The Stop for Food Chef Challenge 2010

Last night at the ROM’s C5, a stellar group of chefs came together for The Stop for Food Chef Challenge. The night-long cooking showdown was created to draw awareness to Stop for Food, a month-long series that sees 27 top restaurants offering both a $50 and a $35 prix fixe menu throughout March. For each meal, $10 or $5 respectively will go directly to the innovative anti-hunger programs at the Stop Community Food Centre. (The image above shows the Stop's Chris Brown sending out lamb hors d'oeuvres to the crowd.)

The restaurants offering the specials are 7 Numbers; Amaya the Indian Room; Amaya’s Bread Bar; Amuse-Bouche Restaurant; Blacktree Restaurant; C5; Cowbell; Frank; Frida; Gilead Bistro; Hank’s; Marben; Niagara Street Café; Pangaea; Reds Bistro and Wine Bar; Roosevelt Room; Table 17; The Drake Hotel; The Harbord Room; The Wine Bar; Torito Tapas Bar; Trevor Kitchen and Bar; Universal Grill; Veritas Local Fare; Vertical Restaurant; Via Allegro Ristorante, and Zucca Trattoria. Several of these sent chefs into the competition.


By the time guests gather, the kitchen is already a sea of white jackets, most sporting the badge of Cross Town Kitchens – a posse of Toronto chefs who come together to promote awareness about local food issues. At one end of the open kitchen is Team 1 (above), including Jamie Kennedy, Anthony Davis of the Roosevelt Room and Jason Inniss of Amuse-Bouche.

At the other, Team 2: Luis Valenzuela from Torito Tapas Bar, Bertrand Alépée from Amuse Bouche, Ted Corrado from C5 and Chris Brown of The Stop. To watch the action is reminiscent of nothing so much as Olympic hockey; these are teams of A players who’ve brought their best game. In a pack of alpha dogs, co-ordination is more important than competition, and this powerhouse lineup proceeds to execute a masterful choreography.

Above even the rising conversation is the ever present hiss of oil, punctuated by the clinking of ceramic spoons. For Team 2, Luis Valenzuela (working with an injured finger, above) sets up the action, shepherding pale rose coils of lamb sausage into the oven. They emerge reduced, browned and moist with richness.

Chris Brown (below) holds sliced sausage chunks delicately with his thumb and second finger only, nestling them into spoons that already hold potato rounds. He takes one aside momentarily to trim an errant piece. Then he tops each mound with a dark green intensely minty garnish, tapping it with a forefinger to settle it into place.


A rush of sausage aroma hits the air as Valenzuela brings more sausages out of the heat.

Bertrand Alépée gently drops a basket of potato gnocchi into a mini deep-fryer on the counter. Brown spoons crisp chiffonaded parsnips over bites of tender rabbit. Alépée tops each with a dill pickle slice, then spikes them with twisted bamboo skewers,

A strong hot whiff of garlic emanates from the oven.

Brown tosses cooked gnocchi into a small stainless steel bowl, switching hands – it's hot. He salts one-handed, from a height. Then both hands move in the air in a frustrated bounce that signals “where’s my tool?” He spots a plain tablespoon and begins to tuck gnocchi bits into small white ramekins. He squeezes saffron-coloured mayonnaise into each from a plastic bottle that’s still labeled “olive oil”.

Valenzuela prepares another round of sausage.

At the stove, Alépée (pictured above, with Ted Corrado in motion) tosses a new batch of shredded parsnips, greens and condiments in a battered steel frying pan. It comes off the heat and he pours in what seems to be about a cup of something that looks like cream. The omnipresent hissing intensifies.

As if the period-ending siren has sounded, there’s a lull. A video flashes on a giant screen so the crowd can watch the chef teams shopping at Fiesta Farms earlier in the day. Brown, relaxing for a moment, taps his Mill Street Organic Lager bottle down on the counter with just enough force to make the foam rise up to the lip, and no more. Alépée has fashioned a paper-napkin neckerchief for his bottle. Brown snaps to alertness, checks the oven for overlooked dishes, sees nothing and relaxes again.

Suddenly, we’re into a new period of action. Brown tosses a new batch of gnocchi with one hand. Valenzuela wipes down the sausage counter, leaving his barcloth neatly nested on the cutting surface.

Ted Corrado is, inexplicably, yellow carded by the emcee for some breach of sportsmanship.



