Father's Day Gift Ideas for Food Lovers

My dad Jacques and me

Father's Day is on Sunday June 19th this year.  

You have no clue what to do with or for your dad, right?

My dad has been gone for a long time so I won't be celebrating Father's Day and he wasn't much of a gift guy anyway.  When we asked him what he wanted he always said "nothing", but we always got him something anyway.  He was the kind of guy that did things for himself and was the shopper in the family so he would get what he needed.  Yes that's how I learned how to shop and why I probably do the same thing.

I know some people aren't the best gift givers and really don't have a clue what to do.   I am going to help you with some really great choices.  These are all geared to the food lovers.  Maybe your dad is a DIY'er or maybe fancies himself a budding chef, or maybe he can't cook anything but likes to stay fit and healthy, or he would just prefer to spend time with you.  Well I got you covered in this list of great options for your Food Loving Dad. All of these are curated for Toronto but even if you are outside of Toronto you can use some of these ideas or some of them can be delivered or maybe a visit to Toronto is in order.

UNIQUE GIFTS

There is a great online store that has a whole section of unique gifts for Men and this Avocado Tree Starter caught my eye as a really unique gift.

RESTAURANTS

Maple Leaf Tavern has been around for decades and had bit of a reputation but the new owners have brought the place back to life with a lot of spit and polish and a whole new look and menu.  This place is beautiful and warm and comfortable to spend time in.  The food is fantastic and it is a place that you can take the family or just hang out with friends.  One side is a more formal sit down restaurant while the other side of the bar is a more bar style atmosphere with booth seating and stand up tables and the bar.  They have restored it down to the original brick and built it up in places that needed modernization.  Maple Leaf Tavern has some Father's Day Specials that will make it worth your while to take Dad and the family there for.

Mascot Brewery is a great new Restaurant/Bar located in the hip entertainment district in the centre of what I call condo ville downtown.  They just opened and have 3 levels.  On the main level is the bar/restaurant and the middle level is a club space but the upper level is a rooftop patio.  They have great burgers and fries and their own beer.  If your dad is young at heart he will love this place.

Paramount Fine Foods  is offering a free hummus and pita with every two entrees. Treat your dad to a Middle East meal in the GTA. All of their items are made in house and are fresh and healthy. The pitas are made fresh in a wood burning oven. They also have a pastry and cookie section that includes Baklava.  There are over 30 in the GTA.  
To find the nearest location: http://www.paramountfinefoods.com

Aga Khan Lam Burger

Aga Khan Museum - Why not get some culture in and check out the museum and their New Patio Menu, Highlights at Diwan include:

• A choice of chicken, lamb, and prawns ($12 each) prepared on the outside grill.

• A generous mezes platter of Middle Eastern and South Asian delights designed for sharing ($28)

• Paratha Tacos, offering an innovative twist on the traditional taco with Shawarma-style Chicken and Shirazi Salsa garnish ($7); and a range of mocktails and cocktails, featured daily.

Diwan’s full grill menu is offered 11:30 am–6 pm Tuesday to Sunday. From Thursday to Saturday, sharing platters and other light mezes are available from 6–8 pm. A full patio menu and photos can be downloaded here.

MAKE YOUR OWN BEER/WINE

Is your dad a beer connoisseur?  Do you think he would like to make his own beer?  There's a place he can learn how to do that at the Toronto Brewing Co.

If he isn't a beer drinker but fancies a great bottle of wine then he can learn about wine and make his own wine at the Wine Butler

CULINARY TOURS

Looking to give your dad an experience instead of a thing?  What about giving him a Culinary Adventure tour with the Culinary Adventure Co.

Toronto Food Tours is locally owned and operated by partners Chef Scott Savoie,  and John Anderson, a local restaurateur and pub owner for over 25 years. They are dedicated to featuring the culinary & cultural diversity of the city through Food Tours, Drink Tours, Edible Escapades, Cooking Classes  & Tastings.  

