Collaboration: a defining (positive) feature of K-W food scene in 2021

The local dining scene has changed considerably over the past couple of years, but local food businesses have kept calm and done their best to carry on – which, of course, is what we all have to continue to do.

In the onslaught of the pandemic, "pivot" was a word and a reaction that restaurateurs and food businesses adopted.

A more positive word that defined COVID-19 for the region's food businesses in 2021, is "collaboration," a spirit that has, to my mind, been one of the defining features of our recent times.

The restaurant world has changed forever but the resilience of the industry, its ability to change tack, has been notable especially through its collegiality and the sense that the rising tide will lift all boats.

I've gleaned a few examples from the year's stories that Craig Norris and I discussed on "The Morning Edition" as a year-end summary for you.

Collaboration key

Ajoa Mintah of Four All Ice Cream said collaboration was key for her business in financially tough times. Her uptown Waterloo store carries croissants from Ghost Light Café, cookie dough from Crumby Cookie Dough Co., and pies from Just Love Pie.

"We will continue to sell these products and build ice cream flavours using products from other businesses," Mintah said in a succinct summary of the collaborative spirit.

Ambrosia Corner Bakery, owned and operated by Aura Hertzog, was re-imagined during the pandemic and is now chock-a-block full of many local products that can accompany the wide range of baked goods that Ambrosia makes.

In Galt, The Local Option, as the name states, uses local ingredients for its menu of sandwiches, wraps, Buddha bowls and smoothies. The store opened during the pandemic and collaboration with food partners was critical, according to Aga Boekdrukker of The Local Option.

Charity begins with coffee

I was moved by a collaborative coffee story rooted in Guelph but one that reaches Canada-wide. Across the country, 47 women's shelters and women's centres receive a donation every time a coffee lover makes an online purchase from the Sisters' Story Coffee.

For instance, if the coffee purchaser selects the Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR) or Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis from the drop-down menu when they check out online, 15 per cent of the sale proceeds go to an organization that assists vulnerable women in the area.

"At our organization, these funds will be used to directly support programming that helps women and children experiencing domestic violence in our community," said Jennifer Hutton, CEO of WCSWR.

Diversity reflected

With financial support coming from grants and donations, a lot of hard-working people are nurturing a unique garden at Steckle Heritage Farm in Kitchener: the 2,500 sq.-ft. Indigenous urban garden of the Wisahkotewinowak collective is dedicated to building land-based relationships in the Waterloo-Wellington area.

"This is our Three Sisters garden where we grow the largest amounts of corn, beans and squash – the three sisters – for the indigenous community," said Sarina Perchak, Métis land-based education coordinator for White Owl Native Ancestry Association and core member of Wisahkotewinowak.

Part of the rationale for establishing the garden in the city was to explore how urban Indigenous people, a collective of Indigenous gardeners, can maintain their identity as one that is tied to the land.

The Underground Flavour Group (UFG) blossomed in the former Gilt Restaurant location in downtown Kitchener, even during COVID-19. The concept is based on diversity, inclusiveness and giving a host of cooks a place to share their food – and their culture. But it also was designed to relieve, somewhat, the general stress of the culinary industry, pandemic or no.

"With Underground Flavour Group, I'm thinking of community. I'm thinking of collective," said UFG founder Arnold Yescas, citing the "difficulties" – physical, emotional, familial – that are part of the restaurant industry.

"We are trying to revolutionize the culinary industry because the way we work with the UFG platform allows chefs to create their own schedules, create their own cuisine and pretty much what works best with them," Yescas added.

Hungry households remain 

Finally, according to the Region of Waterloo, approximately 10 per cent of households are chronically hungry and food insecure. That's roughly 20,000 households and some of those, of course, include children, a cohort who have been particularly hard hit, at least socially and psychologically, by the effects of COVID-19.

While the Food Bank of Waterloo Region and Nutrition for Learning get food to hungry, under-nourished people, Food 4 Kids Waterloo Region specializes in providing nutritious meals to children on weekends and during school breaks. School interruptions during the pandemic have been harmful to children in many ways.

"We are an organization designed to feed children up to 14 years old and who have chronic hunger. We feed them through the school system and provide the food that they're not getting at home," said Jennifer Birnstihl of Food 4 Kids Waterloo Region.

The walls of their facility in an industrial mall in south Kitchener are lined with stacks of bins of food and labelled with a family's address for delivery.

Collaboratively, fresh produce and food is donated by local companies like Martin's Family Fruit Farm, Don's Produce, Ammar's Halal Butcher Shop and Specialty Grocery Store, and several area grocery stores.

Since the organization started in Waterloo Region five years ago, they have grown in their reach significantly by hundreds of families each year: from 19 children in 2017 to over 1,000 children this past fall.

It's almost certain that there will be more need ahead, as we slip into the Winter of Omicron Discontent. Collaboration, patience and resilience will likely be definitive words for 2022.