THUNDER BAY -- More than half a dozen restaurants want hungry people to think North this month.
Tuesday marks the start of the first ever Northern Delights Culinary Celebration, with seven restaurants in the downtown North core coming together and offering special meals for a special price. For either $25 or $35 diners can get a prix fixe meal showcasing the best of the area's menus.
"The whole goal of it is to get people out of their houses, out of hibernation, get them out exploring the city," city tourism manager Paul Pepe said.
But it's also about celebrating the culinary tourism explosion the city's seeing right now. Redlion Smokehouse head chef and owner John Murray said right now on any given weekend, half of the people at his restaurant are American.
"We're certainly seeing a real upswing," he said.
Murray said it's exciting to see the area have enough restaurants to host a culinary festival. Based on Toronto's Winterlicious, the group eventually wants to see it become an annual city-wide event.
"It's really an excellent chance to show diners how great we all get along and how cooperative of an industry it is," Murray said.
Pepe said the city's culinary scene is getting noticed outside of the region.
"They're the ones that are really coming on line with new things, new ideas there are new choices new options," he said.
If every tourist to Thunder Bay spent $25 at a restaurant, that would be around $13 million in economic activity every year Pepe said.