CLASSES

Is your dad a BBQ guy but he isn't always great at it?  Why not take a BBQ class with him at the  Weber Grill Academy

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES

Chef's Plate is great for those single fathers who don't have time to shop for groceries,  prep food, cook it and clean up afterward.  Yeah that's most of us.  My friend uses this service because he is a bit clueless in the kitchen and this helps him learn and make real food instead of doing take out all the time.  What they do for you is pre measure and package ingredients  and provide recipe instructions so you just open the ingredients and cook it up fresh.  It's great for small condo kitchens that don't have space to store lot's of spices and pantry ingredients.  It literally will just give you the spices and other ingredients needed for that recipe.  There is no waste except for maybe the containers it comes in.  There is always a deal to get you started too.

Rexfords Chicken Souvlaki

Rexford's is a new food system that is perfect for someone that is health conscious but doesn't have time to cook or just doesn't know what or how to make something nutritious.  They started by providing refrigerators to local gyms and stocking the pre prepped meals for people to eat after their workouts.  They have now expanded to deliver to pick up points like gyms or directly to you. All of the meals are around 500 calories and low in fat, sodium and sugar.



The Healthy Butcher is a great place for the serious meat lover to get your meat delivered directly to you.  They have other things too and you can shop for all of your Big BBQ needs.  The meat is antibiotic free and I believe organic too.  You can even order up all the fixings to your Dad's place and go and make hime a great meal while he relaxes and enjoys a great meal.

Fresh City Farms is a local food deliver service that can deliver salads in jars, lunch bag meals that you prep like the Chef's Plate meals and they deliver local produce and other products.  You set up the service you like and they will deliver it to you weekly.  You can put your order on hold if you are away and change it and modify it anytime.

EVENTS

Here's a fun idea of something you can do with your dad on Father's Day.  If he loves the combo of a beach, a brew, BBQ and music then this is the perfect event for him at Beach BBQ and BREWS

Waterfront Artisan Market (WAM) presented by The Waterfront BIA in partnership with Toronto Market Company (TMCo), brings together a carefully curated mix of 50 top artisans, crafters, chefs and bakers. This unique open-air market will take place over six weekends at HTO Park (339 Queens Quay West – between Rees Street and Spadina Avenue). Explore new items and foods from exciting up-and-coming vendors on May 28-29, June 18-19, July 1-3, July 30-Aug 1, September 3-5 and October 8-10 from 10am-6pm. Visit waterfrontartisanmarket.com for more information.

Enjoy Father's Day with your dad as long as you can because you never know when the time will come when you won't be able to so appreciate the time you have now.


*This list has been curated by me and I have not been compensated for this post.  All of the opinions are my own.  The photos are my own except for the Aga Khan Burger provided by Holmes PR and the Paramount photo provided by Liquid Communications .

Father's Day Favourite Foods

Today is Father's Day

My dad passed away when I was 22 and he was 65.  He had many different health issues his last few years but he ultimately passed because of Cancer.  Although I mostly learned how to cook from my mom, my dad loved to make his favourite breakfasts on the weekends.  My mother wasn't a big breakfast person.  She would be happy with a piece of cheese slapped on a piece of bread.  My dad on the other hand was a big bacon and eggs lover.

This morning I made some fried eggs and had some leftover bacon.  I wasn't even thinking about Father's Day but I guess it was appropriate.




I thought it might be interesting to show some of my dad's favourite dishes in honour of father's day today.  He also loved to make scrambled eggs with cheddar and pressed cottage cheese.
















My Dad was born in Greece but left when he was 10 years old but his one sister that also lived here would sometimes make certain foods from their childhood.
One of my dad's favourites was Spanakopita.  My aunt would make her own dough which I never learned how to make so my version was a bit different because I used puff pasty which was easier and I like to mix a bunch of different cheeses like feta, parmesan and mozzarella for melty creamy flavour.   My dad didn't make this but he loved it when I made it for him and me.  

My dad also loved Corned Beef.  But he used to by the Shopsy's sealed in plastic packs corned beef that you would stick into boiling water.  Not like this Caplansky's Ultimate Classic Corned Beef Sandwich.  He would have liked this.  He didn't live long enough to see Food Trucks.

