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An afternoon with Chuck Hughes and 19 excitable kids at The Stop’s after-school program

Chuck Hughes leads the cooking class at The Stop’s after-school program (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Yesterday afternoon, Chuck Hughes took a break from promoting his new cookbook, Garde Manger, to join 19 eager kids in a cooking class at The Stop’s after-school program at Wychwood Barns. Upon his arrival, three enthusiastic youngsters took Hughes on a tour of the Stop’s facilities at the barns (the organization was one of Canada’s first food banks and has since expanded into a community hub with a wide-reaching mandate that includes community gardens, food markets and advocacy). Some highlights of Hughes’s kid-led tour included handling compost and worms and ogling the now-in-their-prime seedlings that were about to be shipped out to west-end community gardens. We couldn’t resist tagging along.

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

May 14, 2012 | 2:00 pm

1 Comment

We induct 13 city style icons into Toronto Life’s best-dressed hall of fame

Only a mighty few rock a signature look for a lifetime. Introducing, from our inaugural Stylebook, 13 entries into Toronto Life’s best-dressed hall of fame
By Caroline Aksich

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The Dish

Foodie Follies

May 7, 2012 | 1:10 pm

15 Comments

Street Food Block Party recap: a night of food trucks, lobster rolls and very enthusiastic eaters

(Image: Caroline Aksich)

In a line that snaked around the Evergreen Brick Works, well over 3,000 street food enthusiasts waited patiently for the first ever mash-up of Food Truck Eats and the Toronto Underground Market: the Street Food Block Party. The keeners at the front of the line counted down, and at five on the nose they raced into the venue trying to hit crowd favourites such as La Carnita, which has been known to draw lines with hour-long waits.

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The Dish

Foodie Follies

April 28, 2012 | 10:30 am

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Weekly Eater: Toronto food events for April 30 to May 6

Toronto Underground Market and Food Trucks Eats join forces for the sold-out Street Food Block Party on Saturday (Images: Caroline Aksich, Renée Suen)

Monday, April 30

Cocina Mexicana: A hands-on lesson in authentic Mexican cooking, just in time to hone your skills for Cinco de Mayo. Dish Cooking Studio, 390 Dupont St., 416-920-5559. Find out more »
Piola’s Monday Night Mixer: Piola’s weekly aperitivo italiano, with cocktail and beer specials and complimentary snacks. 1165 Queen St. W., 416-477-4652. Find out more »
86’D: Ivy Knight hosts a guacamole battle royale; bring your best guac and see how it stacks up. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042. Find out more »
FoodShare’s Kate Kitchen: A monthly gathering where women fighting breast cancer can share recipes, learn how to prepare healthy meals and learn about cancer-fighting foods. 90 Croatia St., foodlink@foodshare.net. Find out more »
Jamie Kennedy’s Evening of Spanish Gastronomy: José Luis Altristain from the Commercial Office of Spain will lead a tasting demonstrating how the vintage of olive oil affects the flavour, followed by a four-course meal with wine pairings. Gilead Bistro, 4 Gilead Pl., 647-288-0680. Find out more »
Sorauren Farmers’ Market: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the field house at Sorauren Park. 50 Wabash Ave. Find out more »

See more events, after the jump »

The Dish

Opening

April 27, 2012 | 11:08 am

1 Comment

Introducing: Marcy, a Roncesvalles Polish restaurant reborn as a cocktail bar

(Images: Caroline Aksich)

For the past 15 years, Beata Kowalczyk served up hearty Polish fare at her Roncesvalles mainstay, Lala Bistro. Earlier this spring she decided to throw her apron away, and reopen the place as Marcy. And while the old regulars are grieving over the loss of her cabbage rolls, a new generation of patrons has quickly filled their seats—due in part, no doubt, to the presence of manager and resident mixologist Vanessa Handford, formerly of Goodnight.

