Oxfordlicious tempting Ingersoll taste buds with local produce

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By Geoff Dale INGERSOLL TIMES, 2008

Stacy and Dorothy Wilburn sampling the culinary delights of the Elm Hurst Inn.

For the past decade Stacy and Dorothy Wilburn have been sampling the culinary delights of the Elm Hurst Inn on their way to and from visiting friends in Michigan.

This year the Albany, New York couple discovered they were in for an additional dining treat – a palate-tempting menu comprised of local produce courtesy of Oxford Fresh’s first ever Oxfordlicious (Aug. 6-17).

“We visit here once or twice a year and this is such a wonderful idea,” said Dorothy. “There is a similar move to the eat-local concept back in Albany; in fact one chef has been preparing local dishes well before the idea became popular.

“This is our favourite place and eating local just makes it all the more pleasurable. Let’s face it; whatever you can get just around the corner and throughout the region is bound to be much better and fresher than food trucked in from far away places like California.”

Michael Davies, the Elm Hurst’s executive chef for the past 13 years, said the Oxfordlicious experience is setting the groundwork to expand the use of local produce throughout Oxford County.

“It’s always been an integral part of what I do,” he said. “My supplier lives in Ingersoll, so local produce plays a large role in our menu. It’s economically and nutritionally better for all – from the farmers and restaurateurs to our customers.

“This is all about high quality, nutritious food.”

n the downtown core Hilda Dean, the Clog Steak & Seafood Grille’s new co-owner with business partner Len Ryerse, sounds equally enthusiastic about the prospects of incorporating even more local food into their menus. “The first couple of nights, we’ve had some regulars coming in and trying out some of the new dishes,” she said. “The response has been very good so far and I see this as an excellent sign for utilizing more local products in the coming weeks, months and years.”

For Dean, also a member of the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre, the culinary experience has a personal twist. Her cappuccino cheesecake drizzled with a chocolate coulis (thick purée or sauce) is one of the desserts highlighted on the Clog’s Oxfordlicious menu.

Sponsored by Tourism Oxford and the Oxford Small Business Support Centre, the Oxford Fresh event was launched at the Elm Hurst Aug. 5 with close to 100 people in attendance. In addition to the two Ingersoll dining establishments, other Oxford participating restaurants are: Six Thirty Nine, The Walters Dinner Theatre, Niko’s Eatery and Bar, Quehl’s of Tavistock, Dairy Capital Cheese Shoppe, Charles Dickens Pub, Ody’s and Bronsons Steakhouse & Pour Bar.

“It’s just a great idea,” said George Klosler, a former president of the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture (OCFA).

“With more people seeing just how good local produce is, this is good news for farmers and everyone within both the agricultural and urban sectors.”

Further details are available at www.oxfordfresh.com.

Newspaper: Ingersoll Times