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Look Who Turned 5! FoodShare’s – A Recipe For Change

Look who turned 5!

A Recipe For Change Event

February 27^th,2014

Last year I was very fortunate to be invited to attend ‘Recipe for Change‘ and felt extremely honoured to be invited to return again this year. This annual event, held at the St. Lawrence Market north building , is a community filled celebration of food with a distinct purpose that supports Food Literacy education & FoodShare’s innovative and timely work in schools.

A staunch supporter of Food Literacy is Sang Kim of the newly opened Wind Up Bird Cafe who got a chance to promote his restaurant’s contribution to #RecipeforChange this year on Breakfast Television the morning of the event. See the interview here.(via @BTtoronto) Below is the dish and its creator Chef Yumiko Kobayashi.

Chef Yumiko Kobayashi

Tofu-Avocado Gratin and Sweet Potatoe Mille-Feuille from Wind Up Bird Cafe (Vegetarian)

The Recipe for Change Initiative

Foodshare believes the following:”How children eat when they’re young lays the foundation for life-long patterns, but integrated good food education is not the norm in Ontario schools. Students are not regularly provided the tools to make healthy decisions to sustain themselves, nor are they taught how to garden, cook a healthy meal, compost or understand where their food comes from on an ongoing basis.”

“Childhood obesity and diabetes are global pandemics and, in Ontario, major health risks. Barring electives, and a few sporadic science or health lessons, healthy eating, hands-on Food Literacy skills and physical activity are not as regularly integrated into the school day as they should be.” – taken from “Why Recipe for Change”

This year brought together some of Toronto’s all-star chefs for a night of culinary delights with complimenting beverage selections from local vendors:

The amazing Recipe for Change Chefs

The Recipe for Change VQA Wines, Breweries, Coffee,Tea and other Beverages

Crema Coffee in the making

Maple Bacon Crema

Frida Restaurant and Bar, Chef Jose Hadad – Tacos de Pescado en Salsa Verde, pan fried and then finished in Salsa Verde Haddock and garnished with Sour Cream, Coriander and Onion

My Little Dumplings, Chef Bashir – Mushroom Bao
(Vegetarian)

Annona at the Park Hyatt, Chef Joan Monfaredi – Pulled Buschbeck Braised Lamb Slider with Spicy Mustard Glaze, Crunch Slaw Sesame Tooney

Lisa Marie/Fidel Gastro, Chef Matt Basile – Agrentinian Lamb Meatball

Urban Acorn/The Depanneur, Chef Daniel Holloway & Marie Fitrion – Haitian Goat Griot & Banana Peze

Urban Acorn/The Depanneur, Chef Daniel Holloway & Marie Fitrion – Haitian Accra & Banana Peze (Vegetarian)

SOMA Chocolate from Chocolatemakers , David Castellan & Cynthia Leung – Hot Chocolate Mix Spiced with Ginger, Madagascar Vanilla, Orange Peel, Chili and Soma Blend Spices

The Beverly Hotel, Chef Eric Wood – Reuben Caraway Rye Gnocchi, Pastrami Lambs Tongue, Dill Pickled Mushrooms with Red Cabbage and Apple Mostarda, Fresh Tarragon and Gruyere Snow

Le Select Bistro, Chef Albert Ponzo – Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Wild Boar Ragu

The Love of Tea, Carol Mark – Foggy Sunburst Morning Earl Grey Mocktail with infusions of Bergamot and Citrus

The Tempered Chef, Chef Bertrand Alepee – Citrus Financier with Chestnut Mousse and Coffee Nougatine

Whole Wheat Scones with Goat Cheese and The Chef’s House Preserves

Whole Wheat Scones with Goat Cheese and The Chef’s House Preserves

George Brown Chef School, Chef John Higgins – Whole Wheat Scones with Goat Cheese and The Chef’s House Preserves

Good Earth Food & Wine Co., Chef Therese De Grace – Moroccan Inspired Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Chick Peas, Pickled Vegetable Micro Salad and Tahini Drizzle (Vegan)

Bernadin, Chef Emerie Brine – Ice Wine Jelly Bite-Size Appetizers

Cruda Cafe, Chef Claudia Gaviria – Mini Raw Pumpkin Tarts on Pecan Salted Date Crust
(Raw Vegan)

Cruda Cafe, Chef Claudia Gaviria – Mini Raw Cashew French Herbed Fermented Cheese with Sweet Potato Crackers (Vegan)

T.O. Ceviche Bar, Chef Alvaro Valencia – Mixed Ceviche (Seafood)

Table 17/Ascari Enoteca, Chef John Sinopoli – Ham Hock Terrine with Home-Made Branston Pickle and Quail’s Egg

Culinary Students of Bendale Business & Technical Institute/Eastdale Collegiate Institute – Atlantic Salt Cod Fritters with Cilantro and Watercress Pesto from Bendale Gardens

Culinary Students of Bendale Business & Technical Institute/Eastdale Collegiate Institute – Apple Fruitcake with Caramel Yogurt

Lamesa Filipino Kitchen, Chef Rudy Boquila – Arroz Caldo (Meat and Vegetarian options)

Valdez, Chef Steve Gonzalez – Duck Tamales

Walter Caesar – Caesars and Virgin Caesars

Hooked, Kristin & Dan Donovan – Fresh Shucked Oysters – Shan Daph, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Cooke’s Cove, Ellerslie, PEI

416 Snack Bar, Chef Mark Ota – Gulab Jamun with Masala Chai (Vegetarian)

The collection of Chefs will ensure that there is great, amazing food for all guests so that even vegetarians, vegans, and those with other food considerations are accommodated.

