Award-Winning Mac + Cheese Festival Returns to Downtown Peterborough For Third Straight Year For All of October

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There are 21 Downtown Peterborough Businesses vying for the title in the third year of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area’s (DBIA) award-winning Mac + Cheese Festival, running all of October, announced at the Venture North Building on Wednesday morning.

Three mac and cheeses were sampled at the press conference: Heartburn City, Mind Your Carrots & Peas and Lactose Overload. Photo by David Tuan BUi.

The downtown businesses offer their mac and cheese dishes for all of October for take-out or dine-in. Classic macs, adventurous macs, handheld macs and even ‘mac-it-at-home’ options are available for this year’s festival.

The winning business will receive their bragging rights for the year, a hand-crafted trophy, the title of mac-and-cheese champion and a donation to Kawartha Food Share in their name.

New businesses entering the competition include The Vine, The Food Shop, The Pasta Shop and Sam’s Place Weinery.

Anyone can vote online for their favourite mac and cheese dishes throughout the month and use a Mac Map to locate which businesses are participating.

“We were so beyond proud to be chosen as the top mac of 2022, tying with Capra Toro for the winning prize,” said Amanda da Silva, The El(P) co-owner. “Being a newer business in downtown Peterborough, we’ve had such a blast participating in these foodie festivals. The culinary competition in this city sure is steep.”

The festival website has previous winning recipes and locally curated recipes for home chefs. Recipe cards include a hearty ‘local mac’ that utilizes local ingredients from The Ptbo Food Shop and recipes from previous champions: Sam’s Place and The El (P).

“Our Mac + Cheese Festival has been incredibly successful both locally and provincially and has even gone on to inspire other BIAs in the province to adopt similar events,” said Terry Guiel, DBIA executive director. “We won an award last year for ‘special events and promotions’ at the Ontario Business Improvement Area awards conference and our team is really proud of how these cheesy shenanigans continue to inspire not only local chefs but other cities in Ontario.”

At the press conference, three mac and cheeses were sampled at the event.

  • Heartburn City: Pickled jalapenos, hot sauce and crushed Hot Cheetos

  • Mind Your Peas & Carrots: Peas, carrots and hot dog slices

  • Lactose Overloard (winner): Havarti, mozzarella, marbled cheddar, Tex-Mex and queso

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Maple Ridge Retirement to Distribute Community Care Peterborough's Meals On Wheels In New Partnership

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Maple Ridge Retirement has become the new provider for Community Care Peterborough’s (CCP) hot Meals on Wheels in a new partnership announced at the Hunt Terrance on Tuesday morning.

Warden Bonnie Clark (right) and Councillor Matt Crowley (left) sampling some of the meals offered through the ‘Meals on Wheels’ program. Food included salads, chicken noodle soup, steamed vegetables, broccoli and cheese quiche and lemon squares. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

CCP’s Meals on Wheels program provides meals to seniors living alone and to adults with disabilities who are unable to shop for groceries or cook for themselves. Those discharged from a hospital with limited or no help during recovery are also ideal candidates for the program. Last year, over 43,000 meals were delivered to clients.

“It was a natural fit for our Meals on Wheels program,” said Danielle Belair – CCP executive director. “The wonderful new kitchen facility at the Hunt Terraces property that is staffed by Maple Ridge Retirement’s professional chef and his team are preparing meals to their residents in this building so we are able to share resources to help our clients too.”

“Peterborough Housing Corporation (PHC) is delighted to collaborate with Maple Ridge Retirement Services, enhancing the dining experience for our tenants by offering nutritious meals in a warm and inviting atmosphere,” said Travis Doak, PHC director of operations. Additionally, this partnership enables us to optimize our kitchen facilities, supporting the well-respected Meals on Wheels Program, operated by Community Care Peterborough.”

Hunt Terrace is a six-story building at 555 Bonaccord Street known as an intergenerational living environment with 85 units comprised of senior supportive, affordable and market units, according to a press release. Amenities in the building include commercial space, a dining room with meal options, laundry facilities and multi-purpose rooms that the community can use.

