Foodism – 20 – The Holiday Issue

T O R O N T O , O N E B I T E AT A T I M E

FI NISHED I N AGED W HISKY BA R R ELS

C RA FT E D FO R M O M E N TS T H AT M AT T E R

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

THREE TERRITORIES. TEN PROVINCES. Eats and entertainment.

The perfect combination.

Whether you’re eating with friends, meeting a date, catching a show or setting a high score, it’s all happening at The Rec Room. Inspired by Canada’s vast and varied landscape, The Rec Room’s THREE10 restaurant offers a menu that is a true expression of what it means to be Canadian, with flavours as diverse as our nation, from coast to coast.

TM

Plan your visit TheRecRoom.com

EATS & ENTERTAINMENT

VSOP COGNAC AUDACIOUSLY BLENDED WITH ORAGNE LIQUEUR, FOR A SOIRÉE. PLEA SE ENJ OY RE S P O N S I B LY.

EDITORIAL PUBLISHER

Krista Faist ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Katie Bridges

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Taylor Newlands COPY EDITOR

A WORD

FROM THE TEAM

Photography: Ian Dingle Art Direction: Matthew Hasteley

David Ort

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Andrea Yu

CONTRIBUTORS

Abbi Henderson

DESIGN ART DIRECTOR

Matthew Hasteley SENIOR DESIGNER

Brianne Collins

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS

Emily Black Gordon Alexander

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHER

Kailee Mandel PHOTOGRAPHY

Sandro Pehar Christie Vuong Brian Lee PRINTING

Solisco

CEO

Krista Faist ACCOUNT MANAGERS

David Horvatin Nick Valsamis ADVERTISING

Spencer Reynolds MARKETING & PARTNERSHIP COORDINATOR

Emily Buck

LEAD DEVELOPER

AJ Cerqueti CHAIRMAN

Tim Slee

Y

ou might think that here at Foodism, we’ve got it all figured out when it comes to hosting during the holidays. But the cold, hard truth involves a lot more midnight baking and singed eyebrows than you’d imagine.

Every December, the promise of transforming into Martha Stewart turns novice cooks and hosts into from-scratch fanatics who would rather toss their artisanal souls on the hearth than eat pre-packaged hummus. This year, to save ourselves from holiday burnout we lean on Toronto’s cooking pros to help us pull a cracker.

For our first annual Holiday Recipe Guide – filled with recipes and cocktail concoctions – we asked the city’s top chefs and bartenders to share their favourite appetizers, sides and desserts, plus some festive tipples to raise a toast with. Grab the booklet on pg. 83.

In the rest of our Holiday Issue, we pick the best gifts for everyone on your list; from the food-obsessed and liquor lovers to the young-at-hearts that are tricky to buy for (pg. 51). Taylor Newlands chats to the chefs switching to gourmet grass following Canada’s legalization of edibles (pg. 58). Meanwhile, Andrea Yu finds out how industry insiders are tackling mental health issues in Toronto’s kitchens (pg. 64). Plus, Katie Bridges sits down with Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski to learn how he went from a fussy eater to the food-and-wine expert on the hit Netflix show (pg. 45).

Thirsty for more? We’ve introduced 24 new pages, including the launch of our Quench section. We chat with the gin makers at Reid’s Distillery, run you through the newest booze and beverage releases and dissect classic cocktails, like the espresso martini.

Whether you’re hosting a feast or having your dinner delivered, the Foodism team wishes you a holiday full of good food, good drinks and even better company – and that’s the best gift of all.

GRAZE 012

THE FOODIST

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THE RADAR

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WHAT’S IN STORE

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TIPPING THE SCALES

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WEAPONS OF CHOICE

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BACK TO BASICS

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RECIPES KEITH HOARE

FEAST 044

ANTONI POROWSKI

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NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

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IN THE WEEDS

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MIND OVER MENU

QUENCH 074

THE NEXT ROUND

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BOOZERS AND SHAKERS

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COCKTAIL HOUR

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BOTTLE SERVICE

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COCKTAIL DECONSTRUCT

EXCESS The Foodism Team foodismto

facebook.com/foodismto

@foodismto

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GOING PORTU-CHEESE

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DAYTRIPPER

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STAYCATION

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Made possible with the support of Ontario Media Development Corporation. omdc.on.ca

© Foodism Toronto 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All information contained in this magazine is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Foodism Toronto cannot accept responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Foodism Toronto a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine. All material is sent at your own risk and although every care is taken, neither Foodism Toronto nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be held liable resulting for loss or damage. Foodism Toronto endeavours to respect the intellectual property of the owners of copyrighted material reproduced herein. If you identify yourself as the copyright holder of material we have wrongly attributed, please contact the office.

INSIDER

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FOODISM’S FINEST

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THE SELECTOR

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DECONSTRUCT

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— PART 1 —

GRAZE “TAKING TEA IS ALL ABOUT STEEPED LEAVES AND SCONES – THE REST IS FILLER.” TIPPING THE SCALES, 022

012 THE FOODIST | 014 THE RADAR | 016 THE DIGEST | 018 FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK 020 WHAT’S IN STORE | 022 TIPPING THE SCALES | 024 WEAPONS OF CHOICE 030 BACK TO BASICS | 033 RECIPES | 041 GUEST COLUMN

APP ASSIST

Technology has a solution for everything hosting-related from shopping to recipes.

1. INAB U G GY

THE FOODIST

Taylor Newlands sets the ground rules between holiday hosts and guests so that no one gets hangry.

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HERE’S NOTHING WORSE than arriving at a holiday dinner party with hunger pangs already ripping through your gut, only to find out that dinner won’t be served for another three grueling, if fashionable, hours.

You’re trapped waiting in living room purgatory, biting back tears as you force small talk on the couch, while the smell of roasting spices fills the air, taunting you with the thoughts of a meal that never seems to come. Guests circle the kitchen like wolves, barking out: “Can I help you with anything?”

It’s a nightmare we all know too well.

“It’s your own fault for arriving hungry. You should never go anywhere hungry,” the words of my mother echo in my ears again and again (this is a pattern with us). But anticipating the right amount of satiety to maintain when arriving at a dinner party is an incredibly difficult feat. If you’re not hungry enough, you won’t enjoy the host’s offerings to the fullest and furthermore, you might even offend them

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by only taking a meager portion of the meal.

As a guest, I’ve done my due diligence to arrive (approximately) on time and with a bottle of nice(-ish) wine that I don’t (necessarily) expect my host to open while I’m on the premises. That deserves a little reciprocity, in the form of appies to keep me happy, a glass of wine in hand and a (at least somewhat) timely dinner.

And, of course, hosts bear some responsibility. In 2019, it shouldn’t be difficult to throw a decent party.

There are delivery apps that will bring anything right to your door, from groceries to booze (see the Digest on page 16 for details about Foodora’s new partnership with the LCBO). If making a massive meal seems daunting, don’t feel you have to cook everything from scratch. You can find all manner of ready-made, pre-seasoned and prepared food at stores like McEwan and Summerhill Market. Make the holidays easier on yourself – and your hungry guests. f

If you’ve burnt the dinner rolls, forgot that last ingredient or simply just don’t want to spend your precious time meandering up and down the grocery aisles, Inabuggy is a lifesaver. Use the app to shop for groceries from a wide selection of stores like Urban Fresh, McEwan, Organic Garage, LCBO and more. Then just sit back and wait for the goods to arrive. inabuggy.com

2. TAS K RA BBIT As much as we all love chores and errands, there never seems to be enough time to get through everything – especially during the holidays.

TaskRabbit lets you outsource anything from picking up last-minute gifts and cleaning up after dinner, to building IKEA furniture and small repairs.

Connect with a pro “tasker” who will lighten your load so you can relax. taskrabbit.ca

3. B IG OVE N Keep track of all your recipes right in this app, whether you’ve snagged them off the internet or from your favourite cookbook classics. Use BigOven to manage your grocery list – you can sort by recipe or aisle and check them off as you go. You can also use the app to share the list with your friends and family if you need a hand.

A feature helps find recipes to use up extra ingredients. bigoven.com

Holiday Blue May the soft blue magic of Cambozola bring a festive touch of flavour to all your holiday celebrations.

Discover delicious holiday ideas at cambozola.com

FOLLOW

FOODISMTO

THE RADAR Vegan dining and a sprawling new space for an established fave are among the openings.

G U STO 501 The much-loved Italian restaurant group behind Portland Street’s Gusto 101 heads eastward with their latest opening, Gusto 501, in Corktown. The five-level eatery offers a different concept on each storey, such as an amari lounge, cocktail bar, tasting kitchen, a rooftop patio and a traditional dining room on the main floor. From the menu, guests can expect to order a few favourites from Gusto 101 in addition to fresh takes on classic Italian dishes – from breakfast to lunch and dinner. The former auto body shop was transformed by the acclaimed architecture group Partisans (the folks behind Bar Raval) over a four-year design and construction process. Keeping in step with sustainability, the restaurant was built with green design elements like a glass facade that retracts in the warmer months. gusto101.com

AVE L O

C HAT BAR A trendy, but lesser-known, Chinese izakayastyle dining concept called chuan’r comes to the forefront with Chat Bar’s latest opening in North York. Like its outposts in Scarborough and Unionville, the two-floor location will offer barbecued skewers with a heavy emphasis on crispy, fatty lamb as well as a lively atmosphere to go with their latenight hours. Top tip: all the dishes are spicy but you can ask them to tone it down if you need. chatbar.ca

C HL OE Sustainable dining is on the rise with Yorkdale’s latest opening.

Chloe, an American fast-casual restaurant, makes its Canadian debut with patriotic plant-based offerings like maple bacon burgers, split-pea soup and poutine alongside guac burgers, pesto meatballs and a quinoa taco salad. Weekend brunch is also on offer (expect scrambled tofu and spicy seitan chorizo). Dreamy desserts like cupcakes and gluten-free cookies are all made using vegan ingredients that don't compromise on flavour. eatbychloe.com

L OV Our list of plant-based dining options grows yet again with the unveiling of LOV at King and Bathurst. After opening four locations in Quebec, the Montreal-based eatery, led by Dominic Bujold, now brings its Beyond Meat burgers and signature eats like tempeh bolognese lasagna and cashew cream risotto to Toronto. Enjoy an impressive organic wine list, house cocktails and weekend brunch – all with gluten-free options available. With the downtown location, it's no surprise that they also have a focus on quick service. lov.com

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Chef Isberg's plantbased run at Awai may have ended, but he didn't wait long for a followup.

Avelo has opened in the same Victorian heritage building at 51 St. Nicholas St. The cozy, 20-seat restaurant offers dishes like truffle ravioli and mole made with 30 ingredients.

Follow the globe lights upstairs to Bar Avelo to keep the party going. avelorestaurant.com

SUPE R N OVA BAL L RO O M After hosting international events and pop-ups, the folks behind the beloved earthconscious cocktail concept Trash Tiki finally have a permanent spot for slinging sustainable beverages with Supernova Ballroom.

The anti-waste food and cocktail menus also draw inspiration from disco culture. supernovaballroom. com

DU K E'S R E F R ES H ER The Yonge and Gerrard sports bar brings its retro vibe to St. Lawrence Market with the opening of its second location.

The latest Duke’s keeps the Muskoka brand’s miles-long draft beer list (38 at last count) and adds elevated bar fare (think handstretched pizza) and vintage arcade games plus a mini basketball court. dukesrefresher.ca

ADD A LITTLE SPARKLE TO YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON.

LCBO# 464776 | $16.95

VINTAGES# 48793 | $21.95

LOUISBOUILLOTOFFICIAL

THE DIGEST

McDonald's joins the plant-based parade and Foodora will bring drinks to your door.

F OODORAL C OHOL Want a beer with your pad Thai or riesling with your sushi?

Luckily, Foodora has added alcohol delivery from the LCBO to their services. Toronto-based users can order from a select list of beer, cider, wine, spirits and ready-to-drink offerings on the Foodora website, or iOS and Android apps. Customers can expect a 60-minute delivery time, $6 fee and Smart Serve-certified Foodsters to keep things kosher.

T H E C OWS DESE RV E A B RE AK TO DAY Fast-food fanatics now have another option for appeasing their cravings while reducing their consumption of meat. This autumn, at select McDonald’s locations in southwestern Ontario – the exclusive market for its global test – the corporation launched a 12-week trial of a plant-based burger called the PLT, made using a Beyond Meat patty and the usual BLT fixin’s. At the moment, the patty and bun are cooked on the same grill as animal products, so the PLT may not work for some vegans.

R O SE AND FA LL Anthony Rose’s dining empire diminishes (temporarily, at least) with the shuttering of three of his restaurants. On the Dupont strip, which Rose is credited with reviving, barbecue joint Big Crow and the classic diner Rose and Sons closed this autumn, along with the Ossington location of lox-and-bagel spot Schmaltz Appetizing. Rose already has a plan for the latter – Gordy Smiles, a traditional taqueria, has opened in the space.

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OPE N DE L IVE RY After dominating the online restaurant reservations market, OpenTable is now entering the delivery world. Thanks to a partnership with Uber Eats, users browsing the OpenTable app will be able to click through to a delivery option that will direct them to Uber Eats to place an order. The app will still offer restaurant reservationbooking as usual, but we don’t blame you if the temptation to eat on the couch in your lounge pants prevails.

SUGAR AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING BOURBON. BOURBON BALL TRUFFLES: SWEETEN UP YOUR HOLIDAYS WITH A TASTE OF KENTUCKY

KentuckyTourism.com

FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK

Katie Bridges heads to Dasha to discover karaoke, cocktails and kitsch.

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ORONTO CONTINUES its run as a hot-bed for big-name Asian chefs, with Akira Back opening his second restaurant in two years. Following close on the heels of his eponymously titled Japanese eatery inside Bisha Hotel comes Dasha – this time, taking inspiration from modern Chinese cuisine and North American palates.

The decor at this 9,000-square-foot space (from Solid Design Creative) tucked down an alley near King and Portland, carries on this theme with a tongue-in-cheek nod to the kitschy pagodas of North American Chinese restaurants. In addition to the familiar knickknacks, Dasha has gussied things up with a sweeping staircase that Princess Kate would be proud to descend, plus an open kitchen

DASHA D ETAI LS

and a (sssh) secret bar in the back.

With a Michelin-starred chef at the helm, we were expecting fireworks, and Dasha delivers with modern-Chinese plates with a healthy dose of Japanese influence. The menu leans to recognizable North American Chinese classics like kung pao chicken and sweet-and-sour ribs. In that respect, the food isn't that groundbreaking – it's chef Back's treatment of these dishes that elevates the meal above the typical takeout experience.

Dramatic flair is the order of the day, with many of the dishes and drinks arriving at the table in a flurry of theatricality. The result is a fun and festive dining destination that could make for a great ice-breaker on a first date or an Instagram-fuelled night out with friends. f

DRINK PROGRAMME There’s enough pizzazz here to make your usual wine or beer seem snorey. The names of several cocktails – Zen Garden and Ember Island – sound like fancy spa treatments. We loved the Jade Palace, a sweet but balanced blend of St. Germain, yuzu, lime and sparkling wine, which comes with a luminous-green lychee ice cube (looking eerily like Homer Simpson's uranium rod). Thirsty? Just ask your server for a little prosecco top-up.

WE ARE FAMILY

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Photography: Abhishek Dekate, DASHA

SING FOR SUPPER One of the most interesting features at Dasha is its second-floor karaoke booths. Sing your heart out to one of the 60,000 songs on offer in the five themed rooms. Feeling peckish? Order the Mix Tape basket ($33) and refuel on snacks including chicken balls and spring rolls.

Dasha is Chinese for "mansion," so naturally the menu is family-style. Order a handful of mains and sides, and wait for the helpful servers to deliver dishes in a steady stream. We kick-started things with dim sum, opting for the steamed har gow which arrived à la Beyonce in a dryice plume. Next, we devoured the crispy salt-and-pepper prawns, served on a bed of deep-fried panko crumbs that you're definitely going to want to snaffle, too.

Amarula is a rare find. Appreciate accordingly. Available at your local LCBO.

PLEASING PLUSES

Gift baskets

WHAT'S IN STORE

Katie Bridges talks to the owner of the Epicure Shop about staying current after four decades in business.

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kalamata olives marinated in-house (“our secret recipe”), Montreal bagels on the weekend, jams, mustard and honey, plus a huge selection of olive oil from France, Greece, Spain and Portugal.

To complement the robust international offerings, Junior is a strong believer in supporting the makers closest to her. “I like to buy from local companies because we should help each other,” says Junior.

Three years ago, Junior was able to extend the space – something she had been looking to do for years. Her clientele (from young professionals to senior citizens depending on the time of day) can now choose from prepared salads or freshly made lunches.

Though prices might have skyrocketed in Toronto, Junior has plenty of meal deals, like a muffin and a coffee for $2.50 or a sandwichand-soup combo for under $10.

“I try to be fair,” says Junior. “Lots of people on a fixed income come in every day.”

The shop also stocks options for its changing consumers, like gluten-free pasta. f

Pastries and baked goods With “the best butter tarts in Toronto” courtesy of the Maid’s Cottage, Dufflet baked goods, weekly pies, shortbread cookies, plus bolas and pastel de natas from Portuguese bakery Doce Minho, there’s enough here to satisfy the pickiest of sweet tooths.

Breakfast sandwiches After the expansion, Junior was able to offer a selection of prepared foods, as well as a seating area to cater to the dine-in crowd. Among their soughtafter breakfast sammies is the popular Popeye, made with eggs, spinach and havarti on a bun, bagel or bread.

Photography: Katie Bridges

ATTY JUNIOR WASN’T looking to open a gourmet food store in Cabbagetown.

But that’s what happened when she answered an ad in the Toronto Star in 1980.

“I was in between jobs and I was just going to do this for a little while,” says the former social worker turned entrepreneur.

“But then I decided to stay. I’m self-taught, I don’t have a business background.”

While the purveyor of artisanal cheese, meat and condiments on Parliament has become a Toronto mainstay, the familyowned shop’s success was not guaranteed.

“Apparently, every store that opened here had failed,” says Junior. “I thought ‘Oh my God, what am I getting myself into?’ ” As it transpired, Junior was embarking on an adventure that would mature from neighbourhood spot to foodie temple that Toronto’s gourmands would travel across town to worship at.

Pilgrims are rewarded with over 100 kinds of cheese, bread from Blackbird Baking Co. (“I sell their bread like crazy”), Italian

Though the Epicure Shop makes gift baskets for all occasions, Christmas is when they fly off the shelves. They have a number of themed options (like Italian hampers with pasta, homemade sauce and olive oil), but Junior also curates personalized collections by adding colouring books and candy to baskets for families with young kids.

CRITICS USED TO TURN THEIR NOSE UP AT CANADIAN WINE. TODAY, THEY STICK IT RIGHT IN.

Please Enjoy Responsibly.

TIPPING THE SCALES

We guide you through three spots – each at a different price level – for the classic afternoon tea experience. Don’t forget: pinkies up!

B U DG ET BOUT IQ UE ($)

MA CA R ON M IDDL E ($$)

HAU T E HOT E L ($$$)

LADURÉE

What’s the deal

Straight from France, this luxe patisserie opened its tea salon and boutique in Yorkdale Mall two years ago. Right in the middle of the road, as far as pricing is concerned, Ladurée’s afternoon tea service goes for $50 per person.

What's included

KITTEN AND THE BEAR

What’s the deal

The weekend Jam & Tea Service offers just the bare bones of afternoon tea. At only $24.50 per person, it’s the perfect introduction to tea time. Served on fine English china with vintage silverware and daintily embroidered linens, their tea service will make you feel as if you’ve been transported across the pond, instead of just across Dundas West.

