Lovin Local at Yonge Dundas Square

           Who:        Live green Toronto
           What:       Lovin Local Food Fest
           Where:    Yonge Dundas Square
           When:     August 8, 2015
           Why:       To showcase local food & music
           Hashtag:  #lovinlocal
           Website:  www.toronto.ca

I have gone to the Live Green Festival a few times over the years but this year Livegreen Toronto added the Lovin Local Food Fest to the mix with a 1 day festival at Yonge and Dundas Square.  I went down to check it out and got there just in time to see my fav local Chef Lynn Crawford finishing her local food demo on the main stage.  She is always fun to watch because she really engages the audience.





I was planning on sticking around to see the Spoons.. .yes a band from the 80's that I once did makeup for on a video shoot back in the day.  But I went down there at about 1:30 and pretty much checked out the whole festival in about an hour so I was getting tired of waiting around so I left.  If I lived closer I would probably just go back for the Spoons.  Jully Black is also playing a bit later than the Spoons but I am old and have things to do like write this blog so I skipped out.

But you never know what you might find at these street festivals so while I was wandering around and checking out the food vendors I was listening to the artist that was on after Lynn Crawford and then all of a sudden this guy really caught my attention.  I never heard of him before but this guy had loads of energy and was all over the stage and really rockin the stage.  I still don't know who he is but now I know his name at least,  it's Eric Zayne.  I would suggest that you keep an eye out for this guy because I have a feeling he will pop up and get some attention.

As for the Food Portion.   I waiting in the smokey big green egg lineup to get a Steak Sandwich from Bespoke Butchers for $6.  The steak was good but I really wish the bun was toasted or a bit fresher.  It was a bit dry so it took away from the juicy steak a bit.   I also tried 2 pakoras from Bindia for $2.  A nice little snack with tamarind sauce on top.  I picked up 2 cookies from Brad Long's Cafe Belong booth for $3.  I got one double chocolate and one chocolate chip.  I just ate those and they were delicious, especially the double chocolate one.  I also picked up a bacon and cheese Scone which I have't tried yet.  It was $3 from Marche 59.  I never heard of them before so I don't know anything about them but they had a nice selection of baked goods that included muffins and quiches.

There was a huge amount of corn from the corn roaster guys but I am sure they won't go through that much corn in one day.   I don't know how well attended this festival will be because everyone seems to be either doing Parapanam stuff or going to the Taste of the Danforth.  It wasn't very busy when I was there but I picked the busiest lineup for food of course.  Anything where there smoke there is usually a crowd of people.  There was lots of things for the kids to do at this small festival and I even got in on the dress up selfie pics for a bit of fun.

I always like to support local vendors and Canadian artists so I like to showcase these types of events as much as I can.  I hope you read this and have time to drop down there before the end of the night but if not I hope you look out for more of these kinds of festivals in the future.

#lovinlocal  is put on by the City of Toronto but too bad it got a bit overshadowed this weekend.

For more information:   City of Toronto website 

Taste of Toronto returns to Fort York

Taste of Toronto Festival returns to Fort York

for the world-renowned festival July 2 – 5

Joining over 30 of the country’s top culinary talent are renowned chefs Masaharu Morimoto, Alvin Leung, Lynn Crawford and Stuart Cameron at this year's Taste of Toronto Festival.

Iron Chef and Michelin-starred mastermind Morimoto is set to debut signature dishes from his latest eponymous restaurant and highly anticipated first-ever venture in Canada, scheduled to open late 2015 in Toronto’s King West neighbourhood. Festival goers can delight in Chef Morimoto’s fusion of Japanese and Western ingredients, exemplified in his showcase dishes:

Also previewing a new restaurant at this year’s event, Rob Bragagnolo of Marben will introduce Carver at Sunday’s lunch session. Scheduled to open downtown Toronto in fall 2015, the restaurant will focus on locally-sourced Ontario and naturally-raised, slow-roasted meats. The final chefs and restaurants completing this year’s lineup include Stuart Cameron from Byblos, Patria and Weslodge, as well as the Kinka Family of Guu Toronto, Kintori Yakitori and Kinton Ramen who are returning to the festival for the second year in a row. Other newcomers to the festival include “The Demon Chef” Alvin Leung, to appear alongside his MasterChef Canada protégé Eric Chong at the R&D booth.

