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Martin Sheen joins Royal York Hotel picket line for 20 minutes

Fight the power, Marty! (Image: Brian McGuirk)

His son may have been spotted at the Drake’s rooftop patio, but Martin Sheen seems to prefer a more street-level approach to tourism. We loved Sheen as the union leader who takes on the crooked stock player Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, so it’s fitting that he sported a sign saying “On Strike for Justice Unite Here!” as he picketed with Royal York Hotel workers this morning. “I’ve been a union member all my adult life. I’ve been involved in labour struggles all my adult life, and I support it,” he told the Star. We’re not sure if Sheen knows the exact reasons for the strike, but he joined in the fighting of the power for 20 minutes before dashing off to the premiere of his movie The Way, directed by Emilio Estevez.

• Martin Sheen joins hotel workers’ Royal York picket line [Toronto Star]

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 9, 2010 | 11:15 am

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TIFF troubles: Royal York workers set to strike tomorrow

The Royal York: now with DIY laundry service (Image: Steve Harris)

Last week, a bedbug scare and a one-day workers’ strike at the Hyatt Regency had TIFF organizers in a tizzy. This week, Royal York staffers are threatening to walk out on Friday, one of the busiest days of the film festival. Nine hundred hotel employees have been working without a contract since July and voted in favour of a strike last night. “The main issues are not that different from the Hyatt; it’s mostly about job security—having enough hours and shifts so workers can support their families,” said union spokesperson Cristal Cruz-Haicken. Timing the strike to TIFF is strategic, but the Royal York isn’t exactly a hub of festival action—a walkout wouldn’t be as damaging as a Hyatt strike.

• Royal York hotel employees vote to strike [Toronto Star]

The Dish

From the Print Edition

July 26, 2010 | 2:11 pm

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A sticky situation: how to make Union’s finger-licking ribs

Chef Teo Paul describes his 20-year quest for the perfect ribs

(Photograph: Edward Pond; Illustration: Jack Dylan)

“Back in the ’80s, there was this place by our house, near Dupont and Davenport, called Mickey’s Ribs. The kitchen just did ribs to go. It took them an hour to make them, and they were expensive as hell—my dad would only get them as a special treat. They were unbelievably awesome. So for the past 20-odd years, I’ve been trying to recreate them. When I opened Union last year, I put side ribs on the menu and called them sticky ribs, because that’s want I wanted—that amazingly saucy, meaty, sticky goodness. But they weren’t sticky. For three months, the three other chefs and I talked about them every night. We played with the liquid ratios and tried different cooking times. Then, one night, because the oven was full, I put them on the bottom rack. That was the ticket. They worked perfectly. Here’s what you do.”

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The Informer

Streetcar Named Disaster

April 12, 2010 | 3:52 pm

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TTC meeting so boring that the press resorts to suggesting Giambrone might re-enter mayoral race

The first community meeting between passengers and TTC workers’ union was a perfect formula for drama: angry commuters, an apathetic bureaucracy and, to keep a lid on things, a handful of politicians who have seen better days. It could have been a magnificent disaster, but instead it was mind-numbingly polite. The TTC representatives even admitted that sometimes the staff aren’t being all they can be. Reports the Post:

“Operators do slack off a lot. They do. And we as individuals, we’re here to apologize for whatever’s been done so far,” said bus driver Anthony Wallace, one of four TTC employees who joined union head Bob Kinnear onstage to address the public’s concerns.

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The Dish

Opening

February 1, 2010 | 8:24 am

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A first look inside Paul Boehmer’s eponymous Ossington restaurant (and details of his new Dean and Deluca-esque retail shop)

Trend count: Fresh and local? Check. Communal table? Check. Ossington Avenue? Check. Designer lighting? Check (All photos by Karon Liu)

Paul Boehmer’s soon-to-open restaurant is like the cherry on top of the Ossington sundae. The eponymous eatery was one of the last to obtain a restaurant and bar permit before the city imposed a one-year moratorium on new establishments last May. “People around the neighbourhood thought that I was opening a nightclub, but since I told them it wasn’t the case, I haven’t received any complaints,” says the former Stadtländer apprentice, who has also cooked at Rosewater Supper Club, Six Steps and Scaramouche. He expects Boehmer to open in less than a month—about six months later than originally planned.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

January 28, 2010 | 11:45 am

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Five 2010 trends to watch: we ask Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Walsh, David Lee and other chefs what to look for in the coming year

Bespoke bread from Marc Thuet (Photo by Renée Suen)

It’s no secret that 2009 was rough for restaurants—“It’s a year a lot of restaurateurs are happy to see go,” says C5’s Ted Corrado—but with the new year almost a month old, optimism is back on the table. We talked to some of the city’s top chefs about five culinary trends for the coming year.

1. Less Is More
Small, chef-run restaurants that are down-to-earth in both atmosphere and culinary style. Chef Jamie Kennedy, who’s focusing on the Gilead Bistro, a decidedly more casual restaurant than the Wine Bar he sold last fall, anticipates more “chef-driven” spots like J.P. Challet’s Ici Bistro and Grant van Gameren’s Black Hoof. Claudio Aprile, who’s working on his second restaurant, Origin, agrees: “I’m hoping that we see a lot more restaurants that are open kitchen, 30 seats, three line cooks.”

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons Opening Soon

August 20, 2009 | 8:50 am

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State of the Union: Teo Paul talks about opening his Ossington restaurant

Come together: after nearly a year of delays, Union opens on Ossington Avenue (Photo by Davida Aronovitch)

Inside Ossington Avenue’s long-awaited Union restaurant, diners find a Parisian oasis. The room smells of fresh baguettes, and Gilles Vigneault’s “Champs Élysées” floats over fin de siècle accents and a brasserie-style horseshoe bar. A look at this soothing atmosphere reveals nothing of the struggle chef-owner Teo Paul had in putting it all together, though readers of his Opening Soon blog, hosted here on torontolife.com, know better.

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The Dish

July 2, 2009 | 4:58 pm

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Union to open tonight, reports Teo Paul

Chef Teo Paul

For nearly one year, chef Teo Paul has been preparing to open his new locavore restaurant on the Ossington strip, and detailing the development in his Toronto Life blog, Opening Soon. Having overcome delays, a license ban and hellish renovations, Union is set to open tonight.

Read the chef’s latest blog post>>