Cook for New Lives Gala for the Massey Centre

What:      1^st - “Cook for New Lives” gala fundraiser

Why:        For Teen mom programs at the Massey Centre

When:     Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 6 p.m.

Where:    Atrium, George Brown College Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts, 300 Adelaide Street East, Toronto

Website:  http://www.masseygala.com

Hashtag: #Cook4NewLives

I was invited to attend the first  “Cook for New Lives” gala fundraiser for the Massey Centre (http://www.massey.ca), a not-for- profit Children’s Mental Health Centre that helps pregnant and parenting adolescents and their babies was held at the George Brown College Atrium. 200-plus guests and moms from Massey Centre along with some of Toronto’s most famous and inspiring chefs for a one-of- a-kind cooking competition.

Four aspiring female student chefs will be mentored by well-known Professional Chefs:  Alex Feswick, Lora Kirk, Anne Yarymowich, and Susanne Barr, and their enticing dishes will be enjoyed by you and judged by celebrity Chefs:  Claudio Aprile, Chef & Owner, Orderfire Hospitality Group and Masterchef Canada Judge; John Higgins, Director George Brown Chef School and Chopped Canada Judge; and YouTube sensation, Sara Lynn Cauchon, Creator, The Domestic Geek.     

The evening was hosted by founder of Foodie and the Beast, and THE SOCIAL’s Digital Correspondent, Jess Allen. 

During the evening guests were invited to:

• Sample a tasting of the creations submitted by the duo chefs for judging.
• Enjoy complimentary wine, beer and canapés.
• Vote in the people's choice award for your favourite dish.
• Bid on the amazing array of silent auction items and a roaming raffle draw.
• Mix and mingle with friends, colleagues and fellow guests.

 The winning dish made by Haewon Choi was braised short rib with sweet potato perogies.  

Other dishes included a Cod and Shrimp fish cake, chicken on a cheese biscuit, vegetarian and goat bites.

There was a moving speech made by one of the Massey Centre residents who after dealing with a challenging childhood and becoming pregnant at a young age is now turing her life around and is looking to the future with a career in cosmetology and the ability to take care of her 2 year old son with strength and hope.

All proceeds from the Gala will support Massey Centre a Children’s Mental Health Centre that helps pregnant and parenting women and their babies who reside at the Centre and in the community. The young families benefit from a comprehensive range of programs, services and supports 24/7 that respond to their individual mental health, education and transitional housing needs.

The young women who call Massey Centre home are one of the highest-risk and most vulnerable groups in Canada.

Tickets were $99 per person and included a cocktail reception, gourmet cuisine, no-host bar and silent auction.

It's not too late to donate funds to help out the centre.  You can donate online through Canada Helps here:  https://www.canadahelps.org/en/Securities/DonateBasket.aspx

Follow the Massey Centre on twitter at https://twitter.com/MasseyCentre and on 

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Massey-Centre-for-Women-230785837035451/.  

They had a fun photo booth set up and as usual my Food Blogger partner in food crimes Mary's Happy Belly were there to get silly with hats.

I join Travel Massive and hop on the UpExpress to the 905

TRAVELLING MASSIVE STYLE ON THE UPExpress

I have been wanting to expand my blog posts to food outside of Toronto so I decided to hop on the Travel Massive UPexpress and head out to a new venue called The Vue to see what's happening in the City of Mississauga and the City of Brampton.  This event was put together by Tourism Toronto. 

I really wanted to attend because I have never hopped on the UpExpress or heard of The Vue so I thought it would be a great opportunity to check them out for not other reason than to see what it's like.

Other than my confusing trek through the under construction Union Station to get to the UpExpress lounge before the designated train left at 5:30pm it was a very pleasant experience.  I am assuming that once all the construction at Union Station is finished they will have proper pathways and signage but for now it's best to enter from front street instead of navigating the confusing signage from the subway.  

