Halal food fest brings ideas, products to Toronto

Toronto – The Halal Food Fest Toronto will host more than 200 halal restaurants, bakeries, manufacturers, specialty stores and artisan vendors July 14-15 at The International Centre in Mississauga, Ont.

Unique menu items being served this year include Fusion Bihari Kebab Pizza from Fusion Bites, Afghan Dumplings from Halal Fine Foods, Hand Pulled Noodles from Orient Express, Kunafa from Kunafa’s and Butter Chicken Poutine from BBQ Bros, festival organizers said in a news release.

This year’s show expects to attract over 35,000 visitors from around the Greater Toronto Area and across the border, the release said.

“The Muslim population in Canada is the fastest-growing religious group and the needs of this market continue to grow,” said Faizal Kagdi and Salima Jivraj, co-founders of Halal Food Festival Toronto. “Foodies – Muslim or not – are always excited to attend each year to see what new things they can try during the two-day festival’

The event is meant to give visitors a glimpse of the multicultural community while giving insight into the industry, sourcing and halal education.

This year’s opening ceremony will be hosted by Mark Strong, in-arena host for the Toronto Raptors, on July 14 at 3 p.m. on the Redpath Stage. HMA Canada (Halal Monitoring Authority) will present a session on the value and importance of halal certification. Also planned is Cake Walk, an annual cake-decorating competition, featuring as judges MasterChef Canada finalist Reem Ahmed and Michigan-based MasterChef contestant Amanda Saab.

Launches this year will include Carne Jerky Co., with their new brand of halal, made-in-Canada Angus beef jerky, and Centrale Bergham with its quick-service franchise based out of Quebec.

The festival is funded in part by the Ontario government.