Thousands show up to Picklefest in Toronto for pickle-inspired food and drinks

Picklefest returned to Toronto this past weekend in a big way. The second annual iteration of the event went down at Henderson Brewing on Sterling Road and takes the crown as Canada’s largest celebration for all things pickled.

The two-day event featured over fifty vendors offering specialty food and drink options that were brined, canned, marinated, cured, soured or fermented.

For pickle enthusiasts everywhere, it was kind of a big dill. 

The indoor-outdoor venue space was filled with hungry friends, families, and furry companions. Many dressed for the occasion, sporting the coveted Picklefest merch and everything from green crocs to full-on pickle costumes. 

The food and drink festival also had live music, some pickle-inspired games and photo-ops. 

I stopped by several vendors excited to sample their offerings, from tangy pickled sauces and zesty kimchi to unique pickle-infused beverages.

Here’s everything I tried. 

Tullamore Dew, the official spirit partner of the event, kicked off the day by mixing up a Canadian Caesar with an Irish twist ($12). It featured Matt + Steve’s spiced cocktail rimmer, mix, and pickled beans. 

The Pickleback ($10) was a shot and chaser combo, where the award-winning whiskey was paired with Pickled Canadian’s pickle brine. 

Whether you prefer your pickles jarred or served on a stick, Pickled Canadian had you covered. The brand started 4 years ago, in 2020, and is now available in 200 retail stores.

The Canadian-grown, Canadian-made brand offered a taste of their Full Sour Garlic Dill Pickles for $2. 

After spotting a number of people walking around with a pickle on a stick, I couldn’t wait to try. Crunchy and juicy, the pickle had the perfect balance of sour and salty. 

Pickled Canadian was also featured in the official Picklefest Beer ($9).

The Henderson Original Pickle Lager was created with fifteen jugs of the all-natural pickle brine. It had a crisp, dill-liscious flavour, perfect for the sunny and warm October weather we experienced this past weekend.

Local restaurant Island Oysters had two PEI oysters available (4 for $11.50) with all the usual accompaniments like lemon, horseradish, apple shallot mignonette, cocktail sauce and a special Picklefest feature, a pickled chanterelle mignonette. 

The Island Emerald was a larger, full-bodied oyster with a smoky brine and rich finish. The Conway Pearl, my favourite of the two, was a smaller cocktail oyster that was bright, crisp, and perfectly salty. 

You can’t attend an event like Picklefest without trying something a little out of the ordinary. At Dipped Donuts, they came up with the Tickle My Pickle Donut ($3.50).

This donut is like nothing I had ever tried before. Hot and served fresh, it featured a pickle glaze, chamoy drizzle, extra hot cheetos, and dehydrated pickle topping. 

Toronto’s Chef Sang Kim was serving up containers of his homemade Kickass Kimchi ($10) and some messy but extra delicious Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwiches ($15). 

The Kickass Kimchi comes from a recipe passed down on his mom’s side of the family for 270 years.

Chef Kim explained traditional pogi kimchi is made with whole-head cabbage that undergoes a long fermentation and in Korea, is traditionally prepared in large quantities to last through the cold months. This big preparation and sharing of food with the community is called kimjang.

For the grilled cheese, Chef Kim used a quick fermented kimchi pureed into an almost sauce-like consistency.

The result was a grilled cheese that was golden and crisp on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside. The kimchi added the right amount of punchiness to the sandwich and took a classic grilled cheese to a whole other level.

At Romi’s Bakery, I had one of my favourite bites of the day, the Schnitzel Pita ($10). Served in their homemade cloud pita, the crispy fried panko-crusted chicken schnitzel came with a pickle aioli, sliced dill pickles, and shredded lettuce. 

Chef and owner Tomer Markovitz, let me in on what went into the aioli – Moroccan paprika, schug (garlic and herbs), and shifka pepper to amp up the heat, amongst a few other secret ingredients. 

To finish my pickle tour, I stopped by Purple Tongue Hot Sauce, to sample the Dill Bomb ($15), which owner Michael Corvese developed for this year’s event. 

The Dill Bomb features two hot peppers – the haunted doll house and the yellow 7 pot. It has a medium-hot intensity with a horseradish kick, and like many of Purple Tongue’s hot sauces, Corvese doesn’t play around when it comes to heat. 

“I make hot sauce for heat seekers,” he shared with me. He started the business 4 years ago with 4 flavours and has since expanded to 15 different sauces. 

Picklefest Toronto attracted over 7,000 attendees during the two day festival. Each day was completely sold out. Expect it to be back again in Toronto next year.