34 always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net issue twelve ? september 2008 SPOTLIGHT
Foraging Now Easier in Bayfield
By Jane Antoniak The image of a person out foraging for food may seem like something from long ago-yet the concept has vibrantly come to fruition in Bayfield in the form of a new shop: Forager Foods. Owner Sam Gundy, former innkeeper of The Little Inn and co-owner of The Ritz Café in Bayfield, has parlayed the ancient skill of foraging for food into a shop concept for discerning market customers who appreciate fresh, regional products that are typically unavailable in standard grocery stores. Forager Foods opened last May on Highway 21 near the main entrance to Bayfield. Gundy's concept has met with a strong, positive response from locals, seasonal cottagers and tourists. His small shop provides a wide variety of fresh meats, poultry, cheeses and produce along with frozen "gourmet-to-go? items concocted with help from his brother, Ben Gundy, who is also Executive Chef at Jacobs & Co in Toronto. Typical in the butcher counter on a given day are marinated beef and sausage kabobs, seasoned pork medallions, wagyu beef burgers and a variety of sausage, chicken and beef cuts. Frozen foods include pastas and sauces, pot pies, stews and curries, all made with items from the shop. The Gundys, with help from Sam's wife Forager Foods has been warmly welcomed in Bayfield. Sara, stock the shop with traditionally grown foods from the region and beyond. Many products are also organically grown and all come directly from the farm gate and from producers Gundy has met in his many years of working in the food industry in Huron County. He then further prepares the products into tasty, ready-to-grill products that he dispenses with handy cooking tips, typical of a man who has spent most of his life working in a kitchen. "The access to local foods was key,? says Gundy. "Huron County and the surrounding communities are Ontario's most productive agricultural region. Out of here comes a tremendous amount of livestock, poultry, market produce and dairy products. I got the idea to open the store when I noticed, while working in restaurants, that the dishes with local products were the most inter- Forager Foods Owner Sam Gundy, although only 30 years old, has years of food industry experience in Huron County.eatdrink savour stratford this september 20th & 21st!6 34 40 45 14 32eatdrink? crunchy carrots & tasty tomatoesthe return to flavourslow foodbenvenuti to authentic italian ...9519 667 0535thebraywick thebraywickthe best products you'll never seegreat food ... fine wine ... good timescopper is cookware for kingsin stockelegance & simplicityvisit our newly designed & expanded showroom onta rio's west coast choco-liciousthe buzzthe sunnivue farmstore schnitzel schnitzel??????????????????????? katana kafémykonosjambalaya is jump-up world cuisine25years 28celebrate the harvest30www.relishelgin.cawalker's is a tradition to savour33 foraging now easier in bayfieldwinemaker's dinner serieswhat's up, doc? carrots!chocolate carrot cakechianti culture in casks39screen doors and sweet teacooking blue cheese pecan breadbounty from prince edward countyartevino 2008 wine award winnerswhat's brewing in craft beer culture46what do london women want?"more than a visit... an experience!?