'Canada's most celebrated' food festival is finally coming to Toronto this summer
An epic food and drink festival that's a major hit in Western Canada is making its Toronto debut this summer, and it might just blow all our other food festivals out of the water.
Founded in Vancouver in 2012, Brewery & the Beast has become a lauded summertime ritual in Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Calgary over the past 14 years. This July, Toronto is finally getting its very own taste of the festival.
Touted as a "celebration of live-fire cooking, chef-driven cuisine and incredible drinks," that's exactly what you can expect from the festival, which takes over Henderson Brewing for one day only this summer.
"After many inspiring years of hosting Brewery & the Beast in Western Canada, we're very excited to expand our vision of celebrating exceptional Canadian food by bringing the festival to Toronto," says Brewery & the Beast founder, Scott Gurney.
An all-you-can-eat-and-drink extravaganza, some of the city's best barbecue restaurants, steakhouses and fine dining establishments are joining forces with powerhouse cocktail bars and local beverage companies to make sure you're the furthest possible thing from hungry.
Don't believe me? The confirmed list of restaurants so far includes Alder, Antler, Arianna, Cherry Street Bar-B-Que, DaiLo, Enoteca Sociale, George, Little Sister, and The Gate. Even celebrity chef Matty Matheson's latest venture, Hamilton's Iron Cow Public House, is on the lineup.
"By bringing together the area's most talented chefs, conscientious farmers, and premium beverage producers for an unforgettable day of food, drink, and hospitality, we're creating an environment where folks can feel at home, eat great food, share some drinks and laughs with their friends, and support their local community," Gurney says.
While the ticket price of $150 a head might knock the wind out of you at first, when you consider what you're getting for that cost, it all makes a lot of sense.
Each chef at the festival brings their own unique dishes, crafted in their signature style, using all locally grown ingredients and Canadian meat and seafood cooked live over an open fire.
Paired with a comprehensive selection of cocktails, craft beers, wine and non-alcoholic beverages, you'll be spending the afternoon in a veritable foodie wonderland, where the eats and drinks only stop coming when you reach your stomach's limit.
That, and a portion of the proceeds, go towards charitable organizations, so you can feel good (while eating good). To date, Brewery & the Beast's over 60,000 attendees have raised more than $185,000 for local charities and non-profits in Western Canada.
The festival also features a yet-to-be-announced lineup of DJs spinning all afternoon long to keep the vibes high. Higher than they already were, that is.
Brewery & the Beast lands in Toronto on Sunday, July 26 and runs between 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through Brewery & the Beast's website.
Ruben Nava, courtesy of Brewery & the Beast
