Chef Lynn Crawford dives into the Frozen Shrimp biz

Chef Lynn Crawford seems to be everywhere and a part of everything these days.  Not only does the popular Food Network Chef have her own show called "Pitchin In" but she is also one of the judges on  "Chopped Canada" and is currently working on a new show where she travels around Canada looking for the best cookbook recipes from people across Canada.

She is also the owner of the well rated Leslieville restaurant RubyWatchco.   And if that's not busy enough she is also a Brand Ambassador for KitchenAid and Hellman's and probably a whole lot more that I don't even know about.  She is always involved in charitable events and has participated in the Culinary Showdown for Breast Cancer as well as many other events.   I have seen Lynn at many consumer and professional trade shows doing the most hilarious food demos.  She is one of the most entertaining and skilled chefs in Canada.

I don't know how she has the time to do it all but she seems to make it work and do it very well.  If all that isn't enough she has just launched a new line of Frozen Shrimp Products by Waterview Market.

Teriyaki Shrimp

It comes in 6 different flavours currently, including:  Maple Mustard, Teriyaki, Lemon Garlic, Carribean, Honey BBQ and Teriyaki BBQ.   The are currently available in stores like Fortinos but check your local grocery store as they will be expanding to many more stores.   The shrimp is frozen and packed with a sauce packet that is really easy to cook.  You can either defrost the shrimp and packed by running it under cold water or leave it in the refrigerator overnight and drain excess water.  It is sustainable shrimp and the sauces are Gluten Free with no MSG and no Palm Oil.

You can literally cook up the shrimps with the sauce in minutes and add some rice or pasta and you have an easy and quick flavourful meal.  No need to have a million spices in your cupboard so it's perfect for the rushed mom or the space strapped busy single professional or student.

Lemon Garlic & Caribbean flavour shrimp

I sampled 4 of the flavours,  the Teriyaki, the Caribbean, the Maple Mustard and the Lemon Garlic.  My favourite was the Lemon Garlic and I was told that it is their most popular flavour that they can't keep enough in stock even.

If you are clueless in the kitchen but sick of take out try this and I bet you will feel like you can cook like the chefs on Chopped Canada too.  They are great for parties and I taste tested them with my friends at a party I hosted on the weekend.


Disclaimer:  Samples of the frozen shrimp were provided for review by Premiere Marine Canada but the opinions and photos are my own.  Waterview Market Package photos provided by Premiere Marine Canada.

For more info about the products:  www.waterviewmarket.com

Pinknic Flash Mob for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

June 25, 2012  was the First Ever PINKNIC flash Mob event for Cook for the Cure and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and by Kitchen Aid Canada. It was held at David Pecaut Square.

There aren't many people these days that don't know someone that is affected by Breast Cancer or some other form of Cancer.  Everyone knows about Cancer and everyone needs to raise money to fund research and other cancer related initiatives.

This Event was a little different than most of the events I have been to because you didn't know where you were going until 2 hours before the event started and you had to bring your own food.   With a $20 donation for the registration fee you got to have a pinknic Urban Style with chic white place settings and Pink accents symbolizing the Breast Cancer Foundation.  They provided wine and lemonade and at the end of the dinner there were cupcakes and pink cake pops.   Other than your own containers there was no mess to clean up afterwards and you didn't have to eat your picnic meal on the grass which is a good thing since they told everyone to wear white.   White with grass stains or dirt isn't a pretty sight.   Unfortunately the people at our table didn't even bring any food so I think they missed out on the whole purpose of it and it made us feel a bit uncomfortable to be eating when they weren't.  We did offer them some food but they declined.

There were about 400 people in attendance.  An impressive number considering this was the first year.  It was a pretty well organized event.  I only had one thing that I would have like to see them do would have been to have one of the organizers do announcements once everyone had entered to welcome everyone and let them know what was happening.

There was a photo booth where they took some instant photos that they gave you a printout and had available on facebook.   This was our pic.

Chef Lynn Crawford who represents Kitchen Aid and has a food network show called "Pitchin In" and a local restaurant called "Ruby Watchco" was in attendance to inspire people to host their own cook for the cure events.  I have seen Lynn at a few events and she is always gracious in meeting people.

If you are interested in this event you can either attend next year or you can host your own event but if you want more information contact the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

So what did we bring to this Pinknic?  Well we had a bit of a collaboration of things.    My friend who graduated from George Brown College Culinary program brought a mixed vegetable salad and I had made Quinoa and together we made a spinach, kale, asparagus and feta frittata, which turned out great.

