The Yum Yum Factor

Chef Shawn Murphy and Quiet Acres Okay, things have gotten off to a a late start this year, what with the wonky long weekend dates, but here we are. The Kid is back in school (GRADE 11 FOR THE LOVE OF PEARL AND SPORTING VIABLE FACIAL HAIR) and TIFF started last night. These two events have been intertwined since the kid started going to school. Every year I felt like I was the only mom who missed the welcome picnic, who didn't get to walk her kid to school or even say hello to her child until the film festival finally ended. Now, he doesn't need me for much more than making his lunch and I no longer work the entire festival and life has settled down. Okay, enough of that. I had a great week in Yum, starting with my food demo at The Hot and Spicy Festival as part of the "Ten for the Next Gen" program. Ten chefs shared something that they would like to pass on to the next generation, something that was passed on to them. For my presentation, I chose to make my...

The only thing better than visiting a really nice winery is eating a fabulous lunch on a patio overlooking that really nice winery. Sadly, there are far too many really great looking wineries out there that serve underwhelming food. I want to be as wowed by my meal as I am by the wine that accompanies it and I will admit that I was not sure that my lunch at Southbrook Vineyards  was going to be able to knock my socks off but I was certainly happy to take a drive out to Niagara on the Lake and give it a try.  The winery and the vineyard are lovely and I have been there many times, perhaps to buy a bottle or ten of their delicious Framboise. I had not eaten anything here though and this visit was really about trying out their Farmer's Table menu. Starting in early June and ending on Thanksgiving weekend, the Farmer's Table @Southbrook is open from Thursday to Monday, from 11:30am to 5:00pm. Executive chef, Shawn Murphy has returned to Niagara after graduating f...