The tasty evening at #RecipeforChange is composed of small plates allowing each chef to present their own creative vision, surprising us with their combining of foods and flavours.

Having chefs were on hand to personally prepare, plate, and serve their food, be available to discuss their inspiration with us gave us the rare chance to get up close and personal as a guest with some of the city’s prominent culinary minds  – a rare treat for many and for me a chance to say hello to many of my culinary friends and personal chef inspirations.

Culinary Students of Bendale Business & Technical Institute/Eastdale Collegiate Institute

Lamesa Filipino Kitchen, Chef Rudy Boquila

Valdez, Chef Steve Gonzalez

My Little Dumplings, Chef Bashir Munye and Crew

Hooked, Kristin & Dan Donovan

FRANK at the AGO, Chef Jeff Duek – Grilled Tofu and Edamame Salad, Pipian Sauce, Coriander Spouts in a Palm Leaf Boat (Vegan)

Two of my favourite guys! Crema Coffee Co. – Amazing Maple Bacon never tasted so good.

Santo Pecado, Chef Paola Solorzano – Chicken Chilaquiles Mexico City Style

Frida’s Chef Jose Hadad

Chopped Canada Season 1 Episode 7 Winner Brianne Nash with Tania Daviduke of The Culinary Adventure Company

Everything that Foodshare Toronto does is centered on the power of food to connect, to inspire and to ultimately transform. Their work is so impactful because of this important and sometimes neglected act of sharing. The power of caring and sharing truly does work and their work clearly shows that every little bit counts.

The Recipe for Change Super-Supportive Sponsors

Supporting FoodShare is easy, and you can be part of its impacts and help it grow and grow. Easy ways to show your support can be found here.

I truly love the opportunity to mingle and chat with the chefs, the beverage partners and many of my writing colleagues, dear foodie friends and general public who are in awe of each culinary expedition from table to table. There are also all the amazing things that FoodShare has been able to do and will do for Food Literacy and creating a healthier future for our future generations.

The opportunity to taste bites from over 30 Chefs, 20 VQA wines, 6 local beers, and so much more, the event was an amazing value for attendees and a wonderful opportunity to support FoodShare’s work to create a healthy future.

My Love Affair with Walter – A F&B Romance

My Love Affair with Walter – A F&B Romance

It started off with a teasing photo on someone’s Facebook page, which lead to some tasty shots on another’s Instagram feed and then he was staring me down on a friends counter top. Next I knew there was an introduction, the anticipation and well, the rest as they say, is history…Are your cheeks burning yet? This is no 50 Shades of Grey storyline…it’s a love affair with Walter – Walter All-Natural Craft Caesar Mix that is.

 

Over the years I’ve always had a few go-to drinks that I use if ever in doubt traveling and a Caesar has usually been in the mix with a good Dirty Martini or Sidecar – the kind of drinks that usually one can make at any standard bar. But as I and my healthy minded community have realized over the years, the standard mix for Caesars is just kind of , well full of a lot of junk like MSG (gives me blinding headaches), artificial colours & flavours and usually a High-fructose Corn Syrup which really is wrong on so many levels for our bodies. This is why I was so excited to be able to try Walter Caesar Mix – so much better and so tasty!

Let’s break down the “Walter Difference”

• ·         100% All-Natural Ingredients
• ·         NO MSG
• ·         NO Artificial Colours or Flavours
• ·         No High Fructose Corn Syrup
• ·         Made in Small Batch Production
• ·         Bottled in Premium Glass Bottles
• ·         Comes in 2 Flavours – Well Spiced or Mildly Spiced
• ·         It’s CANADIAN and launched by two fellow Vancouverites

All of these things honestly make an awesomely better tasting Caesar or straight up on its own if you like your tomato juice to have some zest and body!

I played around with the flavour and made up one heck of a tasty bevvie for myself on one of our now many snowy nights and this is what I came up with.

A good amount of Walter Well Spiced, some lime juice, some premium vodka, some tasty garnishes (home-made Daikon pickles, bacon, and cucumber – my own snacky topper). The perfect blend of seasoning for me in the Well Spiced and on other days I most likely would add in even more heat.

Currently you can find Walter at select BC and Ontario grocers, specialty food and gift shops, select restaurants and bars. For their complete, up-to-date list, visit their website at www.waltercaesar.com/find-us

I’m looking forward to my second hot date with Walter’s alter ego – Walter Mildly Spiced – just the right speed for a long week, snowed in on the proverbial “Hump” Day. Now just to sort out the tasty garnishes or perhaps think up some alternative recipes to use this amazing new all natural product in to further extend the tasty goodness of Walter.

