***UPDATE - July 26, 2013***
Our campaign wrapped up a couple days ago and we are so pleased we were able to raise so much money. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!! Our costs are getting lower and lower as Tourism boards are starting to help us out, but we are still in need of a few more bucks in order to make it COMPLETELY across the country. If you are still interested in donating, we have set up a donation page on our website where you will be able to donate.
Big thanks to Indiegogo and our generous donators for helping us get as far as we have!
**UPDATE** July 5, 2013
FEAST in the Media!
We have been fortunate to receive some great media attention. Here is a list of the coverage we have had so far:
We'll keep you updated as our coverage continues!
FEAST: An Edible Road Trip
Ever wondered 'what is Canadian food'? We'd like to know, too! We LOVE our butter tarts, poutine, and Nanaimo bars, but we think there's a lot more to talk about when it comes to food north of the 49th parallel. That's why we're launching FEAST, a four month adventure across the country highlighting the best of Canadian food culture. At the end of June we're packing our lives into a little white car, and setting off to prove just how much we have to celebrate.
Our campaign runs until July 23rd but *WE ARE LEAVING JUNE 27th* - that's right, we're hitting the road whether we reach our goal or not! We're resourceful and determined, and hope you'll join in on this adventure.
Who Are We?
We met just two years ago around a campfire in Kelowna, and bonded instantly over our love of food, cooking, writing, and adventuring.
Lindsay “Iron Stomach” Anderson grew up in Prince George, BC, and some of her earliest memories involve fishing for trout in northern lakes. At 18 years old, she moved to Victoria, and put herself through an Art History degree by cooking for tree planters during the summer. She went on to travel extensively around Europe and southern Africa, and has worked as a goat herder, cheese-monger, baker, and caterer on an indie film set. In 2010, she headed to Italy to earn a Masters in Food Culture and Communication at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, and wrote her thesis on Red Fife wheat in Canada. A year after graduation, she applied to become Tourism Richmond’s 365 Days of Dining food blogger, and after three months of intense campaigning, won! She spent every day of the next year eating at a different Richmond restaurant, exploring the city, and writing about her experiences. For her work she was featured in The Vancouver Sun, The Province, The Globe and Mail, CBC, Global, CTV, and more.
Dana VanVeller, a firm believer in dark chocolate as a vegetable, hails from Sarnia, Ontario (yes, it's kind of like Narnia) and moved to British Columbia nearly 4 years ago as the result of a previous cross-Canada road trip. Dana holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from St. Stephen's University, has spent time studying in South East Asia and Europe, and is currently working towards a Certificate in Food Security from Ryerson University. Prior to the launch of FEAST, she was a program administrator at an English school for immigrants and refugees and authored the food blog, Spoon!, in which she experimented with new recipes - one of which was recently featured by Shape Magazine - and explored various cultural aspects of food.
![Dana watches Lindsay toss a strawberry in the air as they sit down for a picnic in the woods.]( "Strawberry Toss!")
How Did FEAST Come About?
The idea for FEAST began with a few casual conversations about how Canadian food never gets any credit. People are fond of saying "There AREN'T really any Canadian foods...." and to us, that just seems absurd. This country is enormous and unbelievably diverse, and we KNOW it has a food culture to match! Those casual conversations eventually turned into serious ones, and we began talking about how we could utilize storytelling, social media, photography, and video to tell some of the endless food-related stories there are in every region of Canada. We decided to make it a road trip, bought our domain, and BOOM! FEAST was on.
What Kinds of Stories Will We Be Telling?
We'll feature people and organizations that influence Canadian culinary culture and strive to make our food systems more vibrant, sustainable, and accessible. We'll be visiting farmers, fishers, members of various First Nations, beekeepers, food security activists, cheesemakers, bakers, bloggers, foragers, chefs, coffee roasters, wine-makers, brewers, and many more.
![Strawberries from the Vancouver Farmers Market]( "Strawberries")
Since good stories are meant to be shared, we'll bring you along for the ride by regularly posting on www.edibleroadtrip.com, as well as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. In addition to our feature posts, we'll be highlighting Canadian music as we go (FEAST Soundtrack), our own camp cooking adventures (Road Kitchen), and the most exceptional things we eat (FEAST On This, inspired by Scout Magazine's Awesome Thing We Ate).
