TORONTO — On June 27 and 28, the Culinary Tourism Alliance, in partnership with George Brown College, will host more than 300 tourism and hospitality professionals at the inaugural Taste of Place Summit held at the George Brown College Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Toronto.
The global event combines experiential learning along with engaging sessions to inspire destination and economic developers, thought leaders, marketers and tourism operators to build their tastes of place and put food tourism front-and-centre for their destinations.
Event highlights include the Explore Waterloo Region Taste of Place Experience on June 27 where delegates can opt in to take a trip through the backroads of rural Ontario. Stops include an agri-tourism experience at Mountainoak Cheese; lunch at Langdon Hall Hotel & Spa prepared by chef Jason Bangerter; and a tour and tasting at Feast On-certified Willibald Farm Brewery and Distillery. On June 28, guests will engage with renowned speakers, network with industry leaders and explore trends in food, beverage and travel.
“The Summit aims to provoke discussions around bridging the gap between the food, drink and travel industries,” says Rebecca Mackenzie, president and CEO of the Culinary Tourism Alliance. “By increasing visitor demand for local food and drink, food tourism drives innovation and builds on existing tourism assets, while preserving local heritage and contributing to the long-term sustainability of local food systems, communities and culture.”
“We are excited to host this inspired event,” says Rudolf Fischbacher, Dean, Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, George Brown College. “The Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts is a leader in hospitality and culinary training, and we share a vision with the Culinary Tourism Alliance to provide destinations and business operators with the people, tools and resources to ensure they are creating meaningful and sustainable taste of place experiences.”
