Coronavirus and the Food Industry

If you read my previous post I talked about the Restaurant Canada Show that I went to in March 2020.  I had high hopes for 2020 because I had a very rough year in 2019 physically, career wise, financially and of course that affected my mental health as well.  I was hoping to shake off that year and start fresh in 2020 and do what I wanted to do and spend more time with people I like spending time with and do less rushing around for no good reason.   While January and February started off quietly March came in like a Coronavirus Lion. 

I was looking forward to and hoped to have some more fun things to look forward to in 2020 but one thing I have learned over my lifetime is that as soon as I try and plan something too far in the future life smacks me upside the head and changes everything.

Luckily timing was good and I was able to attend one of my favourite trade shows of the year,  The Restaurant Canada Show,  as I said more about that in my previous post but just to sum it up it is one of my favourite shows because it's organize so well and it's the restaurant industry leaders who have booths, do panels and demos and visit the show.   My day job isn't in the food industry but because of this blog I have met so many people in the business and want to know as much as I can so that I can write with knowledge when I write these posts.

I had a fantastic time hanging out with my blogger friends, seeing chefs I knew and sampling all kinds of food over the 2 days that I visited the show.  But little did I know that it would probably be the last big event I would go to for possibly another year. 

Everything changed only a week later.  At the time I was at the Enercare Centre with loads of people, although it is so big it's not crowded luckily,  but just east of the Enercare Centre someone at a Mining Conference at the Metro Convention Centre tested positive for a new Coronavirus - Covid 19.  This virus started in 2019 in China and if you don't already know you are living in a bubble.

I was at the trade show on the Sunday and Monday and within 2 weeks I was working from home.  That doesn't sound unusual but my job was never supposed to be a work from home job.  I work in Public Service.  I knew things were serious when I got a laptop pronto and we had to figure out another way of getting work done.  Luckily I had already started thinking of getting more things done by sharing files on more cloud shareable platforms.  We can't do everything but it's now been about a month since I have been working from home and who knows how long this will go on.

So I will get to my point now,  I never expected the whole food industry to change after that Restaurant Canada Show and i am sure nobody at the show did either.

All of a sudden all events were cancelled until July and then things ramped up with the big step of non essential or big groups had to shut down so that meant Restaurants had to close and they could only provide Take Out.

There are thousands of restaurants of all sorts of sizes and kinds in Toronto and that shut down and within a couple of weeks destroyed the restaurant business.  The restaurant industry in Toronto has already been struggling to keep up with the high rents and the construction, transit issues and staffing issues and now this.  Over night restaurants closed and most will most likely never open their doors again because they won't have the money to keep them going through the reduced business that will occur for a long time to come.

So here's the other effect that happened because of a Virus that spread like wildfire across the globe.
People now fear going for groceries.  I ordered a pizza to support a Chef that owns a couple of pizza places.  It cost me $30 after charges and tax and tip to the Uber Driver for a pepperoni pizza.  I would never normally do that because I have like 5 different pizza places within a few blocks of where I live but ok so I supported local with my $$ and then got a firestorm of opinions about ordering takeout food on social media.  Some understanding supporting the restaurant industry and some totally paranoid about anything anyone touches that they would come into contact with.


While I will probably not order that pizza again it made me think that if this is what the public will think then we may lose 90 percent of the restaurants in this city out of fear and paranoia.   I say 90 percent because I know there are people out there who will still support their friends in the business no matter what.  Even though there are a ton of restaurants in the city the community is very tight.

So what else changed?  Well people buying up all the bread and yeast in the city.  Why?  Well to make all the Sourdough breads and Banana Breads that have been flooding Instagram accounts.

There are a few Instagram Food trends happening.  Here's what you will see.

1.  Banana Bread
2.  Sourdough or other types of bread that require time.
3.  Dalgona Coffee - the whipped coffee craze
4.  Pasta - especially Carbonara and straight up tomato sauce
5.  Gnocchi - following the pasta craze but making it at home now.
6.  Bowls of all kinds - smoothie bowls, bowls of Ramen, soup bowls.  any comfort thing in a bowl.
7.  Mac and Cheese- who doesn't love Mac and cheese... it's pasta with more cheese.
8.  Wine - people are trying to drink the virus away drinking wine while they are on zoom chats.
9.  Beer - craft beer in particular because people need their beer.
10.  And finally Desserts,  mostly chocolate chip cookies but there are lots of muffins, cakes, and whatever they can come up with.  Did you know that people are waiting in a drive through Krispy Kreme for 3 hours?

