Bon Feeds, or How to Pull Off a 10-course Dinner

I recently had the pleasure of taking over my friend Jo's beautiful kitchen for an evening and cook for some fabulous foodie friends of mine. Living in a small apartment with a closet-sized kitchen means I never get to entertain at my place, but I've been itching to host a dinner for some time now. So when Jo so kindly extended an invitation to me to use her kitchen—her big, beautiful, bright, 2-ovens, 6-gas ranges, LOTS of counter space kitchen—I took her up on the offer. How could I turn down this opportunity? It was like offering candy to a kid!

My favourite part about doing a large-scale, multi-course dinner like this one is the planning stage. It's the time when I can be the most creative and have a lot of fun with the research as I starting pulling together the menu. How do I begin? Often with the season, as it dictates what kind of fresh produce I'll be able to find at the market. And then I'll consider dishes that I really want to make—s'mores cake, homemade ricotta, homemade pasta, etc. I flip through cookbooks. I go through old photographs of memorable meals I've had at restaurants. I dust off old notes I jotted down in haste—on napkins, on scrap paper, on my phone—when sudden inspiration had taken over and I didn't want to forget the idea for future use. The whole process took almost two months, constantly writing and rewriting the menu, an ebb and flow of courses and ingredients, until the tide settled and I had my final menu in place.

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Wordless Wednesday #116: Agak, Agak, Hawk!

The boys from Gushi

Chicken Meatball (Gushi) - chicken, onion, soy sauce, coriander,
egg, black pepper, radish, green onion

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Agak, Agak, Hawk! on August 9th

“Sit around a circle and eat elbow-to-elbow with us. Interact through ingredients while rolling out fermented tales and fresh salad rolls, mash-up zingy sauces, and mix among art, song, and dance together.” — The Chop Suzies Collective

I’m so thrilled for my friend (and one of my fellow partners-in-crime in our Ninja Piggies pop-up project), Vanessa Toye, who’s teamed up with a group of her friends to form the Chop Suzies Collective. Descended from a dynasty of dumpling crimping chain gangs, the Chop Suzies Collective see food as something beyond the plate.

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El Catrin Destileria

Toronto just got a lot more festive and caliente with the opening of El Catrin Destileria in the space that was formerly known as the Boiler House in the Distillery District. While tacos have been an ever increasingly popular food trend and has seen the opening of numerous taquerias across the city in recent months, El Catrin promises to stand out from the rest of the pack, serving "authentic traditional and modern Mexican cuisine" while boasting a party-worthy patio and bringing us a Mexican experience far from Mexico.

El Catrin is the brainchild of the two Distillery’s owners, Mathew Rosenblatt and John Berman, and you can instantly tell they have put a lot of love and thought into the restaurant, in terms of design, concept, food, drinks, service, and overall ambience. As Mathew explained, El Catrin "is not a dining room; it's a Mexican experience."

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Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling and Malted Chocolate Buttercream

If you follow me on Twitter, you've most likely heard me talk on and on about Cake Day since the weekend. You've also probably read my recap of that glorious day from earlier this week. And now you get to read one more! Because there is never such a thing as too much cake, right?

Photo by Jen Chan/@foodpr0n.

I think my favourite part of cooking or baking is always the planning stage. As much as I love to physically be in the kitchen, there’s something so invigorating and inspiring about researching recipes. You can get so many ideas, and one recipe can lead to new recipes, as you start adding your own inspirations and techniques to the process. It's such a creative process, and I often find myself overwhelmed with a long list of things I want to cook and bake in the end. Cake Day was no exception, as I found myself staring at a longlist of cakes I wanted to bake for the big day a few weeks ago.

I really hadn’t given chocolate cake much thought for Cake Day when I started my recipe research. I figured a few other folks would be claiming chocolate cakes, and that would allow me to play with some other flavours. I flirted with the idea of cakes with nuts—maybe almonds with citrus flavours or the classic combination of hazelnuts and chocolate. There were thoughts of cakes with fruits, like local strawberries or mangoes, to keep things fresh and light. I even contemplated Asian flavours—matcha and adzuki (red) beans, or black sesame. But the instant I saw this recipe from Sweetapolita for Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling and Malted Chocolate Buttercream, I knew this was the one. Say whaa?! Toasted marshmallow? Chocolate? Malt? How could I resist such flavours?!

