It's Sudburylicious
BY JENNY JELEN
Winter 2012 |
This article originally appeared in Northern Life.
It's not everyday diners can sample three-course meals from some of the city's finest privately-owned restaurants for a set price of $25, but during Sudburylicious, that's exactly what happens.
The two-week food festival, which is slated to debut in Sudbury Jan. 28 to Feb. 10, is meant to give restaurant goers the opportunity to try new plates, rediscover old favourites and maybe even find a new choice meal.
Your Sudburylicious Food Festival 2012 co-ordinator Carlo Di Salvo said the platform has already taken off in number of other cities across the province and beyond, and expects it will do the same here.
“Everybody loves food,” he said. “I definitely believe the market is going to respond.”
Reasonably priced and accessible, Di Salvo said it is “a festival for the masses.”
Every participating restaurant will offer a few dinner options priced at $25, and continue to offer selections off their regular menu. For the price, diners “know what they're getting into;” Di Salvo said it's a great time to try something new. After all, the goal is to introduce people to something they'll like, so they will want more.
“Once people discover the restaurants, they'll want to go back.”
The fact that the event isn't limited to a day or weekend makes it easier for people to make work. With 14 days of reduced-cost dining available, Di Salvo said some people take the opportunity to try multiple new places.
Di Salvo, who also teaches in Cambrian College's chef training program, said he believes in offering locally-owned restaurants more opportunities.
“A lot of franchises have head offices,” he said, that are able to aid in mass marketing, promotions and advertising. It's something most local venue's can't budget for.
The Cinco Centavos manager Chris McTaggart couldn't agree more.
He said it's “exactly why” the downtown Spanish fusion tapas bar decided to participate in Sudburylicious.
Once people try the restaurant, he said the always return.
“Everyone who comes one time comes again,” he said.
The biggest challenge for the emerging restaurant is simply informing people that it exists.
Offering “the masses” great food at a good price is one surefire way to convince them to try something new.
For more information about Sudburylicious, visit yoursudburylicious.ca. Northern Life is a sponsor of this event.
Sudburylicious restaurants include:
Bella Vita Cucina
Simon's Gallery Grill
New Culpeppers Restaurant
Mr. Prime Rib
Apollo Restaurant
Hardrock 42 GastroPub
Buzzy Brown's
La Fontaine Bleu
Curious Thymes Bistro
My Thai Palace
Bridges Bistro
Cranky Joe's Restaurant
The Cinco Centavos