“We are pleased to welcome the Meals on Wheels Program to Hunt Terraces,” said Hope Lee, PHC CEO. “Our vision for the commercial space at this property includes partnerships that serve not only the needs of our tenants but those of the public. This is an amazing addition towards that vision.”

“Our team at Maple Ridge Retirement is very proud to be supporting Peterborough Housing’s project at Hunt Terraces,” said Michael May, vice president of operations at Maple Ridge Retirement Services As more and more people move in and others use the facility we are seeing the wide ranging benefits to the community.”

Hot Meals on Wheels are delivered Monday to Friday in the City of Peterborough and on Tuesdays and Thursdays to Lakefield area clients all year round. Meals are $8.75 per meal, including soup or salad, entrée, roll and dessert. CCP volunteers pick up their packed, insulated bags containing hot meals and deliver them to their client’s homes along a pre-planned route (with 13 routes total).

CCP is in a volunteer crisis and needs volunteers to help deliver their Meals on Wheels to clients. Expenses such as gas and mileage are compensated during their deliveries. Volunteers can apply online, in person or by calling (705) 742-7067 and asking for Melissa.

“Our clients have been so pleased with the meals that Maple Ridge Retirement has been providing through our Meals on Wheels program,” said Belair. “By sharing resources and utilizing our amazing team of volunteers, we are also able to keep our hot meals affordable for our clients in the City of Peterborough and in Lakefield.”

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Get a Tastes of the World of Lakefield Farmers' Market's 'Around the World' This Thursday

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The Lakefield Farmers’ Market is celebrating international cuisine and multicultural vendors at the ‘Around the World’ themed market behind the Lakefield-Smith Community Centre on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Lakefield’s Farmers’ Market.

There will be local vendors offering cuisine from around the world including Indo-Canadian cuisine from Jess’s Kitchen, savoury and sweet Mexican food from La Mesita and New Zealand-style meat pies from Kia Ora Pie Co.

The vendors are also stocked with their fall harvests and unique handcrafted items. Farrucas Duo will be performing live Latin music.

The Lakefield Farmers’ Market runs weekly until Oct. 5. Visit the market every Thursday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., rain or shine, behind the Lakefield-Smith Community Centre.

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Husband and Wife Make Selwyn Its Home For Their BeaverTails Food Trailer

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Canadian pastry and franchise BeaverTails has made its home in Selwyn thanks to wife and husband Michelle and Adam Levesque who opened their food trailer beside Home Hardware located at 1665 Chemong Rd. on Thursday.

Adam (left) and Michelle Levesque (right) showcasing a strawberry cheesecake BeaverTail and strawberry lemonade. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

BeaverTails are deep-fried dough that can be topped with spreads, sauces, chocolate bar bits, fruit/fruit sauces and more. Some places also add ice cream in combination with the aforementioned items.

The Levesque’s trailer has 11 varieties of BeaverTails to choose from, ranging from the classic of cinnamon and sugar, all the way to their Avalanche (Skor cheesecake). They have four flavours of Beaver Bites where the dough is fried into bite-size balls, comparable to Tim Horton’s Timbits. Other products sold include brownie pies, Beaver Bites sundaes, ice cream, poutine, hot dogs, fries and more.

The idea stemmed from Adam working in the Durham region with his other business A & M Tools Inc. and discovered a BeaverTails food truck. That inspired him to open one himself and propose the idea to Michelle despite them having no prior food-handling experience.

“We wanted something more family-oriented,” she explained. “He runs the tools and I do the back end but nothing that my kids can grow up, join in and be staff in our facility. He came home one day and said, ‘Let's do it, let's make a BeaverTails.’”

The couple started their journey in February, learning how to make the product and being a franchisee. Opening the business was not easy for the couple when they started their road to becoming franchisees. The trailer they purchased originally was not up to provincial standards for becoming a food truck and the couple went to great lengths to get it up to code according to Michelle.

“We had to change a couple of things,” she explained. “A couple of fryers, different health codes and stuff like that to make sure that we were in compliance with Ontario standards.”

