The Grandelicious Entrepreneurs of Brantford are Revitalizing the Economy with #Brantastic Food, Wine and Entertainment

Karen Thomson and Robert Lavigne Cheesing It Up at Grandelicious

On May 4, 2012, Karen and I were invited to attend the VIP Gala of Grandelicious in Brantford. It would mark the launch of the three day weekend event showcasing Food, Wine and Entertainment available in the Brant and Grand River region. The event would see thousands of people attending over the weekend, due in part by Lynn Crawford of the Food Network gracing the stage.

Honoured Dignitaries, Trevor Cherewka and Jamie Stephens (Organizers)

The first innaugural Grandelicious Food and Wine Show is the brainchild of two local event organizers and emerging community leaders. Trevor Cherewka, best known for his highly successful Tweetstock Social Media conference, joined forces with Jamie Stephens, best known for organizing the Brantford Comedy Festival. Having had the honour of being a guest panelist for Tweetstock in the past, I knew going into the event that this would be a top notch effort on both their parts.

Chris Friel, Mayor of Brantford and David McKee, Brantford Town Crier

The VIP Gala started with Municipal, Provincial and Federal dignitaries extolling praise for what Trevor and Jamie were spearheading in the region. After the formal announcements, I caught up with Chris Friel (Mayor of Brantford), Jan Vanderstelt (Brantford City Council), and Phil McColeman (MP - Brant) to capture their insights on this event. David McKee (Brantford Town Crier) even graced me with a secondary reading of his speech from the opening ceremony.

What earmarked this as a successful event to me, was not the 4500 in attendance, the 35000 samples given out, the 34 vendors, the 44 booths, or the 8 musicians. For me, it was the fact that as I walked up and down the isles, I recognized the majority of the vendors, participants, attendees and volunteers. The fact that I have lived in Brantford for just shy of a year speaks volumes to the fact that it doesn't take long to see that there is an emergence of community leaders in Brantford. There is a new generation spawning multiple generations coming together to redefine what it means to live the Brantford lifestyle.

Brantford has been hard hit by the economic realities of a small town on the outskirts of a metropolitan mega city. One of the reasons I moved from Toronto to Brantford is to help this city redefine itself for the twenty-first century. It is events like this that remind me that I am not alone in this venture. Events such as the Grandelicious Food and Wine Show are a reminder that it only takes the will of a few to redefine the will of many.

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