Waterloo Region’s farm gate food scene is showcased on FARM TO FORK

May 09, 2023

Waterloo Region, ON - Waterloo Region’s farm-to-table food culture is the focus of a new series that has launched on Bell FibeTV1.

FARM TO FORK is a new six-part food and lifestyle television series that follows renowned Waterloo Region chef and culinary entrepreneur Nick Benninger as he explores some of the best farms the region has to offer. Through Chef Nick’s culinary skills and passion for locally sourced ingredients, viewers will develop an appreciation for the value and quality of locally sourced produce. They will not only experience the producers’ passion for their products, viewers will also see how to cook these delicious ingredients as Chef Nick prepares meals using the produce sourced from the local farms.

"Our local farmers and the amazing foods they produce helped shape me into the chef I am today,” says Chef Nick, who is also owner of the Fat Sparrow Group. “It was an honour to showcase these farmers and have a lot of fun doing it. As a farm to fork chef, shedding light on who these farmers are, how hard they work and the great foods they’re producing has really been a dream for me.”

Set almost entirely against the backdrop of Waterloo Region’s rich farmland, FARM TO FORK showcases the thriving community of artisan farmers who sell at their farm gates or at one of Waterloo Region’s many farmers’ markets. The six farms featured in the series are:

Oakridge Acres Country Meat Store in Ayr
Fall Harvest Farm in Wellesley
Mountain Oak Cheese in New Hamburg
Shuh Orchards in West Montrose
Wisahkotewinowak Produce Garden in Kitchener
Jewels Under the Kilt in Fergus

More information regarding FARM TO FORK as well as a link to the official series trailer can be found here. The series was produced by Ballinran Entertainment in partnership with Explore Waterloo Region.

"I knew the region had a rich agricultural heritage and Nick was an inspired chef, but what really amazed me was that the dedication these farmers have to their produce is so palatable you can taste it,” says Farm to Fork producer Julian Wierzbicki. "Take a pinch of the region’s agricultural heritage, a passionate local farmer’s naturally raised produce, stir in some of Chef Nick’s signature open-fire cooking and you have the ingredients for something truly special.”

“Explore Waterloo Region is thrilled to partner on the "Farm to Fork" initiative that showcases our incredible culinary scene,” said Michele Saran, CEO at Explore Waterloo Region. “It is our hope that people will be inspired to visit our Region and try all the wonderful dining and shopping experiences for themselves!”

FARM TO FORK is available now on Bell Fibe TV, channel 1 and the Fibe TV app.

Source : Explore Waterloo

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.