THANK YOU from all of us at Springfield Farm for our Sold-out first Field & Feast

The Field! Wow! What a beautiful night Saturday September 25th was …and all because of you! Thank you to everyone who worked behind the scenes, from the Project Feast team at St. Lawrence College, to the Enivronmental Student Volunteers to the family and friends and those enlisted by Anne Tardiff to serve, clean, help – And of course, the Blondin Family, Latreille Electrical, Bugs from Clarence MacDonald Excavation, Alain Dupuis, MicMac tents, Glengarry Outhouses – all of these folks who worked under our deadline and against the rain that was thrown at us…until the sunshine beat down for a perfect 25th day!

The Feast! We are indebted to our Special Guest of Honour, Chef Joseph Shawana who many months ago agreed to join us on this journey and create a meal highlighting the Indigenous Culinary experience that is found in our region and across North America and in the produce we enjoy daily on our tables at home. Thank you Chef Joseph for this incredible food experience and sharing in your talents to create our Feast. As well thank you to Sous Chef Margaret McCormick for all your work and support of Chef Joseph.

As a family we so enjoy the incredible gastronomic experiences found in our region …and that is why we were so honoured to be able to pull away two top chefs from their restaurants for the night! Thank you so much for the wonderful food that you created: Chef Michelle Daprato of Buvette du Marche, Alexandria and Chef Roger Caron, The Spicy Pearl, Cornwall – and your respective teams!

And to our Artists Ben and Barb Benedict who gave us an exclusive gallery showing that included pieces that have been the prize-winning wood carvings internationally – thank you for sharing your art and creative vision with each of the guests.

A note of thanks to SwitchGear band that brought us onto the dancefloor with Tom Manley and Isabelle Masson to guide us in our steps…music makes a party!

Our Thanks! Finbarr and I and our family send our heartfelt gratitude to our partners the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, RTO9 and Southeastern Ontario who through Lori McIsaac, Director of Experiential Tourism Development believed in our dream to become an AgriTourism Destination and worked with us to create the event to welcome our first guests during the pandemic …an exciting challenge which was only possible because of this partnership grant!

To Canadian Organic Growers and in particular Growing Eastern Ontario Organically who have stood by us city folks as we learn to grow organically and offered generous sponsorship to help us put on this locally sourced food feast! We are so proud to have had the support of GEOO and work with The Glengarry Market who sourced from: Avonmore Berry Farm, Bearbrook Game Meats, Bischoff Orchards, Brenda’s Veggies, FRL Gardens, Glengarry Maple, Honey From the Glen, Just Farms, Kilted Bean, La Ferme Les Fruits du Poirier, On the Bend Sugar Shack, Springfield Farm, and The Brine Cellar. Please please do support your local producers, growers, and Artisans they make our Community a Special Destination to Grow!

Our membership with the Eastern Ontario Agricultural Network (EOAN) has helped us for many years now to stay connected with other farmers and share and learn to improve our products and delivery to the consumer. EAON was most generous to provide their sponsorship for the Field & Feast and assisted with broad marketing as well through social media and other platforms.

To our lead sponsors: The Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, RTO9, Southeastern Ontario, COG, GEOO and EOAN – our heartfelt thanks for believing in this event and the desire to share through AgriTourism the richness of our community.

And finally, a few photo memories of the beautiful gathering at Springfield Farm! We invite you to stay tuned…as we are launching the Gunpowder Golf & Country Club over the next months…it will be officially open in spring 2022…you might want to plan your next visit to the farm in June 2022! Stay tuned!

Until then, we thank you again for your attendance, partnership, support and interest in our Environmental Farm Oasis at Springfield Farm in Apple Hill. Warm regards, Finbarr, Eleanor, Madeleine and Dave, Jack, Alannah and Áine and our family pets: Max, Louis, Hobbes and Bernie