FORT MCMURRAY FOOD FESTIVAL 2020 PRESENTED BY SUNCOR RAISED $21,000 FOR WAYPOINTS AND ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORT MCMURRAY FOOD FESTIVAL 2020 PRESENTED BY SUNCOR RAISED $21,000 FOR WAYPOINTS AND ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS
(October 13, 2020, Fort McMurray, AB) - The Fort McMurray Food Festival 2020 presented by Suncor successfully raised $21,000 in support of Waypoints, a local social profit organization that works to support and assist individuals and families of domestic violence, abuse, sexual assault and homelessness through prevention, treatment, intervention and referrals.
“We are very lucky to have such great support in this community. All sectors have been hit hard by the pandemic. As a social profit, supporting our community with essential services, we have seen an increase in need but a decrease in available funding” said Michele Taylor, Executive Director of Waypoints. “We were so pleased to see our industry and business partners continue to step up to support this fundraising Festival and we were overjoyed to see our community partake in the events and donate what they were able to do during such stressful times.”
This year was the fourth year of the Festival that is organized by a committee of volunteers, who bring the community together to celebrate summer, support local restaurants, and raise funds for Waypoints. The Festival events were modified to follow Alberta Health Services (AHS) guidelines as they relate to COVID-19. The committee’s top priority was to ensure official events were managed with the safety of community members in mind.
The Festival consisted of five events that took place from July 24 – August 30, 2020; Taste of YMM Eats presented by Suncor, Virtual Patio Party presented by Coldwell Banker Fort McMurray, Strongman Community Breakfast presented by MacDonald Island Park, Food Festival Golf Classic presented by A.P.E Maintenance, Anzac Community BBQ presented by Anzac Grocery & Zee Bar.
This Festival is only possible with the support of local industry and business partners. Special thanks goes to Title Partner Suncor and their commitment to the community by supporting the festival with professional advisors on health and safety who volunteered and supported the organizers on COVID-19 safety protocol.
“Suncor is proud to support the Food Festival, an event that successfully brought people safely together, promoted local businesses, and reconnected the community during what has been a challenging time not only in the region, but around the globe ,” said Len Savoy, Suncor’s Manager of Stakeholder Relations and Community Partnerships.
The Festival volunteers were supported by Enbridge, making sure community volunteers had everything they needed to make all the events happen. Thank you to the Festival’s presenting partners and supporters who make each event under the Festival umbrella possible, Aluma Safway, Anzac Grocery, APE Maintenance, Coldwell Banker Fort McMurray, Culligan Water, Finning Cat, MacDonald Island Park, Suncor, TS Signs Printing & Promotion, Zee Bar & Grill.
The Taste of YMM Eats presented by Suncor encompassed all aspects of the Festival by supporting both Waypoints and focusing on promoting the restaurants who are open, operating, and still providing exceptional service to the Wood Buffalo Region during these unprecedented times. Seven restaurants participated including 57 North Kitchen & Brewery, Bear & Buffalo Bar / Restaurant, Mr. Mikes Steakhouse Casual, Paddy Mcswiggins, Surekha’s On The Snye, The Club House At Miskanaw, and Zee Bar & Grill. Each competed to be named “The Best” in nine categories. Diners of each restaurant were encouraged to rate their meals in a public voting process, these ratings and comments were then taken into account with a Festival Judging Panel who tasted every meal offered by the restaurants and decided the winners of each award.
The Award Winners of the 2020 Taste of YMM Eats presented by Suncor are:
Surekha’s On The Snye winning Best Plating, Best Customer Experience, and Best Overall.
The experience at Surekha’s was the best dining experience by all accounts. The staff were warm and friendly while taking the time to explain the dishes, how they were prepared, and what the best drink pairings would be. The chef took great care in making the plates appealing to the eye to wet your appetite before you even took your first bite and the taste of the food did not disappoint any expectations your taste buds had imagined along the way. There is something for everyone at Surekha’s, from comfort food stables with a delightfully tasty twist like the Crispy Glazed Wings with the Farmhouse Burger, and a simple but elegant Gelato, to the elevated foodie experience of Scallops with a perfectly cooked Rib-eye, and finishing with an alluring Blackout Torte. It is a truly pleasurable dining experience that everyone in the region will delight in.
Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse Casual winning People’s Choice and Best Steal of a Deal as voted by the public.
The public ratings and votes given to Mr. Mikes could not deny they are a fan favourite of places get a fantastic meal in Fort McMurray. The Bruschetta, New York Steak, and Sticky Toffee Pudding combination was a winning strategy for customers who then took the time to rate their meal and experience as being the best in every category to win People’s Choice. The votes were so many in the Steal of a Deal category the festival had to make it a new award just for that.
Bear & Buffalo Bar/Restaurant won Best Creative.
Creating a menu that not only tastes marvelous but also offers unique flavours is a goal all restaurants work to achieve. The Bear & Buffalo’s menu offering of Jalapeno Poppers, BBQ Ribs, and Crème Brûlée for the competition was very successful in creating flavours that had the judges wanting more.
The Club House at Miskanaw won Best Savoury. For those that crave a savoury meal, The Club House at Miskanaw is the place to go. With East Coast Mussels, Alberta Beef, and Racks of Lamb on the menu, any salty taste buds will be more than satisfied.
Paddy McSwiggins won Best Sweet.
Great pub food now includes desserts because of Paddy’s! Their whole menu is an easy fan favourite but their desserts are something special and won over the judges with their scrumptious Carmel Apple Crumble and the decadent Chocolate Lava Cake… topping it off with a shot of Laura Secord liqueur is a must.
Zee Bar & Grill won Best Value for Money. Anzac’s best-kept secret is the dining experience at Zee Bar & Grill. The judges were impressed with the amount of great tasting food you get for a very reasonable price. Wings, Beef, Elk, Bison and more all make an appearance on the menu. There is something for everyone at Zee Bar and you won’t be going home hungry that is for sure.
“We want to thank our partners, volunteers, participating restaurants, judges and of course the public for making this Festival a success for the fourth year in a row,” said Festival co-chair Clarence Buchanan.
Website FortMcMurrayFoodFestival.ca
Facebook, Instagram & Twitter @YMMFoodFestival
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For more information please contact:
Jason Beck jason.beck@waypointswb.ca