Images from the CFRA Trade Show 2009

Although we knew we weren’t going to be writing about the show itself for TasteTO, we still headed off to the Canadian Food and Restaurant Trade Show this past weekend to check stuff out and look for story ideas.

This is the largest food and restaurant trade show in Canada, with exhibitors promoting pretty much anything you would need if you ran a restaurant or food service operation. All the things people never even think about when they dream about opening a restaurant; from cutlery to chairs to dishwashers, computer systems and take out containers. The food section is full of packaged and processed foods, from frozen French fry vendors to bakeries offering bread and cakes. and of course things like condiments, coffee, or ingredients like baking chocolate… It’s a cornucopia of delights, with most of the food vendors handing out plentiful samples. We ate bite-sized versions of pizza, chicken wings, ice cream, cheesecake on a stick, prosciutto, dried fruit, yogurt, single-origin chocolate, pate, vegetarian caviar, panko-fried pickles, fruit cups, and Campbell’s high-end line of soups. Plus beer, fancy water, kool-aid slushies, coffee, tea, fancy soda… Then we came home and downed half a bottle of Pepto Bismol.

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the Intimidating Mustard

I am intimidated by a jar of mustard.

It’s no secret that I love good food and that I love trying new products. But I’m also a bit of a tightwad, and I’m all about value for money, even before we came into “tough economic times”.

When Greg and I were at the Gourmet Food and Wine Festival in November, we got separated at one point and I eventually found my husband in front of a booth called Made in France. He was sampling products and as I approached, turned around and pointed a mustard-laden pretzel stick in my direction. “Try this! It’s got truffles!!” he exclaimed.

Indeed, it was one truffly mustard, and it made me swoon.

The other mustards on display had prices on the jar. $6 each. That’s a bit of money for mustard, but they were all good, so we asked for a jar of the stuff with truffles and the nice man wrapped it up and bagged it and handed it to me before saying, “That will be $18, please.” The sharp intake of breath from both of us made a startling noise. But once we had our wits about us, we had to make a decision, and fast.

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All About Almonds

I’ve never really thought about almonds. Oh sure, they’re a tasty nut, good as a snack or in baked goods. They come in a variety of forms; whole, blanched, sliced, slivered, ground and even milk. They can be eaten out of hand, added to pastries or to savoury dishes. But last week I attended an event that was all about the wonders of the California almond.

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The Incredible Edible Royal Winter Fair

royalapples

Once again, it’s time for the country to come to the city. The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is in town until November 16th. Now in its 86th year, the Royal is the largest combined indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition in the world, and sees over 300,000 people come through its doors each November.

And since the majority of agriculture is food-related, the fair is a great place for foodies to check out new local products, admire prize-winning produce, and see up close the chickens, pigs, cows and sheep that will eventually end up on their dinner tables.

Here are some not-to-miss high-lights: Continue reading “The Incredible Edible Royal Winter Fair”

Inspired By Italy, Made in Toronto

seasonsnumbercheese

As we revel in the seasonal autumn produce of Ontario, it’s easy to forget that it’s harvest time in other parts of the world as well.In Italy, they’re enjoying tomatoes, root vegetables and cabbage just as we are, but there’s also the addition of fragrant truffles, plump buffala mozzarella, chestnuts, seasonal fish and game meats on the plate.

To celebrate the delights of the autumn season, the Italian Trade Commission and twenty-one Italian restaurants in the Toronto area are putting together special tasting menus that highlight the very best of fall in Italy as part of the Autunno Italian Seasons Festival.

From November 7th to 22nd, participating restaurants will be offering up special dishes and selections from their own menus that exemplify the best of Italian regional cooking. We had the opportunity to visit two of the participating restaurants recently for a preview of their festival menus.

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Lunch at the Palais

palaispeartartWhen most people think of the Palais Royale Ballroom, they think of, well… dancing. Or the bands that have graced the famous stage. Maybe if they’ve attended a wedding or other event where they were served a meal, they’re aware that the Palais actually turns out some pretty great food.

