Starter Company Plus Recovery

A new COVID-19 recovery program offered through the Grey County Business Enterprise Centre is providing 45 small businesses from across the region with one-time funding. The Starter Company Plus Recovery Program assists small businesses with grants of $2,500 to help them reopen and maintain operations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 80 applications were received for the program with the highest number coming from the tourism and retail sectors.

“COVID-19 is having a dramatic impact on many newer small businesses. The Starter Company Plus Recovery Program assists small businesses that have been in operation for one to five years and find themselves with unexpected reopening costs. These could be expenses related to physical changes or business model changes,” explains Courtney Miller, manager of the Grey County Businesses Enterprise Centre.

Recovery grants will have an impact across Grey County. Successful applications were approved for businesses in all nine local municipalities. Applications were open for the program from July 1 to July 15. Funding for the Starter Company Plus Recovery Program is provided by the Province of Ontario and Grey County.

Now located at the newly renovated Sydenham Campus, the Business Enterprise Centre provides entrepreneurs throughout Grey County with the information, tools and guidance needed to successfully start, expand and grow their small business. To learn more, visit MadeInGrey.ca/Business-Enterprise-Centre.

Add that to services dedicated to supporting students’ well-being and an 89.7% grad employment rate and it’s easy to see how

On August 12, Riverstone Retreat hosted an event organized and coordinated by charitable organization Elephant Thoughts and Chef Zach Keeshig. The event showcased the partners’ Indigenous agriculinary teaching partnership.

Riverstone Retreat Centre has been a quiet oasis on the Saugeen River just outside of Durham for years. It boasts beautiful buildings created in part from materials found on the property (including a cobblestone inn and a smaller eco-nest cottage), a pavilion, sleeping cabooses, outdoor recreation facilities and more. Many weddings, conferences, workshops and other gatherings have taken place in this magical spot over the past 2 decades.

In May, the Collingwood based charitable foundation Elephant Thoughts took over ownership and management of the retreat center, which was originally built by Ernie and Edith Martin and is located on their farm property. One of the group’s many projects includes Indigenous food education. Grey County chef Zach Keeshig has been working with a group of five young Indigenous women (from Neyaashiinigmiing, Kenora and Iqaluit). They’re

learning culinary skills including foraging and seasonal recipe development using food from the Martins’ ample gardens.

The lunch on August 12 was an opportunity for the learners to show off their skills. And what a spread! The nine-course menu featured dishes including wild herb cured rainbow trout and bannock, lamb tartare on kale flatbread, whitefish with wood sorrel and cattail cooked in birchbark, sous vide tenderloin and wild juniper braised beef tongue ravioli with turkey tail mushroom jus, chicory root and duck egg “popsicle”, maple tart (see photo) and more. Most of the foods were grown, raised and foraged on the Riverstone site or from nearby Grey County suppliers.

It was a spectacular showcase of the rich food heritage of the Ojibway people.

To book a private meal with chef Zach, find “Chef Zach Keeshig” on Facebook.

For more information about the Riverstone facilities and programs, see riverstoneretreat.com.

RECIPES BY CHEF ZACK KEESHIG

Wild Grape Sorbet Ingredients • 2 quarts of wild forged grapes (or tart blue skinned jelly grapes like Concords) • 2 sprigs of lavender • 3 cups of simple syrup (equal parts organic cane sugar to water) 1.5 cups sugar to 1.5 cups water

Rosehip Sorbet Ingredients • 2 quarts of handpicked rosehips • 3 cups of simple syrup - 1.5 cups sugar to 1.5 cups water

WILD GRAPE SORBET

To make simple syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Once completed, set off to the side to cool.

To make grape sorbet: After you have foraged your wild grapes, give them a very good wash under cold water. Pick away any stems or vines that may still be attached. After the grapes have been cleaned, place them into a medium saucepan with the lavender. Turn to a medium heat. We want the grapes to release their natural juices. This should take about five minutes or so then, and the grapes should be cooked down to a jam like consistency. Once the jam consistency is created, we want to put it into a high-powered blender, pureeing the mixture. Next, strain the mixture through a very fine mesh strainer, catching the seeds, skins, excess lavender, etc. (anything we don’t want in the sorbet). Now our grape puree, flavored with lavender, is ready for the simple syrup. This part of the recipe is to taste as well as consistency. We want to add just enough

simple syrup to sweeten the puree and make the base liquidly smooth. Time to freeze. This step is done in stages. We want to puree the mixture completely, then once frozen we puree it one more time. We do this to ensure the ice crystals are broken down and as smooth as possible. Serve how you like!