Even though I rushed from my office to get there in time I was greeted by some very friendly Travel Massive people who handed me a lovely gift bag as soon as I got there.  I didn't even look inside but it smelled good and it turned out to be Balzacs coffee beans from the Union Station Lounge vendor.  

I got there with about 10 minutes to spare and then we hopped on the train to head to the Pearson stop where we boarded a quick charter bus to the venue.  It was a super quick ride, about 15 minutes with a stop at Weston Station and Bloor.  

I have to say that it was so pleasant and comfortable riding the UpExpress.  It's very quiet and the seats aren't jammed in like other modes of transport.  The whole time I was wishing my TTC subway commute was like that.

The only thing I found unfortunate was the view along the way and that it really doesn't go very far yet.  It seemed to go through the ugliest parts of the greater Toronto area from Dundas West construction, old buildings, junk, and industrial businesses.  It would have been an amazing view if it had flowed along the lakeshore.  Note to infrastructure designers.. Plan your route visually if you are going to go above ground to make it more attractive to be on board. But now that Metrolinx has lowered the cost of it to $9 with a Presto card it's kind of a great way to get from Union to the Airport fast and for less than the cost of a cab and no traffic jams.  It's still a bit of a pain if you have luggage because you have to cart it around but if you travel light this is ideal.

Once we arrived at Pearson we boarded a charter bus to The Vue. I am not sure exactly how long it's been open but I don't think too long.  It's a banquet hall that can be used for all kinds of events and it was the destination to showcase restaurants and attractions happening in the Mississauga and Brampton areas.  

 

Most people think about travelling to Toronto but there are unique and other things to do in Mississauga and Brampton.  The food was provided by a few of the local restaurants and it was pretty delicious.  

Marathi - Chicken Tikka masala

Nobel - Pulled Pork sliders

Corso - Ceviche

Acer - Sushi and Make rolls 

From these tempura asparagus, Thai noodles to the Ice Pops below.  

All fantastic and worth seeking out restaurants outside of your typical Toronto spots.

Some of the attractions and events that were showcased at The Vue were:

• Brampton Battle Archery 
• Treetop Trekking 
• Signifi 
• Stryke Target Range 
• Carassauga 
• Be Relax Airport Spa 
• Woodbine Entertainment Group 
• Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre 
• Holiday Inn Toronto Airport East 
• Plaza Premium Lounge 
• iFLY Toronto Indoor Skydiving 
• City of Mississauga 
• City of Brampton 
• Streetsville BIA 
• Port Credit BIA 
• Ontario Summer Games 

There really are a lot of interesting things you can do that you can't do in Toronto.  I have been wanting to go to Carassauga for a long time because as a  child my mother would bring me to the Toronto version around various community centres and churches to experience everything about other cultures from the food to the crafts and dances.  That's where I really developed my curiosity about other foods and how other people live.

I am not an axe throwing kind of person but I could see this as a good team building event for a company after a large stressful project.  Also the IFly skydiving looks so fun. I would like to do this one.  It's sky diving without the scariness of getting kicked out of a plane.
There will also be the upcoming Summer games and there is also the year round Racetrack and gambling at Woodbine.

If you are skipping the U.S. road trips this year because of the high cost of gas or just the time to get away is just too hard to do then this might be a great way to feel like you are taking a mini vacation. Get on the UpExpress from Toronto and go and explore Mississauga or Brampton and stay overnight and you will have that vacation feel without the travelling hassle or the added expenses.
Or bring visitors to the city to these destinations to show them something different than the CN Tower or Niagara Falls.  Everyone knows about them.. show them something most people in Toronto don't even do very often.

Food writer - Mary Luz Mejia

Tourism Toronto.
https://travelmassive.com/

Terroir Symposium 2016 at the AGO

Thanks to Gastropost (Post Media)  I was able to attend the Terroir Symposium at The Art Gallery of Ontario on Monday, April 25, 2016.

