Kawartha Food Share Named Recipient For 2025 Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign Fundraiser

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There are a lot of happy faces at Kawartha Food Share (KFS) after they were selected as recipients of Tim Hortons’ Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign, announced on Friday.

Last year, Kawartha Food Share received $43,992.81 from the Holiday Smile Cookie fundraiser. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The campaign runs form Nov. 17 to 23 at all Tim Hortons locations in Peterborough, Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Curve Lake. The cookies retail for $2.00 each, and all proceeds will be split between Kawartha Food Share and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.

The Tim Hortons Holiday Smile Cookie is a white chocolate chip sugar cookie, infused with red and green sprinkles, finished with a hand-decorated smile.

Last year, this campaign raised $87,985.62 locally, with half going to KFS.

“We are so thrilled to be partnering with Tim Hortons for this wonderful initiative. The funds raised during this campaign will assist us in purchasing much needed food items to keep our agencies shelves well stocked,” said Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager. “Our volunteers are excited to get to work decorating cookies for our community.”

Kawartha Food Share is a central collection and distribution warehouse that partners with 37 member agency food banks, food cupboards and other food action programs in the City and County of Peterborough.

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Burger Supremacy Runs In November For United Way's "Ultimate Burger Battle" Fundraiser

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United Way Peterborough & District has kicked off its first-ever Ultimate Burger Battle where local restaurants and Burger Ambassadors gathered for a ‘First Bite’ preview of this delicious new fundraiser at its facility on Thursday morning.

The Ultimate Burger Battle has been tested to delicious success in other communities, with United Way Thunder Bay launching the original event six years ago. Since then, it has expanded into a national event organized by United Ways across Canada, serving more than 60,000 burgers nationwide last year alone. SCreenshot, Instagram.

The month-long Burger Battle is a new community fundraiser that was announced during United Way’s Campaign Launch in late September.

Eight local restaurants have crafted a burger to battle for the title of Peterborough and County’s Ultimate Burger of the Year. For every burger sold throughout November, two dollars will be donated to United Way Peterborough & District to support its programs and services. 

“We’re absolutely thrilled to bring the first-ever United Way Ultimate Burger Battle to Peterborough and District,” said Jim Russell, CEO of United Way Peterborough & District. “This campaign is a fun way to celebrate the creativity of our local restaurants while uniting the community around a shared cause. We’re especially proud to see participation from restaurants across both the City and County, a reflection of the wide reach and generosity of our region. Every Ultimate Burger sold helps build a stronger, more caring community, and I think that’s something we can all sink our teeth into.” 

The Ultimate Burger Battle has showcases creations such as fish patties to burgers stacked high with pickled jalapeño peppers.

Restaurants joining Peterborough & District United Way’s inaugural Ultimate Burger Battle include: 

  • The Dirty Burger Company

  • Double Dz's Diner

  • Agave by Imperial

  • The Vine

  • The Loon Lakefield

  • The Chemong Lodge

  • Pizza Villa & Pasta House

  • The Rink Tap & Grill

During November, a team of local Ultimate Burger Battle Ambassadors are tasting their way across Peterborough and the County, sharing their experiences, reviews, and behind-the-scenes peeks on social media.

This will help spotlight participating restaurants and encourage the community to join the fun by trying new burgers and voting for their favourites. Community members can get involved by voting online at uwpeterborough.ca for their favourite burger to help decide the People’s Choice Awards.

The Burger Ambassadors taking a bite include:

  • Laura Montague, PTBO Eaters

  • Dan O’Toole, BetRivers

  • Neil Morton, Consultant/ Entrepreneur, 2017 United Way Peterborough & District Campaign Chair

  • Tiffany Arcari, The Tiffany Show

  • Nour Mazloum, Peterborough DBIA

  • Pete Dalliday, TV Voice of the Lakers & Petes

  • Jason Wilkins, Muralist/ Illustrator

  • Paul Rellinger, Journalist, 2025 United Way Campaign Chair 

“The Ultimate Burger Battle is a fantastic way to showcase the creativity and passion of our local restaurants,” said Nour Mazloum, Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area executive director. “It’s more than just a culinary challenge; it’s an opportunity to bring people together, celebrate local talent, and support a meaningful cause. I’m excited to see our community come out, enjoy some incredible food, and cheer on their favourite spots in the spirit of friendly competition.” 