What's included

The bakery is billed as the inventor of the macaron, which was thought up by Ernest Ladurée’s second cousin in the mid20th century. The recipe for the colourful confection remains unchanged to this day – and three of them are included with the Afternoon Tea service. A croque monsieur, madeleine, lemon tartelette and other pastries also make their way onto the robust menu. Their collection features mostly Chinese green and black teas with Sri Lankan and Indian teas in the mix as well.

They'll also sub in coffee or hot chocolate.

What's extra

A full brunch menu is also on offer at Ladurée’s Tea Salon. And while you're there, grab a box of macarons to take home.

SHANGRI-LA

What’s the deal

The Lobby Lounge here is the epitome of elegance. Live piano tinkles through the luxe space while guests cozy up on sleek leather couches, basking in the warmth of stylish fireplaces. In keeping with the vogue atmosphere, the theme of their tea service rotates with the season. During the holidays, through January 5, you can experience their Nutcracker Afternoon Tea for $85.

What's included

For some of us, taking tea is all about steeped leaves and scones – the rest is just filler. Here, traditional scones are freshly baked bundles of buttermilk deliciousness, served with hand-crafted preserves and double Devon cream. Their small-batch jams, jellies and marmalades feature local and seasonal produce blended in-house. A straightforward collection of teas includes Sloane, Bellocq and a house blend.

From savoury snacks and sandwiches to freshly baked scones and sweet pastries, the hearty Nutcracker Afternoon Tea menu won’t leave you wanting. Items include roasted turkey, chestnut stuffing and cranberry sauce on a viennoise roll; a sockeye smoked salmon and crab finger sandwich; and a chestnut and eggnog crème brûlée Christmas tree. In addition to herbal, black and green teas, the service also includes a glass of sparkling wine.

What's extra

What's extra

Still hungry? Enjoy their à la carte pastries.

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A list of swish cocktails is also available.

Celebrate the Season with Balderson

World’s finest aged cheddar Trademarks owned or used under license by Parmalat Canada, Toronto, Ontario, M9C 5J1. Š Parmalat Canada, 2019. All rights reserved.

WEAPONS OF CHOICE The multi-tasking must-haves for holiday party hosts and gift givers alike.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAILEE MANDEL STYLING BY BRIANNE COLLINS

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B RILL B LE NDE R NUTRIBULLET BLENDER COMBO

Chop vegetables, blend up morning smoothies or whip together dips and sauces.

Two vessel sizes let you prepare margaritas for a crowd or a protein shake for one. $139.99, nutribullet.com

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A TOY NAME D SO US ANOVA PRECISION COOKER

Pop the Anova into a pot of water to sous vide steak, salmon and desserts, like crème brûlée, to perfection with even and precise heat delivery. $269, ca.anovaculinary.com

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GO ING STIR CRA ZY T-FAL ACTICOOK AND STIR

With sautĂŠeing capabilities and a stirring function for heat circulation and even cooking, this multi-cooker gets dinner on the table with the push of a few buttons. $349.99, canadiantire.ca

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UP PE R CRE USET LE CREUSET SIGNATURE ROUND FRENCH OVEN

A kitchen classic, use this French oven for slow-simmered soups and moist, flavourful stews alongside unexpected baked goods like cakes, cinnamon rolls and no-knead bread. $400, lecreuset.ca

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expand to 300ppi

BACK TO BASICS From favourite spots to what to get and how to order, we have a guide to dim sum that will make your next yum cha experience a feast to remember.

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HETHER YOU’RE A dim sum devotee or a dabbler, a basketbased banquet is easy to find across the GTA. With bottomless tea and more steamed buns and dumplings than you can shake your chopsticks at, it’s well worth cracking the dim sum code.

What is dim sum?

Originating as a simple accompaniment to tea, dim sum grew from roadside establishments in Guangzhou and Hong Kong to a full-brunch experience that’s enjoyed all over the world. While tea is still an important part, the focus of the meal has

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shifted to the collection of bite-sized sweet or savoury food served in bamboo steamer baskets or laid out on doily-covered plates.

History of dim sum While the term dim sum can be traced back to the Tang dynasty (9th century), the meal is linked to the practise of “one cup accompanied by two pieces” – the cup referring to tea and pieces to dim sum.

Chinese travellers along the Silk Road stopped in at teahouses to eat small dishes with tea to aid digestion.

Cart service NICK LIU, CHEF-OWNER AT DAILO

“I always look for carts. There are very few restaurants that do carts any more, but I really like that touch. It’s all about tradition. It’s more experiential than ordering from a menu, plus it gets everyone involved. It's great for newbies who don’t know what they’re ordering or the names of things because they can visually see them.”

Getting a table Dim sum is definitely a weekend pursuit, so if you

can’t be early, at least be patient. Depending on where you go, parties of two may have to share a larger table with strangers, while big groups can expect a slightly longer wait.

Chopstick etiquette ANNA CHEN, CHEF-OWNER AT ALMA

paper bag (it has a thin, yellow wrapper) filled with ground pork and chopped shrimp, topped with bright orange fish eggs.

CHAR SIU BAO (BARBECUE PORK BUNS)

These beautifully white steamed buns (bao) provide a stark contrast to the

"Never stab at a dumpling. Always let the elders at the table go first; you don't start eating until they've dug into their food. Don't use the chopsticks to pick the piece that you want, just go for the one closest to you. That's the etiquette I was taught growing up."

shock of its red filling of finely-chopped shallots, ginger and Cantonese barbecue pork that spills out after you rip them open.

XIAOLONGBAO (SOUP DUMPLINGS)

While its origins are disputed, these steamed dumplings are thought to have orginated in Shanghai. They're traditionally filled with seasoned ground pork and hot broth, so you'll need to poke a hole in the top before biting into these hot pockets.

Dips and sauces Not all sauces are created equal, so know before you dunk. That deep red sauce with flecks of red pepper is chili oil, and unless you like things fiery, use it in moderation.

Soy sauce and sriracha will likely be on your table, but hoisin can usually be requested. f

Tea drinking Given its origins, it stands to reason that tea is one of the first things your server will ask you about. Choose whichever type you prefer (green, oolong, chrysanthemum), but be sure to serve everyone before pouring your own tea. Want more hot water? Place the lid upside down so your server knows to refill.

How to order Family style is a great way to try a variety of dishes. Most spots will have you order by marking the number of items on a piece of paper. "Get at least one of each type from every section – fried, steamed, bao and vegetables," says Chen.

HAR GOW

This delicious dumpling consists of a prawn encased in a transluscent wrapper that has been folded on one side. One of the most technical dim sum dishes, har gow should traditionally have at least seven pleats.

SIU MAI

ABOVE: Dim sum consists of a mixture of bites, including char siu bao (above) and har gow (below).

This dumpling looks a little like a brown

W HERE TO G ET IT R OL SAN

PE AR L HAR B OUR F R ONT

DING TAI F U NG

323 Spadina Ave.

207 Queens Quay W., Unit 200

First Markham Place

This late-night Chinatown haunt is instantly recognizable by its all-day dim sum banner. Despite having a second dining room in the back, lineups snake outside. Order an obscene feast and keep an eye out for NBA stars seeking after-hours eats – Serge Ibaka was spotted celebrating the Raptors’ Eastern Conference win at Rol San back in May.

If you like handmade dim sum with a spectacular view, you won't find a better place to overindulge than at this spot on the lake. Select a cup from the broad selection of tea and take your pick from one of the few carts still winding its way around a dim sum restaurant in the downtown core. Stray from the classics – try the braised lobster.

Ever wondered how dumplings are made?

You can watch the kitchen in action through a glass wall at this hidden gem in Markham. It's worth the schlep north for the soup dumplings alone, but while you're there, check out the Shanghaistyle dim sum at this busy strip mall in Markham. We recommend the green onion pancakes and wontons served dry.

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Recipes

HO-HO HOLIDAY HOSTING HANDBOOK MasterChef Canada winner and cooking show host Mary Berg shares entertaining favourites fit for the festive season.

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HE HOLIDAYS ARE a time when we put our kitchen skills to the test and channel the master chefs inside of us. Whether you’re contending with a wonky oven at your in-laws, ad-libbing ingredient replacements for your cousin’s latest food intolerance or quadrupling your favourite appetizer recipe, holiday meal prep can feel like we’re competing for some unidentified crown with our most discerning family members serving as the judging panel.

But Mary Berg, a MasterChef Canada winner herself and host of the cooking show Mary’s Kitchen Crush, promises us that hosting a celebratory meal doesn’t have to be as daunting as an on-air cooking competition. With her new cookbook Kitchen Party: Effortless Recipes for Every Occasion

($32, chapters.indigo.ca), Berg shares recipes that’ll impress a crowd while still being approachable to those of us that don’t consider ourselves expert chefs.

Kitchen Party is inspired by Berg’s notion that dinner parties revolve around the kitchen with friends popping in to help, chat or grab another drink from the fridge.

In our experience, the best parties end in the kitchen too with that nth bottle of wine getting uncorked while guests fork at leftovers of your tasty creations. Although, given Mary Berg’s delectable recipes, there might not be any leftovers to pick at.

Divided into sections like 'Cocktail Parties' for indecisive hosts and 'Special Occasion' menus, this cookbook is a gift that will keep on giving long after the holidays are over. f

FOLLOW

VINACASABLANCA

FOODISM RECIPES, IN ASSOCIATION WITH VIÑA CASABLANCA Viña Casablanca is a boutique winery, and one of the first to be established in Casablanca Valley, a world-renowned wine region. The vineyards, located on the easternmost end of the Casablanca Valley, have a reputation for slow-ripening, balanced wines with an intense flavour. The Pacific Ocean's morning sea-breeze and cool

temperatures create the perfect environment for iconic Chilean wines like the acidic, handpicked Sauvignon Blanc, which took home 91 points at the Decanter Wine Awards.

Meanwhile, in the Alto Maipo region, pickers select only the best grapes to make Vina Casablanca's Cabernet Sauvignon; a brambly, rich red that's both elegant and approachable.

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Mary Berg’s

SHAKSHUKA PUTTANESCA Adding capers and black olives to the traditional shakshuka combination of tomatoes and eggs gives this dish a satisfying lift to an anytime-of-the-day meal.

I N GREDI EN TS ◆◆ 2 Tbsp olive oil

◆◆ 1 cooking onion, finely diced

◆◆ 2 cloves garlic, finely minced ◆◆ ½ red bell pepper, diced ◆◆ 1 pint cherry tomatoes,

halved

◆◆ 2 Tbsp tomato paste ◆◆ Kosher salt

◆◆ 2 Tbsp vodka

◆◆ 1 Tbsp granulated sugar ◆◆ 1 can (28 oz) crushed

tomatoes

◆◆ 8 anchovy fillets, finely

minced

◆◆ 1 tsp smoked paprika

◆◆ ½ tsp dried chili flakes

◆◆ ½ cup chopped kalamata

olives

◆◆ ½ cup flat-leaf parsley,

chopped, plus more for garnish ◆◆ ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish ◆◆ 2 Tbsp capers ◆◆ 1 Tbsp lemon juice ◆◆ 2 tsp smooth dijon mustard ◆◆ 8–12 eggs ◆◆ 5–7 oz feta cheese ◆◆ Pita bread, warmed, for serving

Method

1 In a large sauté pan or frying pan with a tight-fitting lid, warm the oil over medium-low heat. Cook the onions, garlic and bell peppers until soft and starting to lightly caramelize, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and tomato paste and season with a bit of salt. Cook for another 3 minutes or so and then add the vodka and sugar, followed by the crushed tomatoes, anchovies, smoked paprika and chili flakes. Pop the lid on the pan and turn the heat to low.

Allow the sauce to simmer away for 20 to 25 minutes to develop the flavours.

2 When you’re ready to poach the eggs, stir in the olives, parsley, basil, capers, lemon juice and dijon mustard. Crack the eggs into the sauce, pop the lid back on and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the whites of the eggs are set and the yolks are still lovely and runny.

3 Scatter chopped parsley, basil and feta on top to garnish and serve with warmed pita bread. f

PAIR THIS

Viña Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc

Bursting with citrus fruit and grassy notes, this complex white wine has met its match in this Shakshuka dish.

LCBO #634394

34

Mary Berg’s

HERBED MUSHROOM AND CAMEMBERT SKILLET Use your broiler for an easier, cheater's version of cheese fondue – the perfect centrepiece for a casual party this holiday season.

I NG REDI EN TS ◆◆ 2 Tbsp unsalted butter ◆◆ 1 Tbsp olive oil

◆◆ 3–4 cups assorted

mushrooms, cleaned, sliced or torn ◆◆ 1 sprig rosemary, minced ◆◆ 3 sprigs thyme, minced ◆◆ Kosher salt ◆◆ Freshly cracked black pepper ◆◆ 1 clove garlic, finely minced ◆◆ ¼ cup dry white wine ◆◆ 8 ½–10 ½ oz Camembert cheese, cubed ◆◆ Crusty French bread

Method

Photography: Lauren Vandenbrook

1 Position a rack in the top third of your oven and preheat the broiler.

2 Set a cast iron, or other ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter and oil. Toss in the mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and season with a little salt and pepper.

Cook the mushrooms until they have released their liquid and all of it has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to caramelize, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add in the garlic

and then the white wine. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze, until the wine has evaporated.

3 Scatter the cheese on top of the mushrooms and place the pan in the oven. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serve hot from the oven with lots of crusty bread for dipping.

Note: Any mushrooms or combo of mushrooms would be delicious, but shiitake, Portobello, cremini and king oyster are my favourites for this recipe. f

PAIR THIS

Viña Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc

This gooey dish needs a crisp white to offset creaminess and bring out all those earthy mushroom flavours.

LCBO #634394

35

a breath of life from casablanca valley

Mary Berg’s

PANCETTA PORK TENDERLOIN

The overnight marinade and herb-and-pancetta wrap turns up the flavour on pork tenderloin, a new kitchen staple.

Method

1 For the marinade, combine the cider, Dijon, maple syrup, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl or a large heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and mash it around to bring it all together.

Using the back of a large knife, whack the thyme and rosemary a few times to bruise it all up a bit. This will help the herbs release more of their flavour in the marinade. Smash and roughly chop the garlic and add it, along with the herbs, tenderloins and onions, to the marinade. Make sure the pork is completely submerged and cover or seal it all up to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours, to allow the flavours to marry.

2 When you’re ready to cook, remove the pork from the marinade, dry it with paper towel, and let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

3 Preheat your oven to 425 F, line a baking sheet or roasting pan with a wire rack and get to work on your pancetta wrap.

4 For the roast, in a small bowl, mix together the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and oil. Set aside.

5 Arrange 12 pancetta slices on a work surface so that they overlap slightly and form a rectangle. Evenly

90

points

PAIR THIS

Viña Casablanca Cab Sauvignon

The maple syrup and pepper in this pork dish brings out the tobacco and spice notes in this wellbalanced red.

James Suckling 2019 REPORT AYRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 CASABLANCAWINERY.COM

LCBO #647628

36

scatter one-third of the herb and garlic mixture over the pancetta and place 1 pork tenderloin along the center.

Wrap the two sides around the pork tenderloin, flip it over, and place on the rack-lined pan. Repeat this step with the other 2 tenderloins, making sure to leave some space between each on the pan.

6 Roast the pork tenderloins for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 F.

7 Allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes under a loose piece of aluminum foil before slicing it into 1-inch pieces for serving. f

a breath of life from casablanca valley

ING R E DIE NTS FOR THE MARINADE ◆◆ 1 cup hard cider

◆◆ ⅓ cup smooth Dijon mustard ◆◆ ⅓ cup pure maple syrup ◆◆ ¼ cup olive oil

◆◆ 1 Tbsp kosher salt

◆◆ 1 tsp coarsely ground black

pepper

◆◆ 8 sprigs thyme

◆◆ 4 sprigs rosemary ◆◆ 4 cloves garlic

◆◆ 3 pork tenderloins (1 lb each) ◆◆ 1 small cooking onion,

thinly sliced

FOR THE ROAST ◆◆ 2 cloves garlic, minced

◆◆ 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh

rosemary leaves

◆◆ 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh

thyme leaves

◆◆ 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

◆◆ ½ tsp freshly ground

black pepper

◆◆ 2 Tbsp olive oil

◆◆ 36 thin slices pancetta

(about 7 oz in total)

points

91

Photography: ###

SILVER

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS AYRA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018

37

CASABLANCAWINERY.COM

Mary Berg’s

FOOD PROCESSOR CHOCOLATE CAKE Baking this cake the day before your festive gathering gives it the chance to settle and make space for you to top it and present it with breezy élan.

ING R E DIE NTS FOR THE CAKE

◆◆ ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp cocoa

powder

◆◆ 10 ½ oz dark chocolate,

at least 55% cocoa

◆◆ 1 cup granulated sugar ◆◆ ¾ cup very hot coffee ◆◆ 6 eggs, separated

◆◆ 1 cup unsalted butter

◆◆ 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract ◆◆ Grated zest of one orange ◆◆ 1 tsp kosher salt

Method

1 Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray and dust the inside with the 1 tablespoon of cocoa.

2 For the cake, place the remaining cocoa, chocolate and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and blitz until finely ground. Pour in the coffee and process until smooth. Add the egg yolks, butter, vanilla, orange zest and salt and blitz. Transfer to a bowl.

3 Meanwhile, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold about one-third of them into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whites, taking care to be very gentle. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until souffléd and the top of the cake looks dry and matte. Let the cake cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.

4 When you’re ready to serve, make the topping. Whip together the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar, vanilla and half of the orange zest until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining zest, sugar, liqueur (or juice) and fruit. Dollop the mascarpone cream onto the cake and top with fruit. f

FOR THE TOPPING ◆◆ 1 cup mascarpone

◆◆ 1 cup whipping (35%) cream ◆◆ ¼ cup icing sugar

◆◆ ½ tsp pure vanilla extract ◆◆ Grated zest of one orange,

divided

◆◆ 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

◆◆ 1 Tbsp orange liqueur or

orange juice

◆◆ 2 pints of whatever fruit

your heart desires

PAIR THIS

This full-bodied red wine is the perfect dessert pairing.

Blackcurrant and cocoa notes with a smooth finish.

LCBO #647628

38

Photography: Lauren Vandenbrook

Viña Casablanca Cab Sauvignon

a breath of life from casablanca valley

2019 REPORT AYRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS AYRA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018

points

James Suckling

91

points

90

SILVER

WWW.CASABLANCAWINERY.COM

CHEFS NEED TO INVEST IN COLLEGE STUDENTS country. They’re immersed in the culture.

They're learning about the history. They’re learning to be a bit independent. They’re learning the culinary traditions, of course.

It’s very immersive.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Chef-instructor Keith Hoare on how Thistletown C.I.’s culinary programme inspires a new generation.

Photography: Ian Kelso

On international field trips One of the things I noticed at my school when I came aboard is that there were no international trips. It’s really an economics thing. We aren’t in an affluent neighbourhood. I pitched it to a group of grade 10 students and said “what do you guys think about working for a couple of years to try and raise some money to go on a trip?”

We did our first trip in 2011 to Italy and we’re now fundraising for our fifth trip, which will be back to Italy in 2020.

On starting a food festival The trips cost about $4,000 per student – the student comes up with 25 per cent of the cost and we work together to raise the rest.

I used to take the kids to do food festivals –

the Mac and Cheese Festival and the Garlic Festival. We created our own salsas and jams with produce from our school’s garden.

Eventually, we started our own festival, the Thistletown Chef’s Harvest Party, and invited chefs to come in. This year we had 25 chefs.

On motivating students Given direction and opportunity they can achieve anything. That's the point of this project. I preach to the kids that if they have faith and work hard, it usually pays off. They do good things, good things happen to them.

