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)!

Continue reading Tasting T.O. with Trish Magwood »

Julia Rogers is a Toronto-based cheese educator, event coordinator, retail consultant, and founder of Cheese Culture. She is active with the Ontario Cheese Society, la Societé des Fromages du Québec, the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers, and Slow Food, participating in local and international events.

Her articles have appeared in Food and Drink, City Bites, Wine Express, and Slow Food Canada. Julia’s enjoyment of cheese is matched by an impressive love of the vine. She has completed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s Advanced Certificate, and is studying toward the WSET Diploma.

Her website, www.cheeseculture.ca provides recommendations and opportunities for learning, while her e-letter, The Wedge Issue is a source of news, lore and bite-sized reviews.

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

One favourite place Sarah’s Falafel and Shawarma (487 Bloor Street West) in the Annex. I usually end up there at least twice a week as my favourite sandwich, the “falafel combination”, is so tasty. It’s sort of good for you and bad for you at the same time. For less than $5, you get a wholewheat pita, packed with crispy, greasy fried eggplant, potato, cauliflower, and a single substantial falafel, garnished with pickled turnips, tomatoes and parsley, and filled to absolutely overflowing with tahini and vinegary hot sauce. After you’re done you want to lie down.

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Luke Sneyd is a Toronto singer-songwriter. His debut solo album All of Us Cities was released online in July, 2007.

An early demo of his track “The Prisoner” was a finalist in the 2006/07 Unisong International Songwriting Contest. Both “Waiting” and “Unknown” were selected as Garageband.com Tracks of the Day in June 2007, and “Waiting” was included on No Cover Magazine’s Groupies Suck Vol. 10 compilation. The album has only just begun to get notice, but No Cover calls Luke an “amazing unsigned artist”. He’s now competing among the Top 5 bands in the Great Canadian Band Challenge, challenging for $25,000 and a distribution deal with Universal.

Luke was an original member of the defunct electro-rock combo Mountain Mama, with Will Skol (DHI, Transformantra, Spiral Into the Storm), Gary Fletcher and Arthur Oskan (Myers Briggs). The band released one EP, Grand Theft Audio, and twice played Canadian Music Week. Luke’s now forming his own artist label Mannequin Phono and gearing up for a full band tour.

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Rooted in Niagara, Paul DeCampo grew up with traditional food culture from both Italian and Slovenian agricultural backgrounds. An orientation toward understanding food, from farm to plate, has led him to work in industries as diverse as natural/organic foods, craft beer production, and teaching outdoor education. He is drawn to wine, as many are, because wine conveys so transparently the character of fruit, site, climate, history, culture, innovation, and the wildcard of vintage; all in a glass that you can enjoy with friends, family and food. After entering the wine business in 2000, DeCampo now represents Henry of Pelham Winery of Niagara to the hospitality trade in Toronto. As a volunteer, he works with Slow Food Toronto to increase access to good, clean, fair food, by supporting local, artisanal producers, and maintaining gastronomic traditions.

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

I always get a good sandwich or plate of pasta at Oro Caffé (171 East Liberty Street) in Liberty Market. Also, it’s hard to beat Tacos El Asador (690  Bloor Street West).

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Colin Geddes is a Toronto-based freelance film archivist, curator, journalist and consultant for film, television, home video and DVD. Currently programmer of the popular Midnight Madness selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, Colin also is on the advisory committee of the Reel Asian Film Festival, and the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. A respected authority on international trends in genre cinema, particularly those in Asia, he has served on the juries of several international film festivals. He organized the long running Kung Fu Fridays film series, where he was able to showcase martial arts and cult films from Asia. In 2003 he started Ultra 8 Pictures, an independent theatrical distribution and booking company, dedicated to bringing offbeat international cinema to Canadian audience. Past films he has brought to theatres include David Lynch’s Inland Empire, Takashi Miike’s Audition, Bubba Ho-Tep, and End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones.

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

Pho Xelua (254 Spadina Avenue) for a big steaming bowl of pho with all the fixings!

Continue reading Tasting T.O. with Colin Geddes »

The Dave Howard Singers is a seminal Canadian alternative rock group formed in Toronto in 1982, comprising of Dave Howard (Ace Tone organ and vocals) and Max (drum machine). With inspirations ranging from Burt Bacharach to Suicide, their sound has produced everything from cheesy lounge to distorted wall of sound.