Team 2 continues to set up the same plays with numerous permutations and combinations. The air gets heavier; the hot garlicky oiliness intensifies. Foreheads grow damper and iron-creased chef’s whites grow limper. The action never lets up, but it’s a little rawer now as the fatigue of a long day starts to show just a little.

How many batches of parsnips come out of the pan? How many sausage chunks are skewered to potatoes? How many dozen gnocchi morsels are spooned into how many ceramic cups?

Finally, there’s a gradual slowing. The hiss of oil stops; the heat and smokiness in the air diminish. Both teams cease their activities. The chefs gather and grin and begin the process of unwinding.

A giant cheque is presented: $40,000 to the Stop. Team 2 is declared the winner, but there are no losers. In the end, every arm is around every shoulder, and there’s a beer in every fist.

Dim Sum Cooking Class with Aphrodite Cooks at Nella Cucina

These trays of bison-stuffed potstickers are the work of about 30 intrepid individuals who signed up for a Year of the Tiger Dim Sum Brunch cooking class yesterday at Nella Cucina (876 Bathurst, 416-922-9055). Under the auspices of chef Vanessa Yeung (AKA Aphrodite Cooks) and her mom Millie, we learned how to prep and assemble numerous dishes, including vegetarian soi gau (water dumplings), rich stuffed eggplant with shrimp and classic pork-filled shaomai, as well as these Year of the Tiger Dumplings and a couple of desserts.

Most were quick to pick up the skills. In the picture above left, class participants practice potsticker-frying techniques, under the direction of Joanne Lusted of Nella Cucina (with pitcher). Above right, Millie preps the shaomai filling of ground pork, chopped shrimp and condiments. (Click on photos to see slightly larger images.)

For some reason, one of my Twitter pals requested a picture of me cooking (to prove that I do in fact do it occasionally?) So here I am, courtesy of food writer and promoter Mary Luz Mejia (@MaryLuzonfood on Twitter), who kindly arranged that I and some other food-blogger types could attend the class as guests.

I was impressed with the professionalism of the whole endeavor. The ratio of various staff to participants was about three to one, including pro chef instructors, clean-up help and a bartender who made sure no one lacked juice or water. The session started with a quick rundown of knife safety, waste separation, hand washing and purse security.

Then the large group was divided into smaller teams who were able to rotate from station to station, getting a feel for all the different processes, learning new techniques and finding out about unfamilar ingredients. There was lots of room for questions, and everyone had enough time to practice each new skill, but nothing felt like drudgery.

In the end, the cooking surfaces were cleared for a delicious dim sum brunch, and since the class participants has had a couple of hours to work together, no one felt like a stranger.

I note that chef Yeung (left, with her mom, and Mary Luz in the background) is offering a class called The Singles Supper Club (for men and women from 25 to 35) on March 5, while Nella Cucina offers quite a roster of classes with chefs of note, the next being a Mexican dinner with chef Francisco Alejandri this coming Thursday. At $75 (or $100 for sessions with wine), these offer very good value in my opinion. I'm quite looking forward to trying out some never-before-acquired skills at home.

Seedy Saturday (on Sunday) and Grow Great Grub Launch Party

Spring may not be in the air yet, but there's certainly an expectant rustling of seed catalogues across the land as gardeners start to calculate how many tomato plants they'll be putting in, and what new varieties of salad greens to try, and whether they should experiment with pumpkins this year. No surprise that gardening events are already springing up on the calendar,

This coming weekend, the event known as Seedy Saturday moves to a Sunday (February 21), from 12:30 to 6 p.m. at Artscape Wychwood Barn #2 (601 Christie). Community gardeners are invited to come as early as 11 to get first pick from among a tremendous array of native, edible and heirloom seeds for sale and exchange. Admission is by donation ($2 recommended). As always, there'll be a wide range of activities, including the following presentations:

• 1 p.m.: Creative Campaigning for Food Justice, presented by USC - Seeds of Survival
• 2 p.m.: Growing with Native Plants, presented by the North American Native Plant Society
• 3 p.m.: Season Extension, presented by Kyla Dixon-Muir
• 4 p.m.: Bee Keeping, presented by the Toronto Bee Keepers Co-op
• 5 p.m.: Organic Gardening 101, presented by Rachel Van Sligtenhorst and Norma Dickinson of FoodShare

Then on Wednesday, February 24 at 6:30, Gayla Trail of You Grow Girl launches her newest book, Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces, at Lula Lounge (1585 Dundas West). Gayla is of course the author of the excellent gardening guide You Grow Girl, and more or less a one-woman small-space-gardening revolution. Admission is free; and there'll be door prizes, book giveaways, a seed starting station, nibbles, and music by DJ General Eclectic. Will I see you there?

