THUNDER BAY -- One of the longest dinner tables Thunder Bay has ever seen welcomed 300 guests for an evening of fine dining.
For its second year, The Really, Really, Really Long Table brought people together for a special dinner Saturday evening, which raised money for the not-for-profit organization Roots to Harvest.
Normally, The Long Table closes down St. Paul Street for an evening of fine dining, but this year weather concerns relocated the five-course meal to Superior Collegiate High School.
Going back a couple of years, event organizer Sharla Brown said she met the Roots to Harvest executive director, and was impressed by not only what they did but what they stood for.
Brown decided Roots to Harvest deserved a “great fundraiser that would help them out.”
“They are a grassroots organization that uses food as a tool to help youth in the community,” Brown said.
“They also have great community gardens where people can purchase vegetables that they produce, they also produce rabbits and honey, so (the event) is a great way to highlight the work they do in the community as well.”
The culinary experience was led by Tomlin Restaurant’s owner and head chef Steve Simpson along with a team of various local chefs from the Victoria Inn, Bite, Sovereign Room and Giorg. The team created a five-course meal from locally grown and produced ingredients.
“We are trying to support that local food movement here in the city,” she said. “We want to eat things that are close to home in terms of nutritional value and support all the great farms and producers here in the city as well.”
Brown added that the purpose of the event is to bring the community together for the greater good.