Featured Image: Adam and Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms, Eramosa, Ontario – Photo Credit: Ward1 Studios
February 11th 2025, is Canada’s Agriculture Day – a day to recognize and thank the hardworking people who produce some of the best food in the world! Our family meals were always a reminder to practice gratitude and appreciation.
Growing up in a family of four boys, it’s remarkable – and yet entirely fitting – that three of us became chefs. After all, our mom was an award-winning food journalist and culinary activist. Meals at our home, especially during celebrations, were a culinary showcase of the best local food. Mom instilled in us the importance of shopping, cooking, and dining locally, and today, we carry that message forward. Canadian cuisine, rich in diversity and rooted in its landscapes, is finally stepping into the global spotlight—and it’s about time.
If you ask a farmer, a fisher, a chef, and a home cook to define “Canadian food,” you’ll hear four distinctly unique answers. That’s the beauty of Canadian cuisine—it’s as diverse and multifaceted as the people who proudly call this vast, vibrant country home.
A brand-new multiple award-winning documentary short film, A Nation’s Table, explores the life and work of Anita Stewart—our mom. Known as the “patron saint of Canadian cuisine,” her boundless tenacity and enthusiasm uncovered untold stories that celebrate Canadian food. Through her activism, in 2003 Anita (Mom), transformed the crises of export markets closed to Canadian beef into an event that helped safeguard the livelihoods of Canadian beef farmers and ranchers. Her World’s Longest Barbecue event at that time evolved into the official annual day recognizing and celebrating Canadian foods and culinary traditions, Food Day Canada. Save the date – this national celebration happens on Saturday August 2nd, 2025.
The food community has risen to the challenge, with restaurants, chefs and home cooks across the nation supporting agriculture and local businesses to strengthen our food system. These efforts underscore the importance of mutual support, community economic development, and gratitude—values that matter. Relevant more than ever as tariffs loom and trade barriers seem imminent.
‘A Nation’s Table’ celebrates the remarkable individuals across Canada who pour their pride and passion into producing the ingredients and unique food cultures that define us. These flavours of Canada make our cuisine truly special. We are deeply grateful to our partners, including Canada Beef and the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, for their support producing ‘A Nation’s Table” with Ward1 Studio.
We hope you will join us at Food Day Canada to shop, cook, and dine Canadian. It’s a chance for all Canadians to join hands in a massive celebration of our farmers, fishers, chefs, researchers, and, most importantly, home cooks. Events take place across the country on the Saturday of the first weekend in August and continue throughout the year. After all, every day is Food Day, Canada!
Visit fooddaycanada.ca to learn more.
Four Easy Ways to Support Our Farmers
Show Your Appreciation
Express your gratitude to the farmers and producers who bring us the bounty of the north. A simple “thank you” goes a long way in recognizing their hard work and dedication. Take the Food Day Canada pledge and join the party on social media. Like, share, follow @FoodDayCanada
Support Local
Go beyond gratitude by supporting local farmers and producers. Buy their products, share their stories, and spotlight them on your menus or in your kitchens. Visit the farm gate or your local farmers’ market. Build connections—know your butcher, know your farmer.
Read the Labels
Check for labels that indicate Canadian origin. Programs like “pick the beef with the leaf” Canadian beef, Foodland Ontario, Buy BC, Feast ON and so many others ensure you’re buying local. Knowing where your food comes from makes a difference.
Cook Local
We’ve included three recipes that emphasize local ingredients. When you buy local, you’re not just enjoying fresher, more wholesome, and more delicious food. You’re building community connections and showing appreciation for your farming community, creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone.
Recipes:
Steakhouse Skewers with Kale Caesar
Bulgogi-style Braised Short Ribs with Baby Bok Choy
South-Western Steak with Succotash
