Starved Toronto diners won’t have to wait until winter for the next major foodie event. The city is cooking something up for the fall.
In an email sent out to potential participatory restaurants, the city announced it was partnering with Destination Toronto on a “different more extensive restaurant program for the fall, with details to be released soon.”
This comes after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of Summerlicious, Toronto’s annual shot in the arm for the restaurant industry during one of their down seasons that brings diners out in droves for some prix-fixe fare.
Of course, with coronavirus, every season is now a down season, and without Summerlicious bringing in the cash, the news of a potentially lucrative event fast approaching is music to most restauranteurs’ ears.
That is, the ones that haven’t shut their doors for good.
For the restaurants that have weathered the storm, the city is “doing everything that it can…to support local businesses and residents through the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to spokesperson Jasmine Patrick. This effort includes helping out with marketing so that the industry rebounds in 2021.
“We will review…how best to promote Toronto as a culinary destination for residents and the future return of tourism in 2021 and beyond,” said Eirine Papaioannou, an event support supervisor for the city.
Winterlicious 2021 is still up in the air, but according to promotional pages on the CAA and the Toronto Convention & Visitors Association websites, it is still slated to take place in either January or February.
Toronto’s municipal government has also published reopening guidelines and has made economic support available for businesses impacted by COVID-19.
For now this mysterious fall event is nameless, shapeless and menu-less, but one thing is for certain. It will showcase food made by some of Toronto’s best restaurants.