The evening air carries a peculiar mix of aromas – caramelized sugar, sizzling meat, and something unexpectedly floral – as I weave through crowds gathered along Mississaga Street in downtown Orillia. Children with sticky fingers dart between food stalls while musicians tune their instruments on a small stage decorated with twinkling lights.
“We’ve been dreaming about this for years,” says Krista Storey, manager of culture for the City of Orillia, gesturing toward the bustling street festival unfolding before us. “The Delicious Days of Summer festival is finally bringing together what makes Orillia special – our food culture, our lake, our community.”
Launched this July, Orillia’s first dedicated food festival represents a significant evolution for a city historically known for its connection to Stephen Leacock and its position as the “Sunshine City” on Lake Couchiching. The three-weekend event showcases more than 40 local restaurants, farms, and food artisans, transforming the downtown core into a celebration of regional cuisine.
For local chef Marina Conners, who owns The Common Stove, the festival arrives at a crucial moment. “After everything restaurants have weathered since 2020, having this platform to reconnect with the community feels like a lifeline,” she tells me while plating miniature versions of her restaurant’s famous wood-fired focaccia. “People are rediscovering why eating local matters.”
The festival’s timing coincides with growing awareness about food security and sustainability across Simcoe County. A recent Ontario Food Terminal report indicated that locally-sourced food initiatives have increased by 27% across central Ontario communities since 2019, with Orillia emerging as a notable hub.
Wandering through the festival grounds, I’m struck by the unexpected diversity on display. Between traditional offerings like butter tarts and fresh lake fish, I find Ethiopian injera platters, Mexican street corn, and Filipino lumpia – each vendor sharing stories of how they’ve adapted global traditions to incorporate Ontario ingredients.
“What you’re seeing is Orillia’s changing story,” explains Raj Gill, whose family operates Mariposa Market, a downtown institution for over 30 years. “The festival honors established businesses while making space for newcomers changing our food landscape.”
Those newcomers include entrepreneurs like Sophia Chen, who launched her handcrafted dumpling business during the pandemic. “I started selling frozen dumplings from my home kitchen in 2020, and now I’m serving hundreds of people at a festival,” she says, visibly emotional as she watches the line forming at her booth. “The community literally kept us afloat.”
Economic development representatives hope the festival will establish Orillia as a culinary destination in a region where tourism traditionally centers on outdoor recreation. According to data from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, food tourism generates approximately $42 billion annually across the province, with smaller communities increasingly capturing visitor attention.
Mayor Don McIsaac, who I spot sampling artisanal ice cream, tells me the festival represents something beyond economic growth. “This is about creating a sense of place,” he says. “When people taste food grown in our soil or prepared by our residents, they’re experiencing something uniquely Orillia.”
That distinctiveness extends to programming beyond food consumption. The festival includes workshops on indigenous food sovereignty led by members of the nearby Chippewas of Rama First Nation, gardening demonstrations from Orillia’s community garden network, and panels addressing food insecurity featuring the Sharing Place Food Centre.
“A food festival has to be more than just eating,” insists Amber McGarvey-Moreland, the festival’s sustainability coordinator. “We’re using this platform to talk about hunger in our community, about climate impacts on agriculture, about preserving food traditions.”
This educational component has resonated with families like the Richardsons, who brought their children to participate in a pasta-making workshop. “They’re learning where food comes from beyond grocery stores,” says mother Claire Richardson as her eight-year-old daughter carefully shapes dough. “We’ve visited three farms today that supply restaurants they recognize.”
The festival also attempts to address affordability concerns – a significant consideration in a community where Statistics Canada data shows median household income approximately 12% below the provincial average. Organizers implemented a “Taster Pass” program providing reduced-price sampling options and partnered with local businesses to offer festival scholarships to low-income residents.
As sunset approaches on Lake Couchiching, casting golden light across the festival grounds, a local string quartet begins playing. Tables filling the closed-off street have become communal gathering spots where strangers share meals and conversations.
“This is what recovery looks like,” observes Tom Amato, who has owned a downtown café for over a decade. “Not just economic, but social recovery. People breaking bread together again.”
Looking toward future years, organizers hope to expand the festival’s footprint while maintaining its community-centered approach. Early visitor numbers suggest they’ve struck a promising balance between tourist appeal and local authenticity.
Standing near the waterfront as evening falls, watching residents and visitors alike sharing food and stories, I’m reminded that the most memorable festivals often reflect something essential about a place. In bringing together its agricultural heritage, evolving cultural identity, and natural beauty, Orillia’s Delicious Days of Summer offers precisely that – a taste of a community in the midst of reinvention, one meal at a time.