The Terroir Symposium brings together Hospitality workers, food writers and other industry people for a day to get together and discuss trends and focus on our local Terroir of food.  The lunch was focused on Vegetarian with all of the small bites various types of vegetarian bites.

The problem was that I confirmed a new work contract that started a week before the Symposium but the good thing was that it was close to the Symposium so I was able to drop in before work, on my lunch break and after work but that also meant that I had to miss out on the many speakers attending the Symposium.  I did get to see one guy from the UK during the afternoon snacks portion but there were so many people in the room talking that it was hard to hear what he was saying anyway.
But I did manage to rush in and try a lot of the food available and rushed through the Cheese Cave to say hi to my friend Vicky at the St. Albert's cheese station.  Talk about fast food.  I had to rush around the building to see and taste as much as I could in my limited amount of time while also saying hi to some of my foodie friends who were there trying to do the same thing.

Breakfast:

Hans Vogels | Momofuku Noodle Bar -  Breakfast Ramen 

Renee Bellefeuille | AGO - Scones and Breads

  

Vegetarian Lunch provided by:

Amanda Cohen | Dirty Candy | NYC

Adrian Niman | Food Dudes

Aidan Galligan | Uncle Smoke Barbeque

Mark Kupfert | Kupfert & Kim

Michael Hunter | Antler

Renee Bellefeuille | AGO

Johnny Poon | Bar Fancy

Alexandra Feswick | Drake Hotel

Dessert:

Stephanie Duong | Roselle Desserts

Chris Kwok | Cluny Bistro

Ashley Jacot De Boinod | Glory Hole Doughnuts

Jason Bangerter | Langdon Hall

Snacks:

Carole Belmonte | Belmonte Raw

Michele Forgione | Impasto

Renee Bellefeuille | AGO

My favourite foods from the lunch were the Taiwanese Arancini from Kanpai and the Vegetarian stuffed Bao.  

I loved all the desserts but especially liked the Cocoa Barry chocolates.  They were beautiful and amazing.

Totally Turkey Closing Reception 

Totally Turkey Menu Items:

• Walnut & Pistachio Raisin Sausage, Muska & Pistachio Halva
• Plain & Pomegranate Wick Turkish Delight,  Dry Black & Red Grapes
• Salted & Raw Antep Pistachios, Kahke, Baklava
• Artichoke Heart Filled with Broad Bean Mousse Served with Purslane Garnish & Beetroot
• Sprouts “Haydari” Served On Crispy Pastry “Yufka”, Mini Kebabs Of Antep’s Truffe 
• Stuffed Dried Vegetables, Stuffed Grapevine Leaves with Bulgur Filling, Tray Bake Filo Pastry with Rice
• Bake Filo Pastry with Olive Muhammara; Walnut & Red Pepper Paste Dip, Hummus, 
• Lentil Patties, İçli Köfte, Bulgur Balls with Walnut & Ground Meat Filling

I wish I could tell you more about the talks but I am sure my friend Jenny Roger (Icecreamandknishes) will do a full write up of all the talks she was able to see.  She was there the whole day and saw quite a bit.  The session I really wanted to attend was the Jacques La Merde the Instagram sensation of a Toronto Female chef who creates beautiful plates using mostly junk food.

This year it was at a new location and with the collaboration of having it at the AGO I am told they integrated a large art portion to the event.  

The tickets are fairly expensive with a day pass being $300.  I wouldn't have been able to go if it wasn't for my work with the Gastropost team.  There was also a collaborative dinner with 16 Chefs for $200 during the evening and I am sure that must have been a fantastic event with chefs trying to outdo each other.  There were other events for Chefs and sponsors and even an event at the Cheese Boutique that were separate from the Symposium.

Either way it's a chance for people that generally all work the same hours all over the place to get together and see what's new in the industry.  That's always a good thing to drive the food world forward.


For more info: terroirsymposium.com.