Go out and get some soon – it’s now a regular in my house for sure!

Much foodie love,

@TraveliciousDee

 

DISCLAIMER

This is a personal blog. All content is based on my opinions and experiences. I received Walter Products and Product Information from Walter All Natural Craft Caesar Mix  to review.

Deborah Peniuk  Freelance Writer. Dream Travel Maker. Health &Wellness Retreat Specialist and Master Planner of Culinary Adventures and Escapes. Enjoys Wine+Food+Travel+Music+Yoga+Good Humans

http://www.aya-life.com  www.lifeblissandallofthis.com

 

Quote For The Day – It’s Not What You Look At

The Sweetest Day October 19th

The Sweetest Day October 19th

An American Tradition

– The Sweetest Day observance originally started in the Midwest US in the 1920’s.

The Sweetest Day…

is always the third Saturday in October.

 

This holiday is much more important in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities). It is a holiday that has been gaining in popularity every year throughout the country.

What It Is …

• Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged, and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
• Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious sentiment or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
• Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift-giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a tangible way.

How it all began…

One version tells that over 60 years ago, a Cleveland man, believing that the city’s orphans and shut-ins too often felt forgotten and neglected, conceived the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this through the distribution of small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October.

The first Sweetest Day was pronounced as October 8, 1921 in Cleveland. The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s October 8, 1922 edition, which chronicles the first Sweetest Day in Cleveland, states that the first Sweetest Day was planned by a committee of 12 confectioners chaired by they candymaker C. C. Hartzell. The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to “newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor” in Cleveland, Ohio. The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee was assisted in the distribution of candy by some of the biggest movie stars of the day including Theda Bara and Ann Pennington.

Of the twelve Cleveland committeemen who planned Cleveland’s Sweetest Day , eleven directly profited from the sale of greeting cards or candy. Three were on the Board of Directors for Hallmark, four on the boards of various candy companies and four owned card and candy shops in the Cleveland area.

The photo of the 12 Candymakers who “Arranged the Details of The Sweetest Day in the Year and Planned Its Success.” The Candymakers’ names are (from left to right) C.R. Canter, A.E. Barton, R.T. Fuller, J.J. Wilsdon, R.H. Sheehan, W.A. Katzenmeyer, A.A. Sarouch, Louis Hahn, W.J. Nichols, C.C. Hartzell (chairman of the “Sweetest Day in the Year Committee”), L. Narwold, and L.E. Gruber.

The caption at the top of the page reads: “Eat Candy as a Portion of Your Daily Meal and Enjoy the Best of Health.” The sub-headline below the caption reads: “Cleveland Committeemen Who Arranged the Details of the Sweetest Day of the Year and Planned Its Success.” Under the photos of the Founders of Sweetest Day is an article written by The Commissioner of Health from New York City, Royal S. Copeland M.D. (later U.S. Senator from New York). The article is entitled “Eat Candy As Part Of Meal And Be Happy.” Below the headline is a caption which reads: “Love of Sweets is an Inborn Instinct, and Craving Should be Satisfied, Since Nature Expresses Her Bodily Needs Through Demands of the Stomach.”

During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to participate in the celebration ceremony, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. In time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small remembrance. And soon the idea spread to other cities all over the country.

With a very health conscious population out there I am curious how this celebration now almost 100 years old has evolved over the years? I would suspect that the candy companies all still have a plan this close to Halloween and all its sugary creations but there are great healthy alternatives to enjoy this longstanding day amongst our American compadres. Anyone have a great gluten-free brownie recipe? Coconut milk caramels?

Enjoy The Sweetest Day however you see fit…and remember it is more about the message it is meant to convey than the bellyache due to all that SUGAR!

 

 

World Food Day 2013

“Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition” will be the focus of World Food Day in 2013.

The official World Food Day theme – announced at the start of every year by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – gives focus to World Food Day observances and helps increase understanding of problems and solutions in the drive to end hunger.

About World Food Day

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations marks World Food Day each year on the 16th of October, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

The objectives of World Food Day are to:

• encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;
• encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;
• encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;
• heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;
• promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and
• strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development.

World Food Day 2013 video feature: Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security

“A Vietnamese Recipe for a Food System that Works.
What is a sustainable food system? One Vietnamese model harnesses tradition and bolsters that with technology and the right policy mix: ‘V-A-C’ farming. It’s a no-waste system integrating fish farming, raising livestock and growing fruit and vegetables, all on the same farm. It has assured sufficient, healthy food to Viet Nam’s rural farmers — about half the population — while generating income and feeding the growing cities. In V-A-C, livestock can even power the lights.”

World Food Day focuses on better food systems, including reducing food waste. Here’s what YOU can do: http://bit.ly/WlciOY  #wfd2013

What are you doing today on World Food Day? Tell them about it in a tweet to @FAOWFD tagged #wfd2013.

World Food Day Canada

“Do your part to Engage, Empower and Inspire everyone to make a difference in the world”

Travel Quote – To Send A Letter

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.

~ Phyllis Theroux