Posted by Greg Clow in tasting t.o. on October 18, 2007 at 1:47 pm

Trish Magwood has years of experience as a successful food entrepreneur, business owner, teacher and chef. She has revolutionized the notion of a food experience through her creative service company dish cooking studio. She built and created dish as a school for scheduled and corporate cooking classes, a full service catering company, a boutique kitchen store, and a gourmet café.

Trish also created and hosts party dish, an entertaining and lifestyle television show airing on Food Network Canada and Life Network that shares her passion for food and entertaining, showing urban food enthusiasts how to plan and execute dinner parties, effortlessly and elegantly - empowering them to brilliantly entertain with good food. Her first cookbook - dish entertains (Harper Collins) - shares menus, 'best of' recipes and tips for everyday simple to special occasion events, and is available now at dish and bookstores internationally.

Trish will be one of the judges of the Sustainable Chef competition at An Evening of Local Cuisine, taking place next Tuesday, October 23rd at the St. Lawrence North Market. Presented by the Green Carpet Series and hosted by Gill Deacon, the event will also feature tastings of local food prepared by Marc Breton (Gladstone Hotel), Ben Heaton (Globe Bistro), Nathan Isberg (Coca) and Anthony Rose (Drake Hotel), and an appearance by chef Jamie Kennedy.

You've got $10 to buy lunch - where do you go?

Sarah's (487 Bloor Street West) for chicken shawarma, or Elena's soup and a savoury scone at dish (390 Dupont Street)!

The budget's unlimited, someone else is paying and the choice is yours - where do you pick for dinner?

I like small, casual, owner operated. Rod Bower's Rosebud (669 Queen Street West) is a low key and delicious and casual, or Pastis (1158 Yonge Street) at the bar for seriously good wine and steak frites, or Lee (603 King Street West) for decadent shared plates for lunch.

Tell us some of the food shops you frequent when buying groceries to cook for yourself.

Stanley's White House Meats and cheese from Alex Farms at St. Lawrence Market (95 Front Street East); our local butcher St. Jamestown Steak & Chops (516 Parliament Street) for burgers; Riverdale Farmer's Market for Tuesday produce (only 2 more weeks); Summerhill Market (446 Summerhill Avenue) for prepared chicken pot pie; and dish for ready-to-go fixes.

When ordering in for a quiet night at home, what's your favourite place for take-out or delivery?

Mi Mi (688 Gerrard Street East) for Vietnamese BBQ pork, and Rashnaa (307 Wellesley Street East) for Sri Lankan butter chicken and long beans - the kids love it!

Oh, no, relatives are coming to Toronto from out of town - where do you take them?

Allen's (143 Danforth Avenue) for an early family meal - fish & sweet potato fries makes everyone happy.

Your favourite place to grab a couple of drinks and hang out where everybody knows your name?

This little British style pub called The Coburg (533 Parliament Street) with eBay-bought furniture like your grandmother's place

What's coming up?

On October 23rd, I get to judge with Canadian music queen Sarah Harmer at An Evening of Local Cuisine as top chefs meet face to face to battle over the Sustainable Chef title. Gill Deacon and Jamie Kennedy keep us all in line while we get cheer, eat, drink and have fun. Get tickets at the Green Carpet Series website.

At dish, we are selling signed copies of our first cookbook, dish entertains, at 15% off. We also just opened our second venue upstairs, a cool and warm party space for catered private or corporate parties, tastings and cooking classes. And we're holding a fall cooking class promotion: 2 for 1 classes at dish when you book before November 1 at dishcookingstudio.com or 416.920.5559.