The trailer had to go through several inspections however due to staffing shortages, they could not be done in a timely manner delayed their opening according to a Facebook post made in July.

The trailer finally opened for business on Thursday and both Adam and Michelle had a hectic, busy but productive first day.

“It kept steady and we appreciate everyone's patience with us having been our first day,” said Michelle.

The couple is planning activities for the winter and summer for customers to be immersed in the community and want to be open all year round.

“We want to build an ice rink so that it's winter-friendly. Everyone can come out, have a skate, get your BeaverTail like a mini Ottawa experience here,” said Michelle. “In the summer, we want to have outdoor games. We just want everyone to be a bit patient because we are still building.”

The following are the trailer’s operating hours:

  • Thursdays: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

  • Friday/Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Sunday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Habitat for Humanity PKR Hosting Inaugural Sunday Dinner at the ReStore Fundraiser

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Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region is hosting its First-Annual Sunday Dinner at the ReStore to celebrate community, connection and a shared commitment to affordable homeownership on Oct. 22.

The event features a harvest dinner, wines, cocktails, entertainment and a silent auction. The items are donated by local businesses.

“We are excited to host our first Sunday Dinner at the ReStore and bring people together to share a meal as you would at home with family,” said Susan Zambonin, Habitat CEO. “This unique event not only promises an evening of delicious food and connection but also an opportunity for our community to rally behind a cause that truly makes a difference for families in need of safe, decent and affordable homeownership.” 

All proceeds from this event will contribute to Habitat for Humanity PKR's Phase 2 development, a 12-unit affordable condo project currently under construction in the City of Peterborough.

The event runs from 5:30 p.m to 8:30 p.m. at the The Peterborough North ReStore at 300 Milroy Drive. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased via phone at 705-874-0201 or online at www.habitatpkr.ca 

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Lang Pioneer Village to Hold Corn Roast On Aug. 27.

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Join the harvest season as the Corn Roast at Lang Pioneer Village Museum is happening on Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Lang Pioneer Village.

The family-friendly day has historic demonstrations, live music, and plenty of fire-cooked corn. Tour with a free horse-drawn wagon ride and tour the historic village.

The village will teach visitors how corn was used back then with examples such as corn bread, popcorn, dried corn, corn soups, and corn relish in the Fitzpatrick House, and sample some Johnny cake with maple syrup in the Milburn House.

The village will have demonstrations including threshing, bagging, fanning mill and corn grinding.

Traditional music is being performed by Lotus and Luke from the Weaver Shop porch.

A corn-on-the-cob eating contest taking place on the Village Green. Corn crafts and corn hole by the Ayotte Cabin are some activities that will be run.

Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors (60+), $7 for youths (ages 5-14) and free for children under five. Family admission is also available for $40 and includes two adults and up to four youths (ages 5-14). Visitors may purchase admission in advance via the Museum’s online shop but advance purchase is not required.

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Photos: Rollz Ice Cream Makes Parkway Place A Little Sweeter With Grand Opening

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Rollz Ice Cream had customers pouring into the store during their grand opening on Sunday afternoon. The store is located at Parkway Place on 1135 Lansdowne St., Unit 11.

The parlour serves rolled ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, falooda, cheesecake (from the Cheesecake Factory), popping soda and ice cream burgers. The first 50 customers received free rolled ice cream during their grand opening.

@ptbo_canada Have you ever tried rolled icw cream before? It originated as street food in Thailand in 2009. #ptbo #ptbocanada #fyp #food #foodtok #icecream #icecreamrolls #journalism #journalist #grandopening #dessert ♬ Ice Cream - Tydus

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Franchise 'Rollz Ice Cream' To Hold Grand Opening This Sunday

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Another sweet treat business is coming to Peterborough as franchise Rollz Ice Cream is hosting its grand opening at Parkway Place on 1135 Lansdowne St., Unit 11 this Sunday.

Rollz Ice Cream’s Biscoff Salted Caramel. There are 15 locations of the franchise in Ontario. Photo courtesy of Rollz Ice Cream.