On the importance of travel The kids all say it’s been one of the best experiences of their life. They’re getting out of their comfort zone and living in another

On cooking less More than ever, young people are cooking less. If you look back to your parents and your grandparents, they were cooking every night. With a lot of my students, I find out that they’re rarely having meals at home as a family. That’s because people aren’t cooking, don’t want to cook or don't know how to cook. So cooking is not just an important course, it’s an important life skill they need to have. We’re worried that with the Ford cuts to education that they may be cutting our programme, but I think we should be in every school. We should be expanding.

On working with youth People need to invest the time in training young people and getting them excited about the industry. And the way you do that is by exposing them to it. Chefs need to invest in college students, taking in interns and students, sharing their knowledge and encouraging young people to come in.

Otherwise, we’re not going to have anyone left in our restaurants.

On the stigma of trades It’s always tough to get students interested in trades. Skilled trades are one of the biggest needs of our job market. Parents are always thinking about university and their kids becoming doctors and lawyers. You have the added pressure of the hospitality industry not always being well paid. The hours are long.

And we've all documented the problems in the industry. I think that's slowly changing.

There are lots of restaurants trying to adopt a more employee-friendly atmosphere. f

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Stoli Gold elevates the vodka category to a new dimension of quality by harnessing some of the earth’s rarest ingredients. To make Stoli Gold, they use single estate Gubernator Dona winter wheat which has been irrigated from an aquifer originating at a depth of 185m.

This ensures optimum soil conditions for producing a high-quality crop, compared to the dryland winter wheat used in traditional vodkas.

Afterwards, to purify and refine, the water blended with Stoli Gold is filtered through a meteoric rock called shungite.

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It’s one of the rarest carbons on earth, found only in a remote part of northwest Russia, and features hollow spherical molecules that absorb impurities without disrupting the mineral balance of the liquid. To finish, the last filtration happens through coils of gold thread to subtly amplify the depth and enhance the softness of the final product.

What results is an exceptional alpha grade vodka that brings out the very best of your cocktail recipes and helps you let loose when celebrating with friends. We think you’ll notice the difference, but don’t just take our word for it. Stoli Gold has been awarded not one but two gold medals from the International Spirits Challenge. That’s something both vodka experts and revellers can raise their glasses to in equal measure. ● Find Stoli Gold at the LCBO. Or to learn more about Stoli Gold, visit stoli.com/lineup/stoli-gold

THE STOLI GOLD MARTINI Ingredients ◆◆ 2.5 fluid ounces of Stoli Gold ◆◆ 1 fluid ounce dry vermouth ◆◆ 1 cup ice cubes ◆◆ Lemon

Method 1 Combine Stoli Gold and dry vermouth in a cocktail mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until chilled.

Strain into a chilled martini glass.

2 Garnish with lemon twist.

— PART 2 —

FEAST “A CONSTANT ONSLAUGHT OF NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT IS TAXING FOR COOKS.” MIND OVER MENU, 064

044 GUAC GURU | 051 NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT 058 IN THE WEEDS | 064 MIND OVER MENU

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GUAC GURU Katie Bridges talks to Antoni Porowski about his role as culinary interpreter on Netflix’s Queer Eye – and their shared history as late-blooming veg eaters.

Photography: Daisy Korpics for Fast Company

W

ITHOUT HIS TRADEMARK kitchen-towel-thrown-over-the-shoulder, I almost don’t recognize Antoni Porowski when we meet in a suite at Hotel X Toronto. But by the time I have squeezed past the fruit platters and into a seat beside him, the Canadian TV chef is nattering away about Darjeeling Express (a restaurant in London) and there is no mistaking that this is the man the world fell in love with on Netflix’s Queer Eye. For the uninitiated, this bubbly and – let’s just say it – darned attractive man sitting before me is the food-and-wine expert on the reboot of Queer Eye. The Emmy Award-winning Netflix series, a remake of the 2003 reality TV series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, is the makeover show with a big heart, in which Porowski and his four co-stars travel the length and breadth of America, looking for “heroes” to transform, inside and out.

In just a year and a half, the hit show has churned out four seasons and 37 tear-jerking episodes to its legion of impatient fans. Despite the seemingly lighthearted nature of the show, the binge-worthy series has seen the Fab Five tackle topics like masculinity, religion, police brutality and even gun control – all while looking fabulous, naturally.

Montreal-born Porowski had been heading to acting auditions in NYC while moonlighting as the personal chef for former Queer Eye cooking expert Ted Allen, when the opportunity to try out for a spot on the reboot arose. It took the aspiring actor a full season of working on Queer Eye before “I realized the [cooking] track was one I’d been on all my life.” →

45

I HOSTED DINNER PARTIES BEFORE MY RAGERS WHEN I WAS 13 OR 14 Though brand new content (a fourepisode special called “Queer Eye: We’re in Japan!”) is on the horizon when we meet, Porowski is not here to promote the show.

Instead, to celebrate the refreshed Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, the self-taught chef has arrived in Toronto to rescue us hapless “heroes” from bad food. In front of a tipsy (and occasionally raucous) roomful of media in Hotel X’s stunning New Fort Hall, he leads a live(ly) cooking class, showcasing a couple of fun recipes from his new cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen.

I got to sit down with Porowski ahead of the exclusive cooking experience to talk about food, fussy-eating and who he’d invite to the dinner party of his dreams.

Your cooking tips are an important part of empowering the “heroes” on the show. Has cooking always been a huge driving force in your own life?

Absolutely. I think that it’s the only way that I know how to meaningfully connect with other people. That might sound like a really bold statement but it’s how my parents taught me to have conversations whenever there would be conflict or special occasions.

When I started dating, it’s how I would impress somebody – I would start making a nice meal for them or take them to a nice restaurant and know how to order properly.

And so I think food for me is really the ultimate connector.

Did you always know that you wanted to cook?

I think I always had a need for it but I only started really exercising that need later. I used to say that I only started cooking when I was 17, when I moved out of my parents’ house.

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But I was talking to some friends recently from junior high and they were like, “no, you’ve always been obsessed with food.”

When I was 13 or 14 years old, I would have ragers when my parents were out of town. But before said rager, I would have a dinner party and grill chicken breasts (skin on, of course) on the barbecue and char up some vegetables with red wine vinegar and some fresh oregano with olive oil and salt.

So, it’s been a part of your life for longer than you realized?

Yes, absolutely. I think it was only when I was no longer a spoiled brat living in my parents’ house and having every meal served to me and was left to fend for myself that I started picking up more skills and exploring my palate. Because I was a picky eater as a kid.

Photography: Courtesy of Netflix

Me too! My parents think it’s weird that I write for because I used to only eat chicken nuggets.

Same! I wouldn’t touch vegetables, I really disliked tomatoes and now they’re one of my favourite things. This is another big world statement, but I think that people are often afraid of what they don’t understand, when something is a concept. But as you grow older and you get to try things of your own accord then you realize that it’s not so scary and can actually be exciting and fun.

Do you find that often comes up on Queer Eye? That people don’t understand and you have to find a way to make them appreciate something?

One hundred per cent. I’m thinking about one “hero” in particular from our most recent

ABOVE: Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness and Karamo Brown (left to right) host the revived Queer Eye.

season in Kansas City, called Wanda who said she loves seafood but she only ever had fried fish fillets with her daughters. I asked her about scallops and she said she’d never had them before. I asked her, “What’s the one food you want to try that you’re not familiar with?” and she said “I’ve always seen asparagus in a grocery store, but I have no idea what to do with it.”

My mom was a fantastic cook but she used to boil the hell out of a lot of vegetables.

But when you roast Brussels sprouts and asparagus, you find out they can actually be really yummy. →

47

I FELT ASHAMED TO BE POLISH. IT WASN’T COOL TO TAKE KIELBASA TO SCHOOL

ABOVE: Porowski prepared recipes from his new cookbook Antoni in the Kitchen for a demonstration in New Fort Hall at Hotel X Toronto.

48

On a couple of episodes you’ve really connected the heroes with their roots when teaching them to cook. How important is cooking and heritage to you?

I think it’s incredibly important, I write about it a lot in my cookbook. When I was a kid, there were a lot of Polish staples that I liked, and then I went through a period in my life where I felt ashamed to be Polish. It wasn’t cool to have an ethnic name and bring cabbage or kielbasa to school while other kids had sandwiches. I was very envious. But when I grew up, I started working in a Polish restaurant and I thought, “I’m not the only one experiencing this.”

When you meet people from your own tribe, if you will, suddenly your heritage becomes more attractive. You realize there’s a community.

Do you have any favourite Toronto or Canadian restaurants?

I’m from Montreal, but when people ask me for recommendations, all of my references are from the old-school places from 12 years ago when I actually lived there. But in Toronto, I have been to a couple of places that are really awesome. La Banane is excellent. Last night, I went to this awesome Mexican place and I don’t know the name but it’s on my Instagram stories [he’s talking about Quetzal]. There was roasted bone marrow, with a bit of a honey drizzle on it. They also had Hokkaido scallops which I usually only eat raw with lemon juice, and they were roasted in this herbaceous green butter. As you poured them into your mouth you get this little soup shot of warm butter with a nice warm scallop and that’s the best duo. f

Photography: Sarjoun Faour

What’s the process for planning out your segment of the show?

I only started doing this during the second season – I have a brief questionnaire and I start by asking them about allergies. Some people just don’t like cilantro or it’s actually a genetic thing so you’re not going to convince them to like it. But that said, I love to go in and do my own little investigative journalism and ask very open-ended questions. I never assume that somebody wants to eat healthier, that’s none of my business.

And if I don’t know, we have YouTube.

Jonathan [Van Ness] and I often joke around about how there’s so much that we’ve learned as a result of being on the show. I haven’t made every single dish out there, I don’t know everything, and I don’t pretend like

I do. Instead, I get to be this messenger – I learn about the recipe and I figure out how to make it accessible and relatable and parlay it onto our “hero”.

Who would you invite (dead or alive) to the dinner party of your dreams and what would you cook?

Well, first of all, I would buy Johnny Cash a Scotiabank Gold American Express Card [winks] so he could pick up some short ribs.

I would make a chipotle-espresso-Coca-Cola glaze – I feel like that would nod a little bit to his Southern heritage.

Then I would invite Patti Smith, who is one of my idols. I would have her pick up some fresh, beautiful carrots brought in from a nice market, and we would make a lovely carrot ribbon salad from my cookbook.

My third guest would probably be Jack Kerouac and I would have him go to L’Avenue at Saks on Fifth Avenue in New York because they have the best mashed potatoes. He would get take-out and then we would all have a nice full meal together.

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NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT One-up your holiday gifting with thoughtful presents for food-focused folks.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAILEE MANDEL ART DIRECTION BY BRIANNE COLLINS

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EAT

4

Novelties and new inspiration to spark up appetites in the kitchen.

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Gold Fixie Bike Pizza Cutter, $30, drakegeneralstore.ca Cerise Le Creuset fondue set, $250, lecreuset.com Kate Spade Recipe Binder Citrus Twist, $36, indigo.ca Mary MacLeod’s Shortbread, $12, indigo.com Terrazzo Marble & Wood Round Board, $39.50, indigo.ca Antoni in the Kitchen cookbook, $43, amazon.ca Dear Santa Salted Butter Toffee Bar, $6, purdys.ca Nature Imprint dishes, from $24, oneofakindshow.com Stefano Faita Gift Basket, $75, pusateris.com

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E AT 1 Zwilling 15” Multi-Use Oval Roaster with Rack and Lid, $250, zwilling.ca 2 Gravy Boat, $35, lecreuset.ca 3 TealandGold Oak white oak pepper mill and grinder set, $264.30, etsy.com 4 All-Clad stainless 9” non-stick French skillet, $84.99, all-clad.com 5 President’s Choice colour bowls, $4 each, realcanadiansuperstore.ca 6 PC serve stand, $15.99, realcanadiansuperstore.ca 7 Goye scalloped-edge ceramic bowls, from $32 each, etsy.com 8 Hat Owl Measuring Cups, set of 4 for $24.50, indigo.ca 9 Dinera 2 18-piece dinnerware set, $34.99, ikea.com 10 Hockey Foxes Baker Loaf, $25, indigo.ca 11 PC two-tier stand, $19.99, realcanadiansuperstore.ca 12 Cabin Plaid Oven Mitt, $12 each, indigo.ca 13 Shallow round French oven, $460, lecreuset.ca 14 Staub American grill 10”, $230, zwilling.ca

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DRINK

Amp up your host(ess) gifting with limited editions and barcart-ready ware.

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Grey Goose Blue Tin, $51.95, lcbo.com Cheetah Bottle Opener, $30, drakegeneralstore.ca Whiskey Teacups, $15 each, indigo.ca Rose Quartz Coasters, $14 each, indigo.com Traditional Absinthe Fountain, $199, cocktailemporium.com Sweetie Pie cocktail rimmer, $12.99, saltypaloma.com Grand Marnier CuvÊe du Centenaire 100th, $149.90, lcbo.com Dillon’s Craft Cocktails, $24.68, amazon.ca Ace Hill Holiday Gift Pack, $16, lcbo.com Etched Dream Deco Coupe Glasses, $12 each, cocktailemporium.com Jack Rudy Vermouth Soaked Olives, $18.95, cocktailemporium.com

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BE MERRY

Food-themed delights to stuff stockings or treat yourself with this season.

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Tartine cookbook, $58, amazon.ca The Buddhist Chef vegan cookbook, $29.95, amazon.ca CXBO 9-piece chocolate set, $24, cxbo.ca MojiPower Fries Portable Power Bank, $29.95, urbanoutfitters.com Felt Ornaments, $15 each, drakegeneralstore.ca Innis & Gunn Frank and Sense, from $7.95, lcbo.com Tried & True by Illume Mulled Cider Tin Candle, $14.50, indigo.com Arborist Holiday Feast Onesie, $59.95, drakegeneralstore.ca Connoisseur’s Gift Box, $39, eatable.ca Set of 30 drink coasters with games, $10, indigo.ca The Cheese Advent Calendar, $29.99, sobeys.com

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RIGHT: Chef Patrick Newton applies his fine-dining experience to the edible offerings he’s creating for the Munchy Brothers line

IN THE WEEDS

We delve into the world of cannabis to discover the THC-infused edibles and beverages that are set to hit shelves in the coming months.

Photography by Sandro Pehar

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Photography: ###

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LEFT: Chef Adrian Niman works alongside a team of Toronto natives at Olli’s 11,000-square foot facility in Etobicoke

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LASH BACK TO 2018 when cannabis was about to be legalized across Canada. Potheads were counting down the days until they’d be able to walk into any corner store to get their fix, cannabis stocks were through the roof and middle-aged NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) were worrying about how the fabric of society was unraveling and everything was changing.

Except it didn’t.

It’s been just over a year since legalization and other than the occasional whiff of a skunky smoke cloud, not much is different.

The only places to get marijuana in Toronto (legally) are the Ontario Cannabis Store’s website and the few-and-far-between licensed and heavily regulated retailers.

Weed might be legal but it’s still a relatively taboo subject. When a coworker asks about your weekend, it’s perfectly acceptable to say that you “hung out and had a few drinks” but respond by saying you “kicked it and smoked a fatty” and see how

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THC AND CBD INFUSED FOOD AND DRINK WILL OFFER A NEW WAY TO GET HIGH fast the eyebrows raise.

Currently, Torontonians can only buy weed in a handful of forms – the dried flower (as is or pre-rolled), oils and capsules. And with only five physical retailers across the city, their inventory often sells out.

At the end of October the second round of cannabis legalization quietly came into effect.

That means edibles have entered the market.

The THC- and CBD-infused food and beverages will offer a new range of options for getting high, mellowing out or simply easing pain. For some, legalization 2.0 might be news, but others have spent the last year quietly working away – either under the radar or in U.S. markets where edibles are legal.

One of those industry pioneers is Adrian Niman, executive chef at cannabis company Olli. But foodies will know him better as founder of the Food Dudes. Since its inception in 2007, when Niman was just 21, the company has grown to include the colourful food truck, a catering business and restaurants including Sara, Rasa, Pantry and Blondies Pizza. For Niman, applying his culinary prowess to the world of cannabis edibles was just the next logical step.

“I would say my two passions in life are cannabis and food,” says Niman. “I don’t know if ‘functioning pothead’ is the right

word but I think cannabis and food go hand in hand with how I’ve been able to grow Food Dudes. And now with the legalization of cannabis, it was only a natural fit for me to enter the market.”

To start, Olli will be rolling out five teas and four edibles. Tea flavours – like sweet chamomile, mellow green and misty mint – will vary in levels of THC and CBD. The former gives the euphoric state of being high, while the latter eases pain and relaxes you without the psychoactive effects.

Bringing his ethos as a chef to the table, Niman is making edibles that centre on natural ingredients and bursts of flavour.

“What’s really unique about our edibles and our teas is that we’re working with the highest quality ingredients,” says Niman.

“In our fruit chews, we’re actually using real strawberries as the main ingredient. We get our strawberries from California at peak season and we blend a beautiful purée,” In addition to the strawberry fruit chew, Olli will offer a tea toffee, a grass-fed butter cookie, and the “chocolate hemp crunch.”

“It’s a very high-quality milk chocolate that we mix up with sea salt, fleur de sel and crispy popped brown rice to provide a really cool texture. Then we coat the bottom of it with hemp seeds. It’s salty, sweet and chocolatey, and nutty from the hemp and the brown rice. It’s delicious.”

But Niman isn’t just working on products for Olli – the company is also producing edibles for Ace Valley. If the name sounds familiar, it’s likely because you’ve tried their beer brand, Ace Hill.

“Food Dudes and Ace Hill work very closely together so it’s a natural fit for Ace Valley and Olli to also work together,” says Niman. “I love their radler so I came up with the idea to do a grapefruit radler fruit chew.”

And this is just the beginning. Niman has plenty more edibles up his sleeve, including four more that are slated to be released by Olli within the next 12 months.

Along with the newbies, heavy hitters in the weed industry like Tweed will also have a starting lineup of edibles and beverages.

Meanwhile, cannabis corporation Hexo has partnered with Molson Coors to bring us Truss Beverage Co., a new company specializing in CBD- and THC-infused drinks. To start, six different brands will fall under the Truss umbrella.

Taking inspiration from the world of cocktails, for their House of Terpenes brand, Truss worked with mixologists and botanists to extract the natural terpenes that are found

in the cannabis plant and create drinks to feature them. (Terpenes are the aromatic oils produced by plants to attract pollinators or deter predators.)

“A lot of people think they’re a new phenomenon because there’s a lot of buzz around terpenes in the world of cannabis. But terpenes have been around forever and they exist in almost all plant life,” says Melanie Smith, innovation lead at Truss. “Limonene, for example, can be found in the cannabis plant, but it’s also very prevalent in citrus plants. Myrcene is found in cannabis but it’s also found predominantly in the hop plant.

When you walk through a forest and smell all of those traditional forest smells, those are terpenes coming off the plants and trees.”

As it gains popularity, the exploration of terpenes has the potential to change the beverage landscape. It wasn’t too long ago that people didn’t give much thought to the ingredients or the process behind brewing beer. But now every other drinker is an aficionado concerned with hops and fermentation, and the craft beer scene has exploded in every corner of the country. In a few years, hipsters could be sitting in dive bars discussing terpenes over an array of cannabis-infused beverages.

But for now, legalized weed and edibles are slowly impacting the way that we socialize. For many, especially the cannabis curious, it’s hard to incorporate smoking

weed into a non-smoking routine. In the middle of dinner, there’s no way to discreetly get up, go outside and huddle in the cold to puff on a joint. That’s where cannabis beverages are looking to come in.

“I’m one that loves to host my friends over and throw dinner parties,” says Smith.

And both of the House of Terpenes sparkling tonics (featuring either limonene or myrcene) are discreet enough to sip at the dinner table. Or, amongst the right crowd, pop one open and share with friends, while still maintaining a classy atmosphere.

