Culinary battle at Peterborough market celebrates local food month

In a battle of culinary wits, four local chefs cooked up plates of local fare at Peterborough’s Downtown Farmers’ Market Wednesday.

“We take some of the freshest produce in and from the Peterborough area, marry it with some of the best talent that you’re ever going to see,” event host Donald Fraser said, as hot pans sizzled behind him.

“This is what people want and expect,” South Pond Farms chef Kevin McKenna said, as he worked dough into a tortilla press. “They don’t want anything from that far away. We want to look after our local farmers and suppliers in everything we do.”

Wednesday’s event was about more than culinary bragging rights. The group was celebrating local food month. Downtown market manager Jill Bishop acknowledged that it’s been a tough few months for local growers.

“We really have got to give props to these farmers, because we had frost in August, a late, late start, not a lot of sunny days,” Bishop said.

Tyler Scott, chef at Rare Grill house, claimed the title as this year’s Iron Chef.

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Town Ward councillor Dean Pappas launched his 100 Mile Challenge at the market. He says he’ll spend the next two weeks only eating the foods that fall within a 100-mile radius of his home.

“This is an awareness campaign to see what’s out there, and how you can cook, how you can eat locally, how you can live off what our local producers are doing,” he said.