Owners of Highview Food & Drink in downtown Southampton, Eugene and Noelle Barone. Noelle’s veal creation is among the top three for the Veal Farmers of Ontario’s search for the province’s best veal sandwich. Eugene and Noelle opened the Highview this summer and are seen here in the midst of renovations in preparation for their opening. 

The Veal Farmers of Ontario (VFO) have been on the search for Ontario’s best veal sandwich. They have narrowed it down to three finalists and Highview Food & Drink in Southampton is among them.

In a November 15 press release, VFO introduced a panel of judges that will crown Ontario’s Best Veal Sandwich 2016 at the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo on Saturday, November 19. The finalists, selected from the province-wide search, will go head-to-head on the Gastropost Chef Stage at 5 p.m.

“After weeks of searching we are looking forward to crowning a winner,” said Jennifer Haley, Executive Director, VFO. “We’re truly delighted to include such entertaining media personalities – and our consumer winner – in the final leg of our quest for Ontario’s Best Veal Sandwich.”

John Catucci is no stranger to the search for the best of the best. As host of You Gotta Eat Here! on Food Network Canada, this charismatic funnyman has trekked to every corner of the country to check out everything from the nation’s trendiest hotspots to the most remote gastronomic diamonds-in-the-rough.

Cookbook author and radio and TV personality Chef Jo Lusted will bring her unbridled energy and enthusiasm to the judging table. A fan of any food-related adventures, her down-to-earth approach and appreciation for unpretentious food makes her an excellent choice for this exciting contest.

One lucky consumer, Keith Strickland from Oshawa, Ontario, will get his 15 minutes of foodie fame after winning a spot at the judges’ table, along with one night’s accommodations at a local hotel and VIP tickets to the Expo.

Throughout October, veal sandwich aficionados across Ontario submitted more than 500 nominations via social media and ontariovealappeal.ca.

“We were delighted by the genuine enthusiasm that consumers showed for their favourite veal sandwich,” said Haley. “It’s great to see the vast reach of Ontario’s Veal Appeal.”

The nominations went through an initial evaluation process, including verifying that the sandwiches were made with Ontario-raised veal. Once verified, a team of judges, to the envy of their peers, set out across the province to sample the entries of selected nominees.

In addition to Southampton’s Highview, Toronto’s Cucino Mauro and Woodbridge’s Panini Italian Sandwiches are in the running.

Their culinary creations will be put to the test in-person at the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo November 19 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.