Back on the culinary side of things, Munchy Brothers, Patrick Newton and Derek Mascarenhas are also aiming to shake up your dinner party. Their line of cannabis-infused

RIGHT: Olli will roll out five flavours of cannabisinfused tea. BELOW: Truss’s bottle designs are for display purposes only; products will come with government-regulated labels

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LEFT: Munchy Brothers pose with a shrimp sandwich, enhanced with some of their cannabis-infused condiments, shown above

garnishes and condiments can turn any dish into an edible.

“We saw an opportunity to be more creative and inspiring and allow people to enjoy their regular foods, but still get a high,” says Mascarenhas.

Slated to hit shelves in late-2020, the

MICRODOSING IS LIKE HAVING ONE GLASS OF WINE, NOT EIGHT 62

Munchy Brother’s line is set to include cannabis-infused ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, salt, sugar, caramel sauce and chocolate.

“I love sauce. I love using ketchup and mayo and mustard. I want to put it on my BLTs, on my burgers, on my fries,” says Newton. “And the big thing behind all of that is my love for cooking and food. We’re both big foodies and we love just incorporating cannabis in our food.”

Before breaking into the weed world, Newton worked in a slew of Toronto’s top restaurants, including Auberge du Pommier, Jump, Canoe and La Société. Now he’s providing an opportunity for home cooks to have freedom over how they incorporate cannabis into their dishes, without having to worry about dosing it themselves.

“It’s really up to the end user but we’re going to give you the ingredients and the tools so that you can incorporate it however you want in your life,” says Newton.

Putting the control into the consumer’s hands also opens up the door for those just starting their cannabis journey.

“It looks like there’s a market for people that are canna-curious but are not interested in smoking,” says Mascarenhas. “And our products fit well because (a) they are familiar, (b) they are discreet and (c) they come in single doses. So essentially, for my parents who have never taken cannabis, this is a good entry point. This is something that they would feel safe about trying.”

One of the repeatedly heard concerns from the curious newcomers to the world of cannabis is the fear of taking too much or overdosing. But companies like Olli, Truss and the Munchy Brothers are making products that are marked clearly and contain low or micro doses of cannabis. New users can enjoy a single serving while resident stoners can take multiple doses.

“I understand the worry about getting too stoned and that’s not what this is. Microdosing is a completely different thing. It’s meant to calm you, relax you and make you feel really good – like when you have one glass of wine, not eight glasses of wine,” says Niman. “By micro-dosing on edibles you can function day-to-day at your job, or even run a food empire like the Food Dudes.” f All products from Olli and Truss Beverage Co. that were photographed here were replicas that did not contain any CBD or THC.

REVELLERS WITH A CAUSE For every 340g bag of HOLIDAY sold we will donate $1 to The Red Door Family Shelter supporting families, refugees and women in need.

PILOTCOFFEEROASTERS.COM

MIND OVER MENU Mental health and substance abuse have long been ignored in the hospitality industry. Andrea Yu speaks to the chefs and bartenders that are bringing awareness to the issue.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTIE VUONG

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ABOVE: Chef Ariel Coplan co-founded mental health non-profit Not 9 to 5

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S

EVEN YEARS AGO, Ariel Coplan was working his first head chef job at Nyood, the now-defunct restaurant on Queen West. Business was relatively slow and they often didn’t have enough employees to staff their brunch shift. So, despite working the dinner service, Coplan had to step in. “I worked from nine in the morning on a Saturday until six in the afternoon on Sunday, straight through,” Coplan recalls. “I wasn’t sitting down, I wasn’t stopping. I did that about a half dozen times.”

The 33-hour shifts took their toll on Coplan. He was eventually hospitalized for myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle that causes abnormal heart rhythms and interferes with its ability to pump blood.

“It’s generally caused from exhaustion and stress,” Coplan says. “I knew I was tired but my brain wasn’t processing how fucked up that was. It was just, ‘I just need to get it done.’ ” Coplan eventually recovered but his pace didn’t slow down. If anything, he amped things up two years later by opening his Richmond Street restaurant Thoroughbred Food and Drink. “Professionally I was a success but personally I was miserable,” he says. Coplan didn’t have any hobbies or interests outside of work, and spent his limited free time doing research for the restaurant or sourcing items. “I started thinking about some of my other chefs. A lot of them weren’t happy.

They just seemed like miserable people.”

Coplan’s experience is not unusual in the hospitality industry. With long shifts averaging about 12 hours, low profit margins and a widely accepted practice of leaving your feelings at the door, chefs and restaurant staff are under extreme amounts of stress, yet no one seems to talk about it.

According to Coplan, the archaic and military-esque brigade system that dominates most kitchens is partly to blame.

Some kitchens require staff to to say “chef, may I?” before they can talk to their boss.

Others prohibit cooks from speaking directly to chefs. Instead, they are required to address the sous chef first.

A constant onslaught of negative reinforcement is taxing for cooks. “You only hear about something when you do a bad job,” Coplan says. “It’s ‘this dish was overcooked. The customer didn’t like this’.

LEFT: Chef Ariel Coplan makes sure to model positive lifestyle choices in his kitchen at 2nd Floor Events, a downtown venue

It’s very seldom that you hear ‘great job’.

It just builds a really bizarre life balance when it’s constant negatives.”

But one of the most dangerous and widely accepted habits in the industry is substance abuse. Alcohol, drugs, you name it. “I’ve heard stories of chefs buying cocaine for their cooks,” Coplan explains, describing a scenario that’s still happening in kitchens today. “Some chefs are like ‘it’s Friday night, guys. It’s gonna be a busy service so I got you a little treat.’ ” Alcohol abuse, in particular, can be a slippery slope. The culture of rewarding with substances is ingrained in the industry.

Megan Chan, a Markham-based sous chef, recalls how a busy shift at the restaurants she’s worked at would often conclude. “Some of the managers would reward us with beer,” Chan says. “If you did a good job, you get alcohol.”

After those 12-plus-hour shifts come to a close and most of the city has gone to sleep, industry workers turn to each other to blow off steam. Most shifts wind down with a few rounds at the restaurant after close. The party continues from there, often joined by other overworked hospitality staff collecting at bars promoting ‘industry happy hours’ – three shots and a pint for $10 from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. at one local watering hole. Chan remembers how her coworkers always knew which bars or restaurants in the area were still open. The manager, despite finishing their shift earlier than the kitchen staff, would stay at the bar for a few drinks to wait for the rest of the team, so that they could then get drunk together.

Several big-name chefs have gone public with their alcohol and substance-abuse battles and struggles to recover. TV host Matty Matheson famously sobered up after suffering a heart attack at 29 – his close friends and the owners of his restaurant, Parts & Labour, staged an intervention. In Montreal, after decades of self-medicating with alcohol, Joe Beef’s David McMillan finally faced his alcoholism by going to rehab and sharing his story earlier this year through a viral personal essay in Bon Appetit.

But not all the stories feature a positive transition to recovery. At the height of Coplan’s period of excess, one of his kitchen staff at Thoroughbred tried to kill himself.

“It wasn’t the first person that I have known to attempt,” says Coplan.

And we’d be remiss not to mention Anthony Bourdain’s suicide in 2018. Many see Bourdain’s passing as a turning point, which made industry professionals take action. Vancouver restaurateur Shoel

SOME KITCHENS REQUIRE STAFF TO SAY ‘CHEF, MAY I?’ BEFORE THEY CAN TALK TO THEIR BOSS Davidson started Mind the Bar last year to offer resources for industry professionals seeking help for addiction, depression, anxiety and workplace harassment. Since going sober, McMillan started hosting a Sunday evening Alcoholics Anonymous-style support group for hospitality workers at one of his Montreal restaurants.

And in Toronto, Coplan is spearheading one of the city’s first organizations bringing awareness to the mental health challenges of restaurant workers. He hosted a panel at Thoroughbred in late 2017, inviting sommeliers, chefs and other industry experts to chat about mental health issues. One of the panel members was Hassel Aviles, a hospitality consultant that has worked with operations such as Stackt Market and the Annex Hotel. “As soon as it ended, Hassel and I decided that we needed to carry this on.”

Shortly afterwards, Coplan and Aviles launched Not 9 to 5, a non-profit group that brings awareness to the mental health struggles of those in F&B. Aviles, who spent over a decade as a bartender and server, comes from the industry’s front-of-house ranks. “You’re always ready and able to service with a smile,” she says. “This industry is so brilliant at teaching you how to wear a mask. It can be a blessing and a curse.”

Substance abuse is a common thread for both a restaurant’s servers and cooks.“I had managers that fed me shots throughout my shift,” Aviles recalls. “We used to have ‘meetings’ every two hours. We would →

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THEY’RE CONNECTING INDUSTRY WORKERS WITH RESOURCES, WHETHER A CRISIS LINE OR THERAPY hunch behind the bar, do two shots and then go back to work. That was totally normal, and it was encouraged by my manager. He was the one that was pouring them for us.”

Meanwhile, Aviles was processing her own mental illness, eventually taking initiative to seek help and treatment for her anxiety and depression. “No one was having conversations about mental health or

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addiction with staff,” she recalls.

With Not 9 to 5, Aviles and Coplan are starting these conversations. Alongside social workers and therapists, they’ve hosted workshops called “Mindfulness for Stress Management” and “Mental Health Basics for Managers.” They’re also connecting industry workers with resources, whether that’s a crisis line, low-cost therapy or something as simple as a recommendation for a mindfulness app.

To help break down the stigmas around mental health, the Not 9 to 5 blog serves as a platform for industry folks to share their personal stories. Everyone from Matt Jones, brand ambassador for Beam Suntory (makers of Jim Beam and other spirits), to chef-nutritionist Rachel Bies, plus servers, bartenders and chefs, share stories that are equally resonant. They help those struggling with mental health feel like they’re not alone.

“It’s powerful,” says Coplan, who blogged about his story last year. “The idea of people being able to relate is super important.”

Connecting with industry workers is a critical part of Aviles and Coplan’s initiative.

But the power to enact change comes from the top. That means encouraging restaurant owners, managers and chefs to take a hard look at how they run their businesses and what they can do to foster a healthier work environment.

LEFT: Hassel Aviles is a culinary consultant and former bartender and server. RIGHT: Coplan and Aviles co-founded Not 9 to 5 to connect colleagues with mental health resources

Aviles believes it begins with role modelling. “In our industry, specifically, that means taking breaks, enforcing and encouraging breaks, eating right, like actually eating in front of people and drinking enough water,” Aviles says. “These seemed like really irrelevant little things but the impact on the environment is massive.”

As a manager, Coplan also believes what you don’t do is just as important. “I don’t get wasted at the bar after work,” he says.

“I don’t bring my team out for drinks and get crazy with them. There’s a lot to be said in the standards you set.”

Chefs, owners and managers can also help to foster an environment where staff feel comfortable sharing their struggles, quashing the ‘suck it up’ mentality that currently prevails. Aviles and Coplan believe that, like health and safety policies, restaurants should have mental health policies and strategies in place. This could look like resources posted on a bulletin board, announcements at staff meetings and, if management feels comfortable with it, sharing their own experiences with mental health. “Create a safe space, create an open dialogue,” Coplan advises. “Your staff needs to feel comfortable sharing what they’re going through.”

Some restaurants are taking it a step further. At Mahjong Bar, owners implemented a $50 wellness credit per month, applicable on anything from gym memberships to massages, therapy or yoga classes. And at Gusto 54, the restaurant group behind Gusto 101, Chubby’s and Pai, to name a few, they implemented a full health benefits plan across their staff of 300 earlier this year. The Gusto group has also incorporated mental health and wellness into its leadership training for managers and sous chefs.

Working too hard and flaming out might be a normal practice in the industry today, but Coplan and Aviles believe it doesn’t have to be that way. “I don’t think everyone figures out a way to turn it into a long career,” Coplan says. “It’s hard on the body. And it’s really hard on the mind.” Aviles and Coplan have both forged successful careers for themselves.

And they hope to help future generations of hospitality workers do the same. “We do this because we love the industry,” Aviles says.

“We want to see it evolve.” f

Photography: ###

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Healthy, tasty and ready to eat.

Try persiMonÂŽ in slices or add it to your favorite recipes!

Check out www.persimonsays.com for more information

EUROPEAN UNION

PROMOTION

persiMon® WRAPPED IN SERRANO HAM AND MANCHEGO CHEESE Ingredients ◆◆ 1 persiMon®, cut into 12 wedges ◆◆ 6 slices Serrano ham ◆◆ 1/2 cup watercress

◆◆ 1/3 cup Manchego cheese, sliced into 12 equal pieces

Method 1 Cut each slice of Serrano ham in half lengthwise.

Place a persiMon® wedge on top of each strip of ham.

2 Place a few pieces of watercress on one side of each persiMon®.

3 Add one piece of cheese on top of the watercress and wrap.

LOW-HANGING FRUIT You might not have heard of a persiMon® before, but this sweet, delicate fruit from Spain is about to be your new favourite ingredient.

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S FULL-BLOODED foodies, we’re always on the lookout for new and unique ingredients to expand our cooking arsenal and our repertoire of recipes. The holidays are an especially fun time to get creative and try something new. When everyone else seems to be cooking the same old tired dishes, we really love going out on the hunt for unexpected items that will wow our dinner guests.

On your next trip to the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for Rojo Brillante persiMon®, a little-known fruit that’s grown in the Ribera del Xúquer Valley near Valencia, Spain. Not to be confused with other varieties of the persimmon, this bright orange fruit tends to be

longer and larger in size compared to the small, squat Sharon fruit.

When shopping for persiMon®, look for its bright orange skin and a texture that feels firm to the touch. You might also see small brown speckles on its skin – these are natural sugar freckles that indicate how ripe the fruit is. The more speckles, the sweeter the persiMon®.

Once at home, you can store your persiMon® in a bowl on the counter, away from other fruits – no need to refrigerate them.

The persiMon® has a sweet and delicate flavour, similar to that of a peach or a mango. But these special fruits are only available for a limited time each year, usually from mid-

October until January or February.

Unlike other permissions that are usually eaten once they’re soft, persiMon® are ready to eat directly from the grocery store. Go ahead and bite right into it, skin on, just like an apple. Or if you prefer, cut the top off, peel your persiMon® and slice it into wedges to enjoy.

This holiday season, use persiMon® in a festive party appetizer. Its sweet, juicy flavour makes it a great complement to cured meats like Serrano ham. It’s peak persiMon® season so get them before they’re gone. ● Try our recipe above for 12 Serrano ham-wrapped persiMon® canapés, or head to persimoncanada.com for more recipe ideas.

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PROMOTION

UNCORK THE SEASON Cavit Pinot Grigio is a versatile, crowd-pleasing go-to for your next holiday party.

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E’RE ALL TOO familiar with the feeling – hitting the LCBO for a wine to serve at your next dinner party and becoming overwhelmed by all the aisles and endless varietals. The feeling is only amplified over the holidays when the pressure to impress increases tenfold.

Thankfully, there’s an easy solution to be found in a bottle of Cavit Pinot Grigio. This easy-drinking wine is made from grapes grown among the picturesque mountains, lakes, apple orchards and medieval castles of the Trentino, Fruili and Veneto regions of northern Italy. There, dry and balmy breezes sweep across nearby lakes,

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contrasted with cool evenings that promote rich, intense aromas and flavours in the grapes.

What results is a light and refreshing wine with notes of citrus and green apple – all at an affordable price point under $15. Extremely versatile, Cavit Pinot Grigio pairs beautifully with pasta, seafood, veal and chicken or serve it alone as an aperitif. Once you have a sip, you’ll soon discover how Cavit has become North America’s #1-selling Pinot Grigio.

Better yet, Cavit Pinot Grigio makes for a great conversation starter at your holiday party for its innovative, sustainable winemaking practices.

Cavit limits the use of pesticides and practices eco-sustainable farming such as growing cover crops to prevent soil erosion. To help minimize water waste, the winery uses high-precision irrigation to limit the use of water.

And to reduce Cavit’s carbon emissions, the winery has built three photovoltaic generators to make use of green energy.

Vegan, gluten-free and eco-friendly, Cavit Pinot Grigio is the fuss-free, crowd-pleasing and pocket-friendly option to reach for the next time you’re in the LCBO. ● To learn more about Cavit Pinot Grigio, visit cavit.com

— PART 3 —

QUENCH “ADDING TO THE COMPANY’S FAMILY TIES, THEIR STILLS ARE AFFECTIONATELY NAMED AFTER FAMILY MEMBERS.” BOOZERS AND SHAKERS, 076

074 THE NEXT ROUND | 076 BOOZERS AND SHAKERS | 084 COCKTAIL HOUR 090 BOTTLE SERVICE | 099 COCKTAIL DECONSTRUCT

THE NEXT ROUND The latest additions to our bar cart meet the newest soft stuff.

C ENOT E T EQUILA A ÑE JO

ADA L OVE L AC E G IN

Naturally filtered volcanic water and blue weber agave harvested from the Jaliscan lowlands go into this añejo tequila, which is aged in American Oak barrels. Complex with a smoky, woody nose and a palate of vanilla, spice and chocolate. Sip it neat or over ice. $91.95, lcbo.com

This Northern California gin is made in the classic London dry style with Napa-grown botanicals (Meyer lemon, rose petals, Italian blue juniper). Expect candied ginger and floral notes with a full body that works nicely in a dry martini. $99.85, lcbo.com

OYST ER BAY S PARKLI N G C UV É E RO SÉ

HOW ITZ E R CA NADIAN W HISKY

Made with a blend of zesty chardonnay grapes and fragrant pinot noir with red berry fruit character, this rosé has a bright acidity and lively bubbles from natural secondary fermentation. Serve it alone as an aperitif or with seafood, dessert or strawberries. $22.95, lcbo.com

An Ontario-made whisky aged for five years and finished in oak bourbon barrels, offering a medium-gold colour and fragrant nose of vanilla and dried fruits.

With a warm and smooth finish, this contemplative whisky is best enjoyed neat. $34.95, lcbo.com

RISE KOMBUCHA ELDERF L OWER & ROSEMARY

P IL O T C O FFEE S PA R K L ING CAS CA RA T EA

This limited edition kombucha from the Montreal-based company combines rosemary and floral elderflower with lavender, chamomile and cinnamon in an oolong base. Lightly carbonated, herbacious and not too sweet. $4.49, risekombucha.com.

This sweet and sparkling antioxidant-filled tea is made from steeping dehydrated coffee cherry husks. Look for notes of raspberry, raisin, orange and honey with a subtle flavour of green tea and refreshing sweetness from natural fruit juice. $3.75, pilotcoffeeroasters.com

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T HE AU DAC IT Y OF T HOM AS G. B R IG H T M E R L OT CAB E R NET Named after a pioneer of Niagara’s wine industry, this merlot-cab blend is aged in whisky barrels to allow flavours of red fruit to mellow with a hint of spice. Expect a smooth finish that pours well with roasted vegetables and burgers. $17.95, lcbo.com

C O CA-C O L A ST EV IA The soda giant’s latest release uses stevia, a naturally-sourced sugar alternative for a zero-calorie sipper.

They avoid stevia’s traditionally bitter aftertaste by using only a specific part of the leaf for a flavour that closely mimics what you taste with the original. $6.99 for 12, coca-colacanada.ca

Flavour BEGINS HERE

WHAT DOES NIAGARA TASTE LIKE? At Niagara Parks, a 134 year old agency of the province of Ontario, we are committed to preserving and presenting the wonders of Niagara for the enjoyment of the world. From our inspiring natural wonders – the falls themselves - and engaging heritage sites, to our breathtaking and reflective horticultural spaces, presenting experiences that invoke and excite your senses is what we do.

All senses.