Ontario Apple Tasting

A few days ago I got together with my mom and four food-curious friends to compare as many different kinds of Ontario apples as we could. The folks at Ontario Apple Growers kindly sent us an exciting big red box (above), and we augmented that with a few other types we were able to find around town, as well as some Ontario cheddar (and both cheesy and caramel-flavoured popcorn.)

To go with that, I popped a bottle of hard apple cider and one of apple-apricot wine from Archibald's Estate Winery, where I drop in whenever I happen to be in Bowmanville.

This image by Alexa Clark of Cheap Eats Toronto (@alexaclark on Twitter) gives an impression of the challenge we set for ourselves.

The other brave apple tasters were Beverly (@Bev_W), who took the smaller images below, Diana (@pronosher) and Danielle (@finalfashion), who together confronted a formidable 12 varieties, both raw and cooked. Here are our impressions of 11 of the most commonly-grown Ontario apples, plus the newly-arrived Red Prince. (The ones we didn't manage to sample were Cortland, Gala, Jonagold and Russet.) Incidentally, I find it interesting how few Ontario apples are featured in grocery stores at this time of year; most are from the U.S.

• Ambrosia (a B.C. apple, pictured): Very sweet and winey, crunchy but not crisp. When cooked, firm like a root vegetable, caramelly.
• Crispin (also known as Mutsu): Like a bigger, softer, gentler Granny Smith. Le Petit Dejeuner on King East uses these for their lovely toasted cheese-and-apple sandwiches. Very subtle and juicy raw; when cooked, stays firm and tastes of pears.
• Empire: Crisp, crunchy, clean-tasting when raw. Looks pretty when cooked because skin bleeds dark pinkness into the flesh, but the skin is very tough.
• Fuji: Tastes like a pear, or almost like a tropical fruit. Holds its shape well when cooked, but the skin tastes a little bitter.
• Golden Delicious (pictured): Mild, sweet, and a little bit crisp. Slightly mushy and mucilaginous when cooked, but keeps its shape well.
• Honeycrisp: Fruity, melonlike, clean and fresh-tasting with a remarkably crunchy texture. Rubbery and blander when cooked.
• Idared: Somewhat tart and very similar to McIntosh, but more "masculine" tasting: less floral, more woody in flavour. Sweet but bland and a little bit gluey when cooked.
• McIntosh: An Ontario discovery, and the most tart, with an almost squeaky texture raw. After cooking: smooth texture, tart and pectiny.
• Northern Spy: Mildly tart, slightly sour, soft, dry and a touch mealy when eaten raw. Cooked, the flavour blooms to a sweet-tart balance with a smooth, creamy texture.
• Red Delicious: Very sweet; mealy in texture. When cooked, bland and monotonous.
• Red Prince (pictured): This is Ontario's newest commercial apple, a German discovery. It has a complex sweet-tartness and pairs very well with cheese. The raw texture is a soft, pleasing crunch. Cooked, it retains its citrusy tang and its shape, but offers a pleasingly soft texture.
• Spartan: Another B.C. apple. Starts sweet, develops some tanginess in the mouth, but quickly loses flavour. Firm flesh when raw with a thick skin. Pretty and plumlike when cooked, with a stronger flavour and a classic apple-crumble taste.

To find out which ones we liked best overall, you'll have to pick up the spring issue of City Bites, which appears around town on March 1, and will be included in the Globe and Mail of March 3. Meanwhile, to find out more about apple history and diversity in North America, I highly recommend the apple section of Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire.

Note: We noticed a slightly stale taste and texture in some of these apples, which is probably because they have been stored since September. It would be very interesting to repeat the experiment in the fall when they're all at the peak of freshness and flavour.

Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citrus

If you happen to be a jamming and canning fan, the Culinary Historians of Ontario have an event for you! Their third annual Mad for Marmalade, Crazy for Citrus, coming up on Saturday, February 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., is an all-day celebration of the art of marmalade and related preserves. Last year's event was packed with about 100 passionate preservers; I'm betting this year's will be even bigger.

