Poutine festival adds rich flavours to lineup

By Nicole Babb

Exotic flavours, a world record attempt, and new eating contests are three additions poutine lovers can look forward to at next month’s third annual PoutineFest in Ottawa.

The festival is scheduled to take place May 4–7 at the plaza outside City Hall and is a celebration of what organizer Les Gagne calls “the great Canadian salad.”

“The goal of our festival is for people to enjoy the best poutine, not only in Canada, but anywhere in the world,” Gagne said.

One of the highlights at the festival this year will be an attempt to create the world’s most expensive poutine. The rumoured creation would reportedly cost around $99 and include ingredients such as Atlantic Canada lobster, Russian beluga caviar, fried quail egg and 20-year-old Canadian whisky.

Along with more that 100 different flavours to sample, festivalgoers can also enjoy live music and an eating contest, during which the first person to consume three pounds of poutine will be crowned champion.

“We are really trying to evolve the festival, make it exciting and keep it fresh, while at the same time having as many poutine choices as possible,” said Gagne.

The festival will also feature seven new vendors, including Prince Edward’s Fries, Born 2 Eat, Lakeview Burger and many more.

There will also be an exotic poutine challenge, which encourages vendors to make the most creative poutine they can imagine.

“We really want to push our boundaries and experiment with different types of poutine,” said Gagne.

Patrick Morin, owner of The Great Canadian Poutinerie, said he isn’t afraid to experiment.

“It’s not just about the traditional curds and gravy anymore, it’s about how far we can push this dish,” he said.

Morin will be serving various flavors at the festival, including his most popular dish: The Canadian. This ode to patriotism includes the traditional trio of fries, curds and gravy, along with bacon, ground beef, onions, and mushrooms, topped with maple syrup.

Healthier options are also available, including vegetarian or vegan poutine.

“When I first started doing this festival three years ago, the most popular poutine was traditional, but now people are really starting to get out of their comfort zone,” said Morin.

In addition to poutine, festivalgoers can enjoy other treats, including Stella Luna’s award-winning gelato.

“Gelato is such a great compliment to any food,” said Tammy Giuliani, owner of Stella Luna on Elgin Street. “It’s not overly sweet, it’s refreshing and it’s light.”

“Ottawa has such a great dynamic food scene and this is just the opening season of all the food events throughout the city.”

Besides food, the festival will also be offering a new Artpop Market, which will include a tent for local artists to showcase their creations.

“This year marks the 150th birthday of Canada and we would like to celebrate PoutineFest by recognizing local artists, sculptors, painters, and everything art,” said Gagne.

Entrance to the festival is free, however VIP festival passes can be purchased online at festpass.ca. The pass costs $50 and provides perks such as samples, discounts and contest entries for food festivals throughout the city, including Ribfest, Mac My Cheese Fest and Maple Fest.

City Hall isn’t the only stop for PoutineFest this year, as Gagne has decided to expand the festival to Orléans this October.

He also plans to bring the festival to major cities across Canada in 2018, including Toronto and Calgary.

“PoutineFest is an opportunity to bring poutine fans together from coast to coast,” Gagne said.