Farm & Food Care and Canadian Food Focus are excited to host you for the Culinary Federation Farm & Food Tour on June 8th, 2023 in Niagara, Ontario. Below is an agenda for our tour, menu for lunch, links to tour stops as well as more information on your hosts.
Summit Station Dairy, Ravine Vinyard & Asparagus Farm
Our tour will begin with a drive through Ontario farmland to Summit Station Dairy & Creamery – named one of Canada’s top dairies. We will tour the barns, learn about their family-run, on-farm dairy and sample their farm-fresh dairy products.
From there we will travel to Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery. This family-run farm, winery and restaurant has roots dating back to the 1800s and takes pride in being stewards of the land. We will dine in the Barrell Cellar on local fare from their on-site garden and nearby farming neighbours.
After lunch, we will visit Thwaites Farms which manages over 500 acres in both Norfolk County and Niagara-on-the-Lake, growing asparagus, peaches, nectarines, seedless grapes, European pears, and Asian pears. We will experience the asparagus harvest and learn more about the farm’s sustainability practices.
We also ask that each attendee fill out a pre- and post-tour survey to gauge what attendees have learned and to gather any feedback or questions they might have about food and agriculture in Canada. It also helps us with reporting and to get funding for these events in the future.
Looking forward to meeting you, Dorothy, Penny and Christa
Tour Agenda
8:00 am Meet at the Marriot Niagara Falls to board the bus.
8:15 am Bus departs. Welcome and Introductions for Fifth Generation Farms (45 min bus ride)
9:00 am Summit Station Dairy
11 am Bus departs for Lunch (50 min bus ride)
12 pm Lunch at Ravine Vineyard
2:00 pm Bus departs (15 min bus ride)
2:15 pm Thwaites Farms Ltd. tour
3:30 pm Bus departs for hotel. (20 min bus ride)
4 pm Tour ends. Thanks everyone!
Tour Stops
Summit Station Dairy
In 1947, Joe and Minna Loewith bought a parcel of land on the outskirts of Hamilton and began milking fifteen cows. For four generations, the Loewith Family has cared for their cows, their land, and their community. We are proud to be recognized as one of the most respected and best-managed dairy farms in Canada.
The farm is close to the ‘Summit’ stop along the former Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway (TH&B), now the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail. Hence the name “Summit Station Dairy”.

Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery
Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery is a timeless Niagara destination for award winning wines and world class farm-to-table dining, steeped in history, family legacy and agricultural heritage. Situated in the heart of St. Davids, our charming and historical property offers a unique escape from the everyday hustle and bustle while being conveniently located only minutes from the QEW. We look forward to hosting you on our fifth-generation family farm and sharing our passion for wine and culinary experiences alongside breathtaking views of our rolling organic vineyards!

Thwaites Farms
Thwaites Farms Ltd. manages over 500 acres in both Norfolk County and beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, growing asparagus, peaches, nectarines, seedless grapes, European pears, and Asian pears. Thwaites Farms Ltd. also offers fruit grading in our state-of-the-art packaging facility and a GPS planting service.

Lunch Menu
First Course:
Roasted Cabbage Salad: grilled cabbage & baby kale, Caesar dressing, crunchy garlic bread crumbs, pecorino cheese
Mains Course:
Ontario Chicken Suprême: brined and rubbed Onation chicken suprême, seasonal farm vegetables, romesco sauce, crushed golden heart potatoes
Dessert:
Seasonal Cheesecake: local fruit preserve, house-made cookie, cheesecake mousse
Beverages:
*Vegetarian Option:
Tour Hosts

Farm & Food Care
Farm & Food Care is a coalition linking thousands of livestock, crop and horticulture producers, government, individuals and businesses with a common goal to help people understand food and farming. Farm & Food Care believes that getting to know farmers and ranchers is getting to know food.

Canadian Food Focus
Canadian Food Focus is a gathering place to tell our Canadian food and farming stories. We will explore how food is grown and raised, share recipes and provide useful advice to help you make confident food choices.

Dorothy Long
Home Economist and Director of Communications of Canadian Food Focus
Dorothy is a passionate advocate of Canadian food and farming. She holds degrees in home economics and education from the University of Saskatchewan, leveraging her background to promote greater consumer understanding of Canadian food and farming, as well as fostering positive relationships between consumers and farmers.
For over 25 years, Dorothy has organized farm tours for food influencers, such as dietitians, journalists, chefs, and food writers. These tours, which began with Canola Camp in Saskatchewan, have expanded across the country.
Dorothy has also been instrumental in developing a range of agrifood marketing strategies, including CanolaInfo, Saskatchewan Bounty, HealthyFlax, Spread the Mustard, Pick Pork, and the Saskatchewan component of the International Year of the Pulse campaign. In addition to her marketing work, Dorothy served as the Executive Director of Cuisine Canada and the Greenhouse Growers of Saskatchewan. She has written a food column for The Western Producer, edited the Growing Saskatchewan magazine, and co-authored the Discover the Pulse Potential cookbook.
Dorothy believes that food is a powerful connector and the most intimate way that consumers come to understand agriculture. As the Director of Communications with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan, she spearheads Canadian Food Focus, a public trust initiative and marketing strategy that includes a consumer-friendly website. This project won a national Canadian AgriFood Marketers Alliance Award for Best Website Directed at the Public in 2022. Currently, Dorothy co-chairs the National Consumer Engagement Working Group for AAFC. In 2023, Dorothy was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Penny Eaton
Operations Manager, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan
Penny Eaton is a farm girl turned communications specialist who works to answer consumer questions about farming and food production. At Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan, Penny manages stakeholder relations, coordinates events and communications projects and oversees funding requests and reporting.
Before joining FFC SK, Penny established her own consulting firm, providing writing and communications services to a wide base of clients. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan and is originally from a farm near Rosetown, Saskatchewan. She’s a proud Riders fan and probably takes Halloween a little too seriously.

Christa Ormiston
Communications Manager, Farm & Food Care Ontario
Christa Ormiston brings a lifelong passion for agriculture and has spent her career focused on agricultural communications and marketing. Using her journalism background, she cultivates an appreciation for food and farming by connecting farm gates to dinner plates. Through FFCO projects and consumer activation, Christa focuses on giving farmers the skills and confidence they need to tell the public their stories about farming and their farm families.
Tour Photos
To access the photo gallery, use the following case-sensitive password:
Gallery Password: FFCCulinaryTour2023
Although we have photo releases for everyone, we would ask you to seek permission from other guests before publicly sharing photos in which guests are identifiable.
Let’s stay connected!
- Contact Dorothy Long if you have any questions.
- Check out our Canadian Food Focus website.
- Sign up for our monthly newsletter: Great Food Grown Here.
- Listen to our Ask A Farmer Podcast.
- Join our Farm Food Focus community, a professional development hub for dietitians, home economists, food writers, chefs, food media, and culinary & dietetic students. We share content regarding professional development or networking opportunities including upcoming courses, webinars and events through a Facebook group and an occasional Newsletter. It is a great place to discover new resources and information developed by our Canadian Food Focus contributors.
- Follow us @CDNFoodFocus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube with the hashtags #LoveCDNFood, #LoveCDNrecipes and #LoveCDNFarms.