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The Dish

Bottoms Up

April 20, 2012 | 1:26 pm

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Gallery: the fifth annual Brewers Plate brought Ontario craft brewers together with Toronto chefs

(Image: Safa Jinje)

On Wednesday, 450 Torontonians gathered at Roy Thomson Hall for the fifth annual Brewers Plate, a fundraiser that celebrates the marriage of sustainable food and Southern Ontario craft beers. Each year, Brewer’s Plate raises money to benefit a Toronto-area initiative in the food and farming sectors. This year, the beneficiary was Green Thumbs Growing Kids, an innovative program that seeks to reconnect urban youth to their food through a variety of garden-based programs. There were a total of 47 serving stations offering up a springtime feast that featured in-season, locally produced ingredients. Each chef was teamed up with a craft brewery; some made dishes that paired well with their partner brew, while the more intrepid chefs featured beer as a key ingredient in their dishes. In all, a dozen chefs were in attendance (including Lora Kirk of Ruby Watchco, Aaron Joseph Bear Robe of Keriwa Cafe and Brook Kavanagh of La Palette), along with 21 craft breweries (Wellington, Great Lakes, Beau’s) and 11 other food producers (Wanda’s Pie in the Sky, Buddha Dog, Monforte Dairy). Check out all the beery fun after the jump »

The Dish

Foodie Follies

April 18, 2012 | 1:00 pm

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At this year’s Green Living Show, Toronto chefs teamed up with local suppliers

Louianna olive oil, polenta and mushroom croquettes from Fabio Bondi and Ravine Vineyard’s Sand and Gravel Redcoat

Toronto’s sixth annual Green Living Show kicked off last Friday at the Ex and continued through the weekend. Ecoholic Torontonians gathered en masse for the three-day event that showcased everything from locally produced coffins, for those adamant on remaining green until the bitter end, to a Miyazaki-esque solar-powered airship. The Dish hit up this year’s GLS to check out the event’s first ever Farmers Market and to snack on the Farm Fresh Fare dishes. The weekend featured a rotating cast of Toronto chefs, including The Gabardine’s Graham Pratt and Local Kitchen’s Fabio Bondi, who had partnered up with local producers like Kolapore Springs and 100km Foods to prepare tapas-sized plates ($2-$4). Check out some of this year’s edible GLS offerings after the jump »

The Dish

Opening

April 13, 2012 | 12:16 pm

5 Comments

Introducing: Camp, a new camping-themed Junction café from the former owner of the Beaver

(Image: Natalie Swiercz)

Megan Whiten, former owner of the Queen West’s The Beaver Café, loves camping. She also loves double-entendres, which is why she decided to renovate the ground floor her Baby Point Gates (i.e., west Junction) home and turn it into a Muskoka-inspired restaurant called Camp, complete with plenty of, yes, campy decor, like a sign from a Girl Guide campsite, faux-log flowerboxes and Muskoka chairs. More elegant touches include refurbished wood tables and art by Clint Griffin, Bud Fujikawa and Whiten’s mother, the noted sculptor Colette Whiten, which elevate the room from mere campsite kitsch to a more chic country vibe.

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The Dish

Opening

March 16, 2012 | 1:40 pm

10 Comments

Introducing: Tori’s Bakeshop, a pretty new vegan bakery café in the Beach

Victoria Vaccher outside her new Beach bakery (Image: Yves Freypons)

About this time of year, the Beach starts to wake up from its winter slumber, which makes it a great time for Victoria Vaccher to launch her new vegan bakery café, Tori’s Bakeshop. Vaccher became a vegan seven years ago, but it wasn’t until last year that the concept of an eat-in vegan café and bakery occurred to her (previously, she’d had aspirations of a career on Broadway). When she took over the space, there were paint marks from miniature hands all over the primary-coloured walls (it was previously The Art Garage). Almost eight months later, the space looks like something designed by Martha Stewart’s Anthropologie-loving niece. We dropped by to check it out.

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The Dish

Opening

March 14, 2012 | 1:18 pm

2 Comments

Introducing: Thirsty and Miserable, a new Kensington dive with a nice slate of craft beers

Inside the latest iteration of what was once Planet Kensington (Image: Caroline Aksich)

The craft beer renaissance is taking Ontario by storm (about a decade after it hit the U.S.), and this month saw the launch of another watering hole boasting a respectable list of microbrews from home and abroad: Kensington Market’s Thirsty and Miserable. When Katie Whittaker took over this Baldwin Street space, previously home to Havana Cuba, the place was in shambles: there was rotting food everywhere and a huge roach problem. After a month’s hard work (they only received access to the space on January 16) Whittaker and her business partner, Martin Farkas, have gotten their new project to just the right level of shabbiness.