Another thing my dad used to buy was beef pies.  My dad did all the grocery shopping.  That's how I learned how to shop.  There were a few things that only him and I liked.  Meat pies and cabbage rolls.  My mom wouldn't touch them.   Recently a new savoury pie shop called Kanga, pies that are native to Australia.  They started off at small Toronto Underground Markets and recently opened a tiny pie shop on Duncan Street.  I tried the Kiwi Classic and the Chicken Pot Pie last week.   My dad used to work downtown and I bet if this place was around then he would have been a regular.

And of course the reason I am a chocoholic is because of my Dad who used to buy chocolate and then hide it.   Not too well I might add.   He only had a few hiding places that we knew.  We had a huge buffet and he would hide it under things in the drawers.  Maybe he thought out of sight out of mind and we wouldn't eat it.  That didn't work because my brother was a bloodhound for chocolate and could find it anywhere.   I don't have to hide chocolate now but I have to admit that if it's in front of me I am more inclined to eat it.  I wasn't one of those kids that would sneak cigarettes or alcohol.  I just wanted chocolate and still do.   Some things never change I guess.    I still like all of these foods but I know most aren't so good for me.  My dad didn't know back then how unhealthy they were, he just knew that he liked them.   I know but I can't resist them either.  Must be in my DNA.    Food has certainly changed in Toronto since my dad was alive.  I wonder what he would think about the whole Food Truck phenomenon.   I bet he would like most of the foods on the new food trucks.   My dad only had the opportunity to get hotdogs and when I was a kid he also loved to pick up hot chestnuts in the winter.  Something you don't see anymore that i wish someone would bring back.

Food Trends come and go but there are always classic foods that never go out of style.  My dad liked most of these classic foods but I bet he would have loved to try some of the new ones too.  He loved to explore new things in the grocery store and I do the same thing too.  

These are my memories of my dad's favourite foods.   What are your dad's favourites?

Do you think of your dad every time you have them?

Food memories on Father's Day

Today is Father's Day and I am thinking about my Dad Jacques who passed in 1984.

Most of my food memories come from the food my mother made but my Dad was the weekend cook because he liked certain things that my mother didn't make.  My dad was the one who did all the grocery shopping for the family and he is the one that taught me how to find my way around a grocery store and where to find a good deal.

My Dad loved bacon, eggs, cheese, cabbage rolls, those boil in bag packages of corned beef and all things charcuterie.

My dad taught me how to make some great scrambled eggs and most of the time he would start it and I would do the stirring and finish it.

This is one of my Dad's signature Scrambled Egg Dishes.   Scrambled eggs with cheddar and creamed cottage cheese. It's pretty easy to make.

  

JACQUES Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. creamed cottage cheese

1/4 cup of chopped or shredded cheddar cheese

3 whole eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium hot frying pan add the creamed cottage cheese and cook until some of the water has evaporated and then add the cheddar cheese.  Cook until it's creamy thick sauce consistency.   My dad sometimes used to use a regular frying pan and burn the cheddar cheese to make it crispy but it's hard to do that with a non stick pan so will skip that version and go for the creamy version.

You don't need to add butter or oil if you use a non stick pan because there is a lot of fat already in the cheeses but if your pans stick add a bit of butter.  

After the cheese is a creamy consistency beat the eggs and add to the cheese mixture.   Keep stirring to mix the cheese into the eggs and cook until the eggs are cooked.  You will end up with creamy eggs not solid scrambled eggs.   Add salt and pepper to taste at the end of the cooking process.  Adding salt to the eggs at the beginning will make them tighten up.   

If you want to jazz it up you can add some chives, parsley or paprika.   In the photo above I added some paprika on top.   My dad only added salt and pepper.  He liked simple foods.

Also pictured in the photo above is fried salami.  It's a great substitute for bacon if you get bored of the same old bacon and eggs.   

Eat it with a nice piece of crusty french bread.   I added some chopped tomatoes for garnish but you can also toss some into the eggs before they finish cooking.   That would be my spin and not my dad's so you can do whatever you like and make it your own.