texture, flavour and colour of the Inn's bourbon poached apples with smoked pork tenderloin chipotle, accompanied by whipped brie and chocolate chili pecans, that won over last year's guests.

There are many exceptional dining establishments within the area and Wallace said all of them have loyal customers from their immediate communities, but he added that a showcase such as Feast for the Palate with the Chefs' Challenge provides unmatched opportunities to create greater marketing visibility for these local establishments to be displayed, viewed and experienced by an even broader audience.

But food won't be the only selection to tempt guests' palates. While savouring the exquisite creations of these culinary specialists, guests will also have the opportunity to sip wine paired with each of the chef dishes participating in the Chefs' Challenge; the wine selections will be specifically chosen to compliment the plated presentations.

"Food and wine pairing is a fairly sophisticated and important factor" in the overall enjoyment of the culinary experience, Sutherland commented, adding domestic vineyards and international wine agents have also registered for the event providing many opportunities for guests to sip and savour from among the finest wine selections available in the marketplace today.

Feast for the Palette is proud to continue its support of community giving with all net proceeds from this year's event dedicated to Family Transition Place (www.familytransitionplace. ca), which provides advocacy, shelter and counseling to abused women and their children, and delivers skill-building violence prevention workshops to youth and adults in the Caledon and Dufferin communities.

The 2008 edition of Feast for the Palate, featuring the Chefs' Challenge, will be May 26, from 5 until 9 p.m. at Royal Ambassador Event Centre, 15430 Innis Lake Rd. (www.royalambassador. ca)

Tickets are $100 per person, including GST and parking.

Industry participation queries should be directed to Sutherland at info@carriagetradewines. com, while guests can visit Web site www.feastforthepalate.com for general and ticket information.

For ticket information, call (905) 584-5840 or email to Caledontickets@sympatico. ca.