Meet in the Middle in Olds, Alberta

In celebration of Canada's first-ever Agriculture Day, yesterday I had the pleasure of participating in "Meet In the Middle" alongside 149 other people from around the province in Olds, Alberta. Hosted at the beautiful Willow Lane Barn, the event brought together farmers, entrepreneurs, brewers, chefs, promoters, producers, cultural ambassadors, influencers (and a bit of everyone in between) to share their ideas and stories over an incredible five course meal. 

Despite the limited time we all had, I met quite a few people from a variety of careers and backgrounds who had some amazing experiences to share. My own travels and projects around Alberta made it easy to find overlapping stories, and from there the opportunities to network presented themselves. More importantly, the event provided a spotlight for a lot of the amazing businesses and producers operating in Alberta. 

From beef to bison to beer, the options for eating local have never been more varied. Likewise, the potential for collaborations between agriculture, tourism, and small business have never been trendier or more relevant for maintaining momentum. "Meet in the Middle" was an easy excuse to connect talented chefs with food producers, influencers with Alberta brands, and established agricultural businesses with the up-and-comers. The fire has already started, but gatherings like this are a great way to create new sparks.  

At the end of the day, it's impossible to leave an event like this and not feel inspired by how passionate everyone is about what they do. The energy is infectious. It's also a reminder of how much amazing food is produced locally, and how fundamental agriculture is to the continued development of our region. There's no question that a lot can be accomplished just by sharing a few ideas around the dinner table. I for one can't wait to see what's next!    

A post shared by Luke Fandrich (@editingluke) on Feb 16, 2017 at 8:11pm PST

Downtown Calgary, Alberta: Part 3

A continuation of my photo set from downtown Calgary, Alberta.

Vulcan Statue in Birmingham, Alabama

Located in Birmingham, Alabama, the Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world. Symbolic of the city's roots in the iron and steel industry, it was originally built as Birmingham's entry into the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. After a few decades of uncertainty and mixed uses, the Vulcan statue eventually found a permanent home at the top of Red Mountain, an urban park overlooking downtown Birmingham, in 1936 (dedicated in 1939).

The Vulcan statue sits at the top of a 126 foot pedestal where visitors can view the surrounding area from an open air observation platform. It was also a great precursor for exploring Birmingham's historic Sloss Furnaces the following day. The Vulcan statue derives its name from the God of fire, metalworking, and the forge in Ancient Roman mythology. 

Vulcan statue buns of steel (or cast iron technically).