Celebrity chefs will also lend their star power to the festivities, with Lynn Crawford performing an on-site demonstration and cooking class as an Egg Farmers of Canada Chef Ambassador, Massimo Capra presenting with Italian favourite Galbani cheese, and sustainable seafood advocate Rick Moonen appearing alongside one of North America’s most trusted producers of seafood, True North Salmon.

Some of the best restaurants in Toronto participate in the Taste of Toronto.  They sell 3 dishes that can be purchased with crown credits that you can add to a card that can be reloaded.  The average item will cost about 5 or 6 crown credits.
 

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit tasteoftoronto.com.

Taste of Toronto 2015 restaurant and star lineup

• Adrian Niman, Rasa
• Alvin Leung and Eric Chong, R&D (Thursday and Friday only)
• Amanda Ray, Biff’s Bistro
• Anthony Walsh and Michael Bonacini, Oliver & Bonacini
• Bill Osborne, America
• Carl Heinrich, Richmond Station
• Cory Vitiello and Robbie Hojilla, The Harbord Room and THR & Co.
• Damon Campbell, Bosk
• David Neinstein, Barque
• Elia Herrera, Los Colibris and El Caballito
• Franco Stalteri, Charlie’s Burgers
• Jonathan Waxman and Matt Robertson, Montecito
• Ippei Iwata, Aki Urata and Koji Tashiro, Guu Toronto, Kintori Yakitori and Kinton Ramen (Saturday only)
• Masaharu Morimoto, Morimoto Toronto
• Michael van den Winkel, Little Sister
• Miheer Shete, Bannock
• Rob Bragagnolo, Marben (Sunday only)
• Stuart Cameron, Byblos, Patria and Weslodge
• Ted Corrado and Matt DeMille, The Drake Hotel, The Drake Devonshire and Drake One Fifty
• Victor Barry, Splendido
• Lynn Crawford, Egg Farmers of Canada Chef Ambassador
• Mark McEwan, McEwan Group
• Massimo Capra, Galbani Cheese
• Rick Moonen, True North Salmon

Chef Masaharu Morimoto
 It’s a pleasure to cook alongside some of Toronto’s most celebrated chefs,” said Masaharu Morimoto. “To be welcomed into the city’s vibrant and innovative food community is such an honour.” 

Website: tasteoftoronto.com, tastefestivals.com
Facebook: TasteofToronto
Twitter: @TasteofToronto
Instagram: @TasteofToronto
Hashtag: #TasteofToronto

About Taste Festivals:  
Taste Festivals, an IMG event, is considered the world’s greatest restaurant festival. The festival concept began 10 years ago in London, England, and has rapidly grown into an international event with festivals in 20 cities around the world including Dubai, Amsterdam, Milan, Moscow, Melbourne, Dublin, Mumbai, Sydney, and Johannesburg, to name a few. Everywhere it goes, Taste represents a gourmand’s dream come true: delicious food created by the city’s greatest restaurants, world famous chefs, superb drink and outstanding entertainment, set in stunning outdoor surroundings.

Event - Delicious Food Show 2014

If you love to see some great Celebrity Chef demos and try all kinds of great food and drinks then the Delicious Food Show is the show for you.

Last year I went to check it out and wanted to spend the whole weekend there and see all the fun demos.

Last year's big Culinary Star in attendance was the Queen of Lifestyle herself, Martha Stewart.   She was there to show up her new Home Depot Kitchen collection and she did a demo on cakes and did a very long autograph signing.  I didn't stand in the long line but I did get a chance to take a photo of her.

Other great chefs that were in attendance and did some great demos were some of my favourite chefs,  Lynn Crawford, Chuck Hughes, Mark McEwan, David Rocco and more.

This year there are some of the same great chefs returning for some more food fun and a few new huge American Chefs, Mario Batali and Tyler Florence who are coming to spread the food love as well.
Mario Batali will be doing a demo on the Food Network Celebrity  Stage.

The following chefs will be hosting hands on cooking demos in the Executive Chef Series, lineup includes:

Tyler Florence

Mark McEwan 

Roger Mooking

Chuck Hughes

Nadia G

Lucinda Scala Quinn

There will be lots of food truck vendors, last year there was a food truck alley in the middle of the show.   Returning again this year will be Abbey Sharp's Kitchen Stadium where local chefs will compete in a head to head competition to make the best food.

The great thing about this show is that you can watch a chef demo, participate in a hands on workshop and just sample lots of foods from new and well known food vendors.

This year there are special Executive chef participation events that you can book with your favourite Chef.   

This is the general admission ticket prices and the show info.   Hope to see you there.

