Friends of Frontenac Multicultural Dinner

Jeff Green | Jun 19, 2024

The Friends of Frontenac are a group of friends who started meeting together in the area with common interests, beliefs and a passion for building community and sharing knowledge on various topics such as health, gardening, homeschooling and a lot more.

The ‘Friends’ are your local neighbours, although separated by geography that range as far South as the Mountain Grove area and as North as the Denbigh area. Some of their members have been in this area for 10+ years and others only 3-4 years. They share the joys and challenges of living on the back road and small villages in the area. But they have found much in common, not the least of which being the push to get to know others and bring them together from the various communities.

There are many newcomers to the area who moved from the cities during covid, the group decided that hosting events would be the perfect way to meet newcomers and longstanding locals. They enjoy serving the community, meeting new people, and sharing their knowledge and talents with others.

Two of the members of the informal group are Kendra Ploughman and Camille Gayle, who talked to the Frontenac News over the phone last week.

“We are a group of friends who came together because of our common interests and a passion for sharing health and building community,” said Kendra Ploughman.

“Some of us get together once a week, and once a month we meet at the hall in Plevna, which is kind of a central location for us,” said Camille Gayle.

They have held a few community events within the past year or so, including a spaghetti dinner, natural remedy presentations both Plevna and Arden, as well as a Christmas concert.

Last week, they held their largest event, a multicultural meal at the Plevna, that was attended by over 60 people. All of the food for the dinner was prepared on-site at the hall. The food was all plant-based and represented the cultural and geographic roots of various 'Friends' members. The food offered included a Filipino Pancit, Trinidadian curry with roti, Dutch Stomppot, Mexican bean salad and Jamaican ackee and more.

“We did not advertise that all the food would be plant-based and many of the people who came did not even realize it, but people really liked the food,” said Camille.

“The reason we decided as a group to do these events was to meet new people in the community. Covid really affected the social gatherings of many people in the community, especially the elderly. Hosting these events are one way to help others who are looking to get more social again. These opportunities are a great way for us to teach our children to volunteer in the community. A way for us to pass along kindness and respect to our next generation while hosting these events,” said Kendra.

At the dinner, which was held on Sunday, June 9 at the Clar-Mill Hall in Plevna, there was a lot of interest in the food, and the “Friends” are looking into organizing cooking events, where members will demonstrate how the dishes are prepared.

The timing of future events is not clear, however. The summer is a possibility, but with all that goes on in the summer locally, it may have to wait for the fall.

For further information about the “Friends of Frontenac” who are not to be confused with the Friends of Frontenac Park” which is based in South Frontenac and Kingston, people are invited to email Friendsoffrontenac@gmail.com.