Across the past number of years our Niagara Parks Culinary team has explored how to truly present the tastes of Ontario and Niagara to the world.

The answer was easy, look local.

Working with the Culinary Tourism Alliance under their Feast On certification program, our services and all of our five full-service restaurants, from the epic Table Rock House Restaurant to the serene Queenston Heights Restaurant, feature a mandated minimum 25% food and beverage sourced from local Ontario growers, producers, and providers.

In fact, we actually feature up to 60% on the food side, and nearly 100% on beverage. And we don’t stop there, even the talented cooks and chefs in our kitchens are locally sourced, as we operate one of Canada’s largest culinary apprenticeship training programs in association with Niagara College.

From amazing Ontario orchards, to the delicious dairies, from VQA wines, to Ontario’s fast growing craft beer and spirits scene, Niagara Parks is committed to supporting the many growers, producers and craftspeople that make up Ontario’s unique taste of place. And with five full-service restaurants and a slate of spectacular events to choose from, you’ll know your meal will be just as unique as the land where it’s grown.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT NIAGARAPARKS.COM/CULINARY

SPIRITED SIPS

ING REDIENTS After extensive testing, the Reids settled on traditional botanicals with a Canadian spin. They source juniper from the Northwest Territories, coriander from Saskatchewan and sweetfern, a traditional Indigenous ingredient.

BOOZERS AND SHAKERS

Andrea Yu heads east to discover how Reid’s Distillery is bringing the small-batch spirit culture to Toronto.

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HEN JACQUELINE REID moved to Scotland for university, she was blown away by the country’s craft gin offerings. Her father Martin would come to visit and the pair would spend their free time exploring the gin scene. “We would visit four or five gin microdistilleries a day, and in the evening, we go to the gin bars,” Martin Reid recalls. “Like the breweries in Toronto, every village has their own distillery and they make their own gin.”

Martin was contemplating a career change out of finance, and he bounced ideas around with Jacqueline and his sons Calvin and Graham who were home beer brewers.

They established Reid’s Distillery in June 2017 and opened the doors at Logan and Lake Shore Boulevard in the summer of 2019.

To make their gin, the Reids start with Ontario wheat and brew a strong hop-free

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beer. The beer is then distilled into a wheat vodka before it’s infused with botanicals to create gin. Adding to the company’s family ties, their stills are affectionately named after family members – Matt, after Martin’s father, and Maureen, after his mother.

Their flagship is a balanced sipper that works well in classic cocktails, while their newest creations highlight specific flavours – a citrus gin made from four zingy fruits and a spiced gin using ingredients like cardamom and cinnamon. “Most people think of gin as herbal or floral, but there’s very little spiced gin on the market here,” says Jacqueline Reid.

“It’s great in a caesar.”

Given Ontario’s strict distillery regulations, the Reids are one of a small crowd. But Jacqueline Reid doesn’t see them as competitors. Just after the Reids launched, they were approached by Willibald’s, a craft distiller in southwestern Ontario, and the two are now collaborating on a special gin. f

EV ENTS Their dream location ended up being twice as large as they needed, so after their bar and distilling equipment was installed, they transformed the remaining space into a stylish lounge. It’s now used to host events.

TO U RS A ND C L AS S ES Reid’s hosts regular tours and classes. Their signature tour brings guests behind the scenes into the distillery followed by a tasting, while their cocktail classes each tackle a different recipe or theme based on the season.

— BEARFACE —

WHISKY YOU OFF YOUR FEET A FOODISM GUIDE

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PROMOTION

H I STO RY

WHISKY BUSINESS BEARFACE’s hand-finished whisky is pioneering a new generation of Canadian innovation and experimentation through fearless collaborations and creativity.

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HEN IT COMES to traditions like whisky-making, it’s easy to get bogged down by the way things have been done for decades. Sure, whisky has a centuries-long history that now spans continents. But the innovative folks at BEARFACE are shaking off the dust on whisky-making by pushing boundaries to disrupt the whisky market with a fearless Canadian entry.

Their flagship entry, BEARFACE 7 year Triple Oak, debuted just last year and garnered a slew of notable awards including Best Canadian Whisky in the 2019 International Whisky Competition

and a gold award in the Grain Whisky Category at the 2019 World Whiskies Awards. Once you learn how this innovative spirit is created, you’ll understand why it’s earning accolades.

BEARFACE Original is the result of seemingly endless collaboration and experimentation. The team, led

by Master Blender Andres Faustinelli, brings together winemakers, coopers and blenders for an innovative end result. First, they crisscrossed the country to source the finest singlegrain whisky aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels for seven years,

which is double the age of most Canadian whiskies. The winemakers come in for the second stage – aging in ex-Bordeaux tight grain French oak casks. Lastly, the coopers (artisans that make casks and barrels) jump in for a third finish, naturally air-dried for three-years in Hungarian oak.

The result is a smooth, rich and round whisky with notes of vanilla, dried fruit and distinct spice that’s great served neat, on the rocks, or mixed into your favourite whisky cocktail. This is a new generation of Canadian whisky, made for a new generation of whisky drinkers. ●

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M EX I C A N

MI X - U P

BREAKING BARRIERS BEARFACE Whisky’s brand new ONE ELEVEN Series shakes up whisky traditions.

The first in its series blends BEARFACE’s hand-finished whisky with pit-roasted mezcal.

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EARFACE HAS NEVER been one to rest on its laurels. After just one year in the whisky business, BEARFACE is pushing boundaries again with its new ONE ELEVEN Series.

They’ve fearlessly uncovered a littleknown whisky-making regulation called the 'One Eleven Rule,' giving them the ability to blend ten parts whisky with one part of another spirit, wine or sherry.

It’s a rule that most whisky makers don’t talk about. But BEARFACE is using the rules to break the rules and create a limited edition series that’s the first innovative release of its kind.

For the first release of the ONE ELEVEN Series, BEARFACE Master Blender Andres Faustinelli taps his ethos of experimentation to collaborate with Maestro Mezcalero

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Pedro Hernandez. The famed mezcal maker from San Baltazar in Central Oaxaca is known for his distinct distilling methods. Up to one part of Hernandez’s pit-roasted Agave Espadín Spirit is blended with ten parts BEARFACE Single Grain Whisky to create BEARFACE’s ONE ELEVEN Series Oaxaca Release.

To begin, BEARFACE Canadian Whisky is finished in virgin French oak which has been toasted two ways: to bring out the whisky’s sweet vanilla notes and to highlight its floral tannins.

Then, Hernandez comes into the mix by using his pit-smoked mezcal which is made from foraged agave then finished in American oak ex-bourbon barrels which are aged in the heat of the sierras of Oaxaca in southern Mexico.

BEARFACE SHATTERS THE NORMS OF CANADIAN WHISKY WITH A RADICAL NEW BLEND, ADDING PIT-ROASTED AGAVE ESPADIN SPIRIT FROM OAXACA

PROMOTION

RE CIP E S

OLD FEARLESS Ingredients ◆◆ 2 oz Bearface Triple Oak

◆◆ 2 dashes charred cedar bitters ◆◆ 1 bar spoon maple syrup ◆◆ Orange twist

Method Stir all three ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, strain into a rocks glass over large ice cubes and garnish with an orange twist.

THE BEARFACE HIGHBALL Ingredients

The product of this creative collaboration is a fearless combination of complex floral notes and dried fruit, complemented by an earthy, smoky finish thanks to Hernandez’s masterful mezcal.

If you’re looking for a bold, fearless addition to your bar cart, BEARFACE ONE ELEVEN Series Oaxaca Release is it. Sip it neat to experience its smooth vanilla and earthy, smoky flavour profiles or mix it into your favourite whisky recipes for an all-new cocktail experience. Its dried fruit notes and distinctive rich texture sing in a Oaxacan Boulevardier while the Oaxaca Release puts a distinctly intriguing spin on the classic margarita recipe.

Part whisky, part mezcal – this isn’t whisky as you know it. It’s a bold, fearless first that is changing the paradigm of Canadian whisky. Searching for a hostess gift for that whiskylover in your life? BEARFACE ONE ELEVEN Series Oaxaca Release is a unique selection that’ll stand out from the crowd. If you’re hosting a holiday party at home or at work, BEARFACE – which took home the coveted ‘Best New Whisky’ title at the 2019 Canadian Whisky Awards – is the boundarybreaking product you need to bring. ● To learn more about BEARFACE whisky, visit bearfacewhisky.ca.

◆◆ 1.25 oz Bearface Triple Oak ◆◆ 0.5 oz vanilla syrup ◆◆ 4–5 oz soda water

Method Build with ice, topping with the soda water and gently stir. Garnish with strawberry and thyme.

OAXACAN BOULEVARDIER Ingredients ◆◆ 1.25 oz Bearface One Eleven

Oaxaca release

◆◆ 0.75 oz Dry Vermouth ◆◆ 0.5 oz Port

◆◆ 1 oz Amaro or bitter

liquor of choice

◆◆ 5 dashes of chocolate bitters

Method Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for 20 seconds. Pour over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with your favourite tropical fruits and shaved chocolate.

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PROMOTION

FENTIMANS HOLIDAY MULE Ingredients ◆◆ 2 oz vodka

◆◆ 4 oz Fentimans

Ginger Beer

◆◆ Splash of lime juice

Method Pour over ice in a tall glass or copper mug.

Garnish with lime.

A BREWTIFUL TIME OF YEAR

Fentimans botanically brewed craft sodas help you create premium holiday cocktails.

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HE HOLIDAYS ARE a time to honour traditions. Whether it’s the decorating of a tree, the lighting of a candle or visiting a jolly bearded gentleman, it’s an opportunity to carry on treasured practices and pass them onto generations to follow.

It’s a philosophy that resonates with Fentimans which has been botanically brewing premium quality beverages since 1905. Their craft sodas and mixers are made with the knowledge and expertise drawn from generations of the Fentiman family. Using a multistage botanical brewing technique passed down from Thomas Fentiman

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to his great-grandson, with the finest ingredients sourced from around the world, Fentimans delivers a depth of taste that’s unparalleled.

But the holidays can also be a time to update traditions, blending the old with the new. That’s exactly what the in-house flavour experts do at Fentimans by continuously keeping an eye on the latest trends and developing new and interesting flavour profiles. They’re always searching for the highest quality ingredients and botanicals to use in their recipes, such as Indonesian quinine harvested from the bark of the chinchona tree, tangy

oranges from the Mediterranean and rose oil from Bulgaria’s Kazanlak Valley. For quality and traceability, Fentimans takes ownership of the drink-making process from the botanicals to the bottle.

Fentimans craft sodas and mixers are the perfect addition to your holiday cocktailing. Made vegan-friendly and gluten-free without preservatives, Fentimans is a party pleaser for stirring up fresh beverages that will impress friends, family and party guests alike. ● For Fentimans sales inquiries in Canada, contact Inform Brokerage Inc. at informbrokerage.com or 1.800.203.8922

H O L I D AY R E C I P E G U I D E

SOM E G I F T S A RE M E A N T TO B E S H A RE D

GR E Y G O O S E . C O M SIP RESPONSIBLY. ©2019 GREY GOOSE, ITS TRADE DRESS, THE GEESE DEVICE AND LIVE VICTORIOUSLY ARE TRADEMARKS. VODKA 40% ALC. BY VOL. DISTILLED FROM FRENCH WHEAT.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

FROM THE TEAM

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HETHER YOU’RE the master of ceremonies or potluck provider at a holiday gathering, the stakes are certainly high over the festive period. While there’s plenty of pressure to craft the perfect plate – holiday hosting doesn’t have to be an uphill battle.

We asked the best chefs and restaurateurs from around the city to share their favourite holiday recipes with us. From Ivana Raca’s (Ufficio) breakfast of champions and getting shucked up with Adam Colquhuon’s appetizer (Oyster Boy), all the way through to one seriously baller Italian dessert from Rob Gentile (Buca), we’ve got you covered for the season of stuffing. Plus, we asked the city’s best cocktail slingers to shake up some festive tipples to keep you and your guests entertained all the way through to the new year. Cheers!

Illustration: Remie Geoffroi Art Direction: Matthew Hasteley, Brianne Collins

H O L I D AY R E C I P E G U I D E

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Smoked Salmon Toast I love kicking off Christmas morning the right way by making something a little special. I always have smoked salmon for brunch, plus I like how these beets make the dish pop with colour. – IVANA RACA, UFFICIO

INGREDIENTS ** ½ lb smoked salmon

** 4 slices Brodflour’s dark and

sweet Scandinavian rye bread

** 2 lb golden and

rainbow beets

** small bunch frisée and

mâche lettuce

CRÈME FRAÎCHE

** ¼ cup buttermilk

** ¾ cup whipping cream

METHOD 1 Make a crème fraîche using 1 part buttermilk and 3 parts cream. Let it sit overnight to allow the dairy to firm up and coagulate. Strain the liquid.

2 Boil the beets until they’re soft. Throw them in a pickling liquid made of 4 parts white wine vinegar, 1 part water and 1 part sugar. Add some fennel seeds

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and salt to taste. Dress the beets with Maldon salt and olive oil.

3 Spread crème fraîche on lightly toasted bread and place pickled beets and slices of smoked salmon on top.

4 Garnish with frisée and mâche lettuce that’s been dressed in a little lemon juice, olive oil and chives. f

BEET PICKLING JUICE

** 2 cups white wine vinegar ** ½ cup water ** ½ cup sugar

** 1 Tbsp fennel seeds ** Olive oil ** Maldon sea salt ** Lemon juice ** Chives, chopped

Shucked Oysters I f you bring oysters and a knife, you’re going to be the star of the party. You can do your part by shucking the oysters early and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Here, we’re using oysters from South Lake, P.E.I. – ADAM COLQUHOUN, OYSTER BOY

METHOD 1 Start by looking for oysters that are not stored in water. Oysters need to be cold (4 C or below) so they stay closed like they’re hibernating.

2 Next, you want to feel the weight of the oyster. If the oyster is open it’s more likely to be dead inside. If you give it a tap and it closes, it’s still alive. If it stays open, then it’s dead and you should discard that oyster.

3 When you’re shucking, there’s a top and a bottom to each oyster. The top is usually flat and the bottom is round. At the hinge or apex of the oyster it comes to a very narrow point that looks like an arrow or a teardrop. That’s the strongest part of the oyster’s shell.

4 Take your knife and put it on a 45-degree angle. Insert it into the hinge where you’ll see the opening between the two halves of the shell.

5 Lean into the knife and as you’re doing that, use the pressure of your upper body weight to open the hinge of the oyster.

As you lean in, you want to push and pry.

INGREDIENTS ** 1 lb oysters ** Lemons ** Hot sauce

MIGNONETTE

6 You should be prying between the two shells like you’re opening a can of paint. What you’re doing is stretching the adductor muscle – that’s the only moving part of the oyster.

** ½ cup vinegar

** 1–2 Tbsp red wine

** 1 tsp cracked pepper

** 1 small shallot, finely chopped

7 And that’s the shuck. After that, all you’re doing is using your dexterity and your knife (which I call your eleventh finger) to sever the adductor muscle from the top of the oyster shell.

probably want to try the oysters on their own to taste the “merroir” but you could add lemon, hot sauce or a mignonette.

Always add an acidic condiment to balance the oyster’s saltiness.

8 If you’re right-handed, turn the oyster so that the straight side is closest to you and sever the adductor muscle from the bottom of the inside of the shell.

10 To make a mignonette, combine half a cup of vinegar, a couple of tablespoons of red wine, 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper and 1 finely chopped shallot.

9 Serve on ice or river rocks that were kept in the freezer. This time of year, you

To learn first-hand, head to one of Oyster Boy’s Shuck U classes. f

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Bourbon Spiced Cranberry Sauce ranberry sauce is a great addition to any holiday table C because it pairs well with all poultry, whether grilled or roasted as well as pork. It’s also delicious with cheese and crackers so serve early with the cheeseboard as an appetizer.

I’ve created an adventurous, spiced take on a classic recipe.

– MARK McEWAN, McEWAN GOURMET GROCERY

INGREDIENTS ** 24 oz fresh cranberries

(frozen can be substituted)

** 1 ½ cups brown sugar ** ½ cup bourbon

** 2 cups freshly squeezed

orange juice ** Zest of 1 orange ** Zest of 1 lemon

** 1 cinnamon stick

** 2 pieces star anise ** 1 bay leaf

** 1 cup white wine

** 1 sprig thyme (optional)

METHOD 1 Add the bourbon, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaf, thyme (optional), orange juice and sugar to a pot and stir over medium heat for 10 minutes until the mixture reduces by half. The liquid should thicken and become fragrant.

2 Pass the liquid through a strainer,

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removing all spices and herbs. Return the liquid to the pot and add the cranberries and zest (reserve some zest for garnish).

3 Cook the cranberries for approximately 20–25 minutes, until they have popped.

Let the mixture cool and garnish with zest before serving. f

Roasted Sweet Potato, Chorizo Vinaigrette with Peppery Greens I love using sweet potato at this time of year. Here at the restaurant, we use a lot of Portuguese chorizo and morcilla (Argentinian blood sausage). It’s so easy to make and goes with literally anything. It could be an amazing vegetarian dish without the chorizo, so it’s also versatile.

– JULIE MARTELEIRA, LEÑA

INGREDIENTS ** 10 mini sweet potatoes

** ** ** ** **

(orange-fleshed), scrubbed with skin on ½ bunch field arugula ½ bunch dinosaur kale 4 Tbsp olive oil Black pepper Sea salt

CHORIZO VINAIGRETTE

** 1 ½ cups olive oil

** ¾ cup sherry vinegar

** 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed

orange juice

** 2 Tbsp white sugar

** 2 cups shallots, finely diced ** 1 tsp smoked paprika

** ½ lb Portuguese chorizo

sausage, mild or spicy ** Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD 1 Preheat oven to 500 F. 2 Begin by making the vinaigrette. Slice the chorizo into thin rounds, sauté in a pan over medium-high heat, until the sausage is slightly crispy but not dry.

3 In a mixing bowl, whisk together the shallots, sugar, sherry vinegar, smoked paprika and orange juice. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify.

Season with salt and black pepper.

Fold in the cooked chorizo.

4 Toss the sweet potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, roast the sweet potatoes for 1.5–2 hours, until very soft when pierced with a knife.

5 Remove the sweet potatoes from the roasting tray. While still hot, cut a slit lengthwise in the potatoes and squeeze them to expose some of the flesh. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle generously with the vinaigrette and season with sea salt. Garnish the plate with torn arugula and kale. f

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PRESENTED BY

PAIR THIS RUFFINO MODUS This Tuscan blend deserves to be paired with the main event this holiday. Layered fruit and a silky mouthfeel will enhance the poultry and all those tasty trimmings.

LCBO #912956

METHOD 1 Bring all brine ingredients to a boil.

Chill completely and then add buttermilk.

Roast Turkey I grew up in Michigan with a big family, so the holidays would always be about making a lot of food and getting together to enjoy it all. This turkey – when combined with all my favourite fixings like stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce – makes the perfect spread and looks great when you serve it.

– NICHOLAS TROSIEN, CAFÉ BOULUD

2 Before brining the turkey, remove the giblets and neck from the cavity. Discard the liver and save the rest of the giblets and neck to add any gravy you’re making.

3 Place turkey in the brine for 4 hours.

4 Once you remove the turkey, place on a rack and pat dry with paper towels.

The drier the skin, the better the butter will stick to the turkey, and the skin will become crispier.

INGREDIENTS ** 12 –15 lb turkey ** Carrots, celery, onion, thyme

and garlic for roasting ** Lemon, rosemary, sage and

whole garlic cloves to stuff

5 While the turkey dries at room temperature, preheat the oven to 350 F. 6 Make a compound butter with salt, pepper, chopped thyme and sage.

Liberally rub the turkey all over with the compound butter.

