This evening, Torontonians will have a chance to both celebrate and experience the the best—and yummiest—parts of Toronto. The
2Hot4Kitchen and Food Idol awards, held jointly in Regent Park tonight from 4 PM to 8 PM, is many things: a food festival, a community affair, and a chance to celebrate the hard-working men and women in Toronto’s food systems. “It brings people together to acknowledge and celebrate the backbone of what’s going on in food systems work in Toronto and beyond,” says the event co-founder and organizer Vanessa Ling Yu.
In its inaugural year, the 2Hot4Kitchen Awards will recognize local food heroines and their hard work in “production, processing, distribution, consumption, and what we decided to call efficiency, or food waste,” explains Ling Yu. Nominees were judged on criteria including sustainability, community, and creativity. And, unlike other awards celebrating work in food culture, the nominees and winners are all women.
“Often awards go to white men and sometimes white women. We were really inclusive of thinking about this critically, “ says Ling Yu. “It’s the first award like this in Toronto and it may be the first in the world.”
Also on tonight’s agenda are the Food Idol Awards, which celebrates local individuals and business in categories such “Spicy New Venture” and “Breakout Food Activist.” The family-friendly event will include events like painting with condiments, DJ workshops, and face painting. And, of course, the standout star will be the food itself. The event will offer the chance to sample food vendors from around the GTA, including a food truck specializing in in the Indian/Mexican hybrid “naan-chos,” and a purveyor suppling Zimbabwean meat and veggie pies.
As Ling Yu explains, “The food will be incredible, and it’s made by people who know. Our vendors can’t always hit the radar of the mainstream foodies, but this is their opportunity to see them all at the same time. We really want people to come out and celebrate these food champions, the people who keep us well-fed.”