Michelin Star Chef from Italy comes to Toronto for Cent Italia

CENTItalia

Event:  CENTItalia Dinner

Location:  Nella Cucina on Bathurst

Chef:  Cristina Bowerman

Hosted by:  Italian Chamber of Commerce & Centennial College

Date:  November 16, 2017

#CENTItalia

My friend Natalie invited me to join her for what she called "some Italian event in the Annex".  All she told was that it was a dinner and since I had a long and busy day and knew I wasn't going to want to cook when I went home and love Italian food I said I would join her.  We met at a coffee shop in the Annex and the she told me it was at Nella Cucina and I wondered if it was a hands on thing because that space was usually used for interactive cooking demos but she said no it was sit down dinner.  And indeed it was a sit down dinner but it was with an Italian Michelin Star Chef who just that day announced that she received her 2nd Michelin Star.  Her name is Cristina Bowerman and she is the only female Michelin star chef in Italy.  Glass Hosteria is located in Rome, Italy where food is probably the number one reason for tourist to visit there besides the art and architecture. You know that most people dream of eating Italian food in Italy including me but we were lucky to have her cooking for us at Nella Cucina in Toronto for one of CentItlaia's various events brought to Toronto by the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Centennial College.  This was the only event I was able to attend out of a few during the week but probably the one that I would have wanted to attend the most anyway.  So you never know how events are going to be but I am glad I was able to attend this one because the food was amazing and so many different flavour combinations made it really interesting.  Check out the dishes we had:

 Jerusalem Artichokes and potato cream, creamed bacala and bread chips

The best part of this was the Artichoke cream.

Risotto with butter, anchovies, candied ginger, lemon and caper powder and demi glace.

This risotto was made with Italian Canaroli rice which is slightly larger than Arborio and the perfect rice for Risotto but a lot harder to find in Toronto.  The taste of this risotto was the best I have ever had and a surprising mix of flavours.  We all inhaled this little bowl of rice. 

Scallops, dashi pistachio, mushroom and kumquat and bonito flakes.

This dish has the most perfectly cooked scallops which were cross hatched to absorb the butter and the combination of the other ingredients on the plate were a mix of Italian with Asian touches.  

Ricotta cheese soup, candied fruit and zeppole.

We couldn't get enough of this dessert.  They made a lot of the Zeppole's which are light as air Italian donuts and because there were so many we ended up eating 3 each because they are so light you just want to keep eating them.

 Petits four chocolates

And we wrapped up our delicious Michelin Star meal with some fine chocolates but honestly we just wanted to eat more zeppoles.  

I hope that one day I can visit Italy and have Cristina's food in her element.

Why buying 100% Italian Olive Oil is important.

Event:            100% Italian Olive Oil Tasting Dinner
Date:              July 7, 2016
Host:              Redoro Olive Oil
Campaign:     Flavor Your Life
Location:       Buca on King St.
Hashtag:        #FlavorYourLife
Social:           facebook.com/FlavorYourLifeNA 

                      twitter.com/Flavor_YourLife

Recently I received a mysterious email invitation to attend an Olive Oil tasting at Buca Restaurant on King St. West.  I didn't know who the invitation was from exactly but I accepted the invitation because it was at one of Toronto's Top 10 restaurants.  I have been to the 2 others but hadn't visited this location yet so this was a great opportunity.

It ended up being my blogger pal Shuang's (TheTeleporta) birthday that same evening so she was my plus 1 guest.  Great way to spend a birthday I think. I didn't know who else was going but so happy to see some of my other blogger friends there too.

The reason for the event was because there is a new FLAVOR YOUR LIFE campaign that is supported by the European Union and Italy to explain the importance of 100% Italian Olive Oil.  Our host was Roberto Accurso the very informative owner of REDORO Olive Oils. Redoro is supported by the European Union and Italy and is one of the only certified producers that they have agreed to partner with.

We sampled the first 3 Olive Oils on this list and Roberto explained the differences of each one.  All are first pressed oils. They only use Italian Olives from the local growers and there are no GMO's. There are a lot of oils that claim to be Extra Virgin olive oil but they are not first pressed and they use olives from other countries mixed and use blemished low quality and sometimes under ripe olives which won't have full flavour.

OLIVE GROWERS SINCE 1895

REDORO farm estate is located in Grezzana, in the heart of Valpantena, in the northern area of Verona: the secret of success at Redoro oil mills is the presence of the mills, very close to the heart of its production: one in Grezzana, the main seat of the firm; the other in Mezzane and also near the Lake of Garda, where only Garda DOP Extra virgin Olive Oil is produced. The oil mills work at full capacity during the three months of harvest – October, November and December. Olives are collected from the neighbouring valleys, which cover a wide area that comprises seven valleys.
 About 1000 producers send their best olives to the mills. Average yearly output amounts to an estimated 30.000 quintals of olives, processed by Redoro’s mills.

Oil production undergoes strict controls by our specialized staff who carefully follow each step of the process, pressing only good olives whose quality can produce the excellences of Redoro Mills, namely:


• -      Italian Redoro 100%
• -      Redoro Organic

• -      Extra virgin Garda DOP

• -      Extra virgin Veneto Valpolicella DOP

The oil produced at the mill is very aromatic, has an intense green color with shades of gold, and a sweet full-bodied and fragrant olive flavor, that allows it to be tasted on bread or used to dress any dish. REDORO has even given its special attention to the bottle that contains the oil: this bottle bears the REDORO registered trademark, is attractive and has a practical and very original handle.


For more information please email Marcella Dose at info@Redoro.it

REDORO SRL – Frantoi Veneti - Sede: Via G. Marconi, 30 - 37023 Grezzana (VR) - ITALY

After our Olive Oil tasting we had some truly amazing appetizers.  From the famous Buca Margherita pizza to a fried stuffed olive and a breaded eggplant with burrata cheese and basil and one of most flavourful bites was the ceviche served in spoons.  To end the meal we were presented with Olive Oil Gelato served in espresso cups.  What an interesting dessert and beautiful presentation.  One thing that wasn't event meant to stand out was the fantastic Italian sodas that they had. I had the refreshing lemon flavour.  A great citrus cleanse for the whole meal.  And I must say that there really was a noticable difference to each of the Olive Oils and I think we all had our preferences.  I think the DOP was the one I liked the best.  Each a different purpose, as dippers, finishers and for salads so it's best to sample and see which one you like the best.

They provided us with a gift bag of their Olive Oil and a bunch of recipes.

Here's a recipe that would be great for your SUMMER BBQ's that will be enhanced by using Redoro Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Coming soon the oils will be available at selected Costco stores where you will be able to sample the oils and find out more about each one.  Once the brand is established they hope to expand to large grocery stores.

Website coming soon at www.flavor-you-life.com