7 Stuff the cavity of the turkey with half a lemon, rosemary, sage and the whole, peeled garlic cloves.

8 In a roasting pan, place chopped carrots, celery and onions, thyme and garlic cloves. Rest the whole turkey on top of the vegetables.

9 Roast the turkey, basting it with its juices, until it comes to an internal temperature of 165 F, checking the thickest part of the thigh, making sure not to touch the bone with the thermometer. Once the temperature is reached, the turkey skin should be golden brown and crispy.

10 Once the turkey is roasted and removed from the oven, all the drippings combined with the roasted vegetables will be full of flavour and perfect to add to your gravy. Allow the turkey to rest, loosely covered, for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. f

TURKEY BRINE

** 8 cloves garlic

** 12 black peppercorns ** Zest from 1 lemon

** ½ bunch of fresh thyme ** 4 cloves

** 4 gallons water

** 140 g white sugar ** 500 g salt

** 2 cups buttermilk

COMPOUND BUTTER

** 1 lb unsalted butter

** ½ bunch thyme, picked

and chopped

** ½ bunch sage, chopped ** Salt and pepper, to taste

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Panforte I get a feeling of nostalgia from panforte, not only because it reminds me of my travels in Italy but also because it’s perfect at Christmas. Originally from Tuscany, panforte is almost like a dense bread or cake with both sweet and savoury flavours.

It pairs really well with espresso, amaro, dessert wine or a cheese course. It’s built for sitting around the table with family and friends. – CHEF ROB GENTILE, BUCA OSTERIA & ENOTECA

INGREDIENTS ** 50 g candied orange

** 300 g candied lemon

** 200 g almonds, toasted

** 150 g hazelnuts, toasted ** 250 g sugar

** 250 g honey

** 120 g double-zero flour

METHOD

with greased parchment paper.

1 Heat water, sugar and honey until they are just slightly darker.

6 Flatten with a rolling pin.

7 Preheat oven to 300 F. Bake for 10 minutes.

** 5 g ground cinnamon

2 Add flour and cook a few seconds.

** 1 g ground clove

3 Add candied fruit and vanilla and stir.

** ½ g ground nutmeg

4 Add nuts and spices and mix fully.

8 Flatten again and dust with icing sugar.

Allow to cool at least 4 hours.

5 Pour the mixture into round pan dusted heavily with icing sugar and lined

Buca serves its panforte with foie gras on top, but it also works with cheese. f

** 1 g ground black pepper ** 1 g ground cardamom ** 1 vanilla bean

** Sprinkling of icing sugar

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A MODERN WINE born from Tuscan tradition

MODUS SUPER TUSCAN Over 20 years of 90+ scores from the world’s most highly respected critics.

Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2019 Ruffino Import Company, Rutherford, CA

MAKING MAGIC Magic Baking Powder is an essential ingredient for light and fluffy treats of all kinds, from cookies to cakes – like this Double-Chocolate Treasure Cake.

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AYBE IT’S THE smell of nutmeg and cinnamon in the air, or the warmth of the oven heating us up after being out in the cold, but the holiday season never fails to bring out the baker in us. Not only do we love getting down with those carbs, but it’s also about sharing our handmade treats with loved ones.

Whether you’re a pro or a novice, making an age-old recipe

or trying out something new for the first time, you always want to use the highest quality ingredients. And Magic Baking Powder is as premium as they come. A staple in households across Canada for more than 100 years, it’s an essential ingredient in making delicious cakes, cookies, biscuits, muffins, scones and baked goods of all kinds.

A tried and true kitchen

necessity, Magic Baking Powder has had the same formula for decades. It’s reliable, dependable and predictable – your baked goods will come out light and fluffy every time. But don’t just take our word for it, try out this recipe for Double-Chocolate Treasure Cake. It’s sure to be a hit with friends and family. I mean, who doesn’t love a little slice of chocolate heaven? ●

PROMOTION

DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE TREASURE CAKE Ingredients ◆◆ 1 ¾ cups sugar ◆◆ 1 ¾ cups flour

◆◆ 2 tsp baking soda

◆◆ 1 tsp Magic Baking Powder ◆◆ ½ tsp salt

◆◆ 5 oz Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate, melted ◆◆ 1 cup brewed strong Maxwell House Coffee,

room temperature

◆◆ ¾ cup sour cream ◆◆ ¼ cup oil

◆◆ 1 tsp vanilla

◆◆ 2 Cadbury Dairy Milk Milk Chocolate

Candy Bars (100 g each)

◆◆ ¼ cup half-and-half

◆◆ 2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping ◆◆ 1 cup fresh raspberries

Method 1 Heat oven to 350°F. 2 In a large bowl, add all ingredients (except for chocolate bars, half-and-half, Cool Whip and raspberries) and beat with a mixer until well blended.

3 Pour mixture into a 9-inch springform pan, sprayed with cooking spray.

4 Bake 50 to 55 min or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. (Cake will have a slight indentation in centre.)

5 Cool 10 min.

6 Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen cake and remove. Poke deep rings in cake at 1-inch intervals, using the handle of a wooden spoon.

7 Break chocolate bars into pieces; reserve 6 pieces.

Place remaining chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and add half-and-half. Microwave on medium for 1 min or until chocolate is almost melted.

Stir until completely melted.

8 Pour melted chocolate into rings in cake.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

9 Top cake with Cool Whip and raspberries just before serving.

10 Place reserved chocolate bar pieces in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on medium for 20 sec or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until completely melted. Drizzle over cake and serve.

For more information and other recipes, visit foodism.to/recipes/magic

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I NGR E D I E NTS ** 1 oz Hennessy VS Cognac

** ½ oz Cointreau

** ½ oz crème de cassis

** ¾ oz Lustau amontillado sherry

** ¾ oz lemon juice

Rona May One of my junior bartenders and I were talking about how much we wanted to use crème de cassis in a cocktail, because it’s not a very popular liqueur but it’s so tasty. He said it reminded him of his grandmother’s pies that she would make around the holidays. We set out and tested a few and this was the end result which we named after his grandmother.

– DYLAN TURNER, À TOI

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** ¼ oz demerara syrup

** 1 dash Bittered Sling

clingstone peach bitters

** 1 strip orange zest

** Dehydrated lemon wheel

METHOD 1 Add all ingredients to a shaker tin and shake with ice.

2 Double strain over fresh ice. Express the oil from the orange and discard zest.

Garnish with lemon wheel. f

Amaretto Sour I love whisky sours and I love amaretto, so this is like if the two had a baby. I make this any time but it’s also a fun way to show off in front of your guests. The rim is from my own line of cocktail garnishes, with naturally flavoured sugars and salts.

– AMANDA CHEN, PRAY TELL BAR

INGREDIENTS ** ¾ oz amaretto liqueur ** ¾ oz bourbon

** ¾ oz lemon juice ** ¾ oz egg white

** Salty Paloma Sweetie Pie

cocktail rimmer

METHOD 1 Moisten the rim of a coupe glass with a lime wedge. Dip the edge of the glass in a plate covered with Salty Paloma Sweetie Pie or another sweet-salty, spiced cocktail rimmer.

2 Combine amaretto, bourbon, freshly squeezed lemon juice and egg white in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into the rimmed coupe glass. Be careful not to disturb the rimming while serving the drink. f

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Danish Glogg T his is a super traditional Scandinavian mulled wine which roughly translates to ‘glow wine’ because you glow while drinking it. In Denmark, it’s common to have your own glogg mug – bars will have a big batch of it right at the bar and you can help yourself. Traditional garnishes are raisins and almonds that you nibble on once you’ve finished your glogg. When my parents moved from Europe to Canada, they would serve this at holiday parties. Take a big stock pot and throw everything in – the aromatics make the house instantly smell like Christmas.

– ZACHARY ALBERTSEN, THE DRAKE HOTEL

INGREDIENTS ** 3 cups dry red wine

** ½ cup golden raisins,

plus extra for serving

METHOD 1 Start by combining the wine, fruit and spices in a pot, and bring it to a low simmer but do not boil.

2 Once everything in the pot has reached a simmer, remove from heat and add in half the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Then, allow the liquid to steep, almost like a tea.

3 Once the glogg has cooled to room temperature, strain the wine and discard

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the spices and fruit.

4 Place the vodka, bourbon and rest of the sugar in a different pot and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, add the seasoned wine mixture and then immediately reduce heat to a very low simmer.

** 1 orange, zest and juice ** 10 cardamom pods ** 4 dried figs, sliced ** 12 cloves, whole

** 4 cinnamon sticks

** 3 star anise, whole ** ½ cup vodka

** ¼ cup bourbon

** ½ cup sugar, divided in half

5 Place raisins, sliced almonds and a thinly sliced orange in the bottom of a mug. Pour heated glogg into each mug.

The idea is for the drink to be enjoyed warm but not hot. f

GARNISH ** Almonds, raisins,

thinly sliced orange

Holiday Pear We wanted to showcase seasonal fruits and I find that plums, pears and spices are fantastic for the wintertime. Thinking about the holidays and staying warm, we’re using savoury elements and a lot of stone fruits. This cocktail is dramatic and show-stopping but it also tastes amazing. In winter, we’re able to execute detailed cocktails with more garnishes.

– JAE SANTOS, KASA MOTO

METHOD 1 Shake the vodka, pear liqueur and lemon juice in a shaker. Pour into a coupe glass.

2 Top up with prosecco. Garnish with three pear slices on a cocktail stick. f

INGREDIENTS ** 1 ½ oz Grey Goose vodka

** 1 oz Berentzen pear liqueur

** ¾ oz lemon juice

** 3 oz Fiol prosecco ** 3 pear slices

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Irish Coffee This cocktail is part of our new menu which explores our shared childhood memories and nostalgia through smell and aroma.

The coffee, tonka and cloves perfectly match the intensity of the roasted oranges infused with Irish whiskey.

Served perfectly warm with a dollop of cold whipped cream it is very cozy.

– MASSIMO ZITTI, MOTHER COCKTAIL BAR

INGREDIENTS ** 1 oz infused Tullamore

D.E.W. Irish Whiskey

** ½ oz salted maple water ** 15 oz spiced coffee

** Whipped cream for garnish

INFUSED WHISKEY

** 750 ml Tullamore D.E.W. ** 150 g oranges

SALTED MAPLE WATER

** 200 g maple syrup

** 200 g filtered water ** 1 ½ g sea salt

SPICED COFFEE

** 5 oz brewed espresso ** 10 oz hot water ** 1 g cloves

** 1 g cinnamon stick ** 2 g raisins

** 1 g tonka beans ** 1 g nutmeg

** 5 g light brown sugar

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METHOD 1 For the infused whiskey, roast the oranges in the oven at 300 F for 40 mins.

Place in a jar with whiskey for 48 hours.

2 For the salted maple water, combine the maple syrup and water in a pan over low heat. Keep below 55 C. Dissolve the salt and transfer the mixture to a nonreactive container. Will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.

3 For the spiced coffee, combine brewed espresso and hot water in a pan over low heat. Add spices, raisins and tonka beans. Simmer for 5 minutes and then set aside, letting the mixture infuse with the lid on. Strain and add brown sugar.

Stir to dissolve.

4 Build the drink in a pre-warmed, thick glass. Gently pour the cold whipped cream on top of the warm drink. f

SLEIGH DRIVER Ingredients ◆◆ 1 ½ parts GREY GOOSE®

Vodka

◆◆ 3 parts freshly squeezed

blood-orange juice

◆◆ Splash of pomegranate

syrup or grenadine

◆◆ 1 blood-orange wedge ◆◆ Pomegranate seeds

Method Add first three ingredients to a rocks glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with blood-orange wedge and pomegranate seeds.

Sip responsibly. ©2019. GREY GOOSE®, its trade dress, the geese device and live victoriously are trademarks. Vodka 40% alc. By vol. Distilled from french wheat.

PROMOTION

’TIS THE GIFTING SEASON Forget holiday stress – this festive season, give the gift of GREY GOOSE® and quality time with friends.

B

E HONEST – when you realized how quickly the festive season was creeping up, your first reaction was panic, quickly followed by a holiday shopping-list of things (read: gifts) you need to buy before December 25.

When did the holidays get so cynical? Sure, we love gift-giving – but somewhere along the way we lost our seasonal compass and got caught up in indulgences and materialism. Though the festive season is often focused on the presents beneath the tree, this year we think it's time to focus on what really matters – spending time with family and friends – which is why this holiday season, the only gift you need to bring is yourself.

Ever heard the expression “the best present is your presence?” In our busy lives, the most valuable gift we can give is our time. This year, celebrate the moments that really matter – ring in the holidays with family, friends and delicious

GREY GOOSE® cocktails.

Made with the highest quality ingredients from crop to cork, GREY GOOSE® Vodka is a versatile spirit that enhances your favourite flavours and can be enjoyed shaken, stirred or however you like – but we think the holidays call for something special. We love experimenting with new cocktails, but the classics are a great place to start.

Just a splash of fresh and festive flavours like blood-orange can turn the Screwdriver into a seasonal sipper or shift the Moscow mule into the perfect winter warmer with nutmeg and redcurrant.

Whether you’re tending the bar cart or visiting friends, make sure you give victoriously with GREY GOOSE® this holiday. After all, the best presents are the ones that turn moments with loved ones into lifelong memories. ● For more holiday cocktail inspiration visit greygoose.com

HOLIDAY MULE Ingredients ◆◆ 1 ½ parts GREY GOOSE®

Vodka

◆◆ 4 parts ginger beer

◆◆ The juice of half a lime ◆◆ Freshly grated nutmeg ◆◆ 1 lime wedge

◆◆ Fresh mint and redcurrants

Method Add first three ingredients to a rocks glass. Strain into a mule mug filled with ice, top with freshly grated nutmeg and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, the lime wedge and redcurrants.

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SOM E G I F T S CA N ' T B E W R A PPE D

GR E Y G O O S E . C O M SIP RESPONSIBLY. ©2019 GREY GOOSE, ITS TRADE DRESS, THE GEESE DEVICE AND LIVE VICTORIOUSLY ARE TRADEMARKS. VODKA 40% ALC. BY VOL. DISTILLED FROM FRENCH WHEAT.

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COCKTAIL HOUR Updated takes on classic favourites anchor the cocktail tome that sits on the 30-foot, Italian marble bar at Louix Louis, the St. Regis Toronto’s luxe restaurant.

WORDS BY TAYLOR NEWLANDS PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN LEE

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NEW YORK SOUR ING R EDIENTS

• • • •

2 oz Rittenhouse rye ¾ oz fresh lemon juice 1 oz simple syrup ½ oz fruity red wine

In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients except red wine, with ice.

Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Fine strain over a large ice cube in a double rocks glass. Gently pour the red wine over the back side of a bar spoon.

HEN THE FORMER Trump Hotel was transformed into the St. Regis, the 31st floor restaurant was gutted to make room for the glitzy, gilded Louix Louis. Designed to look like the grand hotels and bars in Paris and London, and inspired by Toronto’s history as a big distillery town when Gooderham and Worts was the largest in Canada, the bar has an iconic look that’s even garnered an International Hotel Design Award.

“If you look at the room, it’s supposed to evoke a whisky barrel,” says general manager Dominik Ociesa. “You have the rounded oak edges, all the copper and gold.

All of that makes you feel like you should be enjoying cocktails.”

The menu of dark spirit-forward drinks offers interesting takes on the classics and a few original creations, each with its own complex balance of flavours.

Ociesa brings years of experience and formal training as a sommelier to curating the hotel bar’s drink programme. “Assessing a wine for its qualities is about finding balance. Acidity and sweetness, savoury aspects and pairing – all these things can be translated to cocktails,” he says.

But divining balanced cocktails isn’t the only thing on the bar team’s agenda.

Frequenters of Louix Louis range from Financial District suits, to worldly travellers and the residents who live in the units upstairs. “It’s a very discerning clientele,” Ociesa says. ­“They travel the world tasting cocktails, drinking wine – so we need to be able to bring the best in class and present it beautifully and do it efficiently.” f

Photograph by ###

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CHRYSANTHEMUM ING R EDIENTS

• 2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth • ¾ oz Benedictine • 1 bar spoon Lucid absinthe • 2 dashes orange bitters • 1 strip lemon zest In a mixing glass add the vermouth, Benedictine, absinthe and orange bitters.

Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir to chill and dilute.

Strain into a chilled coupe.

Express oil from lemon zest and use it as garnish.

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OLD PAL INGREDIEN TS

• • • •

1 oz Lot 40 rye whisky 1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth 1 oz Campari Lemon twist to garnish

Combine all ingredients into a mixing beaker, then stir for a minute. Pour over a large ice cube. Garnish with the lemon twist.

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JACK ROSE ING R EDIENTS

• • • •

2 oz Laird applejack ¾ oz fresh lemon juice ¾ oz grenadine Apple slice to garnish

Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker.

Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Fine -strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with an apple slice.

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Mix With the Best

3 PARTS FEVER-TREE

1 PART SPIRIT

AVAILABLE IN NATIONAL & SPECIALTY GROCERY STORES.

ADD GARNISH

BOTTLE SERVICE

Toast to 2019 with an elegant Scotch, sip some very special cognac around the fire, and ring in the the new year with a bottle of the real deal – Champagne.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAILEE MANDEL STYLING BY BRIANNE COLLINS 3

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S ING L E M A LT S C O TC H

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1 LAPHROAIG SELECT ISLAY SINGLE MALT: This scotch is blended in casks including Oloroso sherry butts, white American oak and seasoned hogshead. Notes of citrus and chocolate. $69.95, lcbo.com 2 AUCHENTOSHAN AMERICAN OAK SINGLE MALT: Matured in American bourbon casks, this bright whisky has vanilla notes and a soft mouthfeel.

Triple-distilled, it’s a great stepping stone for bourbon drinkers looking to branch out. $56.95, lcbo.com 3 BOWMORE NO.1 ISLAY SINGLE MALT: Who knew Scotch could taste like toffee?

Bowmore, exclusively matured in first fill bourbon casks, has been making single malt Scotch since 1779 using local barley grown on the island of Islay. $54.95, lcbo.com 4 ARDBEG 10 YEAR OLD ISLAY: Ardbeg is regarded as one of the smokiest and most complex single malts. The light gold spirit has a menthol aroma, a palate of espresso and cinnamon and a lingering finish $99.95, lcbo.com.

5 GLENMORANGIE ORIGINAL HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT: This flagship single malt whisky from the Glenmorangie Distillery in the Highlands pops with caramel, bananas and apricots. Appealing as an aperitif or after-dinner dram. $65.15, lcbo.com 6 GLENFIDDICH 12 YEAR SINGLE MALT SCOTCH: If you’re looking for a gateway Scotch, this is it. The iconic spirit is matured in sherry and bourbon casks for at least 12 years for deep flavour and an elegant finish. $62, lcbo.com 7 DEANSTON 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT: Deanston uses only Scottish crops for their whisky, sourcing their malted barley from local farmers.

