P.O. Box 1749 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3A5 Canada Item No. 11.5.5 REVISED Request for Council’s Consideration X Included on Agenda Added Item Request from the Floor (Submitted to Municipal (Submitted to Municipal Clerk’s Office by Noon Clerk’s Office by Noon Thursday) Monday) Date of Council Meeting: Tuesday, October 20, 2015 Subject: Donair: Official food of Halifax Regional Municipality Motion for Council to Consider: Halifax Regional Council request a staff report to consider approving the Donair as the Official Food of Halifax Regional Municipality Reason: The Donair is Halifax’s most unique and famous delicacy. The recipe for the Donair was founded by Peter Gamalakos. He opened Halifax’s first Donair shop, The King of Donair on Quinpool Road in 1973. The Donair was a staple food item for families and students in the area. It has since become an iconic food and symbol of Halifax Regional Municipality and Nova Scotia. The Province of Nova Scotia has advertised the Donair across Canada to attract tourism and the Downtown Halifax Business Commission has used it to promote downtown Halifax. Visitors come to Halifax to experience their first Donair. The Donair has brought recognition to Halifax unlike any other food. Examples of where it has been noted: - National Geographic’s World Best Cities - Numerous versions of Air Canada’s EnRoute Magazines - Halifax Magazine - Halifax Herald - CNN’s Anthony Bourdain sought out a Donair and ate one while attending the opening ceremonies at the 2013 Devour Foodfest - President’s Choice Insider’s Report - The Food Network’s Great Canadian Cookbook - Roger’s TV shows and promotion for the 2015 Blue Jays team. - The former Daily News named it Number two in its listing of Seven Wonders of Halifax, behind Citadel Hill - Described in the Globe & Mail - Classified’s music video - Culturetrip.com – Donair is one of Canada’s Eight National Dishes [Report Title] Council Report - 2 - [Meeting Date] Discussion: The Donair is made of heavily spiced ground beef that is shaped into a large loaf and roasted on a vertical rotisserie, then shaved and seared on a flat top range. The meat is placed on a thin, Lebanese-style pita and topped with tomatoes, raw onions and a sauce. The Donair Sauce is an addictively sweet blend of evaporated milk, vinegar, garlic powder and sugar. The sandwich is wrapped in tinfoil and eaten out of hand. The Donair’s unique blend of spicy meat and sweet sauce has brought recognition for Halifax unlike any other food. Many magazines, websites and articles cite the Donair as Halifax’s official food; however, we do not have this specific designation. In the summer of 2015 Edmonton Council was looking into designating their food and articles mentioned that some Edmontonians wanted the Donair as their official food, but noted that Halifax already has the Donair as our official food. The Donair was invented in Halifax Regional Municipality and we need to make this official. Outcome Sought: It has been 42 years since the Donair was invented and it has become an important part of Halifax Regional Municipality’s culture and identity. “The donair is to Halifax what the banh mi is to Saigon, the jambon-beurre to Paris. It is a quintessential Haligonian gastronomic experience, as East Coast as Jiggs dinner.” The Globe & Mail* In addition to these Cities, others are known for their foods such as Philapelphia for the cheesesteak, and Chicago for its deep dish pizza, The Donair should be proclaimed as Halifax’s official food. *Halifax’s donair: The tastiest treat you have probably never heard of - SIMON THIBAULT, Special to The Globe and Mail, Published Wednesday, Jun. 13, 2012 6:06PM EDT Councillor Linda Mosher District 9 TIONAL Nova Scotia, Canada OGRAPHIC HALIFAX ~tIanttc Canad&s ~outhful capital of breezy coastal Ii~~ng • — r ORLD’S —a • .~- •~•~ ~z ELEBRATING 220 GREAT DESTINATIONS I I Ii. VITAL STATS iguIlillI’’ t IvIii~ite a ri ,,.Ier .i,~ t•ii.i. ~iiiii Iii—. ‘.