The Yum Yum Factor

July has come and gone, life has been hectic, some terrible, no good things happened and now, it's on to August and, I hope, an okay end to a difficult summer so far. So, I will just highlight some of the fun stuff I didn't get to share for July and then tell you about some of the shenanigans I have been up to this week in Westport Ontario. Sand and Pearl Oyster Bar One a rare day off, Shack took me for lunch at Sand and Pearl in Prince Edward County. If you don't think a drive out to a spot just a skip hop and a jump from the Sandbanks isn't a worthy endeavour, we can't be friends. It's about 200km from Toronto so you are looking at a 2.5 hour drive but once you get off of the 401, it's a pretty drive and that is what lazy summer days are for anyway. the screened in porch will remind you of the cottages of your childhood but with waaaay better food This is, in my humble opinion, one the hidden gems located in this super trendy region where yo...

Austrian Cheese samples at SIAL Lots to share this week! Bootleg Smokehouse First up, my big news - big news for me, anyway. On Sunday, I had my first official meeting with the women of Auburn Lane so say hello to the newest member of the team - along with the addition of my good pal, Heather Lang, the Tasty Gardener /beer sommelier and all around amazing human , who is also now an official part of the Auburn Lane team - go follow her on the old Tweeter here  . I will continue writing about travel, food and eating while travelling as well as our newest section called "The Canna Commissary" where I share information on how to cook with cannabis, share recipes, and hopefully help the canna curious figure out this newly legal phenomenon. We met for a meaty brunch at Bootleg Smokehouse on Spadina, just south of King St. It was my first visit and we all enjoyed a tasty brunch consisting of the Piggy Platter, of course, cornmeal pancakes and some smoked berry fr...

my new best friend from Little Sister

I am off to Savour Stratford this weekend so, for now, here is my week in photos: Seb's on the Danforth - a man's coffee joint

The Women of Savour Stratford Sometimes it seems like it's always only about the men when we talk about exciting culinary scenes and, as a woman, that must be so frustrating. Often females are relegated to front of house, baking, and other behind the scenes jobs that are, indeed, important, but they are not usually the ones getting the accolades but I have to tell you, there are an impressive group of women who own and operate businesses, head up the kitchens and run the show in Stratford. I met cheesemakers, chefs, tea and coffee sommeliers and candy makers, all incredibly active in the community and supportive of each other in a way that made quite an impression on me. Every time I sat down to chat with someone, they would tell their story and almost every single time, it turned out that their story intersected with at least one other woman in town. The cheesemaker helped the coffee shop survive after the bank turned her down for a loan for her "hobby", the ...

The Stratford Chef School Long Table Dinner  Market 707 I feel like I have not been cooking at all lately because we have been so busy eating out, which is what always happens to us in the summer. When other people start to stay home to bbq and enjoy their backyards, we hop in the car, put the top down and just drive. This is how we ended up at Market 707 at the end of the day on Friday after half of the stalls had already packed it in for the day. Luckily for me, a new Indian food vendor at the Market,  Ambeth's Kitchen,  was still open for business. Shack got some K Food bulgogi for himself, we ordered some takeout from Gushi to being home for the kid and I decided on butter chicken with biryani. The guy in the stall was very friendly and we chatted a bit while he made my meal and was very attentive. When he noticed that I had oohed and ahhhed over the coriander chutney, he kept spooning more over my rice until I finished. The butter chicken was rich ...