The resulting Scotch is natural in colour with a honeyed spiciness. $92.10, lcbo.com

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C O GNA C

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1 HENNESSY MASTER BLENDER NO.3: This limited edition bottle, never to be repeated, is blended from a selection of 20 Cognacs that are a minimum of seven years old. Hennessy’s No.3 blend is silky smooth, with notes of sponge cake, hazelnuts, and a praline finish. $180.70, lcbo.com 2 COURVOISIER VS: According to legend, Napoleon took hundreds of bottles of Courvoisier with him to enjoy in exile – and at such a reasonable price point, we’re inclined to do the same this holiday. $60.95, lcbo.com 3 MARTELL VS SINGLE DISTILLERY: The only great Cognac house to exclusively distill clear wine, Martell produces a distinctively pale gold Cognac with spice and pear on the nose, and wood from the oak barrels. $65.50, lcbo.com 4 REMY MARTIN XO EXCELLENCE: Made using grapes from the most sought-after vineyards, this fine Champagne-style cognac should be savoured. With hints of jasmine, fig and candied plum, this is the perfect celebratory sipper. $299.95, lcbo.com

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C HA M PA G NE 2

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1 MOET & CHANDON BRUT IMPERIAL: Lemon-yellow in colour with a buttery, bready aroma, this is a reasonably priced Champagne that you won’t mind sharing with your guests this holiday season. $68.95, lcbo.com 2 RUINART BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT CHAMPAGNE: Made exclusively from white grapes, this premium wine comes from the oldest Champagne house still in operation today, founded in 1729. Notes of honey and a long finish. $126, lcbo.com 3 VEUVE CLICQUOT RICH CHAMPAGNE: Taking its name from the pioneering widow behind the riddling technique used to produce sparkling wines, this premium French Champagne has citrus aromas and a smooth finish. $89.30, lcbo.com 4 LAURENT-PERRIER CUVÉE BRUT ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE: If you like your bubbles with a little blush, there’s no better place to start than with the #1 rosé Champagne in the world. Made with Pinot Noir grapes, this beautiful wine has raspberry and redcurrant aromas. $99.95, lcbo.com

FAMILYHOSTING HOLIDAYTOASTING NOTHING SAYS THE HOLIDAYS LIKE HOSTING FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND TOASTING THOSE SPECIAL MOMENTS. ENJOY THE SEASON WITH EASTDELL WINES AND MAKE YOUR EVERYDAY EXTRAORDINARY.

AVAILABLE AT SELECT GROCERS AND LCBO STORES ACROSS ONTARIO.

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NEXT STOP: PRESENTS Union Station is a one stop shop for all of your holiday needs, from thoughtful, Canadian-made gifts to events and activities – and even complimentary gift-wrapping.

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OU PROBABLY KNOW Union Station as a transit hub, but it has another identity as a go-to destination for shopping, dining and entertainment – especially during the holidays.

Located below the Great Hall, the Front Street Promenade is home to a number of independent, Canadian retailers. Shop your way through local goods from stores like Peace Collective.

They’ve got apparel for your favourite

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teams (assuming you only cheer for Toronto) and patriotic products like the well-known “Home is Toronto” gear.

Once you’ve made your purchases, head upstairs to the free TD Gift Wrapping Station, available December 9–24.

Next, stop in at Pilot Coffee Roasters for a hot cup of java, grab a treat from Danish Pastry House and take in a live piano performance in the West Wing.

If you’re looking for a more involved

activity, an ice rink will occupy the space right outside Union from November 29 to January 4. Rentals and beginner lessons are free so even newbies can get in on the fun.

Whether you’re passing through or making a dedicated trip, Union Station has everything you need for merrymaking this holiday season. ● For gift inspiration, events and more, visit torontounion.ca/tdunionholiday

PROMOTION

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1 Greenhouse Juice Co. (from $7) Whether you’re trying to absolve the guilt from overindulging during the holidays or looking for a gift for that health conscious friend, Greenhouse Juice Co. has you covered with their roster of cold-pressed juices.

2 Pilot Coffee Roasters (from $19) New to Pilot’s lineup of direct-trade, quality java comes instant coffee – the perfect gift for any caffeine fiend. It’s made with an innovative freeze drying process to lock in all the flavour.

3 Cabin (prices vary) Between their assortment of grooming products and services like haircuts, beard trims and hot towel shaves, Cabin has everything you need to treat the special guys in your life.

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4 Peace Collective (from $30) This is the gift that keeps on giving – a portion of Peace Collective’s proceeds go towards feeding children in need.

5 Danish Pastry House ($35) For an out-of-the-ordinary holiday treat, order a Kringle pastry from Danish Pastry House. It’s filled with marzipan, sprinkled with sugar, drizzled with chocolate and sure to please a crowd.

6 Biscotteria Forno Cultura ($18) Pick up a box of these handmade Italian cookies on your way to visit friends or family over the holidays. Or bring a box of biscotti to work to spread some cheer.

7 The Detox Market ($199) The Best of Green Beauty Box 2019 features the best products of the year from this natural beauty store.

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Shake 1 oz Absolut vodka, 1 oz Kahlua and 1 “short” of espresso in a cocktail shaker.

Then, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

To finish, the espresso martini is traditionally garnished with three single coffee beans.

The International Bartender’s Association specifies a “short” and not a “shot” of espresso, in order to create a less bitter and more acidic flavour.

Ufficio, 1214 Dundas St. W.

ESPRESSO MARTINI

Photograph by Sarah Pflug

COCKTAIL DECONSTRUCT Ufficio’s bartender Rob Granicolo teaches us how to make the classic espresso martini.

This classic drink started out life as a ‘vodka espresso’.

In the late-1980s, when a customer asked bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club to “wake me up and then f*** me up”, he shook up vodka, two types of coffee liqueur (Tia Maria and Kahlua) with freshly made espresso, finishing off his masterpiece with the iconic three espresso beans for garnish. For the sleep-deprived among us, Rob Granicolo from Ufficio on Dundas West has mixed up his spin on the coffee-flavoured concoction.

Use it, along with their pescetarian cuisine, to help you bridge the gap between sluggish end-of-the-day feels and party time pick-me-up. ufficiorestaurant.com

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PROMOTION

stackt market, 28 Bathurst St.

DRINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Get in the holiday spirit at stackt market, which will transform into a festive foodie spot where you can sip vegan hot chocolate or mulled wine while you shop.

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OLIDAY SEASON IN Canada doesn’t exactly scream “get outside” – but when you factor in excitement levels, which start to reach a fever pitch in late November, it’s a must if you don’t want to hibernate until spring.

Luckily for us, there are a few ways to explore the outdoors when the temperatures dip (no, we’re not talking about snowshoeing). stackt market, Canada’s largest shipping container market, is not only open all winter, it’s also introducing some fun ways to get into the spirit. In addition to the 30 plus food and retail vendors onsite, the shopping destination will feature a yurt

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serving local and international wines, plus mulled wine every Wednesday to Sunday from Nov. 22 to Dec. 22.

Plus, because stackt market knows that working on your Christmas list is more enjoyable with a glass of vino in hand, their Sip + Shop series will run every Wednesday during the festivities.

Shoppers can enjoy holiday cocktails while listening to carollers, acoustic musicians or jazz bands.

To line your stomach, stackt market will be hosting a Food Feast Marketplace with a weekly rotating selection of food trucks. Guests can start at the Pavilion with Pop Kitchen's new

Mexicasion (Mexican-Asian) fusion popup, La Brea, before making your way down the lawn to the lineup of vendors.

Still can’t decide? The market’s wood burning oven is partnering with Toronto favourite, Conspiracy Pizza. stackt market will help you deck your halls or get crafty at one of their Handmade Holiday workshops, presented by Mastercard. The market will also be selling pesticide-free Christmas trees at their Tree Farm, presented by Belgian Moon. Expect freshly-cut Colorado spruce trees and potted white pine trees, which can both be returned Jan. 7-9 to be repurposed.

Whether you’re crossing off the last gift on your list or warming up with mulled wine, stackt market is the most fun you'll have outside this winter. ● To plan your trip to stackt market at 28 Bathurst St., head to stacktmarket.com

— PART 4 —

EXCESS “THE LAKEVIEW HAS A MORE VARIED FILM CAREER THAN MOST D-LIST CELEBRITIES.” SELECTOR, 118

102 GOING PORTU-CHEESE | 109 DAYTRIPPER | 111 STAYCATION | 112 INSIDER 116 FOODISM’S FINEST | 118 THE SELECTOR | 122 DECONSTRUCT

GOING PORTUCHEESE Katie Bridges sets down in the Azores to find out what makes the powerhouse of Portuguese cheese so great.

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LEFT: Depending on where you are in the Azores, you may be outnumbered by the free-range cows

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HAT’S IT, I give up. Despite its similarities to the emerald pastures and stone walls of Ireland, the rugged beauty and hot springs of Iceland, and even the moss-covered hobbit holes of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, there’s absolutely nothing that compares to the breathtaking landscapes of the Azores.

Unparalleled as her natural good looks may be, though, ask the average person to locate the Portuguese archipelago and you’ll be met with shrugged shoulders followed by a chorus of “you don’t say!” as you point to the cluster of nine volcanic islands, which lie 1,500 km west of Lisbon.

For every cheese lover like me – someone lucky enough to be exploring the islands for five days with fellow writers – it’s definitely a place you should get to know. Cheese making has been a part of the Azores since the first Flemish settlers arrived more than 500 years ago, and it doesn’t take long to see signs of the Azores’ dairy disposition.

Before we even receive a menu at our first meal in São Miguel, a plate of queijo fresco

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(“fresh cheese”) arrives at our table. The bright white cheese, decorated with a flash of blood-red pimienta del terra – a pickled condiment made from peppers grown on the island – is a staple in households here, popping up at the table like olives in Italy (only more delicious and likely to spoil your appetite). The Associação Agrícola de São Miguel houses one of the top dining spots on the island and coordinates the EU Free Grazing Project. To promote Azorean cheese in Canada, the initiative does things like bring writers like yours truly to experience the island firsthand.

As I cover yet another piece of crusty bread with fresh cheese, I try to distract my hosts from my gluttony and jet lag with questions about our itinerary. Despite arriving just a few hours earlier in Ponta Delgada on a red-eye flight, there’s no time for naps as we have plenty of ground to cover on our short but delicious trip.

Portugal, clinging to the edge of Europe in relative obscurity, might be better-known for treats like pasteis de nata (custard tarts) and port from the Duoro Valley than cheese. Yet,

the southern European country is a prolific dairy producer, with – as we’re about to see – half of its cheese made here in the Azores.

Our first stop is the Unileite factory, producer of a traditional island cheese known as São Miguel or black cheese, for the colour of its rind. With lab jackets, plastic shower caps and booties donned, we head around the factory to learn the step-by-step process of cheese making. We watch like front-row spectators at a dairy fashion show, as a parade of milk is heated, cooled, cleaned and moulded into the perfect shape, before brine is added and wax is applied to the wheels of cheese.

Unlike mainland Portugal, which uses plenty of sheep and goat’s milk, the cheese here is produced from the milk of cows. The animals are a common sight in the Azores – hardly surprising when we learn that they graze 365 days a year, the only spot in Europe where this is possible.

The Green Island, as São Miguel is nicknamed, only uses five per cent of the land for commercial and residential use, freeing up plenty of space for the cows to spread

COWS GRAZE OUTSIDE 365 DAYS A YEAR IN THE AZORES

LEFT: In the Azores, holsteins have become the breed of choice for dairy cattle

Photography: EU Free Grazing Project

out. Though a herd is the collective term, the creatures here seem too nonconformist for such a label, appearing between hedges of the native blue hydrangeas, horns peering proudly over dry-stone walls.

The cows have every right to feel smug.

Depending on which of the nine islands you visit, they might be in the majority – like on São Jorge, our next stop, where it’s estimated that there are two cows for every person.

The narrow stretch of land, just 53 km long and eight km wide, is, incredibly, even more beautiful than São Miguel, with sharp cliffs and craters formed by volcanic eruptions. In 1986, São Jorge cheese was given the status of a Protected Designation of Origin, meaning that it must be traditionally and entirely manufactured on the island.

The semi-soft cheese, made from raw milk, has been produced since the 16th century. São Jorge cheese is often considered to be the best in the Azores, and after trying a series of tangy varieties at the Uniqueijo’s facilities, I can see why.

Cheddar-like, giving way to the crumbly mouthfeel of a Comté, São Jorge is buttery

at its core, with a spicy, lingering feel that only intensifies the longer it ages. While the 24-month-old São Jorge is too overpowering for some of the group, it’s impressive to witness how much flavour is packed into even the youngest cheese.

Every batch is analyzed and tested on smell, taste and appearance, and only the crème de la crème will be awarded the PDO label, an assurance of the highest quality.

The dark yellow cheese must have at least 45 per cent fat, a minimum maturation of three months, a diameter of 25 to 35 cm, a height of 10 to 15 cm and must weigh between 8 and 12 kg in order to make the cut.

Back on São Miguel, one young turophile has found a modern way to make cheese.

Paula Rego was only 17 years old when she started a cheese factory, but in the beginning, it wasn’t exactly a passion project. Like many Azorean producers, Rego’s family farm was dealt a setback in 2015 when the EU decided to scrap milk quotas (meaning more could be sold overseas), sending the price plunging. After learning how to make cheese by watching YouTube videos, the young businesswoman opened Queijaria Furnense and began to use up her family’s excess milk.

One unique ingredient used in the 520 cheeses handmade daily, is the local water from Furnas. The slightly sour-tasting liquid comes from Lagoa das Furnas, an area of high tourist traffic that’s famous for its geothermal hot springs and iron-rich mineral water.

When we arrive at Rego’s store in the early afternoon, it could easily pass for a hipster café in Toronto. She answers our questions, politely interrupting to serve customers now and again, until the braying mob has reached a crescendo of clamouring hands and voices reminiscent of the latest cronut food trend.

By her own admission, Rego’s first attempts were “not good,” but practicing for one and a half years eventually made perfect (or pretty close). Queijaria Furnense has received awards for its cheese, which come in five varieties including buttery, cured and one that combines garlic and oregano.

But the most thrilling of all are her wildly delicious chocolate candies, which combine flavours like passionfruit, Nutella, fig and even white wine with her cheese.

“I have to dream big,” says Rego. “I want to make the best cheese in the world.”

Full of bonbons, cheese and ice cream, we twist and turn our way back down the mountains, making it impossible to fix my gaze and avert the waves of nausea. →

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PAULA REGO WAS 17 WHEN SHE STARTED A CHEESE FACTORY

Since I’m not alone, the driver pulls over to the side of the road to let the motion-sick among us catch our breath while taking in yet another breathtaking scene in which eye-achingly green pastures drop abruptly into the blue sea.

Down and to our right, we spot a cluster of thrill-seeking cows who have opted to dangle over a precipitous verge of grass despite having acres of pasture to graze on. In this bovine paradise, the free-range cows behave like guests at a spa, sashaying unhurried across an all-you-can-eat grass buffet, answering only to the farmer’s bell that calls them to their mobile milking machines, an Azorean creation that ensures the cows can be milked twice a day at sunrise and sunset.

It’s not just the cows who feel the magnetic pull of the Azores. Claudio Pontes worked in some of Lisbon’s top restaurants for several years before returning to his hometown of São Miguel.

BELOW: At 17, Paula Rego taught herself how to make cheese by watching YouTube videos

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Impressed by the island’s produce, he staged a homecoming in 2016, opening À Terra (“the land”), the restaurant inside the Azor Hotel in Ponta Delgada.

“I feel, as a chef, that this is my backyard,” says Pontes. “I can take it all – the fish, the cheese, the meat – it’s the best.”

Pontes is working hard to showcase the island’s cuisine. The São Miguel native organizes culinary events and invites Michelin-starred chefs from around the world to taste the Azores for themselves.

Back in Toronto, I chat to another passionate purveyor of Azorean produce, Afrim Pristine, maître fromager of the Cheese Boutique in Toronto’s west end.

“I know quite a lot about Portuguese cheese but I’m still a novice,” says Pristine, as he whips me up a plate of simple but delicious pasta using cheese from São Miguel. “We need the awareness to be a lot higher, we need the product to be consistently coming into Canada.”

For the cheese-curious, good news is on the way. Two years ago, Canada changed their import quotas, meaning more European cheese can make its way across the Atlantic and into the country. While a trip to the islands should be on everyone’s bucket list, Canadians needn’t go further than Queen West to bring the best of the islands’ cheese and butter home.

By the end of my Azores trip, I began to grow numb to all the talk of delicious milk, taking for granted the high-calibre dairy that the island is blessed with. But when I chat with Pristine I am reminded that when dealing with such a simple product – one that consists of just milk and salt – the quality of its ingredients cannot be overstated.

“It’s big and bold and brassy,” says Pristine. “You can taste the grass in this cheese, it’s really, really unique.” f

PROMOTION

WATCH YOUR WASTE We learned how to pickle vegetables, get the most out of our groceries and reduce food waste, all while enjoying a bountiful brunch at the St. Lawrence Market Kitchen.

TASTE THE WASTE In partnership with the City of Toronto’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign, we cozied up in the St. Lawrence Market Kitchen to brunch and boost our knowledge about how to reduce food waste.

The meal was made with leftover ingredients while Second Harvest provided rescued produce that would have been thrown out.

Chef Chris Barrett from O&B’s the Carlu taught guests how to pickle anything from cucumbers to cauliflower. And each guest got to take home their own upcycled Classico jar full of fermenting fare.

Black Creek Farm brought handmade jams and Certo supplied pectin so guests could make spreads at home.

For recipes and tips on reducing food waste, visit lovefoodhatewaste.ca

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DAY TRIPPER

Frilu challenges the idea that fine dining only works downtown.

We find out what makes it great and plan an itinerary for your trip to Thornhill.

I N A NUTSHELL

Thornhill might not seem like the perfect home for a Norwegian-concept, contemporary Canadian restaurant with Japanese influences, but that’s exactly what you’ll get if you head to an unassuming retail strip just north of Finch station. Laid-back decor complete with Henrik Ibsen quotes, and a poetic menu with courses entitled “brisk afternoon walk” and “when the hen dances with the salmon,” marry perfectly with Frilu’s Scandinavian ethos.

7713 Yonge St., Thornhill

W H AT’S ON T H E ME NU

While a few bar snacks are available, the tasting menu ($95) is what makes this trek worth the multiple Presto taps. Seasonality is king, and at the time of our visit the fall menu was in full swing. Two of Tutti Matti’s alumni have graduated north, diversifying from Tuscan fare to Asian inspiration with ingredients like shima aji and maitake mushrooms. Chef John-Vincent Troiano puts his Noma training to good use while front-of-house manager Kelli Ewing has curated a delightful alcoholic pairing flight ($65), which provides a great introduction to sake in addition to wine. Designated drivers can opt for non-alcoholic pairings ($35) of elixirs and tea.

W H Y I T’S WORTH THE TRIP

Few places in Toronto serve an eight to 10-course tasting menu for under $100, let alone one as skillfully selected as this seasonal ode to fine dining. Factor in the warm atmosphere and some deliciously curveball pairings like Portuguese Madeira wine, and Frilu might need to consider a shuttle for downtowners. frilurestaurant.com

Getting there Divided in half between the cities of Markham and Vaughan, Thornhill lies along Toronto’s north border, centred on Yonge Street. It’s about a 30-minute drive north from downtown on the Don Valley Parkway and the 407, and if you’re heading to Frilu, you’ll need to take exit 77 onto Yonge St. Guests can enjoy free parking behind the restaurant. If you’re taking transit, expect the journey to take an hour. Head to Finch station and ride the 77 Viva bus to Yonge and Centre.

Old school If you’re looking for retro spots, Thornhill has a couple of stalwarts. Shatter Abbas has been a go-to for Thornhill’s Persian community for nearly a decade. Now a small chain, the original at 8141 Yonge St. offers various meat on skewers, traditional eggplant dishes like kashke bademjan and stews like beef gheimeh. Or head to Centre Street Deli, which opened in the 1980s, for comforting Montreal-style diner eats like matzah ball soup, chopped liver and smoked meat.

Parks and rec Uplands Golf and Ski Club, located on Uplands Avenue, first opened in 1922 as an 18-hole course, but visitors can now enjoy nine holes in this beautiful, forested valley. Or, if you consider golf a good walk spoiled, you can learn to ski on the slopes with instructors or buy a weekend pass. Sugarbush Heritage Park is another urban gem with extensive trails and tall trees to hike under. Plus, the 2.4-hectare park has an amphitheatre, picnic area and lookout points.