Taking place at Fort York, Mad for Marmalade costs $39.81 (taxes included), with discounts for students, seniors, children and members of the Culinary Historians of Ontario, the Volunteer Historic Cooking Group at Fort and Friends of Fort York. The fee includes lectures and workshops, tours of the historic Fort York kitchens and a lunch. There's also a marmalade-theme marketplace and (for a nominal entry fee), a marmalade competition. Pre-registration is advised, through Kelly Nesbitt, who can be reached by phone at 416-392-6907, extension 221 or via email.

Of course the lunch is made up of contemporary and antique recipes that relate to marmalade: Marmalade Chicken (2006), Citrus Risotto (2006), Fancy Citron Preserves (1880), Green Salad with Citrus Dressing (2006), Peach Marmalade Tarts (1744), Quince Marmalade Tarts (1769), Pear Marmalade Tarts (1824) and Rich Bread and Butter Pudding (1845). Guest speaker Mary F. Williamson will discuss Canadian marmalading traditions "from apples to oranges, pumpkin and quince". There will also be sampling tastes of sherbet from 1769, lemonade from 1827 and negus ice from 1833.

The workshops, many of which include tastings and cooking demonstrations, will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis; they include:

• Bridget Wranich of Fort York discussing how candied peel was made and used in the 18th and 19th centuries
• Pat Crocker of Riversong Herbals on the definitive qualities of a great marmalade (tastings included)
• Shirley Lum of A Taste of the World Tours on Asian fruit marmalades like kumquat, pineapple and yuzu
• Donna Penrose of Lyndon Gardens on working with historical recipes in the contemporary kitchen
• Mya Sangster of Fort York's Volunteer Historic Cooks discussing antique methods of sealing jars of preserves, including pig bladders, sheep suet and Napoleon brandy
• Carolyn Blackstock of Woodside National Historic Site, offerings tastings and the recipe for marmalade made by Isabel Grace Mackenzie King, "daughter of a rebel and mother of a prime minister"
• Rosemary Kovac of the Volunteer Historic Cooks on Sussex Pond Pudding
• Janet Kronick of Dundurn National Historic Site on North America's mid-19th century tomato mania, with a hands-on tomato marmalade-making lesson

To find out more about the preserve competition, which allows for entries of pure Seville orange marmalades, other fruit and vegetable marmalades and marmalade baking, contact Kelly Nesbitt at 416 392-6907, extension 221. The registration deadline is Thursday, February 25 at 4 p.m.

Photo: Toronto greenhouse-grown Seville oranges courtesy Culinary Historians of Ontario

Making Spicy Pickled Carrots (Tigress' Can Jam, February Edition) #tigresscanjam

It was so close; I almost made carrot-lemon marmalade for Month Two of Tigress’ Can Jam, of which the theme, evidently, is carrots, as officially decreed by the good folks at Doris and Jilly Cook. But I have about 20 jars of grapefruit marmalade from last month, and I have been intending to extend my repertoire further into the savoury department, so I came up with a spicy pickled carrot recipe that’s really an adaptation of two different recipes in the excellent resource Put a Lid on It! Small-Batch Preserving for Every Season (Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard, Macmillan Canada, 1997).

It was really straightforward. The only fussy part is packing the carrots tightly enough into the hot jars. I was using tongs, but I suspect there’s a better tool. I had to keep fighting the urge to reach bare-handed into the pot... it was a bit frustrating.

In any case, here’s the recipe. There were some carrots that didn't fit into the jars, so I already know it tastes pretty good; it's surprisingly highly flavoured. I'm going to hazard a guess that roots are good at absorbing liquids, and thus make good subjects for flavoured pickling. The nice thing is that, as long as one doesn’t vary the quantities of carrots, water and vinegar (5% acidity or more – check the label!), you can be really flexible with the flavourings. I wonder what vanilla carrots would be like? Or ginger-lime carrots? Or carrots with star anise?

Spicy Pickled Carrots

1. Sterilize four or five pint jars (500 mL).

2. Combine the following in a pot:

• 2 cups white wine vinegar (for flavour)
• 1 cup white vinegar (for frugality)
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2 tsp pickling salt
• about ½ tsp each of whole coriander, black peppercorns, whole cloves, whole allspice, cardamom seeds and ground paprika (vary mixture to taste and according to what's around the kitchen)
• 1 whole dried hot pepper, crushed
• 1 knob of ginger, cut into small pieces
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 2 crushed bay leaves

3. Make sure sugar is well dissolved. Bring to a full boil. Then add:

• 8 cups carrots (=about 5 lbs of large carrots, peeled, trimmed at top and bottom, cut into sticks and cut in half)

4. Bring to a full rolling boil again. Remove from heat and pack carrots into warm, sterile jars. Cover with liquid, leaving appropriate head room. Seal and process the jars at a rolling boil in the canner for a full 10 minutes. If using quart jars (1 L), process for 15 minutes.

