Long before bold midway concoctions, wine gardens and food halls, Alberta agriculture has and continues to be the backbone of the Calgary Stampede. This year, the inaugural Taste of Stampede presented by Safeway brings that agriculture tie into the spotlight with culinary competitions, cook-offs and demonstrations.
“It’s about re-focusing on those agricultural roots of the Stampede because there are so many producers in this province that do some really amazing work, but it’s sometimes unsung work. It’s about finding ways to celebrate it in an easy, connectable way,” says Stephanie Patterson, chair of Taste of Stampede. “We’re using a fine-dining lens to showcase the agricultural production of the province.”
Free daily events
From July 3 to 12, visitors to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth can swing by the BMO Centre to watch and experience more than 40 free culinary events. Each day, the programming revolves around a featured hero ingredient from Commodity Groups Alberta Bison, Alberta Beef, Alberta Lamb, Alberta Pork and Alberta Grains.
Community cook-offs, for example, pair chefs and community members together. Each pairing faces off against another duo, competing to make a dish featuring a selected hero ingredient. Expect to see Stampeders, local musicians, Olympians and news anchors partnered up with celebrated chefs. Plus, on July 6, the annual firefighters versus police officers Stampede kitchen battle returns as part of Taste of Stampede, where first responders will compete using Alberta lamb as the feature ingredient.
During the 30-minute live demonstrations by chefs, visitors can sample delicious culinary creations. The demonstrations share inspiration and showcase innovative flavour combinations in dishes centred around Commodity Group ingredients.
Finally, Taste of Stampede will host the Culinary Cup. Sixteen local chefs compete in a bracket-style tournament, once again making dishes that feature their assigned hero ingredient, for a chance to win the title and $10,000.
“We have some really incredible emerging and established chefs in this city and in this province,” says Patterson. “Those visiting Taste of Stampede will see that we have incredible culinary artists who work very hard to showcase a lot of our locally grown produce.”
Telling Alberta’s food story
Ultimately, Taste of Stampede aims to help Albertans better understand the people, ingredients and stories behind the food we eat. Guests will get the chance to meet and talk to local farmers and producers, learning about Alberta’s food systems.
“I hope people get a little bit more depth in their view into the story of their food, and that they’re able to see a little bit more of the food story before it ends up on their plate,” says Patterson.
Combining quality Alberta ingredients with chefs who trust in both old-school techniques and new-school innovations along with a healthy dose of competition, Taste of Stampede blends education and entertainment for a uniquely Stampede experience.
To learn more and see the whole lineup, visit Taste of Stampede’s socials and calgarystampede.com/tasteofstampede
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