How many of these did I jump on the bandwagon with?  Well I would say 8 out of 10 just because I am not a beer or wine drinker but I have been putting Kahlua in my dalgona coffee.

The good thing to come out of this insanity though is an appreciation for the hard work that servers and chefs do and how we actually rely on them a lot more than we realize.   I always knew this and miss them a lot.

The servers should be paid more because they rely on tips to make ends meet and most have no benefits so at a time like this their only option is unemployment with will give them half of what they were making.

Also, the other good thing is that people are forced to get back into their kitchens and up their cooking skills or they will just be eating the same thing everyday.  It's a great time to teach kids cooking skills which they will have for life so that they can take care of themselves at any time this or anything worse happens.  I believe more people will start food gardens this year too.

I like to cook when I am inspired but not everyday so I like a balance of cooking and going to restaurants or getting takeout when I have other things that will occupy my time.  That option may not be available as much if this pandemic continues for a long time.

It's interesting how we now realize that Nurses, PSW's, grocery store workers, chefs, servers, Police, Firefighters, EMS, truck drivers and farmers should be paid a lot more than celebrities and sports people.  They aren't going to keep us alive.  We do need entertainment to lift our soul but it's not going to do anything for us if we get Covid 19 so I hope that people's priorities and values shift a lot after we return to somewhat of a normal existence.   Although I believe we will never go back to the way things were.  The world changed after Sars, 9/11 and some other large disasters.   We will never look at handshakes, hugs, crowds and food sources the same way again.

Never take things for granted because everything can change like a virus spreading overnight.

Thank the people that keep you alive.  Help whoever you can.

Restaurant Industry in Canada during Covid 19

It's hard to believe that it's been just over a month since I went to my last big Food Industry Show.  At the beginning of March I visited the Restaurant Canada Show at the Enercare Centre in Toronto.  This show is one of my favourite shows of the year. I look forward to it so much because it's a chance to check out what's new in the Restaurant Industry and I also get to hang out with many fellow foodies and people I have met in the industry over the past almost 10 years of blogging.

I meant to write this post a whole lot sooner but everything blew up just after the show with the shutdowns of businesses and people including myself moving to working at home for continued services.

Sadly the whole Restaurant Industry changed in a matter of a couple of weeks after the show.

A little bit about the show before I move to the reason I am posting this now.

At the show this year there weren't any glaring trends that I could see but there was a lot of focus on more gluten free, and keto focused products.  There was a lot of meat and fish with a whole area focused on Seafood.  My friend Matt Dean Pettit had a booth for his Matty's Seafood brand so as I was whipping around the show I had a quick hi and then dashed off to a last minute Sea-cuterie platter workshop at the other end of the show.  I did a post about it previously on the blog.

I went to the show 2 days in a row because there are so many workshops and talks and things to sample.  It's really hard to sample all the food you want to try in one day.  I had to skip things I have tried before and looked for favourites like of course the Oysters because it's something I don't eat often and all of the new products are what I generally look out for.

I didn't see anything that stood out as innovative this time but there was more of quality and sustainability.

This year the country that was spotlighted was Peru.  We got to sample a delicious Peruvian breakfast that included some incredible Ceviche.  Yes ceviche breakfast was the first thing I tried on the first day of the show and it was great

These artichokes were one of the more interesting things I tried.  I wish I could remember the booth it was at though.  I was really rushing to see and try as much as I could.

I tried fantastic Procciutto, empanadas, tostadas and so much more but for some reason I didn't get photos of everything.  I didn't actually eat as much as I have in the past so there were less photos.

My friend Vicky was busy sampling at the Unbun booth, where I tried the samples that the Pro  what the chef had whipped up at the booth while Vicky was busy telling people about the Keto friendly buns.

Let's chat about the people at the show.

Besides Vicky and Matt there were a bunch of other people that were there that I want to shout out.


Fellow food blogger Joyce from Joyce of Cooking was joined by Joanna Sable for a talk about Influencers in the food industry (bloggers and others).  It was a very informed talk.  Joanna Sable's mom has been a food producer for many years and Joyce worked in restaurants and is now a restaurant marketing consultant.  I learned a few things I didn't know about even.

Emily Richards was doing cooking demos for as she called it "fluid" dairy products or what you would call milk type of products for Savour Ontario.  I just missed her demo but stopped to see what she was cooking and it sounded very interesting.

I also sat in on a Harassment in the Workplace talk presented by Workers Safety and Prevention Services who provide Joint Health and Safety Committee training among other food industry educational training.

