Day of the Pig

Jeff Green | May 20, 2015

Sawyer McKenzie, sitting on his father (Seed to Sausage owner) Michael McKenzie's shoulder, looked unimpressed by the suckling pig that was being cooked over an open fire at the annual Day of the Pig, the opening extravaganza marking the beginning of the summer eating season in the region. The event takes place each year at the world headquarters of Seed to Sausage, the award-winning producers of fresh and dried sausages, bacon and other cuts of prepared meats for the gourmet market in Toronto, Ottawa and closer to home.

The Seed to Sausage retail store is now open for the summer season, carrying their own products and those of some of the vendors who participated in the Day of the Pig, which drew thousands of food lovers to their location on Road 38 south of Crow Lake Road on Saturday.

Among the vendors on hand, most of whom sold most or all of their stock, were a number of established and newer local businesses. These included Ludwig Ratzinger of Ludwig's Chocolate, and Back Forty Cheese, which is now located in Mississippi Station. Two businesses had their debuts on Saturday: Primitive Catering – an innovative business that provides barbeque and other catering services, and Cardinal Café, which will be opening in a month or so at the former Catholic Church in Sharbot Lake across from the Sharbot Lake Country Inn. The buzz around both those booths indicates how much interest they have both generated in the region recently.

All in all the Day of the Pig was a celebration of the burgeoning food culture in Frontenac County.