“From the Adam Scott Cafeteria to Zeke’s — I’ve done the A-to-Z of Peterborough burgers,” said Pete Dalliday, Peterborough Lakers director of community engagement. “The Burger Battle just gives me another excuse to keep the streak going, support local spots, and have some fun for a great cause.” 

The Ultimate Burger Battle Passport is available to help track burger adventures, and anyone who tries five or more burgers will have the chance to become an Ultimate Burger Battle Ambassador for 2026.

Workplaces can also get in on the fun through ‘Ultimate Burger Battle @ Work,’ a team lunch initiative that lets staff order burgers together in support of United Way workplace campaigns. 

Proceeds support United Way Peterborough & District’s network of local agencies and initiatives working to address poverty and strengthen community well-being. 

The Ultimate Burger of the Year, People’s Choice Winners and Most Burgers Sold will be crowned in early December.

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New Burger Joint Law & Orders Hosts Grand Opening In East City

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From Innisville to Pembroke and more, burger joint Law & Orders has made Peterborough its seventh location after hosting its grand opening in East City on Wednesday morning.

Founded and owned by Jamie Law, the business initially opened in Innisville on Highway 7 in 2014 and has since expanded to seven total locations. The establishment is located at 89 Hunter St. E. at the former Loaded Pierogi location and Reggie’s Hot Grill before that. Knowing the history of the building, Lee says it was a perfect fit for him to expand his business to Peterborough.

“I heard it was a great opportunity and a fantastic city and we stumbled upon this fantastic spot that used to be a burger place back in the day,” he explained. “We were lucky enough to score the building and the rest is history. The community has been coming out in full support, everyone's been loving the burgers and I couldn't be more happy.”

The restaurant serves burgers, fries, hot dogs, burger bowls, wraps, poutines, milkshakes and more. Their style ensures freshness in all their ingredients, a throwback to how burgers were originally made, unlike the methods of several current fast-food burger chains according to Law.

“It (the burgers) does take a few extra minutes to cook but it's fresh-cooked to order, it's all hand-cut fries and all fresh ingredients,” he explained. “It's basically back to the day where burgers were cooked so they're not sitting in CVap or a warming drawer. They're cooked to order on a grill with fresh beef, so it's fantastic. The taste is there, you can't beat it.”

@ptbo_canada Small burger franchise @Law & Orders joins Peterborough in East City! #ptbocanada #journalism #news #fyp #burgers ♬ The Burger（剪辑版） - Ima Burger

Customers had lined up prior to doors opening, a pleasant surprise much to Law’s delight.

“I didn't think that many people would be lining up waiting to get inside the building right at the beginning,” he explained. “I've done this several times before and usually it trickles in and then it ramps up as the day goes on but it was a full smash in your face right off the bat as soon as we opened in the door.” 

The restaurant has a charity aspect, partnering with country singer/songwriter Jason Blaine and his charity, ‘Jason Blaine Charity.’ For each purchase of a ‘Jason Blain Burger, half the proceeds goes towards the charity.

“Jason is actually married to my sister so he's my brother-in-law,” laughed Law. “All of his money goes to other charities. It's fantastic to see how the money gets spread out throughout the community.”

Law & Order's also features a food challenge called the ‘Rhippo Challenge‘ that consists of eating two of their signature ‘Rhippo Burgers’ (a half-pound burger with bacon, cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickles, onions, mayo, lettuce and tomato) and a pound of poutine.

Challengers have 20 minutes to consume all three items and those who are successful receive their meal for free, a free t-shirt and have their photo displayed on the Rhippo Challenge Wall of Fame. There are only 29 people who won the challenge in 599 attempts after the publication of this article. The record is held by Adam Moran, downing the food in six minutes and 45 seconds.

