Toronto, Ontario, July 28, 2011 -- On behalf of the Honourable Peter Kent, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Ms. Eve Adams, Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Brampton, announced the launch of Parks Canada’s first smartphone application, Heritage Gourmet. Parks Canada, the world’s first national parks service, is proud to partner with Food Day Canada to present truly-Canadian culinary experiences in an easy-to-use, accessible format.
“Heritage Gourmet will inspire Canadians’ creativity and appreciation of our rich national history in a brand new way, presenting the culinary experiences of the past through modern-day technologies,” said Ms. Adams. “This application demonstrates one of the many ways Parks Canada’s programming connects Canadians to the diversity of Canadian history, culture and innovation.”
The Heritage Gourmet application, or “app,” is the result of an innovative collaboration between Parks Canada and the Algonquin College School of Hospitality and Tourism in Ottawa. Eight professional chefs from the school prepared over 60 recipes for the app, each inspired by national historic sites across the country.
The app includes photographs and detailed instructions on how to prepare a wide range of dishes. Each recipe tells the story of its origin at the national historic sites that inspired them, from “Marm Bailey’s Moose Muffle Soup” to “Gateau de tante Lora,” Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent's favourite dessert. The recipes span several centuries of Canada’s history, from the 18th century onwards, and have been updated and perfected to ensure that they can be cooked in modern kitchens.
The app will be available to download for free through associated app stores and from the Parks Canada web site in iPhone, iPod, Android and Blackberry formats. Updates to the app will follow, offering more recipes from other national historic sites.
“Parks Canada is proud to collaborate with Food Day Canada for another very special event as part of its centennial,” said Mr. Kent. “Parks Canada’s 100th anniversary is a great occasion for Canadians and food enthusiasts everywhere to discover Canada’s culinary heritage and learn about our national historic sites. On Food Day, we will celebrate another Parks Canada first; Parks Canada’s first smartphone application.”
Parks Canada works to ensure Canada’s historic and natural heritage is protected and, through a network of 42 national parks, 167 national historic sites, and four national marine conservation areas, invites Canadians and people around the world to engage in personal moments of inspiring discovery at our treasured natural and historic places.
For additional information, please see www.parkscanada.gc.ca.
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Associated content is also available on the Parks Canada FTP site under "Heritage Gourmet App." To access this content (including recipes, associated national historic sites photos, app mock-ups, and behind-the-scenes video clips of the final tasting, food photography, and the finishing touches on the Fort Anne Hedgehog), please visit:
http://pc.ftpstream.com/index.php
User name: media
Password: media1
All materials are copyright Parks Canada.
Information:
Office of the Minister of the Environment
819-997-1441
Media Relations
Parks Canada
819-953-8371
www.twitter.com/parkscanada
