Monday, June 15, 2009

A Bit of Thunder Bay Flavour with Bobby Flay

Any good foodie knows the name Bobby Flay and for those culinary avids watching "Grill It" on the Food Network this past weekend, some of the flavours of Thunder Bay and region were showcased by someone familiar to those in the local outdoor community.

Anybody who watches outdoor television knows of Rugged Dude Carson - yes, that is his legal name!. R.D., to those of us that known him for years, has been a staple of the American outdoors media market for a few years and he hails right from Thunder Bay. You may have seen the "camo" truck around town or caught his show on the local CTV affiliate. His show has been picked up at various times by as many as 6 cable and satellite stations and his comedic style and down to earth approach to enjoying the outdoors has won him adoring fans, largely in the U.S.

So what do Bobby Flay and Rugged Dude have in common. Rugged Dude is someone that appreciates the culinary side of our fantastic wild fish and game and a couple of his recipes made the cut to be featured on last weekend's Grill It episode with R.D. himself cooking with the great chef. Stuffed whole Chinook Salmon, Venison chops with blueberry chocolate sauce and blueberry Bannock were all cooked and featured on the episode, showcasing the flavours of our back yard to the international audience.

As part of promoting sustainable tourism, encouraging the responsible harvesting, catching and preparation of local fish and meats combined with the use of local vegetables and herbs, cheeses and breads, helps showcase our unique culture and supports local farmers. Its great to see local tourism partners like R.D. having the passion and taking tit to levels that have given him, and us, a higher profile with one of the planet's most well known chefs and his loyal audience.

The catch the recipes or check out the episode online, click on http://www.foodnetwork.com/grill-it-with-bobby-flay/index.html and visit R.D.'s site at www.officiallyrugged.com.

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