The final event of the 2024 Provocation Ideas Festival (PIF) welcomed the public to a three-course curated meal that showcased the past, present and future of the dining industry in Stratford on January 8, and by all accounts it deserved a chef’s kiss.
In the words of PIF’s founding director and president, Mark Rosenfeld, Culinary Stratford was a remarkable accomplishment and ranks up there with the festival’s other events in terms of surpassing his expectations.
“Transforming a promising concept on paper into a vibrant, real-world experience is always a challenge and an opportunity,” Rosenfeld said. “This event delivered on every level. Collaborating with Ryan O’Donnell, Shelley Windsor at Mercer Hall, and the talented Provocation team was not only seamless but truly delightful. Their passion, expertise, and creativity brought the vision to life in ways that left a lasting impression on everyone involved.”
It didn’t take long for feedback to filter through to Rosenfeld, and it left a pleasant ringing in his ears as people raved about all aspects of the event.
“It left participants delighted and inspired – they spoke about the masterfully curated three-course meal, where every dish showcased culinary artistry and excellence,” he said. “They also shared their enthusiasm for the lively discussion, featuring a diverse panel of speakers from Stratford’s vibrant culinary scene. Together, they explode the transformations shaping the industry, reflecting on the past, the present and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.”
O’Donnell talked about how the event was conceived when he and Rosenfeld first met, connecting with how it would engage significant people from the city’s culinary past that helped to build the culture around what it has become. That provided the foundation for the meal, almost like an homage.
“The meal was meant to echo the role people in Stratford’s culinary past have done, and the courses were designed loosely around those ideas,” he said. “We had eight different speakers and panelists, including Eleanor Kane, who is one of the co-founders of the chefs school, Ryan Drudge, Yva Santini and Sarah Jones. We also had Zac Gribble from Destination Stratford to get a point of view from the marketing and analytics side – it was just an electric room and we had a great time. People loved the room and the wine pairings, and it made for a lot of conversation.”
By combining the PIF and Stratford’s remarkable food landscape, O’Donnell said it was a perfect pairing: the culinary artistry of local chefs along with the storytelling of the festival.
“There was a consensus both from the speakers and from the room about what the industry is like right now, what the future holds and the challenges it faces,” he said. “It’s like things are always in motion and we’re keeping up with what restaurants are becoming, who they are serving, when they’re serving them and the like – things are very different than when Eleanor opened up her tea house in 1978 that just served lunch.”
Rosenfeld said he was excited to include this facet in PIF this year and now that he’s seen the end result … only the lack of imagination can contain where it goes from here.
“Last year’s Salon AI showcased groundbreaking culinary innovations, blending AI-generated concepts with the creativity of local chefs,” he said. “This year’s event spotlighted the city’s top chefs who cracked inventive dishes using fresh, local ingredients. Both events concluded with thought-provoking discussions about the future of food and dining, so looking ahead we already have planning underway for Provocation’s City of Dreamers, which promises to expand its reach to engage a wider audience in Stratford and beyond. A standout concept involves a series of storytelling and culinary events celebrating Stratford’s diverse and newcomer communities. Participants will share dishes from their home cultures, transforming neighbourhoods into vibrant communal spaces and creating inclusive, accessible experiences for all.”
O’Donnell gave his two cents as well, saying that while this year’s Culinary Stratford was amazing, the yearning to take that next step is already there.
“It was a great event and we wouldn’t want to do exactly the same thing because I know there’s room to be creative within the concept of the Festival,” he said. “It’s a really interesting thing as far as what the culinary scene in Stratford becomes and that’s literally my full-time job. I’m thinking about that every day all day, so I have many ideas about it.”