Christine Manning of Manning Canning was there with her healthy Soda's.  I tried the one with Ginger since I figured it was the best one for digesting all the samples I was wolfing down that day.

The booth that I kept going back to a few times over 2 days was the Pluck Tea booth because I fell in love with their Verbena Blues iced tea.  Check out the color when mixed with lemon juice.  It was so refreshing.  I need to get some for the hot summer days if we ever get any.

I also loved the Coconut Cold brew at Station Cold Brew.
Kraft had a Peanut butter sauce. I guess meant for Thai cooking.


But mostly I loved running around with my foodie friends trying to see and try everything.  It's hard to believe this is the last time I got to hang out with my blogger pals.  I hope that Covid 19 doesn't last too much longer and the Restaurant Industry can get back to providing the much needed delicious food and for us it's a way of socializing while doing what we love.   We all want to thank all the people that work in the Food Industry.  We appreciate and Love you and miss you all and hope that you can all get back on your feet very soon.

So back to the reason I am posting this Blog Post today specifically.

Today is the 1st day of #TAKEOUTDAY.  Every Wednesday from today until it's not needed anymore the Restaurant Industry in Toronto want you to support your local restaurants by ordering Take Out food so keep these restaurants going.

You can find your local restaurant through Restaurant Canada's - Canada Take Out website at  https://canadatakeout.com/

While we want you to stay home we also don't want to see great restaurants have to close down because of lack of business from the self isolating practices.   Be careful how you get your take out and if you can have it delivered even better.

Support restauranteurs like Trevor Lui seen with us crazy bloggers on the first day of the Show.  Trevor has been responsible for many restaurants like Kanpai and recently Popa at Bayview Village.

Restaurant workers work really hard and don't make a lot of money and they provide us with delicious food and are a source of good times and community for all of us.

Please support them and thank them because they are struggling to keep their doors open at this time.

Southern Accent opens new digs on College Street

What:     New Southern Accent Location
When:    Wednesday January 24, 2017
Where:   839 College St, Toronto, ON M6H 
Contact:  Phone: (416) 536-3211
Website:  http://southernaccent.com/

I was invited to check out the new digs for Southern Accent after they recently had to close up shop on their Mirvish Village location after over 30 years there because developers purchased Honest Ed's and Mirvish Village for Re-development.  It's very sad to see Toronto lose these Icons in the city to replace them with non descript boxes.  My dad loved to go to Honest Ed's to get a lot of things for our home when I was a kid so I find it's like losing a piece of my childhood.  

Francis Wood the Owner of Southern Accent had a great reputation for building a great music and food loving community in her Restaurant with many little nooks and crannies tucked inside the building as well as the lovely patio outside.  It was an institution for all things New Orleans.  

I even used to do makeup for a show called Real to Reel with host Richard Crouse and we would film at the restaurant once in a while.  

The location and the design of the restaurant may be different with the move to College street and it now being in an up and coming foodie destination as other locations run out of room for restaurants they move further north of King and Queen to Dundas and College Streets.

The new location is long and narrow.  It has pretty much mostly the same menu as before but because of the new location they are opening it for more extended hours to serve beignets for breakfast in the mornings and they also have a take-out section at the entrance where you can get Muffaletta sandwiches and other things on the additional menu to go.

There is also a weekend brunch.  You could spend a lot of time in their new digs with all the food and music they plan to serve up.

The other interesting additions are the new Memory wall as you walk in on the left side of the wall up to the bar.  Thirty years of photos and memories in a collage.  

There are also a couple of cosy nooks at the back of the restaurant and an area for live music.

I tried a few things on their menu at the Preview including their hush puppies, blackened chicken fingers, bruchetta, crab cakes, calamari and the new beignets.

 And they made sure to bring this guy with them to greet everyone old and new to Southern Accent.

The Founder

Director: John Lee Hancock

Screenplay: Robert D. Siegel

You will never look at another Big Mac the same way again after you watch the new movie The FOUNDER.  It's a true story of the beginning and the end of the fast food industry and the man that changed the fast food industry forever.

It's the story of Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, who unintentionally sells multiple Milkshake machines to a couple of genius fast food restaurant owners in San Bernadino, California.  He travels to San Bernadino to find out the story of the 2 brothers, Mac (John Carroll Lynch) and Dick McDonald (Nick Offerman), who ran a small takeout burger stand in the 1950's.  They had a system of serving up burgers and fries faster and more efficiently than anyone else in the business, they called it the speedy system.