Regular Admission Tickets

Adult (ages 18 – 64)
online: $20.00
at door: $22.00

Senior (ages 65+)
$15.00

Youth (ages 13 – 17)
$10.00

Group Admission (10+ people)
$15.00

Drink Sampling Ticket Voucher (Voucher for 5 Drink Sampling Tickets) (Restricted to 19+)
$5.00 per voucher

SHOW DATES & HOURS

Friday, October 17th, 2014: 10AM – 9PM
(Nadia G’s Bitchin’ After Party at Gladstone Hotel, Toronto: 9PM – 1AM)
Saturday, October 18th, 2014: 10AM – 8PM
Sunday, October 19th, 2014: 10AM – 6PM

LOCATION

Direct Energy Centre, Hall A
100 Princes’ Blvd
Toronto, ON M6K3C3
416-960-9030
www.directenergycentre.com

#DFS14 ONLINE

www.facebook.com/deliciousfoodshow
www.twitter.com/deliciousshow
www.instagram.com/deliciousfoodshow

Get your foodie self to the Delicious Food Show this week.

ATTENTION ALL FOODIES!!!!    You want to go to the Better Living Centre this weekend!            I'm excited to see Martha Stewart attend the show.  She was one of my early inspirations for converting things from good to great.            I will be there to sample all the great food and see some of my favourite Celebrity Chefs. The 2013 Delicious Food Show (DFS13) brings Canada’s food community together under one roof this coming Friday, October 25th to Sunday, October 27th. From coast-to-coast, leaders of the nation’s culinary landscape will be showcased, sipped, and sampled. Even the most discerning gourmands won’t be able to argue with these numbers… let’s have a look: Over 80 gourmet food products and services. 38 mouth-watering restaurants and bakeries. 15 innovative kitchen gadget and appliance brands. 25 hands-on workshops and classroom lessons. 8 book signings. 7 alcohol offerings. 6 Canadian celebrity chefs.4 taco wizards. 3 on-stage culinary battles. 2 expert sugar stars. 1 massive Mexican fiesta and, of course, the Queen of lifestyle living.     MUST-SEE FEATURES Food Trucks for Sinai  Food trucks have taken over Toronto! Five of the city’s top mobile kitchens roll their way onto the show floor to serve up a tasty menu amidst hundreds of exhibitors and raise funds for an incredible cause. You’ll find a variety of dishes for $10 from Buster’s Sea Cove(famous lobster rolls), the health conscious Gourmet Bitches, fiery BritsFeisty Jack, Latin sensation Gourmet Gringos (fabulous fish tacos), and the sandwich dictator himself Fidel Gastro. A portion of the Food Trucks for Sinai sales will be donated to Mount Sinai Hospital, in support of support life-saving work in care and research in women’s cancers.  View the Vibe Visit eight of the city's most popular restaurants in the interactive View the Vibe Food + Drink Lounge. Each is offering bites of utter bliss, from burger barons Holy Chuck Burgers to Darwin Bistro Bar's finessed French-influenced fare, to Eastern European edibles fromCzehoski. The spacious View the Vibe Food + Drink Lounge is replete with an eye-catching video wall showing off the coolest restaurant vibes in the city, and, of course, Evolution Wines by Macedo to wash down all the amazing eats.   Cheese + Cheers What will you find at Cheese + Cheers? A match made in heaven. The Dairy Farmers of Canada, CHEESEWERKSand Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company have joined forces to put together one unforgettable stop featuring legendary grilled cheeses, craft beer and more grilled cheeses. Perfect for the lactose-intolerant-intolerant! Sample and shop local Ontario cheese for an experience that as rich and creamy as the as one could ever hope for. Cheers! GE Café Classrooms The forum for which all of your culinary queries can be answered, learn from experts in a variety of fields set in The Dining Room, a theatre-style classroom and The Chef’s Table, a hands-on workshop. Both spaces are outfitted with GE Café appliances that offer the look and feel of modern stainless steel restaurant kitchen. Topics include: Tea Cocktails Fondue Fun Homemade Marshmallows Sandwich Smackdown Healthy Swaps Wine Awakenings The Food Network Celebrity Kitchen presented by The Home Depot Canada (#FNCelebKitchenbyHD) *Please note: schedule subject to change   103.9 Proud FM radio host and DFS13 Celebrity Kitchen Host, Mike Chalut kicks off each of the following presentations with high-energy charm, as he introduces the celebrity chefs and presenters, and leads contests and giveaways valued at more than $10,000 over the three-day event.   