Eat, Drink and Give Haiti #eatdrinkandgive

This is my first chance to sit down and arrange my thoughts about an absolutely epic food and wine event, Eat, Drink and Give, held two nights ago at Roy Thomson Hall as a benefit for Doctors Without Borders and their contributions to aid relief in Haiti.

The format was simple and brilliant: for $75, $100 or $150, ticket-buyers were treated to a sensational selection of donated food and drink samples; in many cases, chefs and winemakers of the calibre of Brad Long and Norm Hardie were doing the serving and pouring themselves.

It would be nearly impossible to list even the high points of such a generous smorgasbord, but here are some impressions from my whirlwind evening:

• Possibly the most delectable single taste was the beef carpaccio (pictured) with spicy mayonnaise, olive tapanade and shaved parmesan from Noce (875 Queen West, 416-504-3463).
• Another huge contender would have to be the chipotle-flavoured elk shepherd's pie with house smoked ketchup, potatoes and winter vegetables served up by executive chef Kevin McKenna from Earth (1055 Yonge Street, 416-551-9890), the sister restaurant of Globe Bistro (124 Danforth, 416-466-2000).
• Of out-of-town participants, I was impressed by the head cheese with piccalilli made from Cumbrae's Berkeshire pork, provided by Treadwell (61 Lakeport Road, Port Dalhousie, 905-934-9797). They're also participating in the Cuvee gala in Niagara, coming up on February 19.
• As for wine, I blushingly confess that I went for the VIP ticket, which allowed me upstairs to try such an array of delights that – if you can imagine – I actually bypassed the Nicolas Feuillatte champagne in favour of other things. More than anything else, I loved the citrusy, apple-y nectarlike 1998 Poetica Chardonnay from Southbrook. I had it with some of the – was it Chaumes? – cheese from the Cheese Boutique, and really almost stopped eating or drinking after that (even though I had just started), because the combination was so perfect.
• Of all the reds I tried, I have to say I loved the 1999 Heitz Cellar Trailside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, a Napa Valley wine that had a beautiful dark colour, and both smelled and tasted like woody herbs: mints, catnip, rosemary, hyssop, eucalyptus – the flavours kept shifting in the glass. I thought it woud be lovely with lamb, which goes so well with all those tastes. (I just hope I get a chance to write about the 20 or so other wines I tried some other time.)
• Among other delights, it was great to meet or reconnect with some people I mainly know from Twitter, like Steven Wilson, chef at The Local on Danforth (@DaLocalChef), Krystina Roma of Rosewood Estates winery (@RosewoodEstates), winemaker Richie Roberts of Fielding Estate (@richiewine), cheesemaker Ruth Monforte (@MonforteDairy), meat-smokin' genius Darryl Koster (@BusterRhinosBBQ) and particularly Joel and Dana of Well Preserved (@WellPreserved), among many others. The atmosphere was so happy, even though the cause was so much the opposite!

On a side note, I had tweeted that I would give a jar of my grapefruit lemon marmalade to the first three people who asked me for one. I had no sooner taken my coat off when Manny (AKA @basecadet on Twitter) of Café del Manolo snagged the first jar. Later, I was asked by (pictured) Paul Morrison (@ekkridon), who made such a splash at last December's Foodiemeet Bake Off with his Tandoori shortbread tarts with passionfruit curd, and Lauren Simmons (@laurendorphin), who has the handy talent of managing to look attractive while eating. I'm still trying to figure out how to get a couple more jars to one or two people who asked me after I'd run out.

I don't yet know the total raised, but, judging from the attendance and the soaring bids at the live auction, I have no doubt it's well into five figures, all to be matched by the Canadian government. The organizers and those restaurants, wineries, bakeries and other professionals who gave so generously deserve huge thanks. I'd certainly be up for Eating, Drinking and Giving to another worthy cause in the future; let's hope it would not have to be in response to any such tragic event as the Haiti earthquake, though!

