On Nov. 8, 2010, at the Ontario Tourism Summit gala at Deerhurst Resort in Hunstville, Ont., The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA) proudly announced the winners of the 2010 Ontario Culinary Tourism Awards.

The Ontario Culinary Tourism Awards celebrate the passion and excellence of those dedicated to advancing the culinary tourism movement in Ontario. Through their steadfast leadership and unique experiences, both winners and finalists set the bar for what culinary tourism in Ontario represents. Presented by the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance, these awards recognize those who work hard to tell the stories of our growers, producers, chefs, winemakers and brewers.

This year, Savour Ottawa took home the Culinary Tourism Leadership Award while the Savour Stratford Perth County Festival took home the Culinary Tourism Experience Award. These dynamic organizations are actively changing the culinary landscape within the province by sharing Ontario’s unique food and wine stories with both locals and travellers from abroad.

Also of note were the awards runners up: For Leadership, Savour Stratford Perth County; For Experience, Sensational Elora and The Blue Mountain Village Apple Pie Trail

Rebecca LeHeup, OCTA executive director, presented each award winner with inscribed plates for their achievement and spoke of the importance of fostering culinary tourism development in Ontario.

Many thanks are again extended to the 2010 award judges: Suzanne Caskie of George Brown College, Barb Shopland of 2Gener8 Solutions Inc., Charles Grieco of the Ontario Hostelry Institute, and Suresh Doss of Spotlight Toronto.

OCTA will be posting images and video from the awards celebration at Deerhurst, along with detailed information about award winners, over the next two weeks in a special Awards section on its website.