Friday 12pm – Chuck Hughes presented by Caesarstone, Host of Chuck’s Week Off Learn how to make a cheesy mushroom melt, mackerel, salsa verde, plum cake, vanilla ice cream & more   2pm – Martha Stewart presented by The Home Depot Canada, Martha Stewart Living Three scrumptious cakes from Martha Stewart’s new, 80th book, Cakes   4pm – Mark McEwan presented by The Hudson’s Bay Company, Head Judge on Top Chef Canada Fabbrica-inspired dishes including flattened Cornish hen, cauliflower puree, grilled corn, and risotto   6pm – Rose Reisman presented by Piller’s, Art of Living Well Sample chicken & sausage-filled paella and Mediterranean quinoa   7-10pm – Opening Night Party: Fiesta Delicioso  Let the party begin!   Saturday 11am – Michael Smith presented by AIR MILES, Host of Chef at Home Indulge your inner Italian with a demonstration featuring three kinds of pasta   1pm – Lynn Crawford, Host of Pitchin’ In Experience the making of a classic breakfast sandwich: the Croque Madame               3pm – Brian Gluckstein presented by The Hudson’s Bay Company, Interior Designer at Gluckstein Design and Product Designer at Gluckstein Home Hear from Brian alongside industry experts, Bill Fulghum, Arren Williams, and Lynn Crawford as they discuss décor    4:30pm – Mini Chef’s Challenge Pre-Battle In advance of Mount Sinai’s largest fundraiser, Chef’s Challenge, watch the four leading fundraisers compete for the chance to cook with Giada De Laurentiis at the main event in February 2014 (www.chefschallengeforacure.com)   5:30pm – Tom Filipou, Executive Chef President’s Choice  Take notes as Chef Tom presents PC Black Label’s Nero di Seppia Spaghetti with Clams – easily re-created at home after a trip to Loblaws             Sunday 11am – Caspar Haydar and Antonella Grillone, Co-Stars of SugarStars  Donuts don’t have to be fried! Learn how to bake them for a healthier alternative; next, sweet table essentials   1pm – Nadia G, Host of Bitchin’ Kitchen Expect a rock’n’roll hour full of pasta, puff pastry, & of course, cocktails – grapefruit spicy maple mojitos to be exact   3pm – David Rocco, Host of Dolce Vita Known for simple & fun food, David will start with mixed vegetable pakoras, share his recipe for mutton ragu & more   4pm – Abbey’s Kitchen Stadium Finals  The final round of Abbey Sharp’s Iron-Chef-inspired culinary battle between Toronto-based chefs  Show Information Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place – 195 Princes’ Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M6K 3C3 Friday, October 25, 2013 - 11am to 10pm Saturday, October 26, 2013 - 10am to 7pm Sunday, October 27, 2013 - 10am to 6pm   Admission Adult (ages 18+) Online - $20 Adult (ages 18+) At Door - $22 Senior (ages 65+) - $18 Student (ages 13-17) - $10 Group Admission (10 people or more) - $15   About the Delicious Food Show sponsored by Food Network Canada The Delicious Food Show, returning for its sophomore year to the Better Living Centre in Toronto, Canada from October 25-27, 2013. The Delicious Food Show is a 3-day culinary event, designed specifically for food-lovers, showcasing the best in food, cooking and entertaining. Sample, sip, and purchase the hottest new products from hundreds of exhibitors. Experience live cooking demos, tastings, and hands-on workshops. Attend presentations and book signings hosting world-renowned culinary genii on the Food Network Celebrity Kitchen presented by The Home Deport, including Martha Stewart, Chuck Hughes, Nadia G, Michael Smith, Mark McEwan, David Rocco, Rose Reisman, Brian Gluckstein, and more. Get ready to sauté, sizzle and simmer the weekend away!   Follow DFS on Twitter: @DeliciousShow Instagram: @deliciousfoodshow And Pinterest: DeliciousShow Like DFS on Facebook: Delicious Food Show #DFS13 #FNCelebKitchenbyHD And visit the official website at www.deliciousfoodshow.com

Top Chefs cook up a showdown to Crush Cancer

Do you know someone that is dealing with Cancer or have you lost someone to some form of Cancer?  I bet everyone that reads this is saying YES right now.  In my life I have lost my father to Cancer,  I have lost most of my aunts and uncles to Cancer and have had close friends lose their relatives to cancer as well. I also have a few friends who have either had their own Cancer challenges or are dealing with it now.

