She can’t tell us where the venue is, who the chef will be or what the surprise announcement entails.
That’s all a secret.
But what Cherise McGee, manager of the Langley Community Farmers’ Market, can say is that the society’s upcoming Fall Harvest Masquerade will be a spectacular evening of celebrating local food in high style.
The fundraising event, taking place Oct. 25, will begin with guests — dressed in their finest black tie attire and masquerade masks — gathering at Kwantlen Polytechnic University for some local bubbly, before a bus whisks them off to a mystery farm setting.
There, they will dine on a four-course farm-to-table meal, created by chef Adrian Beaty and a surprise chef.
There will also be local wine and beer on tap, live music and the announcement of new additions coming to the Langley Community Farmers’ Market in 2018.
“It’s the fall harvest, we are just wanting to enjoy and experience the bounty of all of our vendors,” McGee said.
“It’s super important so that we keep the farmers going in Langley. Our goal as a market is to create a sustainable community and if we don’t celebrate the fact that we have all of these wonderful people who are allowing that to happen, then what’s the point, really?”
A major part of the event is to raise money for the Farmers’ Market Society and their many programs, including the food recovery, young entrepreneur and nutrition coupon programs.
The coupon program, in particular, is one that McGee would like to see expanded. An initiative of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, the program provides participants with $15 in coupons per week for 16 weeks to purchase fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, eggs, and more from local farmers’ markets. Community partners also provide learning opportunities with cooking demos, garden workshops and farm visits.
Currently, 25 families receive coupons in Langley, but “we want to be able to sponsor more families through this amazing program,” McGee said.
Tickets for the Fall Harvest Masquerade are $90 each and can be purchased online at www.fallharvest2017.eventbrite.ca.