The Taste of Huron culinary festival was awarded the top honour in the “Best New Event of 2009” category at the Ontario Economic Development Awards. The Taste of Huron event took place across Huron County, from Aug. 24-30, 2009, and was jointly produced by the County of Huron, Heritage Culture Partnership and the Huron Tourism Association.
The Ontario Economic Development Awards took place Thursday, Feb. 4 at the Toronto Marriott Eaton Centre Hotel.
“Huron is one of Ontario’s top agricultural producers,” said Rick Sickinger, Taste of Huron event co-ordinator.  “We wanted to create an event  to highlight the great food and experiences that Huron has to offer both locals and tourists alike.”
This year, over 130 entries were judged.
“The competition allows local communities to see just how they stack up against other municipalities when it comes to promoting location, investment and tourism opportunities,” said 2009 EDCO president Lauren Millier.   
Many food-related festivals and events take place around the province and competition is very high when it comes to the best one.
“It is always an honour to accept these awards as the competition is very stiff,” said Jenna Ujiye, tourism marketer for the County of Huron.
“This competition result demonstrates our effectiveness in our economic development efforts,” she said.
Expert judges reviewed all of the entries that covered everything from promotional brochures to infrastructure development projects. There are judges from specialized areas of expertise assigned to judge specific categories. The Taste of Huron event has also been nominated for the Premiers Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence which has a grand prize of $50,000 and 55 regional prizes of $5000. These awards will be announced in the next few months.
Taste of Huron took place at different locations around Huron and allowed for people from every corner to take part in the event. The 2009 event
highlighted local chefs, producers and food, along with dinners, workshops and festivities. “We set this event up so that it could continue on each year,” said Brittany Fry, Taste of Huron assistant co-ordinator. “Agricultural events show one of the major cultures of our community.”
The 2010 Taste of Huron Culinary Festival is set for Aug. 20-29. Details of the 2010 Taste of Huron event will be coming soon. Information, videos and photos about last year’s events can be found at www.tasteofhuron.ca
This is second time for a Huron event to win the prestigious award. In 2008 Huron won the same award for the Doors Open Haunted Huron, which is slated to take place Oct. 22-24, 2010.