Projects and Focus

Parry’s current work is centered on strengthening Prince Edward Island’s local food system, supporting the people within it and creating practical ways for communities to connect, learn and participate.

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PEI Food Strong

PEI Food Strong is a Canadian social enterprise that is building a more connected, inclusive and resilient food system for Prince Edward Island.

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It brings together the people who grow, catch, make, sell, serve, cook and share food, along with retailers, the hospitality industry, institutions, community organizations and those who shape policy and deliver services.

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Its work includes practical support for food businesses, strengthening connections across the Island, community food education and the development of digital tools that will make local food, food experiences, resources and opportunities easier to find.

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Learn more about PEI Food Strong and how it works.

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PEI Cooks and PEI Good Eats

PEI Good Eats is a Facebook home-cooking community of more than 21,000 members who share recipes, food knowledge, recommendations and Island food traditions.

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PEI Cooks turns that community energy into practical projects.

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Its first major publishing project, PEI Cooks at Home: A Taste of Prince Edward Island, brought together 79 Island home cooks and 150 of their recipes. The community helped create, improve and promote the book, which sold out multiple times (the first time in 8 hours!)

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The work has expanded to include weekly newspaper columns, community cooking workshops, local food promotion and the next community-created book, Preserving PEI. (Out in September.)

 

At Parry’s Table

At Parry’s Table is a multimedia series that will bring together food, conversation and the stories behind both.

Rooted in Prince Edward Island but not limited by geography, the series will feature home cooks, farmers, fishers, producers, bakers, chefs, newcomers, elders and others whose experiences shape the way we understand food and community.

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The guiding idea is simple: Come for the food. Stay for the stories.

 

Current Areas of Focus

• strengthening local food resilience and self-reliance

• helping small food businesses establish themselves, grow and reach new markets

• supporting food preservation, cooking skills and shared knowledge

• connecting producers with retailers, hospitality, institutions and consumers

• developing digital tools that make Island food easier to find and support

• cooking classes and workshops 

• community canning sessions to can and take it home

• newcomer and multigenerational cooking events

• recipe boxes that contain everything you need to make a recipe, like Pho

• building community-led publishing, storytelling and educational projects

• creating stronger connections among existing organizations, programs and communities

 

Across all of this work, the focus remains the same: understand what people need, identify what is missing and build practical ways forward with community at the core.