Postscript: On February 12, this notice appeared on the Eat, Drink and Give website: The organizing committee of Eat, Drink and Give is proud to announce the total money raised for Medecins Sans Frontiers and their efforts in Haiti was in excess of $42,000. This amount qualifies for the government matching program that ends today. A special thanks goes out to our sponsors – Lifford Wine Agency, Vintages, Foodiemeet, Spotlighttoronto.com, and Mediaspex.

Cutest Cake in the World

I found it at BnC Patisserie Bakery Cafe (631 Bloor West, 416-516-4288).

Eat, Drink & Give, Cuvée Weekend, Stop for Food Chef Challenge and Recipe for Change

Photos (L-R) Luis Valenzuela of Torito, Mark Cutrara of Cowbell and David Garcelon of the Fairmont Royal York: three chefs who'll be busy on behalf of good causes this month.

Several really big events are coming up fast in the local food and wine community, in support of great causes.

Eat, Drink and Give Haiti

If you move very quickly indeed, there's still time to buy the $100 and $150-level tickets to Eat, Drink and Give, the fundraiser for emergency relief in Haiti that's being held tonight at Roy Thomson Hall from 6:30 p.m. on, with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders. Will I see you there? (I've mentioned on Twitter that the first three people who come up to me tonight and ask for a jar of grapefruit marmalade will get one.)

However, if you're a restaurant or winemaker and you're not already on board, you've missed the boat, because the lineup of participants already reads like a who's-who of le tout Toronto gastronomique et viticulturel, and includes (are you ready for this?) Cowbell, Barberians, Grano, Noce, The Local Co., Buster Rhinos BBQ, Splendido, Cava, Vertical, Globe Bistro, Buddha Dog, Massimo Bruno, Sultan's Tent, Veritas, Treadwell, Ramelli, Forte, Local Wine Bar, Tutti Matti, Sweet Escapes Patisserie, The Designer Cookie, For Goodness Bakes, Frozen Vines, Sugar Baking, Dufflet, Rosewood, Cave Spring, Chateau des Charmes, Le Clos Jordanne, Vineland, Black Prince, Ravine,Fielding, Sue Ann Staff, Megalomaniac, Inniskillin, Jackson Triggs, Southbrook Vineyards, Tawse, Norman Hardie, Marynissen, Wine Australia, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Nicolas Feuillate Champagne, Maison Louis Jadot, Terzetto Wines, The Tea Emporium, Simon Carter London, Natalie MacLean and Zoltan Szabo.

Niagara's Cuvée Weekend

Then on February 19, Niagara Fallsview Casino hosts the 22nd annual Cuvée gala, a sensational celebration of local food and 160 different local wines that's part of the Cuvée Weekend, running February 19 to 21. Tickets (available online or by telephone at 905-684-8688) are $200 for the entire weekend, which includes the gala, an awards ceremony and a tasting tour called Cuvée en route. Tickets for the tour alone are $30. Proceeds go to the Niagara Community Foundation, which supports area charities.

The awesome Cuvée gala lineup includes 13th Street, 20 Bees, Alvento, Angels Gate, Calamus, Cattail Creek, Cave Spring, Château des Charmes, Closson Chase, Colchester Ridge, Colio, Creekside, Dan Aykroyd, D'Angelo,De Sousa, EastDell, Feathersone, Fielding, Five Rows, Flat Rock, Frogpond Farm, Harvest, Henry of Pelham, Hernder, Hillebrand, Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, Kacaba, Konzelmann, Lailey, Lakeview, Legends, Maleta, Mike Weir, Mountain Road, Niagara College, Nyarai, Pelee Island, Peller, Peninsula Ridge, Pillitteri, Reif, Riverview, Rosewood, Royal DeMaria, Southbrook, Stonechurch, Stoney Ridge, Strewn, Sue-Ann Staff, Tawse, The Grange of Prince Edward, Thirty Bench, Twenty Twenty-Seven, Vineland and Wayne Gretzky.

Participating chefs are Matthew Carmichael (Restaurant 18, Ottawa), Bertrand Alepée (Amuse-Bouche, Toronto), Tom Brodi (Canoe, Toronto), Daniel Gilbert (Daniels of Nobleton), John Crowley (Davids, Port Dover), Rory Golden (Eclipse at Deerhurst Resort), Ross Midgley (The Kitchen House at Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery), Joseph Petrinac (Little Inn of Bayfield), Roberto Fracchioni (Millcroft Inn, Caledon), William Brunyansky (The Charles Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake), Stephen Treadwell (Treadwell Farm to Table, Port Dalhousie) and Jamie Smith (Zee's Grill, Niagara-on-the-Lake), as well as students and chefs from the Niagara Culinary Institute and Fallsview Casino Resort.

