Cultivate: A Festival of Food and Drink is known for their Big Weekend (taking place September 21-23 in Port Hope’s Memorial Park), but with help from a grant from the Government of Ontario, this year the festival is starting the festivities early, beginning with a two-week long celebration of local food at local restaurants with specially priced Cultivate menus at restaurants in Cobourg, Port Hope, Warkworth and Millbrook, available from Friday September 7 to Thursday, September 20.
“We wanted a way to celebrate the restaurants that are serving up amazing food, grown in this area, all year-round,” said the festival’s Executive Director, Jeffrey Bray said. “And of course, there’s no better way to celebrate than with a great meal.”
Participating restaurants are: The Mll Restaurant & Pub, Woodlawn Inn, and George & Orange in Cobourg; Coffee Public, Ganarascals, The Social, and Local #90 in Port Hope; Sper Food and Farm, The Bakery, Our Lucky Stars in Warkworth and the Pastry Peddler in Millbrook.
“Cultivate is known for its creative food options, and we’ve partnered with these particular restaurants because we want to showcase the goodness that’s also available outside of the festival’s gates,” Bray said.
Each restaurant will be serving up a unique menu, and prices will range between $9 to $59.
If you really can’t wait for Cultivate, other “pre-festival pop-ups” happening this month include an ancestral progressive dinner on Rice Lake, a walking tour of foods of the Ganaraska, and a hands-on workshop.
For tickets and further details, visit Cultivate’s website, www.cultivatefestival.ca