After relocating to London, England in October, 1984, the band gained and lost a series of different members, and released a number of recordings including Whoishe? (produced by Dave Formula of Magazine and Visage fame); Goonight Karl Malden, a 4-song live EP recorded in Holland; an energized rendition of the David Essex classic Rock On (produced by The Stranglers’ Jean Jacques Burnel; and the infectious limerick hip-hop Top 3 UK indie hit single Yon Yonson. An album entitled It’s About Time was released in Germany in 1991, and later reissued in Canada under the band name Devoured and the title 13.

After a decade of performing and recording, The Dave Howard Singers disbanded, retired and moved back to Canada in 1992. In early 2007, all of the original members of the band reformed and have since performed several shows. In advance of their next performance, we tracked down the human half of the band to ask him a few questions.

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Cass Enright is probably best known in the web world as the founder of The Bar Towel, a leading Ontario craft beer news and community site. However, Cass has taken his web savvy from Bar Towel and turned it into a career in Internet marketing, having helped some of Canada’s largest brands and companies get online. He is also the co-founder and partner of Cecktor Media, a digital consultancy focusing on health and wellness. When not tied to his laptop, Cass can usually be found at his cottage in the summer, skiing in the winter and tasting great beer at the pubs of Toronto the rest of the time.

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

As Mexican cuisine is one of my favourites, I would probably head to Rebozo’s (126 Rogers Road) for some tacos. They have to be the best tacos I’ve found in Toronto and the closest to what they’re like in Mexico. Good value, too.

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Christopher Butcher enjoys living in Toronto, Canada. In addition to managing the world-famous comic book store The Beguiling, he is a freelance writer, comics production artist, and the co-founder of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival. You can find him at his blog more-or-less daily.

You’ve got $10 to buy lunch – where do you go?

Well if I’ve got $10 for lunch that means chances are I’m at work at The Beguiling in The Annex (just around the corner from Honest Ed’s!). 9 times out of 10, my lunch choice is hitting up Roti Palace (744 Bathurst Street) for a goat roti (spinach, no hot sauce) with an order of doubles. I love their roti, so much so that I usually have to avoid having it more than once per week - I’d hate to get sick of it!

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Gail Gordon Oliver, the owner of Edible Toronto Magazine, was born and raised in Montreal and moved to Toronto in 1996. After earning a diploma in Culinary Management from the George Brown Chef School in 1999, she joined the test kitchen staff at Canadian Living Magazine, where she honed her recipe development and testing skills.

In 2004, Gail created Flavours of Home, specializing in the fields of culinary education, food writing and editing, and recipe development and testing. The following year, she teamed up with Maran Graphics to produce Maran Illustrated Cooking Basics, an instructional cooking book that was published in 2006.

Launching Edible Toronto is a dream come true for Gail. As publisher and editor, she has the opportunity to showcase and applaud Ontario’s culinary heritage, its present-day gustatory pleasures, and its healthy, safe and sustainable future, all in a beautifully presented magazine her readers can savour season after season.

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rik maclean has been making chilled electronic ambient music as mara’s torment for over ten years now and has independently released over twenty CDs during that time. He likes to eat out and he hates to write about himself in the third person.

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

Mmmmm, I live near Church and Wellesley so my first choice would be Ethiopian House (4 Irwin Avenue). Their vegetarian lunch special is only $6.99 and I get enough injarra and other delights to keep me satisfied until dinner. Second choice would be the Garage Sandwich Company in the back of Pusateri’s Fruit Market (497 Church Street). Great sandwiches at great prices, all made to order before your very eyes. I’m quite fond of a toasted rye bread with hummus, sauerkraut, pickles and red roasted pepper, but that’s just me. Of course if I’m feeling like something a little sweeter instead, then I can’t resist a visit to Crepe It Up (507 Church Street). I’m very fond of the Paris crepe, a lovely mix of hazelnut, chocolate and banana for only $3.95. I’ll often follow it up with a home-made Toblerone chip cookie for only $.75, ’cause, y’know, hello, Toblerone Chip Cookie!!!

