The first Airdrie Made Awards celebrating the ingenuity, creativity, craftmanship and hard work of Airdrie makers, creators, craftspeople and businesses was held Feb. 5 at the McKee and NuVista showhomes in Cooper’s Crossing. The showhomes were crowded as guests sampled the tastes and checked out all 26 entries that were “made in Airdrie and curated in Cooper’s.”
Paul Gerla of WestMark Holdings, the developer of Cooper’s Crossing, who sponsored the first awards program, was impressed.
“The showcase of delicious food and drink, remarkable products and crafts, all made by our friends and neighbours right here in Airdrie, was a real treat. I’ll certainly be looking to pick up some of the new things I discovered. “
He added that any opportunity to highlight the work being done by members of the community is a worthwhile endeavour. “As Airdrie’s only local developer, we’re inspired by these creative people and we try to put the same homegrown spirit into our project – Cooper’s crossing. A big thanks to airdrielife for working with us to recognize such amazing local talent.”
Six judges representing Cooper’s Crossing, airdrielife, Airdrie Chamber of Commerce and Airdrie Economic Development had a full day of tasting, sampling and reviewing all of the entries. It was much harder than they had expected, noting the quality and variety of products presented was impressive.
“Judging the 1st Annual Made in Airdrie Awards was a real pleasure,” said Tara Levick, economic development officer with the City of Airdrie. “I’ve always known we have amazing talent in Airdrie, making incredible products, but to see them all under one roof was truly inspiring. The quality of products, uniqueness of branding and the ability to tell their story showcased our community’s entrepreneurial spirit.”
The winning products are:
Maxi Foods – Taste
Your Local Ranch Pepperoni Sticks – Taste runner-up
Fitzsimmons Brewing Co. – Taste runner-up
Attitude Dance Wear – Fashion
Airdrie Woodworks – Craft
Lamb’s Soapworks – Beauty/Wellness
Airdrie Furniture Revival – Home
An overall award Product of the Year was also awarded to Lamb’s Soapworks. airdrielife will be featuring profiles of the winners in upcoming issues. Publisher Sherry Shaw-Froggatt hopes to grow the program in 2020. “I’d really like to see this evolve and grow so we can continue to showcase so many wonderful products that are created right here in our community.”
All the entries from this year’s program can still be viewed here