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Wordless Wednesday #113: Origin North Grand Opening

fior de latte + caramelized eggplant + peppers

oyster + radish + yuzu vinaigrette

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Cake Day 2013

What do you get when you bring together thirteen food-loving, ambitious bakers into one kitchen? Lots of cake. Nineteen cakes, to be exact. We had Cookie Day, and we had Pie Day, so you know cake day was not too far behind. I was invited to last year’s edition but unfortunately was unable to attend, so when the date was set for the 2013 edition, I quickly booked it in my calendar and started researching cake recipes.

The concept for Cake Day is simple. Much like Cookie Day and Pie Day, everyone bakes a cake (or two, for us ambitious folks!) and shares it. While with previous days, most of us arrived with our cookies and pies already baked, much of the cake baking was happening that day. It was a long day, but no one seemed to mind being in such lovely company, the house constantly smelled of cake (can’t complain about that!), and the promise of lots of delicious cakes at the end.

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The Stop's Night Market, Part II

The party wasn’t over as I was back again the next evening for night two of The Stop’s Night Market. The gorgeous weather continued, and everyone's spirits were high after all the positive buzz from the night before. The food carts remained the same, with only a few minor tweaks and signage changes to accommodate the changeover of the vendors.


While the first evening featured a lot of newcomers to the Night Market, the second evening felt like a reunion of sorts, with many returning vendors on hand like GwaiLo, The Stockyards, Yours Truly, Hawker Bar, and more, alongside the newbies. The only booth change was The Stop CFC’s fun-looking “Come N' Get It” cart, designed by Lift Office.

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The Stop's NIght Market 2013, Part I

It was the unofficial kick-off to summer in Toronto and the summer food festival scene this week, as Torontonians from far and near gathered at the little back alleyway and parking lot of the iconic Honest Ed's for the return of The Stop’s much anticipated Night Market. It was perhaps one of the most talked about food events of last summer, which certainly caught the attention of many more people this year and encouraged The Stop to expand the Night Market over two nights, with over twice as many chefs and 35 one-of-a-kind food carts created by local designers. But the added night certainly didn't make folks think twice—almost 2,000 tickets were sold out in two hours!

Originally one of the first food banks in Canada, The Stop Community Food Centre is an organization that works to increase access to healthy food in a way that maintains dignity, builds health and community, and challenges inequality. Proceeds from both nights' ticket sales will go toward The Stop's anti-hunger programs.

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Wordless Wednesday #111: Supper Club, Vanessa

Olive-Oil Poached Halibut - parsley-fennel-vermouth broth, pickled asparagus,
braised leek, spicy walnut crumble

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Wordless Wednesday #108: Food Truck Eats at Peller Estates 2.0

Possibly the cutest food truck!

Just a small glimpse at our spread. There was a lot more food!

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The Stop's Night Market Returns June 18 & 19

I'm so thrilled that one of my favourite food events from last year, The Stop’s Night Market, is back again this summer. On June 18 and 19, over 60 Toronto chefs will be gathered in the back alley and parking lot of Honest Ed's once again, dishing up their own unique take on street food and all for a great cause. Proceeds from the night will go towards The Stop’s anti-hunger programs.

The Stop’s Night Market was one of the best, put-together events of last year, in terms of the venue, atmosphere, and variety of food. Each vendor’s booth was custom-designed by various designers and design firms, working with the chefs to create a particular look and feel. There were certainly some very creative, stand-out booths, from Brockton General’s Pegasus booth, to The Stop’s adorable food cart, to Woodlot’s very aerodynamic-looking booth. With mini paper lanterns and colourful banners hung throughout the lot, the place was turned into a magical little street fiesta.


This year, the organizers have expanded the Night Market to run two nights, and with more chefs! The vendors will be spread over the two nights. It’s great to see some returning favourites, like Woodlot, County General, The Stockyards, Babi & Co., and more. But I’m just as excited to check out what some of the new vendors will bring to the event, including Richmond Station, Momofuku Shoto, Ursa, Farmhouse Tavern, Chantecler, Acadia, and many more! Lots of local craft breweries and wineries will be on hand to keep everyone well hydrated.