Stop for Food Chef Challenge

The Stop Community Food Centre has a monthly dinner series called Food for Change, priced at $120 with wine pairings or $75 without ($100 for kitchen workers), but on February 22 at 6:30 p.m. they're also holding a $20 event called the Stop for Food Chef Challenge, a competition where in-house chef Chris Brown and chefs from Amuse Bouche, Torito, The Roosevelt Room and C5 compete with Jamie Kennedy for top honours. It's held at the ROM's C5, and proceeds go to the ground-breaking food-related programming at the Stop. If there are any tickets left – which there still were at time of posting – you can get them here. (I'm also planning to attend this one.)

Recipe for Change

Finally, at Recipe for Change, taking place February 25 at FoodShare (90 Croatia near Bloor and Dufferin), guests can support FoodShare’s Field to Table Schools program, which brings food literacy to students up to Grade 12, while sampling tasting plates composed by top Toronto chefs. Tickets are $100, and are available online, as well as by phone at 416-363-6441, extension 226, or via email. A good selection of vegan and vegetarian fare is promised.

Among the choices on offer, Ryan Gustafson and David Garcelon of the Fairmont Royal York are providing field and forest mushroom chowder with Harmony Dairies cream, prairie grains, potato confit, and a honey-port froth made with honey from the Royal York rooftop hives. Joan Monfaredi and Nicholas Sward of the Park Hyatt promise braised beef shortrib with horseradish red wine sauce and roasted winter vegetables, while Steffan Howard of the Palais Royale tempts tastebuds with little chestnut custards, Niagara apricot preserve coulis, coriander seed tostada and spiced Chocosol chocolate sauce.

Other particpants include Fabio Bondi (Local Kitchen), Marc Breton (Gladstone Hotel), Emerie Brine (Bernardin), David Chrystian (Victor), Damon Clements (Nomad), Adam Colquhon (Oyster Boy), Mark Cutrara (Cowbell), Jared Davis (Calico), Donna Dooher (Mildred’s Temple Kitchen), Paul Finkelstein (Screaming Avocado), Jesus Gomez, Sybil Pinnock & Alvin Rebick (FoodShare), Brad Long (Veritas & My Place), Bashir Munye (Simply Fresh), Afrim Pristine (Cheese Boutique), Mike Steh (reds bistro), Luis Valenzuela (Torito), Michael van den Winkel (Quince) and Ann Yarymowich (FRANK).

Valentine's Day Dinners and Cooking Classes

There are so many Valentine’s Day related food events going on around town that my first post on the Valentine's food theme didn’t begin to cover it. Here’s a second list with even more Valentine’s prix-fixe dinners, cooking classes and other edible treats for sweethearts.

For starters, Dufflet (787 Queen West, 416-504-2870; 2638 Yonge, 416-484-9080 & 1917 Queen East, 416-699-4900) is baking up a heart-shaped storm of goodies for intimate at-home celebrations or sweet-toothed singles: the Valentine’s selection includes Strawberry Mousse Hearts, Chocolate Fudge Hearts, Valentine Pink Velvet Cakes, Chocolate Raspberry Heart Minis, Linzer Heart Cookies, heart-shaped butter cookies and truffle gift boxes.

Thursday, February 11

7:30 to 9:30 p.m.: Seafood Cooking Class (The Inspired Cook, 1378 Queen East, 416-461-8886). Bronwen Clark and Signe Langford offer an aphrodisiac introduction to seafood that covers picking and shucking four species of oysters, appropriate mignonettes (sauces), plus cooking with fresh scallops and clams. $85 pp+tax, which includes the hands-on session with recipes, wine, a 10%-off coupon for The Inspired Cook and a voucher for Rodney’s Oyster House.

Friday to Saturday, February 12 to 14

The entire Oliver & Bonacini restaurant family is featuring special Valentine’s Day menus. At Auberge du Pommier (4150 Yonge, 416-222-2220), chef Jason Bangerter is presenting a classic French conception beginning with St. Simon oyster with champagne mignonette. Next is a choice of Assiette de la Mer (seafood), Velouté de Potiron (pumpkin soup with duck and fois gras) or Fricadelle D’agneau (lamb), followed by a palate cleanser of Sorbet Auberge du Pommier (pomme verte et Calvados), then a choice of Sole à la Crème de Moules, Mer et Terre or Filet d’Élan Rôti and a dessert choice of Pavlova aux Fruits de la Passion or Fondue au Chocolat, with mignardises to finish. $100 pp+tax & tip, or $140 with wine pairing. It will be available February 12 to 14.

