Flavour Fest
It’s a food fashionista favourite time in Vankleek Hill when the annual Festival of Flavours occupies the main street of the Village. The September 9 weekend event saw a cornucopia of tasty treats, exotic and down-to-earth, to tempt the tastebuds of both
Vankleek Hill held its annual Festival of Flavours last weekend on Sunday, September 10 all along Main Street, which was closed off to cars while the festival ran from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
A wide range of kiosks were set up all along the road for people to grab lunch, dessert, shop around for fresh fruit and vegetables or even browse artisanal products. The festival has been a longstanding end-ofsummer tradition in Vankleek Hill for close to 20 years now.
Organized by the Vankleek Hill Farmer’s Market, the Festival of Flavours attracts over 5000 people throughout the entire day, as food vendors, farmers, markets, and other business owners set up shop all along Main Street. There were plenty of picnic tables set up along the road and on the green spaces in between buildings for people to devour their snacks, listen to the music or simply to enjoy the outdoors while socializing.
This year’s edition caught a warm, sunny day – the perfect way to say goodbye to the summer. Many local restaurants, such as Vert Fourchette and the Daily Dose had food stands and tables for people to enjoy lunch, while other dessert places, such as Les Gâteaux Cheminées and My Grandma’s Homemade Fudge, were ready to satisfy the sweet tooths.
The Vankleek Hill Vineyard and Cassburn Sweets were also present, handing out samples of wine and of maple syrup, respectively. Although it is the Festival of Flavours for a reason, some kiosks were not serving any food or beverages – wood artisans, thrift clothes vendors and Tupperware and the Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, amongst others, also took advantage of this event to highlight their efforts.