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The Dish

Foodie Follies

March 5, 2012 | 4:30 pm

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Gallery: This year’s Recipe for Change raised over $50,000 for FoodShare—and served up some impressive plates

Café Belong’s Brad Long, Torito’s Luis Valenzuela and Frank’s Jeff Dueck all came out to support FoodShare (Image: Caroline Aksich)

Last Thursday, 400 Torontonians gathered at St. Lawrence Market for Recipe for Change, the annual FoodShare fundraiser, which raised over $50,000 in support of its Field to Table Schools initiative. The innovative program funds education projects that teach kids there’s more to food than McDonald’s and Loblaws. The event featured 44 food and drink stations representing an impressive array of Toronto chefs, including Mark Cutrara of Cowbell, Michael Smith of the Gladstone Hotel, Aaron Joseph Bear Robe of Keriwa Café and Rocco Agostino of Pizzeria Libretto. There was also a healthy showing of the region’s wineries and breweries, including Blackoak, Frogpond, Henry of Pelham and Rosewood Estates.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

February 15, 2012 | 4:17 pm

6 Comments

The red-tape brigade comes to The Pinball Café—but the owners are appealing

That was fast. We’ve received word from Jason Hazzard that the Toronto red-tape brigade ~~is planning to put the kibosh on~~ has got a few problems with his brand-new Pinball Café. Hazzard told us that ~~his business license has been revoked because, although there’s no problem with running a café in the space, he’s not currently licensed to run an arcade.~~ city officials have told him that the café is located in an area where the zoning does not allow “Places of Amusement.” “It’s the remnant of some 1950s-era law,” Hazzard explained. Apparently, pinball was illegal in many big North American cities until the ’70s because it was equated with gambling (there were even pinball raids!). As it stands, the café is not exactly a site of corruption and degeneracy: yesterday, it was filled with couples on dates sipping milkshakes and lonely hearts wiling away Valentines Day on Supersonic. Hazzard ~~is contesting the revocation of his business license~~ is applying for a zoning variance, a process that will take three months. Until the hammer comes down, he plans to stay open, spreading the pinball gospel to all those with a spare quarter (and even those without—Skylab is free to play).

The Dish

Opening

February 15, 2012 | 12:51 pm

6 Comments

Introducing: The Pinball Café, a bit of arcade nostalgia on Queen West

Before the hands of every kid were glued to their iPod touches and Nintendo DSes and before two Italian plumbers fought to save princesses, there was a time when gaming was a somewhat more social activity. Husband-and-wife team Rachel and Jason Hazzard (yes, that is their real last name) are trying to bring arcades back. The plan: The Pinball Café, a family destination on West Queen West where kids and kids-at-heart can play old favourites like Supersonic (1979) and new favourites like an AC/DC-themed game (2012). Currently, they offer drip coffee ($2), espresso-based drinks (cappuccinos and lattes, $3), home-style sweets (baked by Rachel and her friends), root beer floats ($4.50) and chocolate, strawberry and vanilla milkshakes ($5.00). Rachel, who trained as a chef at George Brown, also plans to start making gourmet versions of classic sandwiches such as roasted chicken with pesto and curried egg salad.

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The Dish

Opening

February 9, 2012 | 4:17 pm

4 Comments

Introducing: Via Mercanti, Kensington’s new Neapolitan-style pizza parlour from a pair of Queen Margherita exiles

Massimo Di Lascio making a pizza (Image: Caroline Aksich)

For those tired of Terroni’s traditionalism, Libretto’s lineups and the long ride on the 501 out to Queen Margherita, there’s a new, laid-back Neapolitan-style pizza operation in town: Via Mercanti. The latest addition to Kensington Market is helmed by two Sicilian expats, Romolo Salvati and Massimo Di Lascio, who both have some serious pizza pedigree—they left the Queen Margherita only two months ago to set up shop in the recently shuttered Back Alley Woodfire BBQ and Grill, where Salvati was once the chef. Their new venture reflects both of their passions: pizza and coffee.

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The Dish

Opening

January 4, 2012 | 10:42 am

8 Comments

Introducing: The Westerly, a new Roncesvalles restaurant and bar from a pair of West Coasters

Co-owner Beth Davyduke outside her new Roncesvalles restaurant

The churn of restaurants on Roncesvalles continues apace with the addition of The Westerly to the once Polish-dominated strip (indeed, we recently reported on the closing of Roncy mainstay Granowska’s). Like The Ace up the street, The Westerly focuses on classic dishes done right, which means making things from scratch. Focaccia and crusty baguettes baked on the premises? Check. Fresh homemade pasta? Check. Desserts made in-house? Check. And to top it off, The Westerly even features its own intrepid young mixologist and signature cocktail, the Sweet Roncy, a blend of gin, fresh apricots and Italian cherry liquor.

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All stories by Caroline Aksich

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