Maple Ridge celebrated the best from its local kitchens and farms Friday as the ninth Golden Harvest took place in the Arts Centre Theatre.
High schools such as Garibaldi, Maple Ridge, Thomas Haney, Samuel Robertson Technical secondaries showed off their culinary arts programs while five local restaurants showcased their delectables.
“It really is about bringing all the local pieces together,” said Amanda Grochowich, with the City of Maple Ridge. It’s also about bring people together and celebrating the community, diversity and inclusiveness.
Event coordinator Genevieve Beaupre said the chefs involved all prepared the dishes from the locally grown food that was provided to them. Golden Harvest is presented by the city’s agricultural advisory committee, Haney Farmers Market, and the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Agricultural Association.
One table was filled with local vegetables grown by East Ridge Farms, in east Maple Ridge. Dan Wagner and Krystal Psota just started farming on a part-time basis in 2013 without any background in growing food, describing themselves as “Google farmers.” They now specialize in growing red, Russian garlic.
Golden Harvest now includes local craft breweries such as Ridge Brewing, Maple Meadows Brewing and Silver Valley Brewing which recently opened on 224th Street.