The parlour serves rolled ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, falooda, cheesecake (from the Cheesecake Factory), popping soda and ice cream burgers.

The first 50 customers to arrive at the grand opening will receive a free rolled ice cream according to an Instagram post.

Rolled ice cream originated in Thailand as street food in 2009. It is made by pouring a milk and cream mixture over a cold stainless steel pan that freezes it into ice cream. A choice of sauces, mix-ins and toppings are added to the mixture so customers can customize their ice cream. After being slathered and chopped, it is scraped into rolls and served in a cup.

Rollz first opened in 2017 in Scarborough and shortly opened five more locations according to their website.

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Pescatarian Restaurant The Vine Takes Home the First-Ever Peterborough DBIA Caesar Fest Title

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Less than a year into the restaurant’s opening, pescatarian restaurant The Vine has already claimed the title of Peterborough Downtown Business Area Improvement (DBIA) inaugural Caeser Fest crown announced on Thursday.

Tyrone Flowers, Co-owner of The Vine (left); Naomi Duvall, local performance artist and Chelsea Day-Ross, front of house manager at The Vine (right) receiving the award for the inaugural Caeser Fest. The Vine opened on May 30. Photo courtesy of the DBIA.

The DBIA launched the competition on July 13 and ran until Monday.

There were 11 restaurants, cafés and pubs competing for the title and featured a specialty Caesar creation on their menus for restaurant-goers to enjoy and vote for their favourite. Over 800 votes were cast and The Vine won the top prize with their Papa Tom’s Classic Virgin Caesar.

The The El P’s Kimchi Caesar took second place with The Dirty Burger taking third with their Dirty Muddy Caesar.

“Who knew that the new kids on the block would be taking home the trophy for the very first Caesar Fest,” says Tyrone Flowers, The Vine co-owner. “We’re so humbled and we want to say thank you to everyone who came out to try our Papa Tom’s Caesar.”

The Caesar Fest was heavily promoted by local performance artist, Naomi Duvall. She was hired by the DBIA to play ‘Julia Caes-her’ to act as a town crier for the festival. She generated interest on the streets and in participating restaurants engaging the unsuspecting public on the festival's iconic drink.  

"Congratulations to The Vine on championing Caesar Fest,” said Duvall. “I appreciate how the community has been so engaged with my character and this program. I had a lot of fun developing the persona.”

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David Tuan Bui


Central Smith Creamery Celebrates Success Of 'Moon Mist' Ice Cream With Tie-Dye T-Shirt Community Event

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To celebrate the high sales of their latest ice cream flavour, Central Smith Creamery put on a ‘Moon Mist Tie Dye Day’ community spirit event to mark the early success at their Selwyn facility on Friday afternoon.

Logan McGee, 7, eagerly awaits his tie-dye t-shirt as Christy Joy pulls the top from the pail. The tie-dye shirts are in the same colours as the Moon Mist ice cream that was released in March. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Central Smith sold out 65 tickets to their event that allowed children and adults to make and take home tie-dye t-shirts in the same colours as their ‘Moon Mist’ ice cream that debuted in March.

It consists of three flavours, banana, blue bubblegum and grape. The flavour is popular in Nova Scotia and Central Smith took a playful approach to introducing Moon Mist into their lineup with their community event.

“This was to have a bit of fun with the character that we created, the little alien,” said Jillian Scates, Central Smith project manager. “We just wanted to bring lots of people to the factory and have some fun.”

The little alien associated with the Moon Mist flavour, connected the space setting the creamery wanted to portray. Photo courtesy of Central Smith Creamery.

Central Smith often holds community events such as ‘Bigfoot Day’ and ice cream socials. They have engaged in philanthropy work, holding food drives for Kawartha Food Share every Christmas and supporting Five Counties Children’s Centre and Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation.

“We love working and hanging out with the community,” said Scates. “We love meeting with lots of people and we're always trying to be community-focused here at Central Smith so we thought a fun event would be good.”

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