Autumn is the perfect season to enjoy and celebrate locally grown food. Winkler Arts and Culture (WAC) is providing an opportunity to do just that with its Farm to Table fundraiser.
“It's all locally sourced [and] locally grown, everything from the produce to the meat,” says Jered Hildebrand, executive director of WAC. “You know what you're getting.”
Food and art
The fundraising dinner will be arranged by The Hidden Haven Homestead on behalf of Winkler Arts and Culture. The homestead, run by Chef Kevin Funk and Ashley Funk, aspires to become a “getaway” that reconnects people with nature and living off the land.
“Many people know Chef Kevin Funk,” says Hildebrand. “He has this amazing, huge garden.”
The site for the fundraising dinner, which is sponsored by Gardenland Co-op, Bloom Floral Creative, and King Pinz Pub & Grill, is at WAC itself.
“It’s in the gallery,” says Hildebrand. “You're surrounded by some amazing art. While we're eating, we've [also] got some great music.”
Diners will be surrounded by approximately 50 pieces of art by local artists Scott Bell and his daughter Grace Bell. The musical performance for the evening will feature Patrick Simoens, Melanie Schwarz, and Derek Helps from Lakes and Pines.
"They've got an acoustic set planned for us, [which is] fitting for the harvest season,” says Hildebrand.
A special menu
Chef Funk’s vision for the four-course meal reads as a tribute to the season and to Manitoba. Hildebrand says that the first course is a salad plated to look like a garden.
“That's followed by a roast squash soup, [and then] there's smoked beef brisket, herb and garlic mashed potatoes, [and] ribbon cut honey glazed carrots,” he says. “[There will be] a red wine poached pear with berries for dessert.”
The fundraising dinner takes place on September 19th. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., serving begins at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $80, and can be purchased online here or by calling 204-312-7991.
Hildebrand says that WAC hopes to complete its ticket sales by Sunday (September 15th) so that it can get a headcount to Chef Funk.
Broad impact
Hildebrand says that events like the Farm to Table fundraiser are important to the WAC as a nonprofit organization.
“We want people to come out and support us, but also get something in return,” he says. “There [will be] awesome food, awesome music, and all the funds raised [will go] towards making sure that our kids’ programs are still affordable for families, making sure we can keep the lights on, [and] everything [else] that goes into running a venue like ours.”
Hildebrand says that WAC currently runs an after-school arts program on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. There are different classes for three different age groups from ages 5 to 14.
“Some of the funds go towards making sure that we're buying the art supplies and paying our instructors for their time,” he says. “We're trying to at least pay for half of the cost of running these programs before you even sign up for them.”
Fostering the arts
WAC’s programming for children is just a small part of how its presence in Winkler facilitates the growth of the local art scene.
“My favourite thing is that everybody who comes in our door who's participating in our programming [or] our events has something different to bring to the table. We’ve got a range of artists locally,” says Hildebrand. “The majority of our members are artists and there's so much amazing talent. Everybody who walks in the door and sees their work sees something different.”
To become involved in the community at WAC or to learn more about its programming, see its website. For the foodies curious about the type of food that Chef Funk is known for, visit his Instagram page.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand and Jayme Giesbrecht~