Buttertart_festivalPoster.
MUSKOKA - The debates about butter tarts are endless and the rivalries intense. On Friday, July 6, Muskoka Life magazine intends to wade into the thick of it.
The Muskoka Life Butter Tart Festival is a chance for some of the region’s best bakers to show their stuff.
At least ten of the region’s best bakers will gather, with their tarts, at James Bartleman Island Park in Port Carling to show their wares to the public and the judges.
Pamela Steel, a cookbook author and food writer who is also the editor of the Bracebridge Examiner, will lead a team of judges who will wade into the fray.
“We’ve been asking people to nominate their favourite tarts, and they’ve responded enthusiastically,” said Steel. “People are passionate about their baked goods.”
Members of the public will get a chance to choose their favourites. For $5, they will be able to buy a pair of tickets, each one good for one tart. A People’s Choice award will be among the awards presented.
Regardless of who wins, the event is sure to do some good. The bakers are donating their tarts, and the proceeds from tart tickets will be divided between the Muskoka Lakes Museum and the Muskoka Children’s Foundation.
The lineup of bakers is still being finalized at press time, but among those expected to attend are Don’s Bakery, the Coffee Cabin, Humble Pie, Mrs. K’s, Erika’s Wildflower Bakery, The Farmer’s Daughter, and Wheat Free Delights.
The festival takes place from 1- 3 p.m.. Results, along with butter tart recipes, will appear in the August issue of Muskoka Life.