 It is a horrible disease that I would like to see disappear one day.  Chemotherapy ravages the body and makes most people suffer a number of side effects that put a strain on their quality of life.

I worked at Sunnybrook Hospital for many years and would walk into the Cancer wing to get my lunch sometimes.  You realize how much it has increased when you see a whole wing of a hospital being built to deal with the treatments.   While research has been great in detecting the diseases earlier and the treatments have been getting better, there is still an increase of people getting Cancer due to environmental factors and I believe because of our diets and stressful lives as well.   There are lot's of people that don't smoke, eat well and exercise that get Cancer so it sometimes doesn't care who it affects but we can try and do our best to try and raise money to help further research on how to manage it or better yet cure it.

This week I went to a private event of chefs and foodies that was an encouragement to get more people to sign up for the Celebrity Chef's Culinary Challenge that will be held at the Royal York in December.   I decided to take on the challenge of trying to raise funds to participate in this challenge.  I have the time now and would like to do something in honour of my Dad and the people that I have lost to Cancer and friends that are in the midst of it now.

There are several levels of fundraising goals but the main goal is to reach $2500 to be able to join a Celebrity Chef and compete with their team against other Celebrity Chef teams in a Culinary Challenge.  While I am not a trained chef I will get some Chef training/mentoring before the competition.

If you want to see me cook with some of the best Canadian Chefs like Lynn Crawford, Mark McEwen, Chuck Hughes, Vikram Vij or Corbin Tomaszeski then drop a little bit of cash toward the cure.  Tyler Florence and Dean McDermott will be the Host and Emcee for the Event.

You can donate through this link and you will receive a Tax Receipt.

Click on this link to Donate:
KitchenAid Cook for the Cure

Delicious New Show in Toronto

I went to the DELICIOUS FOOD SHOW at the CNE in Toronto today. It's a new Foodie show that had vendors and celebrity chefs and food specialists.

It's called the delicious food show but unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot of fresh food available. It was mostly things like sauces, dips, jams, teas and a lot of packaged goods. Maybe because it'a a new show it still hasn't gotten a lot of new vendors on board yet but I am finding a lot of these food shows are repeating the same vendors at every show. One vendor that I finally got to after seeing at a couple of other foodie events that were too busy to get to was the cupcake food truck. Can't comment on the cupcakes yet but I picked up a chocolate coconut and a red velvet cupcake that I will try when I get hungry later.

The best food I had at the show I paid for. That was the Pulled Pork Parfait at Hank's. That's the kind of thing I like to see at a show, something familiar but with a twist. It was pulled pork in a plastic ice cream parfait cup with mashed potatoes and bbq sauce. It was yummy.

One of the most impressive things of the day was Colin Cowie the Event Planner to the Biggest Celebrities in the World like Oprah Winfrey. He showed photos of some of the events he has done as well as his own home and different ideas. It was so inspiring to see what life lived at it's fullest looks like. Something to aspire to. I would have loved to see how he would have set up this show if he was organizing it.

One of my favourite Food Network Chefs who was in attendance was Lynn Crawford from Pitchin In and Restaurant Makeover and she also has her own restaurant in Toronto called Ruby Watch Co. which I have yet to go visit but it's on my to do list of places to check out. Lynn is one of the funniest chefs around with a huge passion and joie de vivre for food. But she didn't actually cook this time. She got a couple of people from the audience to compete in an Iron Chef type of competition to make the best risotto recipe from Lynn's instructions. I wish I would have gone up there. I make a mean risotto and could have done it without any help.
Lynn had loads of fun roaming around in the audience and taking lots of photos with people. She is a great fun to see.

What else did I do there? Well I sampled a bunch of things and picked up a few things. I won a little cooking package from spinning a wheel at the Liason College booth and donated to charity at the same time.

This is what I picked up:

Cupcakes from Cupcake Diner a food truck that has been floating around town.
My favourite tortilla chips from the Mad Mexican with some Salsa verde.
Teopia Holiday Blend Tea.
Bistro Tea's Lemongrass Tea
and some Macaroon's from Ruelo.

None of it cheap but all good quality stuff that's harder to find.

So was it a successful show? I don't know.. but I did enjoy Colin Cowie and Lynn Crawford so I guess it was worth it just to see them.

The Show continues until Sunday with different celebrity chefs each day.

Check it out if you are in the area. Tickets are $20 at the door.. a bit expensive considering you don't even get a bag or anything when you enter the show but there are some samples.

www.deiciousfoodshow.com