Executive Chef Steffan Howard has worked at some of the top restaurants in Toronto (Truffles, JOV Bistro, AGO) but he also has a background in agriculture, having spent three years working on an organic farm as a product developer and initiating an organic catering company. He was also the chairman of the 15th annual Feast of Fields event.

So how does a chef with a background in organic farming bring his love of organic and local produce to a venue where most of his work is for weddings or corporate events? By opening the doors for a local food lunch, that’s how.

Each Wednesday until the end of November, Chef Howard will create a casual buffet-style lunch menu from ingredients sourced at the Brickworks Chef’s Market. This Wednesday morning market, open only to local chefs, allows farmers and chefs to connect, strengthen ties and build networks that help promote local economies.

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Thanskgiving Brunch at the Palais Royale

Holidays are a little weird at our house. Both our families live down east, and being childfree, there’s usually less incentive to get into the decorating and feasting than if we had spawned. Because it’s just the two of us, we seldom end up doing anything huge for occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas. And while we’re mostly good with not having to get on a plane to go eat some turkey (and not dealing with the potential squabbling about who “gets us” and for how long), the various holidays often seem to be missing a sense of celebration.

I always cook the traditional dinner, but it ends up being like any other evening meal, only with more dishes to wash. So this year, we decided to do something different.

We found out that the Palais Royale was serving a Thanksgiving brunch. It was over $40 per person, and we waffled for a bit over the price, but threw caution to the wind and went anyway.

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I Could Appreciate Art More if There Weren’t so Many People Standing in Foont of It

I guess I’m late to the party in posting Nuit Blanche photos. For those not aware, Nuit Blanche is an all-night art event in Toronto (copied from a number of European cities), where art installations, galleries and clubs are open from sunset to sunrise the next day, and it’s all free.

This year’s event supposedly attracted almost 1 million people over the course of the evening. The events were divided into three “zones” and since we live smack in the centre of one, we decided to stay close to home and only do what we could walk to.

It was an enjoyable evening, with only a few disappointments. We walked along Queen West, but didn’t go into any of the galleries that were open because they were all just too packed with people. We also didn’t stay out all night, although we did consider getting up early and returning to the nearby stadium for the mascot exhibit, just to see how many of them were still dancing 12 hours later.

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Yo Ho Ho! Rum’s Not Just For Pirates Anymore

rumcakeThe Caribbean is known for its gorgeous beaches, laid back atmosphere and beautiful scenery. But food and drink connoisseurs might be more familiar with the other hilights of the Caribbean islands – particularly rum.

September 24th to 26th was Caribbean Week here in Toronto. Designed to promote travel and industry in the 32 Caribbean islands, the festival also featured an evening of Rum and Rhythm at the Harbourcastle Westin, where guests listened to the sounds of the Caribbean while sampling rum from the islands and culinary offerings from some of the Caribbean’s top chefs. Guests could sample a variety of rum and rum-based cocktails, and a buffet-style selection of Caribbean cuisine that included everything from salt fish to bread pudding.

We wisely filled up on some of the fabulous edible offerings first before hitting the rum and cocktail samples.

rumcevicheFrom the Bahamas, Chef Mario Adderley offered traditional rice and beans, an outstanding conch stew and apple bread pudding with a light rum sauce.  Chef Vidyadhara Shetty from Cayman Islands prepared grilled swordfish, paired with a fruit salsa, and possibly the best rum cake we’ve ever eaten.

The culinary offerings from Chef Richardson Skinner of St. Lucia might well have been our favourite overall. Chef Skinner was serving up a salad of avocado and cucumber with figs in a lime dressing, fried plantains, salt fish and veggies and a ginger and coconut crème brûlée.

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Not Just Sprouts and Tofu

chfahalvaAfter the learning experience of last year’s visit to the Canadian Health Food Association’s Expo East Trade Show, we arrived this year well prepared. We didn’t follow the crowd and bring along an empty suitcase to carry home samples and info sheets, but we did show up at this massive health food trade show with empty backpacks and comfortable shoes.

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