Continue reading Tasting T.O. with Rik MacLean »

Zoltan Szabo is the quintessential North American success story: from non-English-speaking busboy to star sommelier in under a decade. Zoltan has been recognized repeatedly by his colleagues, winning Toronto Star sommelier of the year in 2003, top spot at Tony Aspler’s Ontario Wine Awards blind tasting competition in 2005 and most recently was named “promoter of the year 2006″ for the Ontario Wine Industry during their annual Cuvée gala in recognition of his significant support of local artisans of the grape.

Professionally, Zoltan has created and oversees many award winning wine programs for some of the finest restaurants in Toronto garnering him additional accolades from the local media and the Wine Spectator. He is a contributing editor for CityBites Magazine, Drinks editor of Asian Gourmet, and contributes tasting notes to a variety of prominent publications and organizations, such as winerytohome.com, Vines Magazine and the Ontario Restaurant News.

Continue reading Tasting T.O. with Zoltan Szabo »

Monichrome is a founding member of the Toronto Roller Derby League and team captain for the Bay Street Bruisers. Founded in 2006, Toronto Roller Derby has grown to become the largest roller derby league in North America boasting 6 teams and over 75 skaters. The league is currently promoting their first gaming season this summer and are already attracting crowds of over 500 people.

Monichrome plays pivot and blocker positions on the track, moderates the league website and email, takes part in several committees to promote roller derby in Canada and has appeared on The National and Breakfast Television as a spokesperson for the Toronto league. By day, Monichrome is a store manager and a freelance photographer with a special interest in food photography and styling.

Continue reading Tasting T.O. with Monichrome »

Jamie Drummond arrived in Canada some 10 years ago after having worked as Sommelier for 6 years at one of Scotland’s most acclaimed restaurants, Edinburgh’s Atrium.

After doing a few odd jobs (including working as a Barista at the much-loved Ellipsis), he found himself working as Sommelier for North America’s largest private club, Toronto’s Granite Club.

After a 6-year tenure with the Granite Club, Jamie talked of wishing to “never be a Sommelier again” and returning to his love of music through his original hopes of a career in music journalism and his occasional (and notorious) sojourns into the world of DJing (under his Non Doctor moniker).

But then Jamie Kennedy came a-knocking and the two have been working together ever since. Jamie now runs the successful wine program for every location in the expanding Jamie Kennedy “empire” and tells us that he has never been happier.

Jamie took some time out between his myriad tastings, staff education sessions and media interactions to answer some questions for us…

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Electronic musician Thomas Sinclair first gained notice as half of the electro-pop duo Black Turtleneck alongside Jason Amm (Solvent). He’s now working solo under the name Slap [unmodified], with an EP and album forthcoming on his own Architecture Of Sound label. We got a bit of his time to ask him what and where he likes to eat when he’s not making bleepy-bloopy robot music.

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

Twice a month (that’s bi-weekly, right?), I have an appointment that brings me very close to College & Yonge where I go to Fran’s (20 College Street). Diner food may not be very exotic, but the menu and service is consistent. An old stand-by, and it’s the only place I can get a good club sandwich these days.

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For years, Malcolm Jolley practiced the black arts of online marketing by day and sought absolution in his large collection of cookbooks by night, before he decided to repent and use his laptop only for good. In 2004, he launched Gremolata.com and has been serving the good food revolution ever since.

Gremolata is published weekly with the purpose of helping its readers to eat and drink as well as they can, while encouraging the growth of artisanal food and wine producers at home and around the world. With thousands of visitors each week, Gremolata has become one of Toronto’s and Canada’s most popular food & drink websites.

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

The best lunch deal is Vietnamese, especially around Broadview and Gerrard for Pho or Bahn Mi. I also have a very soft spot for shwarma (lots of hot sauce and extra pickled turnip). And then there’s my own “ethnic” staple: a pea-meal on a bun from Carousel Bakery (St. Lawrence Market, 95 Front Street East). Oh! And roti! I love roti - always with spinach as an aextra item. How much time have you got? I have been known to waste an entire lunch hour wandering the streets of Toronto trying to decide what to eat.

Continue reading Tasting T.O. with Malcom Jolley »