Foodie of the Year Entry: Living the dream of eating across Canada

If you’re dining across Canada, one place you’ll want to stop is Rouge in Calgary. This Rabbit, wrapped in pork, tastes as lovely as it looks. (Julia Pelish/Vacay.ca)

In April, Vacay.ca will give away a Grand Prize for dinner for two and round-trip airfare to the winner of the 2013 Foodie of the Year Contest. Eligible entrants vote for their favourite Canadian restaurants and can submit their reviews of their dining experiences, some of which will be published. Holly Fraughton submitted the following entry about why she should be the Foodie of the Year. Join in the debate over the Best Restaurants in Canada by sending in your vote to vote@vacay.ca, or providing a review of your own on our Have Your Say page!

Story by Holly Fraughton
2013 Vacay.ca Foodie of the Year Contest Entrant

For years, I was an all-around journalist covering everything from the business beat to hard-hitting news stories. … Then, I moved to the not-so-sleepy ski town of Whistler, British Columbia.

There, I took a job writing for a popular weekly newspaper, and soon found myself in the position of Arts & Entertainment Editor. Along with that position came a weekly column. A food column.

Am I not the luckiest girl in the world?!

For almost three years, I had the opportunity to visit a wide array of dining establishments in a world-class ski resort, sampling everything from foie gras poutine and sushi to decadent five-course winemaker dinners. It was a dream come true, really. See, I’ve always loved food: not only to eat, but to prepare meals for family and friends. This was truly the perfect gig for me.

Alas, the time soon came for me to move on from Whistler, and return to the “real world.” I found myself in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a new city, where I essentially knew no one. While I found myself missing my boyfriend, friends and family, I also was at a loss without my weekly food column. I honestly hadn’t expected to miss writing it so much.

So, I decided to start a food blog — www.ediblelegibile.com — where I could chronicle my adventures in restaurants around town, as well as my own kitchen.

More than a year later, I now find myself living in my hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia (that’s right, I’ve made my way across Canada, slowly but surely), and Edible Legible has grown into the No. 1-rated food blog in Atlantic Canada (according to Urbanspoon).

I guess my somewhat long-winded story goes to show you that a passion for food can take you just about anywhere!

More About the 2013 Vacay.ca Canadian Foodie of the Year Contest

Vacay.ca’s 2013 Foodie of the Year Contest features a Grand Prize of Dinner for Two at the restaurant of the winner’s choice on the 2013 list, round-trip airfare to that restaurant’s destination city and a luxury hotel stay!

To be eligible for the 2013 Canadian Foodie of the Year Contest, simply follow these steps:

Vote for your favourite restaurant by emailing vote@vacay.ca
Follow Vacay.ca on Twitter (@VacayCanada)
Friend Vacay.ca on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Vacay.ca)
Tell our editors about your great culinary experiences and why you should be Foodie of the Year!

Votes from the public will be added to those of the revamped Vacay.ca academy of judges and will be used to determine the 2013 Top 50 Restaurants in Canada List, which will include a second annual People’s Choice winner (won last year by Ottawa’s Atelier).

Winners will be announced in April 2013, in conjunction with the unveiling of the 2013 Top 50 Restaurants in Canada List. In April 2012, Vacay.ca was the first publication to ever compile a list of Canada’s 50 best restaurants — and it was a huge success thanks to our audience members like Deborah Son!