Saturday, July 30 marks the 8th annual Food Day Canada celebration, a coast-to-coast smorgasbord of our richly diverse gastronomic and culinary traditions.

The brainchild of Anita Stewart, one of Canada’s most respected and influential food activists and historians, Food Day Canada evolved from the World’s Longest BBQ, a 2003 event created in response to the American border’s closing to Canadian beef exports. The current incarnation of the nation-wide event is a relatively simple concept that is buoyed by Anita’s contagious passion for the ingredients, wide-ranging cuisines and culinary customs that define us as Canadians. Restaurants, market cafés, inns, wineries and other eateries from almost every province across the country are participating, along with a number of our most significant national historic sites. The consistent feature: unique menus and events inspired by our northern bounty — for instance, at my restaurant, Cava, we are really looking forward to a special Food Day menu that includes:

Cookstown Greens Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Soiled Reputation Squash Blossom

Fritters filled with Monforte Sheep’s Milk Ricotta

Chantecler Chicken Cazuela with Fava Beans, Snails and Wild Mushrooms

Roasted Niagara Peach Melba with Raspberry Espuma

That said, Food Day Canada is neither exclusionary nor limited to the professionals. Another significant aspect of this celebration is the spirit of inclusiveness. We are all stewards of our unparalleled food system and, as such, we all need to celebrate it. Anita and the other organizers are encouraging Canadians everywhere to commemorate in their own way. Whether this involves a visit to the local farmers’ market to find inspiration for your Saturday night barbecue, an Algonquin Park campfire stew, or a lobster and corn boil on the beach, we can all pause this Saturday to reflect and give thanks for what this country has given generations of cooks and food-lovers. You can then post your menu and pictures of your celebration at the Food Day Canada website.

It’s hard for me to imagine a better way to do this on a summer long-weekend than with a moveable al fresco feast – get outside to a picnic table, blanket, boat or firepit and be inspired. Here are a few ideas to get things started:

Perfect hard-boiled local hen’s eggs with your own tricked-out mayonnaise:Ttry lemon & black pepper; tarragon, caper & black olive; or roasted garlic & espelette pepper.

Heirloom potato salad with crème fraîche, pickled wild leeks and smoked Lake Huron whitefish

Sichaun-inspired cold poached Chantecler chicken with chile, sesame oil, cilantro and roasted peanuts.

Watercress salad with B.C. hazelnuts, Tiger Blue cheese and cider vinaigrette.

Pingue prosciutto with a tomato & grilled fennel bread salad.

Local fruit harvested at a Pick-your-own farm or foraged from the side of the road.

Looking forward to seeing your own ideas and great menus posted. If we can’t all eat together, we can still raise a glass, not to mention a friendly salute. Here’s to you. Enjoy!

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Image courtesy of ctaloi.