Best of all, The Stop’s Night Market is a much more affordable fundraising food affair, with tickets only costing $50 for all-you-can-eat food and drinks. Yes, you read it right—all-you-can-eat-AND-drink. Last year’s ticket sales raised over $57,000 for The Stop, so with two nights of festivities and more than twice the amount of tickets for sale, we’re bound to do even more good for The Stop and their essential programs for the community.


Tickets will be going on sale the morning of Wednesday, May 22, so get yours quickly because these will sell out fast! Tickets will be available for sale on the Night Market’s website: www.nightmarket.thestop.org. Be sure to follow The Stop on Twitter @TheStopCFC, and use the Night Market hashtag #TheStopNM.

Read about my experience at last year's The Stop's Night Market here.

Wordless Wednesday #106: Friday Night Live at the ROM

Hotbunzz

Chow mein from Parts & Labour

Little Tomato's biscuit sandwiches

The colours of Augie's Gourmet Ice Pops rainbow

Manual Labour Coffee

View more photos from Friday Night Live at the ROM here.
Friday Night Live at the Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto, ON
Friday nights, 7-11 pm
For schedule and tickets, visit www.rom.on.ca

Wordless Wednesday #104: Supper Club, Brunch Edition

Maple-Bacon Biscuit Bake

Cuban Avocado, Watercress, and Pineapple Salad

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Wordless Wednesday #102: Dubon Chicken Pop-up

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Pi(es), Glorious Pi(es)

Happy Pi Day! And what better way to celebrate Pi Day than with pie? That's what a group of friends and I did this past weekend as we celebrated the occasion with a potluck Pi(e) Day, hosted by my friend and superstar hostess Jen. The rule of the game? Everyone bakes a pie, sweet or savoury, and brings it to the party to share.

Chocolate pecan rum "pi"

If I thought Cookie Day was overwhelming, I'm not quite sure what to call Pie Day—epic, that's for sure. There were fourteen bakers expected at the gathering, and when all the pies were assembled at the table, we were faced with 23 pies. Twenty-three glorious pies. Tourtière du shack. Curry beef. Chocolate pecan rum. Strawberry rhubarb. Banoffee with candied bacon. Tarte d'érable. Yuzu meringue. The list of pies goes on!

Tourtière du shack

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Wordless Wednesday #100: SLURP Noodlefest

Mie Udang--shrimp and pork noodle soup, caramelized pork belly,
celery, crisp shallots (Babi & Co.)

Tom Yum Soup--rice noodles, chicken, cherry tomatoes, kaffir lime,
fried shallots, thai basil, coriander (El Gastronomo)

A-OK Foods

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S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef + $150 Giveaway for Fabbrica

While it’s always important to celebrate the achievements of the veterans, it’s also just as important to celebrate the young and new, and it's always fantastic when we can recognize the talents of the next generation—and in this case, possibly the next great chefs of the culinary world.

I was invited to attend the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Canadian Regional Competition this past Monday night. This was a great opportunity to see what some of Canada’s brightest culinary students had in store for our country’s future culinary scene, and to see first-hand their creativity and ingenuity in the kitchen.

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Wordless Wednesday #99: Battle Kimchi Prix Fixe Dinner

Kimchi 3-ways: kimchi ssam; takoyaki with kimchi mayo; kimchi and tofu

Spicy seafood soup

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Battle Kimchi! at Yakitori Bar

I love kimchi. But that wasn’t always the case. I never used to be able to stand the stuff until a trip to Seoul in 2006 changed my perspective and I realized that I've been eating such crappy stuff, it didn't deserve to be called kimchi. In Seoul, I was introduced to “real” kimchi—the good stuff that Korean ahjummas lovingly make on a regular basis, secret recipes passed down from generations ago. I also had a chance to attend a kimchi-making class while there and came out with a greater appreciation for this wonderful food afterwards. From that moment, I was instantly converted into a kimchi-lover and have never looked back.

So when I received an invitation to check out a kimchi throwdown, I knew this event was calling my name. On Saturday, February 23, Sang Kim, owner and operator of Seoul Food Co. and Yakitori Bar hosted the first ever Battle Kimchi. Six contestants were culled from the vast Korean community to present their secret kimchi family recipes to an eager crowd and a panel of judges. The prize—the winner will have their kimchi available for sale at Seoul Food Co., alongside Sang’s own Kick Ass Kimchi, starting in March.

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