Food and music against the quarry

September 29 - By Anne Howden Thompson: If the food prepared by 100 of Canadas top chefs isnt enough to entice visitors to this falls Foodstock event, organizers are hoping that the celebrity lineup of Canadian musicians will. Among the list of Canadian artists scheduled to perform are Blue Rodeos Jim Cuddy, as well as Sarah Harmer, Tom Barlow, Cuff the Duke, Hayden, The Loon Choir and other Canadian music scene celebrities. "(Im) happy to lend a hand to people who are trying to preserve the sanctity of water and arable land, says Cuddy. If a little music can help open some peoples' eyes to the risks we are facing up here then I consider myself lucky to be able to help, he says. Foodstock, organized by the Canadian Chefs Congress will bring Canadas top chefs from across the country together, each contributing a signature dish for the day-long event, touted as a tribute to local food and water. The pay-what-you-can event is being staged as a fundraising event for the community to help in the fight against The Highland Companys proposed mega-quarry. The Highland Companies is the provinces largest potato producer, but they made headlines and created a community furor earlier this year when they made application to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) for a license under the Aggregate Resources Act to extract high-quality Dolostone limestone 200 feet deep, well beneath the water table in Melancthon Township. Their proposal would affect 2316 acres of land and divert 600 million litres of water daily, making it the second largest limestone quarry in North America. Celebrated chef and local Honeywood-area resident Michael Stadtlander, who called in his culinary colleagues to really show our politicians and people in power that we are against this, spearheads the pay-what-you-can event. Foodstock will feature over 100 contributing chefs, including famed Toronto celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy. Organizers are hoping for 20,000 people to attend. This signature event will be held Sun. Oct. 16 in the Honeywood area from 11 am to 5 pm. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the gate on the day of the event. It is a pay-what-you-can event, with all proceeds to support the proposed quarry fight.

A minimum contribution of $10 is suggested. Tickets and information will be available at www.canadianchefscongress.com.