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PROMOTION

HUNGRY HARVEST

We headed to Thistletown for the third annual Chef's Harvest Party Fundraiser, featuring food from Toronto's best chefs.

CHOW FOR CHARITY We headed west for the third annual Thistletown Chef's Harvest Party, an Italian themed afternoon in support of Thistletown's culinary students.

The delicious fundraiser, organized by chef Keith Hoare, enlisted Toronto chefs to help send the next generation of chefs to Italy in 2021.

Thanks to Keith Hoare and the Thistletown High School chefs for a memorable event – bon voyage!

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Photography: Rocco Zoccoli

Charlotte Langley (Scout Canning) shucked oysters, John Morris (360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower) served fancy bacon sandwiches, and Chopped Canada alumni Wallace Wong (SixPackChef) rustled up sautĂŠed shrimp. Elsewhere, chefs Suzanne Barr (True True Diner) and Dennis Tay (DaiLo) cooked delicious creations, while Thistletown students sold their own pickles and preserves.

STAYCATION

From dining at Victor to the property’s rooftop putting green, Katie Bridges rounds up what makes Le Germain Hotel a favourite with Torontonians and tourists alike.

Address: 30 Mercer St. Rooms: 123 Restaurants: 1 Nearest subway: St Andrew station

W H AT’S T HE DRAW

WHAT TO E AT

W HAT E L SE

Tucked down a side street, slap bang in the middle of the Entertainment District, you might have walked past Le Germain Hotel Toronto on Mercer and never noticed it – but a trip inside is much harder to forget. High ceilings and Zen design strokes give the lobby a modern Japanese feel, with its light wooden beams and cubic-storage wall in the uber cozy library lounge. We stayed in a classic suite, which offers spacious digs with a living room and sitting area, rainfall shower and separate tub, plus some hefty venetian blinds to guarantee plenty of zzz under all that glorious Egyptian cotton. Naturally, it is also equipped with modern amenities like free WiFi and a Bose stereo system.

Executive chef Lanny MacLeod has put together a menu at Victor that plays with the nostalgia and comfort of classic, childhood meals, elevating them into sophisticated dishes that still hit the mark. Slide into a teal banquette and tuck into panko-crusted eggplant, melt-in-your-mouth magret duck breast with a blackberry armagnac sauce or the simple but delicious Lake Erie perch amandine. Their famous, house-ground burger (nicknamed ‘The Big Vic’) with caramelized onions and aged cheddar, is also well worth the calories. Guests staying at the hotel can enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast with croissants, yogurt and fruit in the dining room at Victor.

With so many attractions within walking distance, it’s an easy choice for out-oftowners and staycationers alike – but if you don’t feel like venturing beyond Le Germain’s walls, there’s plenty to keep your attention.

We dug the Wimbledon Centre Court vibes in the hotel bar, decorated with tennis rackets and trophies. Or head up to the deck – those in need of refreshment can grab a cocktail on the terrace, while the fitness averse will find an exercise that’s more on par at the hotel’s rooftop putting green. Plus, when you book directly, you can check out whenever you like, giving you more precious moments to enjoy that mattress.

Rooms from $327, legermainhotels.com

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THE INSIDER

Abbi Henderson peels back the patina of barbecue pork to find the lesser-known culinary gems that make North Carolina a must-visit destination.

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ANDWICHED BETWEEN Virginia and South Carolina, North Carolina is one of the U.S.’s better-kept secrets.

Since 1903, when the Wright Brothers pioneered airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, it’s been an under-theradar spot to fly to. Between us, North Carolina and its quiet charm is not to be missed.

The terrain stretches from spectacular mountains, historic urban areas and saltwater marshes to miles upon miles of unspoiled Atlantic coastline. The state’s cuisine strives to be as varied and exquisite, while maintaining a common cultural thread.

On the coast, you’ll find seafood spots serving flounder, shrimp and grouper caught that day. In the cities, world-class (and in some cases award-winning) chefs are putting their own exotic spin on Southern food.

In Raleigh, the state capital, you can sample deep-fried chicken with far east

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flavours at Mofu, and locally sourced vegetables in north Indian spices at Garland.

Picnic, in Durham, serves the food North Carolina is most famed for: barbecue pork, raised at a farm 13 miles away, then woodsmoked and hand-pulled.

There is a notable emphasis on seasonal produce across the state, with menus tweaked meticulously every few months to magnify local goods, and there’s also much to be said about the impressive numbers on the beverage side. North Carolina has a grand total of 291 craft breweries to its name, which places it seventh in the country’s rankings.

That density of beer makers means that wherever you amble, you’re almost certain to stumble upon a taproom with N.C. or even in-house beer on draft. Don’t miss Raleigh Beer Garden, which has one of the world’s largest selections of draft beers. f For more great travel content, check out our sister magazine, escapism Toronto. escapism.to

GETTING THERE

Air Canada and United Airlines offer daily, direct flights from Toronto’s Pearson to Raleigh-Durham Airport, with round trip fares starting at around $550. The flight time is short at under two hours. Renting a car once you arrive is the best way to see all North Carolina has to offer.

BITTERSWEET

Sporting a menu of coffee, cocktails and desserts, Raleigh’s Bittersweet is the go-to spot for decadent, after-dinner indulgences. Think mouthwatering chocolate mousse and lattes laced with liquor. Shelves are stocked with over 55 different gins – the largest selection in North Carolina – and Kim Hammer’s desserts are baked in-house daily.

The cocktail menu is split between classic standbys and a selection that rotates throughout the year, and you can also sample some of the state’s best craft beer. There are nightly specials, such as $8 tiki cocktails on Tuesdays, and bubbles and cake for $11 on Thursdays.

WATERFRONT SEAFOOD SHACK Located in Calabash, a small fishing town in Brunswick County on the border with South Carolina, Waterfront Seafood Shack is an outdoor, sea-tostool restaurant serving as-fresh-asyou-get seafood and Southern-style sides. Fishing boats, owned by Waterfront Seafood Shack, set out each morning to catch flounder and shrimp, among others, and deliver the haul directly to the restaurant on the water’s edge. Fish is then prepared in one of three ways – baked, pan-seared in butter (a.k.a. “Calabash style”) or Southern deep-fried.

LITTLER

Photography:Abbi Henderson, Jack Hollingsworth

Littler, a snug, dimly lit spot in the heart of downtown Durham, is one of chef Gray Brooks’s three spots, renowned in the region for its seasonally evolving menu. During our visit, a fellow diner asked a friendly waiter to select his supper for him and serve it as a surprise (he seemed delighted when the waiter placed petit tender steak before him).

The chefs take comfort food classics, such as burgers and bread pudding, and give them a refined, fine-dining twist. The tomato tarte tatin with Neal’s Yard Dairy stichelton was a particularly tasty treat.

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BEASLEY’S CHICKEN & HONEY

What’s a trip to the southern states without sampling the deep-fried fare? Beasley’s Chicken & Honey, owned by Ashley Christensen, winner of the 2019 James Beard award for outstanding chef, is Raleigh’s go-to for battered goodness. Opt for N.C.’s answer to brunch: chicken and waffles (which are light and pillowy soft) with generous drizzles of honey, chased with a glass of champagne.

THE SUNSET INN Situated on Brunswick County’s Sunset Island, overlooking the saltwater marsh and just a short walk from the beach, the Sunset Inn is ideal for a short seaside stay. Rooms are snug and spacious, and each has a screened porch for watching as deer scour for snacks and the sun shrinks in the distance. A buffet-style breakfast is served every morning, with an oatmeal station and a delicious, sweet loaf in various flavours. Rent a bike and cycle along Sunset Beach. Rooms from $175.

BREWERY BHAVANA

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Photography: Leslie Ryann McKellar

GUEST HOUSE RALEIGH

Imagine slipping into the pages of a sleek interiors magazine. That’s what it’s like checking into Guest House, Raleigh’s original boutique hotel. Beds are dressed with cool, crumpled linen sheets, and washrooms stocked with luxury toiletries.

The historic house, rescued from demolition and lovingly restored by owners Matt and Nicole, has eight elegant and deliciously cozy rooms. Rooms from $260.

There’s a little something to satisfy all taste buds at Raleigh-based Brewery Bhavana. It was founded by brewer Patrick Woodson and sister-brother duo Vanvisa and Vansana Nolintha, owners of neighbouring – and highly acclaimed – Laotian restaurant Bida Manda. It manages to be a dim sum restaurant, taproom and flower-and-gift shop at once. The scallion pancakes with bone marrow and coconut and oxtail jam come highly recommended, and the mere memory of the chicken curry bao and edamame ginger dumplings still has us salivating. If beer isn’t your jam, try a Peach Buck mocktail. And don’t forget to snag yourself a bouquet, expertly assembled using locally-grown blooms, on your way out the door.

FOODISM’S FINEST

We endeavour to sample tasty, new products and attend events for noteworthy restaurants. Here are the bites and sips we can’t stop thinking about.

WINE NOT

Katie Bridges, Associate Editor I’ll never turn down an excuse to take a jaunt around Yorkville, my former hood, changed immeasurably in the three years since I left. Most recently transformed is the InterContinental Toronto Yorkville, which has undergone renovations inside its suites and Signatures restaurant. I headed to the luxury hotel in October to check out the remodelled rooms (très chic) and to devour a dinner paired with wines from Pasqua. The fourcourse menu travelled from seared diver scallops and wild boar ragu to Angus beef short rib and molten chocolate dessert, matched expertly with white, red and sparkling wines by sommelier Paul Desroches.

STEAKS & SKATES

Krista Faist, Publisher and CEO

The Air Canada Signature Club brings a new level of luxury to Scotiabank Arena. Hockey execs, corporate VIPs and media types gathered at the Leafs’ home opener to watch MLSE and Air Canada head honchos cut the ribbon and unveil the new 8,000-square-foot space in style. The club, located so close to the ice you can feel the chill, is members-only, meaning not even season ticket holders can gain entry without paying a hefty yearly fee. Chef David Hawksworth, of Hawksworth Vancouver, is behind the à la carte menu that covers the corporate classics, including a USDA prime steak programme. The result is a one-of-a-kind experience, not for shallow pockets.

FORE! ATTENTO!

Emily Buck, Marketing Coordinator Burgers, beers and – LOB. The Foodism team and I spent one Friday afternoon this summer attempting to try our hand at Toronto’s first bocce-golf course. Inspired by the type of casual bocce that happens in parks, LOB brought the tradition inside. The competition is meant to stay friendly, if intense, across the course’s nine tracks. After a shaky start and a few near misses, things soon got very competitive with an extremely tense hour on the course. Following a victorious last throw for the winner and some bitterly disappointed teammates, we tucked into a feast of sliders, nachos and mezze boards, accompanied by craft brews and cocktails.

DAIRY DELUSION

Taylor Newlands, Editorial Assistant I put cheese on everything – and I mean everything.

So I was over the moon when Afrim Pristine of Cheese Boutique popped into our office to brighten the day with a fromage feast. The elaborate spread of local Ontario cheese included a black truffle gouda from Mountainoak Cheese in New Hamburg, Albert’s Leap Bel Haven brie from Quality Cheese in Woodbridge and 5 Brothers Smoked from Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese in Woodstock. It was everything my dreams are made of. The cheese board is featured as the December spread in the Dairy Farmers of Canada milk calendar, which is full of cheese-related recipes.

SUPERMARKET SWEEP

Andrea Yu, Contributing Editor

My fancy grocery store dreams came true in early October when McEwan celebrated one year at their Yongeand-Bloor location. We had free rein over much of the prepared food items like a hot table of south Asian eats, Fabbrica pizza, sushi and truffle risotto served out of giant cheese wheels (!) just for the occasion. Gelato, macarons and CXBO chocolate were on offer to hit that sweet spot while chef Mark McEwan was in fine form for the evening as visitors and doting fans grabbed selfies. While the upscale, gourmet grocery store is a veritable smorgasbord of grab-and-go treats, I won’t soon forget the experience of walking the aisles with a glass of wine in hand.

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THE SELECTOR

Between comfort classics, celebrations with a crowd or satiating a seasonal sweet tooth, we’ve got 15 reasons to get cozy with food this winter.

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NDULGENCE IS THE name of the game for the holiday season. Whether it’s the frightful weather outside or the delightful company we’re keeping indoors, our appetites have a magical way of increasing threefold at this time of year.

If you’re also ready to indulge then we’ve got some excellent recommendations for you in the pages that lie ahead.

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Food always tastes better when enjoyed with your nearest and dearest, whether that be family, friends or coworkers. Because sharing is caring, we’ve put together a list of our five favourite spots for group dining and family-style meals across the city.

Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, you’ll find it difficult to resist the season’s sweetest things. We have baked goods

covered – including some surprises.

And since our appetites for comfort classics increase in proportion to the decrease in temperature, we round up the city’s top diners for delightfully greasy eats, from holes-in-the-wall to refined diners.

Read ahead for our very best spots to make the most wonderful time of the year even more wonderful with food. f

1. BY BLOS The regular menu at this eastern Mediterranean restaurant in the Entertainment District is normally served family-style, so it’s not a far stretch to bump up the portions for a crowd.

Choose from three set menus that

range from $65 to $85 per person. Each course features a few items including lamb ribs with dukkah, black truffle pide, Persian kale rice, king salmon with harissa and stuffed baklava for dessert.

The spot on Duncan has plenty of space for groups. byblosdowntown.com

3. L EÑA R ESTAU RAN T E The Latin-influenced small plates menu at Leña lends itself to sharing with a group. Dig into items like spicy fried potatoes, yuca fries and charred calamari. With multiple levels, there are enough private rooms and cozy nooks to seat anywhere from 10 to 72 diners. lenarestaurante.com

2. P IAN O P IAN O Round up the troops and head to this Italian eatery on Harbord for a delightful fill of traditional Italian eats.

Their five-course, family-style offering goes for $59 per person and leaves no stone unturned. Menus might open

with salumi and cheese, chopped salad and calamari fritti before moving into mushroom cavatelli and pizza with spicy n’duja. Still hungry? Good.

There’s dessert, like lemon cake and tiramisu, to round out the list. pianopianotherestaurant.com

4. 7 NU M B ERS

Photography:

Lauren Miller, Cheol Joon Baek

The family-style experience here begins with classic antipasti starters (calamari, caprese and spinach salads) followed by a round of pasta and each diner’s choice of main from the restaurant’s secondi list along with sides. No stomach leaves unfulfilled after a group meal here. sevennumbers.com

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Family-style meals are always merrier. Here are five spots that specialize in letting you dig-in en masse.

5. T INU NO If you like your shared meals delightfully messy, this Filipino joint delivers. In fact, all they serve is traditional Filipino familystyle feasts called kamayan, priced at only $15 per person. This multi-layered spread has sticky rice with grilled protein like squid, shrimp and pork skewers. tinunothirtyone.com

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FESTIVE CONFECTIONS

These Toronto purveyors have what you crave for a delicious cap on your holiday feast.

1. PA N ET TONE This Italian holiday dessert is typically found boxed and premade in grocery stores – handmade versions can take days to make. Panettone dough originates from a sourdough starter – some carefully kept alive for years – that

is mixed with plenty of butter, egg yolks and dried fruit before it’s baked into its characteristic dome shape. Pusateri’s carries several iterations of this holiday classic including one shipped right from Italy in a fancy tin designed by Dolce & Gabbana. pusateris.com

3. RU M CA K E Also known as Jamaican black cake, it’s made by soaking dried fruit in dark rum and other booze like stout, port and fruit brandy for months in advance of Christmas. Brown sugar gives the cake its deep hue while an additional rum soaking after baking helps blend the flavours. Find it at Gerry’s Fast Foods.

4. B O L O-REI

2. SUF GAN IOT These jelly-filled doughnuts are a popular dessert – with both kids and kids-at-heart – during Hanukkah.

They’re made with a flour-and-yeast dough that is deep-fried, filled and coated with a generous dusting of

icing sugar. Strawberry jelly is the most traditional filling but you’ll also find custard, caramel and even key lime pie renditions. Longstanding Jewish bakeries like Grodzinski on Bathurst are the best source for this treat. grodzinskibakery.com

Portuguese families across the city celebrate Epiphany with this confection.

Seara Bakery’s brioche-like cake of nuts and candied fruit takes days to make since traditional recipes call for fermenting the dough. One not-toosweet bite will convince you that it’s worth the wait. searabakery.com

5. TO NG Y U EN A popular Chinese treat for the winter solstice festival, tong yuen are chewy, mochi-like rice balls that are served in a sweet ginger or coconut broth. Tong yuen means ‘togetherness’ so grab some from Sugar Marmalade in the Dragon City Mall and share them with family. sugarmarmalade.com

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1. L A K EVIEW You might recognize this Ossington and Dundas diner without ever having stepped foot inside. The Lakeview has had a more prominent film career than most D-list celebrities, appearing in movies like The Boondock Saints and

Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.

At any time of day, you can get down with their 24-hour brunch menu, or grab one of three poutine options, including a pulled pork version. Then bask in the classic diner decor and get ready for your close up. thelakeviewrestaurant.ca

3. A L O ET T E On the ritzier end of the spectrum, Aloette sees the quaint and approachable aspect of a greasy spoon combined with the sophistication of fine dining. Expect refined takes on classics like fried chicken, steak frites and the Aloette burger – topped with Beaufort cheese. aloetterestaurant.com

2. THOMP SON DINER A modern take on the classic diner, the Thompson features the expected hearty staples like fried chicken, patty melts and mac ‘n’ cheese, alongside millennial favourites like avocado toast and Greenhouse juices. For those who

like to imbibe with their diner fare, the drink options will not disappoint. Let loose with a boozy milkshake, such as the Canadian maple, or one of their spiked coffees, like the cinnamon roll with Fireball whiskey, whipped cream and cinnamon. @ThompsonToronto

4. M A RS FO O D

Photography:

Jeff Hitchcock/Flickr

Open for nearly 70 years, Mars is about as old-school as they come. But what it lacks in frills, this diner makes up for with down-to-earth food (despite the name) and the ability to actually get a table during the Sunday brunch rush when Toronto’s hipper spots are lined up around the block. marsfood.ca

NO FINER DINER

Whether you claim a stool at an old-school counter or sink into a booth, these are the best diners in Toronto.

5. G EO R G E ST R E ET DINER The little red diner is a downtown institution. The pint-size menu covers breakfast, brunch and lunch. It has also seen its fair share of camera action, including a Shawn Mendes music video. @thegeorgestreetdiner

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CROSTINI: These “clever little meat spoons”, as chef Bill Osborne calls them, are made in O&B’s bakery.

BIFF’S MOUTARDE: Housemade with garlic, balsamic and olive oil, it’s been around for many years.

SAUCISSON SEC: Black pepper, garlic and white wine give this sausage its distinct flavour.

PICKLED BEETS & ONION: These tart essentials help to cut through fat and balance richer flavours.

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PÂTÉ DE CAMPAGNE: This terrine combines pork and chicken and is seasoned with clove, ginger, nutmeg and white pepper.

FINOCCHIONA SALAMI: A little bit of chianti and a whole lot of fennel goes into this Tuscan delicacy.

CORNICHONS: These tiny salty pickles are a classic accent for any good charcuterie board.

MANGALITSA LARDO: Beautiful slices of cured fat from a Mangalitsa pig raised at Tamarack Farms.

Biff’s Bistro, 4 Front St. E.

Photography: Cindy La

At an elevated French bistro like Biff’s, this familiar assortment goes by the refinedsounding name, Plateau de Charcuterie.

It’s as shareable as they come.

FI N ISH ED I N AGED W HISK Y BA R R ELS

R ICH ER. SOFTER. SMOOTH ER.

FI N ISH ED I N AGED W HISK Y BA R R ELS

R ICH ER. DEEPER. SMOOTH ER.