The restaurant offers a weekly special on Tuesdays, featuring five-dollar cheeseburgers. They held the same promotion at their grand opening and again on Thursday as part of National Cheeseburger Day. Online ordering is also available for Law & Orders.

The following are Law and Orders’s business hours:

  • Monday to Thursday - 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Friday and Saturday - 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

  • Sunday - 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes Hosting BBQ Fundraiser For Aug. 23

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Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) is hosting a BBQ fundraiser to aid their causes at their site on Aug. 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The event is located at 385 Lansdowne St. E. It has food, sweet treats, games, live music and a plant and vegetable sale. Cost for food and drinks will be on a sliding scale starting from 50 cents.

A rainout date has been scheduled for the following day on Aug. 24.

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Peterborough Poutine Feast Is Back At Morrow Park For 2025 In Four-Day Event

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The combination of fries, gravy and cheese curds (and other toppings) is back at Morrow Park as Peterborough Poutine Feast returns in a four-day event from Thursday to Sunday.

Andrew McMullen of Fat Les’s Chip Stand (left); Bailey McGlennon, staff (middle) and David Conway, emcee (right) showcase old and new poutines this year’s Peterborough Poutine Feast, such as the Lobster Poutine, Mexican Street Corn Poutine and the classic. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The free-admission event, hosted by Poutine Feast Ontario, runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Four poutine vendors with roughly 30 different poutines are at this year’s event. Food trucks selling poutines include Fat Les’s Chip Stand, Groovy Gravy, The Tragically Chip Wagon and new ship truck Dude Bro Potato Co.

In addition to classic-style poutines, popular favourites are back including maple pulled pork, General Tao Chicken and lobster poutine. A few new flavours are in this year’s event such as the Big Mack (inspired by the McDonald’s signature burger), Mexican Street Corn and Pizza Pocket poutine.

Mrs. Mini Donuts, Trin’s Treats and Miss Ellie’s Lemonade were other food and drink vendors at the event. New this year is the Boba Bar, which serves six varieties of the popular Taiwanese drink, bubble tea.

Merchandise dealers are also at Poutine Feast such as clothing, jewellery, raffles, temporary glitter tattoos and more.

Peterborough was one of the original locations of Poutine Feast’s tour before the tour expanded. The travelling food group is hitting 23 cities with Peterborough as the third leg of its tour. Petawawa and Renfew were the first two stops, respectively.

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David Tuan Bui


PTBOCanada Featured Post: Taste the Sweet Farm Freshness With Cold Duck Creamery

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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Taste the Sweet Farm Freshness With Cold Duck Creamery

Sponsored post by Cold Duck Creamery

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Peterborough DBIA Relaunches Mac & Cheese Festival; 17 Restaurants Vying For Championship Title

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The title of Mac + Cheese Champion is up for grabs as the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has relaunched its Mac and Cheese Festival for a fourth year running from April 1 to 26, announced on Tuesday.

Heather Wasson, Turnbull Cafe Owner showcases her entry: Hot Honey Mac Attack. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough DBIA.

This year’s festival will feature exclusive in-restaurant specials and a Grand Finale Event on April 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Quaker Foods City Square.

There are 17 downtown restaurants competing to win the championship trophy, each offering its own twist on the beloved comfort food, such as The Dirty Burger’s Mac & Cheeseburger Samosa.

The public can vote online to crown a winner for this year’s event.

“We figured, why settle for just one cheesy guilty pleasure when you can have two?” said Tyrone Flowers, The Vine owner and current champion. “This year we’ve combined two fan favourites - mac and cheese and jalapeño poppers - into one irresistible dish. It’s rich, creamy, packed with flavour and just the right amount of heat. Cheese lovers,  we made this one for you.”

