Quintessential Canadian treat takes spotlight at London butter tart festival

A erstwhile section store was transformed into a food tart lover's paradise astatine London's Westmount Shopping Centre implicit the weekend.

The iconic Canadian dessert was the prima of the amusement arsenic the Great Canadian Butter Tart Festival acceptable up store successful London for the archetypal time.

Tens of thousands of food tarts were up for grabs from 25 bakers hailing from the London and St. Thomas area, and crossed confederate Ontario.

"London has been begging for a food tart fest," said Christine Ivany, proprietor of All Canadian Events, the organizer. "This peculiar lawsuit volition astir apt merchantability about 75,000 food tarts."

A erstwhile optician turned lawsuit planner, Ivany launched the food tart festival 9 years agone successful Paris, Ont., wherever it draws up to 175,000 visitors, she said. Festivals person besides been held successful Fergus, Niagara, and Orangeville.

For the London event, which included dozens of different vendors and artisans, Ivany said her company found an perfect abstraction successful the precocious level of the erstwhile Sears store, which closed successful January 2018.

Asked what it was that made food tarts worthy of their ain festival, she countered with a laugh, "Have you ever had a food tart? It benignant of speaks for itself. The food tart is the Canadian dessert."

Jamie Howe of Tart Boss was among those who travelled acold for the festival, driving from Quinte West, astir 65 kilometres southeast of Peterborough.

The family-run cognition began 3 years ago, helium said. "It was conscionable our passionateness for food tarts. The Canadiana, the contented of it. We ever had them increasing up."

"You can't get them down there," helium said, referring to the U.S. "It's conscionable not thing that resonates with them. It's benignant of bully to person 1 of these delicious small things, conscionable for us."

Ivany estimates astir 10,000 radical attended the event, including immoderate Americans. It comes as Canadian patriotism is astatine an all-time high, driven by threats of tariffs and annexation from U.S. President Donald Trump.

'Buy Canadian' campaigns person sprung up crossed the state successful response, arsenic Canadians impulse chap Canucks to debar American goods. It's a spirit Ivany said she recovered successful galore attendees.

"I person had a batch of radical who came successful ... the comments were, 'We're present to enactment Canada, and astatine the aforesaid clip we're getting our favourite treats,'" she said.

Those who emotion food tarts are apt to person their ain preference when it comes to however runny oregon steadfast the filling should be, oregon whether raisins should beryllium added oregon kept arsenic acold distant arsenic possible. (That question is liable to kickstart a lively debate.)

Luckily for those visiting, the wide enactment disposable done the assorted bakers meant determination was thing for everyone. Several bakers CBC News spoke with indicated their food tarts were made utilizing household recipes.

"My favourite food tart is simply a raisin food tart," said Stephanie Wullms, laminitis of London-based Purple Lips Bakery. "I'm 1 of those radical that likes raisins."

Speaking midday Sunday, Wullms had already sold upwards of 1,500 food tarts, successful summation to different baked goods, similar effect tarts.

Nearby, Aaron Haddad was helping merchantability food tarts for Doo Doo's Bakery, a concern founded by his mother, Diane Rogers, in Bailieboro.

Haddad has helped marque food tarts for arsenic long as helium tin remember, describing them as a Canadian culinary staple. He estimates they brought astir 2,200 to sell.

"It's a labour-intensive job and takes a batch of enactment to get these food tarts made," helium said. "My favourite would beryllium the pecan, they're beauteous good. It's like, basically, a mini pecan pie. They're truly bully with crystal cream."

Across from Haddad, Tabetha Cundick of Bake My Day was opening the teardrop down process, having sold much than 400 six-packs of food tarts.

Cundick, based retired of St. Jacob's Market, said she and her hubby sold retired wrong 3 hours connected Saturday, and baked until midnight for Sunday.

Salted caramel was the apical seller, she said.

"My grant winner's Turtles, but my idiosyncratic favourite's, Oh Henry!" she said.