With a little help from my friends

The hand model in the above photo is my brother-in-law, Ian. Little did he know that showing up early for the World’s Longest Barbecue would earn him praise and a shift on the grill. With my wrist still under protective custody, I lassoed everyone into service.

While Ian grilled, Connie and my sister Robin threaded the souvlaki and maple-whisky beef kebabs.

But we wouldn’t have had either if my younger sister Allison, hadn’t cut and marinated all the meat. I didn’t feel bad roping her into an afternoon of slicing and dicing. After all, I took on dish duty when she cut her hand, so we’re even.

Oh, wait. She then helped me make the ice cream. Rats! I’m now in her culinary debt.

Thanks to the efforts of all the guests, we dined on a range of dishes inspired by local ingredients. I didn’t get a shot of all the culinary creations that arrived, but here are some of the items from the food table. We gobbled up an in-season version of Rouxbe’s recipe for Grilled Vegetable Olivada.

Dan’s watermelon and Canadian feta salad with mint drew rave reviews. He gets bonus points for bringing it in its own carved carrier. Martha would be so proud.

Katharine’s new potatoes with Canadian Stilton and chives were a lovely twist on a classic combination.

And for dessert? Butter tarts and homemade ice cream — maple walnut, of course.

Looking over the menu, it’s nothing like what I submitted to Flavours of Canada. But it was local and delicious, and it wouldn’t have happened without the help of many hands — none of them my own.