Last night, our very own Canoe Sous Chefs Amanda Ray and Julie Marteleira presented an exceptional four-course dinner at The Chefs’ House as part of the Rising Star Chef Dinners – a series of monthly dinners showcasing cutting-edge Canadian chefs who already have an established culinary repertoire.

The evening’s menu was a creative collaboration between the two chefs, inspired by their cooking and travel experiences both within Canada and abroad – the use of local products was ample through the menu.



With the open concept kitchen, guests were able to speak with the chefs about the food, starting off with the selection of hors d’oeuvres, including Beet Cured Salmon on flax flatbread with chive crème fraîche, Crispy Egg Yolk with braised ox-tail.

Although guests were seated for the four-course dinner, the overhead cameras in the kitchen and monitors throughout the dining space at The Chefs' House allowed guests to observe and take part in the process of each course’s creation, from plating to garnishing and expediting.




First Course:
Goat Cheese Mousse, butternut squash vinaigrette, cured Niagara soppresata, watercress foam & fried sage




Second Course:
Gigante Bean Stew, PEI mussels & panko crusted provimi veal sweetbreads, Fordhook mustard greens




Third Course:
St. Canut Braised Pork Shoulder with cast iron potatoes, caramelized onions, dandelion, candied kumquats & triple crunch jus




Fourth Course:
Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Puff with mint gel, chocolate glace, crystallized mint & candied lime

Again, congratulations to both Amanda and Julie for a fantastic dinner! The George Brown students, along with the dinner guests, all came away with an incredible experience. The entire photoset from last night can be found on Flickr.

I'm very happy to say that our Bannock t-shirts are now available for purchase! Stop by our Bannock grab & go counter and you'll be able to pick one up for $25. (Adult men's and women's sizes available in S / M / L / XL)



The women's shirt has 3/4 length sleeves with a slight scoopneck, whereas the men's shirts are your traditional t-shirts.

The designs were a collaborative effort with Toronto-based textile printing artist, Yasmine Louis. (She is currently selling her work at the One of a Kind Christmas Show until Dec. 5th, so be sure to visit her at booth L-13!) Both shirts feature vintage maps - one design is of flight routes across Canada circa 1964; the other design is a map of Hudson's Bay, as drawn by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin in the mid 1700's.

Design #1:



Design #2:


We love both designs and hope you do as well!

Our new event spaces and sales offices are still under construction on the 8th and 9th floors at the Simpson Tower at Queen & Bay. Deborah Gee (Head of Sales at Oliver & Bonacini Events) gives us an idea of what is to come in the new year!

The Canadian Culinary Books Awards were presented last night at a gala ceremony at the Royal Winter Fair.  Presented by Cuisine Canada and The University of Guelph, the annual awards celebrate the richness and diversity of Canadian cuisine.

We’re pleased to announce that 3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men was awarded gold in the English-language cookbook category!


The 3 Chefs with host, Christine Cushing


The 3 Chefs with Alison Fryer of the Cookbook Store.

For a listing of all the winners from last night's event, please see links below:

- University of Guelph
- Macleans

Thousands showed up for Foodstock yesterday afternoon, in support of the movement to Stop the Mega Quarry. It was a fantastic event and below are just a few images I managed to capture:



Chef Walsh, grilling up the cornbread to serve with the chili.



The beautiful woods.



Some lines were lengthy, but well worth the wait.



Large pot of stock being kept warm for the autumn harvest minestrone at booth 63.



Chili and cornbread from O&B - a perfect fall dish.