The 2 brothers found ways to custom design tools to make service faster and they choreographed every move in the kitchen like it was a ballet.

Then the start of what I think was the beginning of the end of the food industry happened when a desperate but greedy and obsessive struggling salesman Ray Kroc decides he wants a piece of the pie.  He convinces the brothers to franchise the restaurants and he starts the first one and through kind of shady tactics he builds and empire while pulling the original restaurant founders out from under their business.  It's a very sad story but very well told and well portrayed by Keaton.

You will wonder what would have happened to the food service industry had this man never gotten the opportunity to change it.  It really presents clearly what greed and the bottom line has done to North America mostly but in huge part in America.  Where real food becomes less important than making a buck.

This is a film everyone should see because it's a piece of history, it's interesting and it's also an entertaining piece of film.  The production value of the locations and the details of the clothing and sets are also amazing.

Luckily I had a burger for lunch before seeing it but it's less food porn and more about trust, business practices, persistence and manipulation.

Go see it... but don't go hungry.

St. Andrews Poultry..not just chicken

What do you get when you mix a Toronto Dentist,  a young fresh Executive Chef and a Poultry Shop?

...........An updated new gourmet food store and catering shop in Kensington Market.

 St. Andrew Poultry was founded in 1962 by Jewish European immigrant Isaac Jesin. It was originally a processing plant but they expanded to add a retail side for their poultry products.  Jesin handed down the operation to his son Dr. Jerry Jesin in 2012.  Dr. Jesin a Toronto Dentist and foodie decided to kick the place up to a more modern shop and expand on the food products available.  Since he was a dentist and not a chef he needed to find someone to help him with the vision that he wanted for the store.  He asked around and was told to try Chef Bernadette Calpito's food.

Chef Calpito worked for many great upscale dining establishments including Roger Mooking's Kultura.  She drew from all of her restaurant experience and kicked it into high gear to create some great upscale fast food dishes that people could drop into the shop to pick up and take home for dinner.
Together they created a "Foodie Bar" with hot meals like fried chicken, brisket sandwiches, ribs, fries and their own signature Shawarma's.

They also have updated their Meat Counter to include aged Beef and vacuum packed already seasoned chicken, brisket and beef items.

There is also a counter with prepared foods like fingerling potatoes in a lemon vinaigrette, heirloom tomato salad, malta ribs, salmon and various salads.

They also created a new Supper Club Membership where people could join for $20 for a lifetime membership that allows them to pick up food to take out between the hours of 5pm to 6:30pm and receive a 20% discount on their prepared food.

They also have a Delivery and Catering service that will deliver to downtown offices and cater your events.  Chef Calpito noted that she is willing to provide whatever you need for your event, not limited to the items sold in the store.

Additional specialty items available in the store include some baked goods made by their in house baker and also a line of cheeses, fresh eggs and salads in Mason jars and a lot more.

I sampled a few things from their Foodie Bar.
I tried the Joy fried chicken which is a special process of cooking the chicken which keeps it crispy on the outside while being juicy on the inside.  Try it with their hot sauce.

Their Shawarma's are a signature dish that have their own unique blend of spices that are a global fusion of flavours.  I detected a bit of turmeric in the seasonings which gave the chicken shawarma a nice golden color. They have a nice selection of toppings for the shawarma's and they topped mine off with some of their vanilla infused french fries.  You don't taste the vanilla but the fries are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle and are delicious.

Chef Calpito wanted to make tacos but didn't want to do the same tacos everyone else was doing so she used Beef Cheeks and changed the tortilla shell to a wonton wrapper shell and added toppings like a cabbage and pineapple slaw and feta crema to the top.  Very flavourful taco with a great crunch.

They worked on many different combinations to get their burgers the way they wanted them.  They were so juicy that the napkin that I was holding was soaked in juices.  They used a beef brisket mix for the burgers and had them stacked with all kinds of toppings.

I also tried their Chicken Pot Pie.  It tasted like homemade chicken soup with a nice puff pastry top on it.  They have them uncooked and frozen ready to heat at home.

I tried a sample of their fingerling potato salad with lemon and herb dressing and loved the nice subtle flavour that enhances the potatoes.

I didn't have enough room to try the pistachio crusted lamb pops and their banana breads but the people I was with loved them.   I tried as much as I could and picked up some chicken to take home for dinner as well.

The staff are all super friendly and helpful.  Dr. Jerry loves food and wanted to make sure everything was the best it could be.  Chef Calpito has an abundance of energy and charm and a passion for making the products in her own unique style with flavours from around the globe.

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