The New Canadians Centre is encouraging Nogojiwanong-Peterborough residents to sample the flavours of the world during the Multicultural Food Crawl in June, leading up to the non-profit organization’s second Canadian Multicultural Festival from June 23 to 30.
The festival includes Canadian Multiculturalism Day on Tuesday, June 27th. First celebrated in 2003, Canadian Multiculturalism Day is dedicated to celebrating the diverse cultures that make up Canada. The New Canadians Centre supports more than 1,000 newcomers every year from over 90 countries and speaking more than 60 different languages, and each of them bring unique customs, music, dance, food, sports, and stories that contribute to a vibrant community.
For the Multicultural Food Crawl, the New Canadians Centre has teamed up with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) to highlight international dishes available at 10 restaurants in downtown Peterborough.
The participating restaurants are Bhojan Indian Cuisine and Bar, Brothers Pizza, Curry Mantra, Dirty Burger, La Hacienda, La Mesita, Levantine Grill, Milk and Tea Shop, Naka Japanese, and Poco Burro / Poco Gelato.
Until June 30, for every $10 you spend at one of the participating restaurants, you will receive a stamp to add to your Multicultural Food Passport. Passports can be picked up at any of the participating restaurants or at the New Canadians Centre’s office at 221 Romaine Street in downtown Peterborough.
Everyone who collects six or more stamps by the end of the month will be entered into a draw to win one of three $100 Boro gift cards that can be redeemed at downtown businesses.
Participating Restaurants – Multicultural Festival Food Crawl
“Downtown is the place to go to try flavours from around the world in Peterborough,” says DBIA executive director Terry Guiel. “We love that this partnership with our friends at the New Canadians Centre continues to highlight the multiculturalism that exists within our downtown restaurant scene.”
As part of the Multicultural Food Crawl, locals and visitors alike are invited to stroll the streets of downtown Peterborough on Saturday, June 24th for Flavours of the World Sampling Day. Between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m., each of the participating restaurants will be giving out free samples of some of their favourite and most diverse dishes.
Some of the sample dishes showcase traditional techniques and cooking methods, like the karaage chicken sliders that can be sampled at Naka Japanese. Karaage is a Japanese cooking technique in which food is marinated before being deep-fried and, in the case of the Naka samplers, put into a mini-sandwich. Owner Susan Tung describes the sampler as a “Japanese version of a fried-chicken sandwich.”
“I’m very passionate about expanding the amount of diversity in Peterborough,” says Tung, explaining why she was eager to participate in the Multicultural Food Crawl. “The more options we have here, the more people we can cater to and make feel welcome in our community. It’s really important to highlight the different foods we have here that people don’t even know about.”
Some of the participating restaurants are new businesses that see the Multicultural Food Crawl as a great way to introduce themselves to the Peterborough community.
“We are a new business trying to set up in the community and giving a sample is a good way to show people what they can expect from us,” says Minal Budrani, co-owner of Poco Burro Burritos.
At Poco Burro, June 24th samplers will feature tastings of their burrito fillings, including two of their most popular proteins, the homemade Spicy Chicken 65 and their vegetarian tangy chickpea. Gelato from their new venture, Poco Gelato, will also be available for sampling.
“The sampling day on June 24th gives the restaurants an opportunity to showcase special recipes from their culture, and also gives community members a chance to go around and experience a variety of cuisines,” Guiel says.
For Chef Om Patel, owner of Dirty Burger, Flavours of the World Sampling Day is an opportunity to feature items on his menu heavily influenced by his Ugandan and Indian heritage.
“It’s rare to see these items at a burger joint, so we want to showcase that and share this heritage,” he says.
That’s why Dirty Burger will be serving up vadas, which Patel calls an “Indian street food staple,” that involves frying a potato patty with a chickpea batter and serving it on chutney. His vadas are vegan, gluten-free, and — Om assures — not as spicy as the ones typically served in India.
Other tasty treats participants can expect to find on June 24th include La Hacienda’s esquites (Mexican street corn), La Mesita’s Mayan cupcakes, Bhojan’s Indian cumin-spiced lemonade, Curry Mantra’s samosas and spring rolls, Levantine Grill’s lentil salad and stuffed grape leaves, and more.
The New Canadians Centre is encouraging participants to share their love of Peterborough’s international cuisine by voting for their favourite restaurant in the Multicultural Food Crawl and by tagging the New Canadians Centre @newcanadianscentre #multiculturalfoodcrawlptbo on Instagram or Facebook.
The New Canadians Centre and the DBIA will draw two votes and two social media posts at random, with each of the four winners receiving a $25 Boro gift card.
The New Canadians Centre’s Canadian Multicultural Festival, running from June 23 to 30, kicks off with a Family Zumba Party from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 23rd at Quaker Foods City Square in downtown Peterborough. Organized in partnership with the City of Peterborough, the event features free face-painting, henna tattoos, giveaways, and more.
The festival also features a “Try It” Series to introduce participants to dance, cooking, sports, and crafts from across the world facilitated by experts in the community and newcomers who share a love of their cultural traditions. The five-part series runs from June 26 to 30 at the New Canadians Centre, the YMCA, and Quaker Foods City Square.
Marking World Refugee Day on June 20, there will also be a panel discussion called “Healing and Hope – Reflections on Refugee Experiences in Canada” from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27th at the Peterborough Public Library.
For event details and updates about the Canadian Multicultural Festival, visit nccpeterborough.ca/multiculturalismfestival/.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with the New Canadians Centre. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
This story has been updated with a new date, time, and location of the Family Zumba Party kick-off for the Canadian Multicultural Festival.