Local celebrity judges will decide a winner for this year’s Peterborough’s Mac & Cheese Champion at the grand finale. The contenders for the grand finale event include: Dreams of Beans, La Mesita, The Vine, The Boardwalk Game Lounge, The Riverside Grill and Sam’s Place Deli. Vendors will also be selling drinks and sweets.

“The Mac & Cheese Festival is a fantastic way to showcase the culinary talent and the creativity of our downtown restaurants, while also bringing the community together over a dish we all love,” said Nour Mazloum, DBIA executive director. “We’re excited to bring this event back with an outdoor festival component that not only supports our local business community but also kicks off the Spring season in a really exciting way - with a day full of food, music and fun for all ages.”

Four local bands, including Jeanne Truax, Warren Frank, Brooklyn Doran, and VANCAMP, will perform live throughout the afternoon. A beer garden will be set up on the rink pad at Quaker Square, with local breweries, including 100 Acre Brewing Co., Sandbagger Hard Seltzer and Maple Light.

“I’m really looking forward to playing the mac & cheese festival at Quaker Square with the band,” said Calvin Bakelaar, VANCAMP frontman. “There’s nothing like an outdoor event with live music and an unreasonable amount of mac & cheese to really kick off spring.” 

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Community Care Peterborough Returns Meals to Go Fundraiser In Commemoration of 60 Years of Meals On Wheels

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To celebrate 60 years of Meals on Wheels, Community Care Peterborough has announced the return of its Meals to Go fundraiser on March 26.

In Ontario, more than 68,000 people rely on Meals on Wheels, and Peterborough was home to one of Canada’s earliest programs, established just months after the country’s first. Community Care Peterborough delivers over 50,000 meals annually throughout the City and County of Peterborough. Photo by David Tuan bui.

This semi-annual event allows local businesses to enjoy lunch delivered to their workplace by dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteers to support seniors and adults with physical challenges in the community.

Each meal sold helps subsidize the cost of Meals on Wheels in Peterborough according to Community Care Peterborough.

This year’s meal features a Greek Chicken Pasta Bowl with a Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake dessert. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free alternatives are also available. The menu has been crafted in collaboration with Mapleridge Retirement Residence, which prepares hot Meals on Wheels in Peterborough.

Meals must be ordered in advance by groups of co-workers, with one representative submitting the full order. The order deadline is March 18 and orders can be placed online.

Businesses and community members are invited to donate non-perishable food items in support of the Saint Vincent De Paul Food Pantry in Peterborough. A donation collection will be available at the time of meal delivery.

Community Care Peterborough continues in our community.

“We are so grateful for the incredible support that has sustained Meals on Wheels for 60 years,” said Chris LeBlanc, Director of Donor and Public Relations at Community Care Peterborough. “It takes the entire community—businesses, volunteers, donors, and partners—to keep this essential service going. Meals to Go is a fantastic way for businesses to enjoy a great meal, support Meals on Wheels, and now, give back even more by donating non-perishable food items to help those in need.”

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Photos: Peterborough's Appetites Kept Full at YWCA Empty Bowls Fundraiser

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The YWCA hosted the 2025 edition of its Empty Bowls Fundraiser that aids food insecurity in our communities at The Venue on Friday afternoon.

Proceeds from the fundraiser were split between One City’s food programming and Kawartha Food Share.

Roughly 140 participants ate lunch from 11 restaurants while shopping for hand-crafted bowls created by local artisans of the Kawartha Potters Guild.

The following were participating local restaurants that served food at the event:

  • By the Bridge

  • Revelstoke Café

  • Vanilla room

  • La Mesita

  • Hard Winter Bakery

  • Ashburnham Ale House

  • Levantine Grill

  • St. Veronus

  • Fresh Dreams

  • Hanoi House

  • Sam’s Place


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Hometown PTBO: Dennis Nephin Bringing Kawartha Ribfest to Peterborough Aug. 22-24 at Del Crary Park

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This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with Dennis Nephin about bringing Kawartha Ribfest to Del Crary Park from Aug. 22-24th, what to expect and why he opted to keep the event going in Peterborough.

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