%uii ir ptT’iis ~Ieigh ri k 0i O4ii ‘rown Iirr~.t,.. ItV liiI ir.’.. ;1il4 I i,’i—skai ,llj~. (i ,nir ‘I Hill I H’~. ilii~ ii ~~iaI ~‘,i hi i’.’.aiins F~. ~Iocb , Li’’ 10~ ~cI~l, I bin9 fur ‘.ihnuit sh •i’i”’’g. ,iigl,tiih’. :inil 4Iii)tlI)~. U “•1 Nim~b~c ci Thank .4Ct~III b~Wd In I4~Il. tu Ad’IOSF.fflhII(l 150 A I~ CA irr i ‘I, — III-,.... dw~i A~.frni1cly Halifax’s Hoagies and, Yes, Wines ‘I- ~ 01 p~ I.D30 p~oa~ • I’Iiti’.c a Ii .a.’.t Li . Ni i’.~i Sci it ii\ ~ri iss’~i ig ~ Ir ii iii i~tr~. I’I ii’ ‘.ii~uiIi ‘iIi i~ nice i’. hi iiPi lInla, Pie Ca~a d~ a~iQ. tutu 71) gra)~’ ~rilI% er’ 1111 NIl it.i I i)~ rii’.l iv Wil.’.. iii ii’. ii. .talili II~I iiici *p.ii•I.lHI)~ 11111 Ve~iiH ita~.Dert. at QhIn1i~n Wine Oar I~.Itl Ilarriuigtoii SI.) aini sti~k tuji i.ii ILriijatiiin i3riii~r riii ,ncuIll liWI)i qi’rlce v~nk lwittIe~ it 6laPiop’a Cello, (1477 L,.i~cr Water SI.). .larlad I II CIa cia cCniini~j, • liii hut, r kilt.,!, i it qiti liv I t ~h’,iIIerruIlIt’~lI ihi~h. IhI’ uIn~iuiir i’~ .t 1IilIl~li,~l1 I~iwnIcr Ian’y ~%ic. In P~v~ ~ i,,Ii.ilI lb. • la”.iv. It reitl:iiw’. tile tr,~I iii, •~~1 ‘.i,lt_,1.a’.I~1 iiiiiil, ttith. spirvtl lit II ‘.Wt’.’t ~ttiiI ~iiiit’. uii.t’u I Ilil 111,1, iI”.~ 01111 ihier’I I liii. III. ill tti~ijt~ii’~I i11,..l 1lit.l. I Iii IØ~ ~5 for I,,Illlir,, ii it.’. I~I7i)s ,,,i~i,iuit,ii. KIn(i of Doi~t,I, (ir,j~i;iiiI I,ucntiu,i. 1 I~.JI) L,)%iiIl ‘.tIiirh, I~Ir1~~’.1 liii *,‘III,lt%I.’II,’* Iu..ltiI;,.;I~ Iii,, 0 s~thI.I,,s.,I lruiiichii.r. • 304 WOflW~ DI~T CIT I’~ III ~ ~II 0~ ITS INVENTOR DIDN’T LIVE lONG FNOUCH TO SEE WHAT A OCAL ICON IT WOULD BECOME—THE DONAIR’S 40-YEAR HISTORY ;I.1/7’ •‘~:‘r’i ~ E .F ~ rfl)’SteiOuS as iha rnoi~i ~, th~. uufti~ ~~i~iI’1 Lp.’ s..~d •j1 ~j~’ciii~iti ‘:‘I tI~i: ij~l ig1i~l ~il il,r~,u r.J~. Ciii CI ~ ciii ‘%‘ii I )‘~r1ii cciIi Il~i:ii ~ iniiiriii.itioii I~ll ~ ii~igi1I’. a~ hi itg Ia:,’iI ~i~w;~ I.pcr .11 A% )!JI P i.Lfl ii fl,4’,i [ii’, I I II’ %I0i’~’ (It idc ~i I) ov~’r ih~ ct-.~U.” ~ NnrmiiiI ilh.b~1 ~%.hO.~i4. I.iiiitly ~li.~’Ii% l~I.ig tiP r~ii~~ r. ~li~i ie 11 ~ Clii itI~ Ii~:~ii~I. ~v1~st St(~1 Ii’-P Al 11111 tI~C dot iiii I.i~u •uii:i ~ncI with ~iii~ of E’nnjir, ~lh it ~ I~ •‘~~‘ liii! thL to ii~Lrc,iJice th~ ihinait ii~ (‘.iii.ida ii 1i)7~ \~~)ll~~ Ii w~is p~:~p nI .i ri zcd a c’ King i~ Ikita I )t’~UL(H~ oti Q’iii ~x.a,I R~’i, 11w donal r .~_tLi.hlly i:atI t’.’ In11 ~ ~ hi ~‘ ii y~it Earl k’. Biii nit in Hal I1a~. ‘rue ~CUirig ~ I ~‘°P I l’.ui~~. Li ~1I~ ( IIflhlurii1~ Lu d.i .ckip ihi~ Cib~l C ~Iita:4 doii~ir. lk~cLiiirij riIIi’l ~l ~ lin,i, i.~ ti~’cI 4 (i~’~4 iiibini~ran! named Pe~ci III .)ILI~kD~. ~ hi~ t3tLiI.’ 11.1 (31 ,iil..i ii *)St~. i~i.I ~, Ii Ph, I ii. %oiI.i he i.acl I k~in;i I lii IX4~ g~’il)—.—a!Lt1 II 1SR’t a hLr. ~F’i~t~p[~ Lildilt [Ik~ h~ ~tI3III ii] ,IJU(I.’, ~~1’h IA~ii (,d tii~iiI •)~4I~~ I’r14’r% ~ Sn (ztiiictiLiko~ ~ei cpqil t~) ~~:<xii It into ~.)itICt]iI lIt! ii btl .iji1waIiii Lii I114a1 ta~t~’ L~i itt k ~d ii pt~’ rend iii Nova ..iII ,Lb(Il.IL ~‘,%LeI thing’c he i lk~:ite.i dinah iauii.~,’ ~iIys Leo. TIIL~ ,tai~ ci’risi~ic’:I of live tiri~dien~s: cva~,r.aIi:pi niiik~ ~ ~ I nvg.i r, g.i I I I ~ l11%v(Iet’ at 4 p+i liii, ~acon why I )aLI w iukl iiw ~‘‘~ ~{c’y wa.i lwc.Au i...yiiu p v~i Iii wil old 4tirII,’ •.,~ ~ ‘flw p.ai.iley would kill I h~i .1 fl~ wik •iwav he ~iiiclI ~P~i ~flI~1I1 T~5wi~t r~pIJ5 Ih~••~ tw~i tling Uanii~i.dqijci~ w4,rkr4 ciwii~ic ~ i~Lii;j ~. llip~ %i.iiipl ~ U Ii l~’ah ilt C Iii ~‘~i t [I t~ c ban ~vd II from f;tmb in liii bul’gi’L and I~tA, iLl P hi~iIiij~nii~ C()P~i 71 Lanpursted many spier, indudam g salt. where they were earing a donair Li their pepper cannot pepper an regano. youth orkaiowanasebodyw sohasdiseetl) DO AIR, DONER - her&s 3 tot of theta.” says Leo. W th the rob their a amy about eatIng a domes Iii sauce and incas in place. the donair was Halifax,” sap Lindn - A DCYRO? born, bat it attraetcdbttle attention at first l:er Leo Cainoujaims, the donair serves Leo attributes this to the bet that Ileeford aS an Iintioi taiL Ilaik between gelier.111ca4.