Ruby Watchco - weird name -great place

A friend of mine who hates to shop for gifts decided to give me the perfect gift this past christmas. She gave me a gift certificate for Ruby WatchCo. It took a while to finally redeem it but last night we ventured out to Leslieville in Toronto to enjoy a great night of Chef Lynn Crawford's select menu design.

This was the menu from last night but the menu changes daily and the menus for the week are available on the monday for the whole week. So if you book in advance and don't know what the menu will be then you have to put your dinner in Chef Lynn Crawford's capable and extremely talented hands. It is a prix fixe menu every night so you never know what it's going to be like. It's great for a food adventurer type of person that will say surprise me and give me some great food. The dishes just kept coming. The price is $49 and of course drinks, tax and tip are extra. You won't walk out of this restaurant hungry though as the portions are generous enough to satisfy you and fill you up. My favourite things that I had last night were the super tender and smoky flavoured veal chop cooked to perfection. The buttery flaky melt in your mouth biscuits and the creamy, smooth and delicious cafe creme caramel with cherries on top. My friend ate 2 desserts since one of our other dinner companions couldn't eat dairy. She said she could have eaten 2 more of them.

Chef Lynn is the Host of the Food Network show "Pitchin In". On the show she travels to farms and anywhere food makers are to pitch in and learn how to harvest the foods she cooks. She trades her services and cooks a meal for the hosting farmers and food processors. She knows a thing or two about food and where the best food comes from and when to get it. But what really makes chef Lynn great is her passion, stamina and creativity. She has an infectious laugh on the show but she's all business when she is in the kitchen cooking away. She takes her food seriously but not herself. She is warm and funny and her food matches her personality. We sat at a table close to the kitchen and it was apparent to me how hard Chef Lynn works. It's not an easy job to handle the pressures of a busy kitchen. The restaurant was packed all night and with the prix fixe there were many plates to juggle. Her and her team juggled them all masterfully. The restaurant is run like a well oiled machine with a great flow. Our lovely hostess did her best to accomodate one of our friends dietary restrictions. Ruby Watch Co. has a strange name but the restaurant deserves any and all accolades it gets. It delivers a great meal and great ambiance for the money. I would highly recommend going there for dinner but bring your appetite and your curiosity for food. You will leave full and satisfied.

Chef Lynn Crawford's Pitchin In

Chef Lynn Crawford the star of Food Network's Pitchin In and Restaurant Makeover was Pitchin to the Students and Alumni and myself at a talk at George Brown College on a Snowy winter night. She was there to talk about her new and 1st ever cookbook from the recipes she has whipped up on the first 2 seasons of "Pitchin In". Lynn has been a chef for many years and has worked in the top Hotels in major cities and now has her own restaurant downtown on Queen St. East with a new little shop a few doors down. The restaurant is called Rubywatch Co. and the shop is called Ruby Eats. I think Chef Lynn had to be talked into finally producing a cookbook but from the looks of the cookbook it was worth the wait. It's a beautifully laid out book with photos of Chef Lynn at the farms she visited during the show and recipes that are beautifully photographed and drool worthy. Some cookbooks are sort of like coffee table books but this book looks like you want to cook all these recipes and that they are something that can be done at home with a little bit of basic skills and a great recipe.

Pitchin In is one of my favourite Food Network shows for a few reasons. The number one reason is that Chef Lynn is hilarious and passionate. She puts every ounce of her soul into her cooking and into the hearts of the people she meets. She has tremendous respect for the farmers and food providers and it comes across on her show. She loves people and respects everyone's contribution to what she does. She couldn't be a great chef without great food to cook with.

I also love the show because it really shows what local and organic means in food production. The show show almost a start to finish process on how food is grown and made for consumption. From the chicken to the egg process of what goes on the ground and what comes out of it. It's a full circle process with Lynn creating works of food art to reward the great growers and farmers that have demonstrated their skills.

Chef Lynn will try almost anything even with a fear of heights she soars in what she does.

I have tremendous respect for her because when she started as a chef there were few woman who would have been in the kitchen for her to look up to but now she is the Chef women aspire to be as good as. I admire her culinary skills as well as her personal integrity and passion.

I got a gift certificate for Rubywatchco for christmas and I am looking forward to finally tasting her food very soon.

Check out Chef Lynn Crawford's new cookbook "Pitchin In" or her show of the same name or drop into her restaurant RubyWatchCo or her shop Ruby Eats and see what Lynn can do.
I promise you will have fun.