Food on the grill at The Clubhouse at Paradise Valley on Wednesday   (Photo courtesy of Bob Schneider)

By Scott Roblin

Food Festival

Alberta on the Plate food festival featuring two local eateries

Aug 7, 2019 | 6:11 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A celebration of Alberta food and drink is taking place later this week across the province, with two local establishments signing up.

The first ‘Alberta on the Plate’ festival begins on Friday with 35 restaurants from all corners of the province showcasing local growers and producers.

That includes The Hat’s Olive Tap, who will be presenting a pair of three-course lunch options for the festival.

“We’re going to be featuring a barbecue pulled pork bowl which has our very popular pulled pork that we source from Deerview Meats,” said owner Carmen Lambert. “We have coleslaw, field berry sausage, of course some salads featuring a number of different local greenhouses. And, we are also featuring a couple of drinks using Grit City Distillery.”

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A total of 118 producers will be represented at restaurants, cafes, and shops across Alberta for the week of celebration.

Lambert said it’s a chance for the public to learn more about the food grown locally in Medicine Hat.

“I think it’s really important to help bring awareness and showcase all the local options that we do have,” she said. “It’s great for tourism and just bringing new people downtown.”

Another hidden gem of the Medicine Hat food landscape will be featured, with The Clubhouse at Paradise Valley set to provide a dinner option as well.

“We’re going to be using butter lettuces and different vegetables from the Veggie Hut in Redcliff,” said head chef Stephanie Saucier. “We’re also doing a AAA New York steak from Pre Pak Meats in Calgary. We are also featuring a rhubarb strawberry crisp with our rhubarb in our garden and local strawberries.”

Along with the food options, each local menu will have recommended pairings from craft breweries and distilleries.

According to Saucier, they’re excited to show off Medicine Hat’s culinary talents while showing customers the wealth of options when it comes to a place to eat.

“We’re hoping to expose local suppliers more and to have our local customers come in and just see that there’s different options out there other than just big box stores,” said Saucier.

Lambert is also encouraged to see the strong participation from all varieties of vendors from around the province, in what she’s hoping will draw more eyes to this corner of Alberta.

“I think it’s great to have it be a regional showcase for Alberta because it maybe helps us to branch out of our direct community and see what other producers are out there,” she said.

Alberta on the Plate will coincide with Alberta Local Food Week, running from Friday until August 18.