This year, kick off your August with a party - one with a very specific theme: celebrating the various flavours and tastes of Canada's culinary scene. Food Day Canada is in town and we're looking forward to seeing what some of our favourite Canadian restaurants have planned. Created by author and activist Anita Stewart in 2003, Food Day Canada was initially known as the World's Longest BBQ, and was a movement created to aid and support farmers who's industry was damaged by the Mad Cow crisis. Now in it's 13th year, this event has morphed and taken on the shape of something truly unique and Canadian - and goes beyond beef to all produce, dairy and meat from Canada. This is a day to champion Canadian food and enjoy the local foods you have access to in this country.

Anita Stewart. Picture from: The Canadian Food Experience Project: Anita Stewart

According to Stewart, "the goal of Food Day Canada is to celebrate the farmers, fishers, processors and chefs who make this the most exciting time to be alive in the food life of Canada." At Restaurants Canada, we believe that this is important - not only to create a sense of Canadian identity, but to recognize and find pride for the great food and talent that we have in our country. Festivities for this year's event kick off in St. John's tomorrow with a 7,000 person event and on August 1st, join 250 restaurants from across Canada by having a truly Canadian meal - participating restaurants will feature a special Food Day Canada menu.  Not in a restaurant? You're in luck, home cooks! Stewart urges home cooks to take photos and to share with the Food Day Canada community through social media - cook, snap and share! Make sure to follow Food Day Canada's hashtag at #FDC2015 and/or #CanadaISfood.

Food Day Canada is a special event for Canadians - not only does it help inspire chefs across the country to include more Canadian and local foods into their menus, but it is really an expression of what it means to be Canadian - and it unites us in the best way possible. Food is something Canadians are quite passionate about, and each region has their own culture and style they add to their dishes. As a country with people from all different parts of the world and each regional place having their own distinctive cultural traditions, any opportunity to better understand what it means to be Canadian is one that should be welcomed. As Stewart puts it, Food Day Canada is "a gift to ourselves - it's our gift to Canada."

Restaurants are participating by creating a special limited time Canadian inspired menu for you to choose from.

If you're wondering if there are any restaurants in your area that you can try out, just check out the Food Day Canada site for a list of participating restaurants. Check out some of our participating member restaurants:

- Beckta Dining and Wine - Ottawa
- Le Select Bistro - Toronto
- And finally, our very own Board Member, Liam Dolan's popular Claddagh Oyster House in Charlottetown 

Happy Food Day Canada, everyone!