ROSEHIP SORBET

See simple syrup above.

To make rosehip sorbet: Begin by using a paring knife to clean the seeds and the tiny hair like fibers from the inside. Once completed give them a very good wash under cold water. In a medium saucepan add the rosehips and half of your simple syrup. Rosehips are unlike grapes or berries, and they need to sit in liquid to cook them. Once the rose hips have been simmering in the simple syrup and are cooked through completely (they will soften and break down) puree in a high-powered blender. Strain your mixture through a fine mesh sieve to help ensure you have gotten any non-pureed pieces out. Check for sweetness and consistency, then freeze, and puree once more for a smooth rosehip sorbet. *It is better to forage these ingredients in the fall, or even better, after the first snowfall. It helps to sweeten them naturally.

| 595 9th Avenue East Owen Sound ON N4K 3E3 SAVANNA MYERS Director of Economic Development, Tourism & Culture savanna.myers@grey.ca 519-372-0219 x 1261 STEVE FURNESS Manager of Economic Development steve.furness@grey.ca 519-372-0219 x 1255

PHILLY MARKOWITZ Economic Development Officer – Local Food philly.markowitz@grey.ca 519-372-0219 x 6125

TAYLOR CORFIELD Business Enterprise Coordinator taylor.corfield@grey.ca 519-372-0219 x 1297 JACINDA RUDOLPH Economic Development Officer Jacinda.rudolph@grey.ca 519-372-0219 x 1270

MELISSA AVEDESIAN Local Immigration Partnership Coordinator Melissa.Avedesian@grey.ca 519-372-0219 x 6108

BRENT FISHER Manager of Community Development & Marketing 808 2nd Avenue East Owen Sound, ON N4K 2H4 bfisher@owensound.ca 519-376-4440 x. 1254 www.owensound.ca

JANET SPERLING Manager of Strategic Initiatives 21 Trowbridge Street West, Meaford, ON N4L 1A1 jsperling@meaford.ca 519-538-1060, ext. 1102 www.meaford.ca

DAVE MILLINER Chief Administrative Officer and Acting Economic Development Officer 185667 Grey Road 9 Dundalk, ON N0C 1B0 dmilliner@southgate.ca 519-923-2110, ext. 210 www.southgate.ca

APRIL MARSHALL Economic Development Manager 341 10th St.reet Hanover, ON N4N 1P5 amarshall@hanover.ca t 519.364.2780 x 1253 www.hanover.ca

PATTY SINNAMON CAO Clerk 316837 Highway 6, RR1 Chatsworth, ON N0H 1G0 psinnamon@chatsworth.ca 519-794-3232, Ext. 124 www.chatsworth.ca

LAURA JOHNSTON Chief Administrative Officer 402813 Grey Rd 4, RR 2, Durham, ON N0G 1R0 ljohnston@westgrey.com 519-369-2200 www.westgrey.com COURTNEY MILLER Business Enterprise Manager courtney.miller@grey.ca 519-371-3232

KIMBERLY TROMBLEY Administrative Assistant - Economic Development, Tourism & Culture kimberly.trombley@grey.ca 519-372-0219, ext. 6120

TIM HENDRY Manager of Communications & Economic Development 32 Mill St., Box 310 Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0 thendry@thebluemountains.ca 519-599-3131 ext 282 www.thebluemountains.ca

JOHN NORTON Chief Administrative Officer 177964 Grey Road 18 R.R. #3 Owen Sound, ON N4K 5N5 jnorton@georgianbluffs.ca 519-376-2729 www.georgianbluffs.on.ca

MICHELE HARRIS Director, Economic & Community Development 206 Toronto St., Unit 1 Markdale, ON N0C 1H0 harrism@greyhighlands.ca 519-986-1216 ext. 221 www.greyhighlands.ca

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