Metro’s Homegrown Tour rolls into Oakville

Metro Ontario is keeping it local this spring and summer with a Homegrown Tour, which made a stop in Oakville last week.

The tour, which officially launched at the Juno Awards in April, will hit five additional Ontario communities over the next few months where it will host “pop-up parties” that serve up local food and music. The event is all part of the retailer’s celebration of Canada’s 150^th birthday.

“We wanted to create a unique experience that we could share with our neighbours,” Nancy Modrcin, vice-president of marketing for Metro Ontario told Canadian Grocer. Each stop, she added, highlights local food and local talent, with each experience designed around the community’s personality.

At the Oakville stop, celebrity chef Mike Ward developed what he described as a “soulful” menu that was a nod to Oakville’s history as an extension of the underground railroad and its role in providing a safe haven for African-Americans fleeing the United States in the 1800s.

The evening also featured music by The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, a choral group dedicated to Afrocentric music, Toronto’s Choir! Choir! Choir! as well as Juno Award winning singer Jully Black.

“We saw a great response to our Oakville event,” Modrcin said. “The tickets were all gone within an hour. We actually had to release several additional blocks to avoid disappointing people.”

Next stop is London, Ont. where comfort food will be the theme, with all menu ingredients, of course, being locally sourced. Metro Ontario has also announced plans for a stop in Toronto in July and the tour will wrap up in Thunder Bay later in the summer.

In addition to the tour, Metro Ontario said it would highlight Canadian products in its 134 stores across the province and through various media channels.