Charlotte Langley has signed up as chef to Restaurants Canada and is ready for their show.
Chef Charlotte Langley has a new gig working for Restaurants Canada, the industry association that represents everyone from big national chains to stand alone fine dining spots. As she tells it, it’s a job she took on in November after she heard the organization, which used to be called the Canadian Food and Restaurant Association, was looking for a culinary curator for their big trade show at the end of February. Langley had enjoyed success as a “chef wrangler” at the Green Living Show and won the job with a proposal to put on a dozen new food centred events that, in her words, “showcased the independents”.
Of the original 12 events, Langley focused in on producing five at the RC Show that emphasize fine dining. She explained on the phone to GFR this week: “I want to showcase the trend setters and the influencers, and that’s the chefs.” Langley thinks that Restaurants Canada took her on, in part, because of the increasing numbers and importance of independent restaurants across the country and as a share of the industry in total. She also thinks that big players, like chain restaurants and food service companies look to the show for inspiration and new ideas: “These big companies are catching on, and it’s the independent chefs who are influencing the market.”
When asked which event at the RC Show she thought best exemplified her efforts, Langley chose the ‘Hunt Camp’. Langley explained the Hunt Camp will take place under a canvas tent and run with a theme of 18th century Canada, “pioneer days”, as she put it. Inside will be a tasting bar with wild foods, including game meats, sourced by chefs across Canada (like Derek Damman from Montreal’s Maison Publique) and a photo booth for taking souvenir shots.
To find out more about the show, and what Charlotte Langley has planned, including a series of offsite dinners, visit rcshow.com.