![Maple syrup lollipops in the snow.]( "Lollies")
Our itinerary is all set (we leave in just over two weeks!) and we're aiming to travel to all ten provinces and three territories; we'll start in Vancouver, British Columbia and end in St. John's, Newfoundland.
When and Where Are We Going?
Here is a list of the dates we expect to be in each province including some of the stops we will be making. These represent our bigger stops, but, of course, there will be many more! Our ever-evolving itinerary is subject to change.
British Columbia (June 27th – July 17th)
- Vancouver, Cowichan Bay, Spring Island, Comox, Victoria, Whistler, Pemberton, Penticton, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii, Dease Lake
Yukon (July 18th – July 22nd)
Northwest Territories (July 23rd – July 28th)
Alberta (July 29th – August 4th)
- Edmonton, Jasper, Calgary
Saskatchewan (August 5th – August 16th)
- Regina, Moosejaw, Saskatoon, Arborfield
Manitoba (August 17th – August 23rd)
- Riding Mountain National Park, Swan River, Dauphin, Kelwood, Winnipeg
Ontario (August 24th – September 11th)
- Kenora, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Ottawa
Nunavut (September 11th – September 18th)
Quebec (September 18th – September 28th)
- Montreal, Girardville, Quebec City
New Brunswick (September 28th – October 6th)
- St. Stephen, Grand Manan, Saint John
Prince Edward Island (October 6th – October 11th)
- Charlottetown, Tignish, Brookvale, Montague
Nova Scotia (October 11th – October 21st)
- Halifax, Wolfville, Sydney, Cape Breton Island
Newfoundland (October 21st – October 31st)
- Corner Brook, Gros Morne National Park, Viking Trail, East Port, St. John’s
Just a few of the great folks who've agreed to join in on the FEAST include:
-West Coast Expeditions
-Joy Road Catering
-The Boreal Gourmet
-Sidewalk Citizen Bakery
-Calgary Food Tours
-Bushwakker Brewpub
-The Gouda Life
-Island Forest Foods
-Nunavut Food Security Coalition
-Food Bloggers of Canada
We'll also be partnering with Good Food Jobs, a website dedicated to helping people find work in the good food field. If you know someone working a good food job in Canada who should be featured, let us know! (hello@edibleroadtrip.com)
![A map of Canada that shows the Edible Road Trip route.]( "An Edible Road Trip map of Canada")
Goals
We're so, so excited about this project, and are here on Indiegogo because we need your help to make it all happen.
What do we already have?
We have a car, an itinerary, cameras, computers, a detailed budget, and wild ambitions.
What do we need?
Funds to cover the costs of gas (this country of ours is a BIG one), camping fees, ferry trips, flights to Nunavut, incidentals, insurance, maintenance, and of course - food!
How Can You Get Involved?
Ever wanted to forage in the Boreal Forest? Visit a Quebec cheesemaker? Eat perogies on the prairies? Well now you can, simply by joining the FEAST community and helping this project get on the road.
Some of our official perks include postcards, edible gifts from our travels, a FEAST cookbook at the end of our journey, and even a meal with us! In addition to these perks, you can think of your contribution as a kind of magazine subscription; in return for your donation, you'll get four months of outstanding stories, recipes, photographs, and video, updated regularly and delivered right to your inbox.
Don't have spare cash but would like to help in another way? We'd love that, too! Have a look directly below our pitch video, and you'll see a link next to "Share This Campaign" - simply copy that link and spread it amongst your network through email or social media. Alternatively, you could tattoo it to your forehead.
If you're a business that's interested in sponsoring FEAST, there could be EXTRA perks for you, so please contact us directly (hello@edibleroadtrip.com) and we'll chat!![Dana and Lindsay lying on the grass with big smiles and big sunglasses]( "Dana and Lindsay")
Contact us!
Follow us or send us an email:
hello@edibleroadtrip.com
@feast_on
Shout Out Outs...
...to Mike of Warren Lane Pictures for filming and editing our video, and to Colourful Language (our favourite Canadian band) for appearing in it! Also thanks to Steph Adams-Jacobson for designing our delightful logo and helping us navigate The Internets.
www.warrenlanepictures.com
@warrenlanepics
www.colourful-language.com
@colourlanguage
@adamsjacobson
Special thanks to the folks at HootSuite (@hootclub) for putting us through HootSuite University and supporting our social media strategy. We're so excited to host #hootups (@hootup) as we cross the country!
www.hootsuite.com
@hootclub
@hootup