Click on the individual restaurant for the rest of the menus:

• Jump (18 Wellington West, 416-364-3400, February 13 & 14, four-course prix fixe at $65 pp+tax & tip or à la carte)
• Biff's Bistro (4 Front East, 416-860-0086, February 13 & 14, $65 pp+tax & tip)
• Canoe (66 Wellington West, 54th floor, 416-364-0054, February 13 & 14, $125 pp+tax & tip, $175 with wine pairings)
• O&B Café Grill (2901 Bayview Avenue, 416-590-1300, Oakville & Waterloo, February 12 to 14, à la carte menu)

Saturday to Monday, February 13 to 15

Valentine’s Prix Fixe at Le Select Bistro (432 Wellington West, 416-596-6405, ext. 78) Chef Albert Ponzo is offering a choice of six starters (Mussel & saffron chowder, Salad of assorted greens, Belgian endives with walnuts & Bénédictin, Ballotine of Cornish hen with foie gras on lentils, Gravlax with Avruga caviar or Terrine en croûte with onion jam), with seven mains (Striped bass à la plancha, Seared scallops with braised leeks, Braised beef shortrib on barley risotto, Braised Ontario lamb neck Navarin with a red wine jus, Poulet Basquaise, Seared Alberta beef filet or Ragoût of ceps and seitan) and seven possible desserts (Baba au rhum, Île flottante, Caramelized lemon tart, Chocolate cake, Crème brûlée, Fresh fruit salad or sorbets & ice creams). $55 pp+tax & tip. $25 deposit pp required. For $10 extra, you can also add half a dozen “Fines de Clair” oysters or Terrine de foie gras frais. Champagne and Crémant Rosé are of course available to be ordered.

Sunday, February 14

10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Year of the Tiger Dim Sum Brunch Cooking Class (Nella Cucina, 876 Bathurst, 416-922-9055). Since Valentine’s Day happens to fall on lunar New Year’s Day, chef Vanessa Yeung of Aphrodite Cooks and her mom Millie demonstrate how to wrap and fold dim sum for a Year of the Tiger brunch. The menu includes vegetarian Soi Gau “Water Dumplings”, stuffed eggplant with shrimp, steamed beef meatballs with watercress, mini egg custard tarts and a special Year of the Tiger Dumpling with a spicy Golden Sauce (pictured)

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch) and 5: 30 onwards (dinner) Valentine’s Day at Gilead (4 Gilead Place, 647-288-0680) Chef Jamie Kennedy is offering his weekly brunch menu along with special items, including a Sparkling Cherry Valentines Cocktail and a Chocolate fondue with house-made marshmallows, pound cake, brownie, preserved plums and toasted almonds. Also, mini cupcakes will be available on the 13th and 14th.

6:30 to 9:30 p.m.: Valentine's Day Couples Cooking Class (Nella Cucina, 876 Bathurst, 416-922-9055). Small groups work with Vanessa Yeung of Aphrodite Cooks to prepare a five-course "Dinner Under a Tuscan Moon"; then they share the romantic meal in the adjacent dining room. $300+tax per couple

7:30 to 9 p.m.: Quebec Cheese and Ontario Wine Tasting (Thompson Landry Gallery in the Distillery District) A Taste of Quebec (Distillery District, 416-364-5020) presents a tasting celebration featuring cheese fondue, baked cheese and Swiss-style raclette along with Quebec charcuterie and Ontario wines. $30 pp+tax (limited to 20 people). The shop also has take-home boxes of artisanal cheeses, jellies, pickles and other treats.

8 p.m. Valentine's Cabaret Dinner at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen West, 416-531-5042) The Drake is offering a range of Valentine's activities, including chef Anthony Rose's three-course prix fixe meal, to be accompanied by live performances from Valery Gore and Jadea Kelly. The menu includes a choice of three first-course items (Salted fois gras with prune jam toast & bitter greens, White bean, black truffle & red wine soup or Four oysters with apple cider mignonette) and a main course of either Lobster Thermidor with mustard, cream, cognac & wild mushrooms or Cumbrae's grilled veal with apple & bacon tart & wilted greens, plus a dessert of either Passion fruit brulée tart with white chocolate & macadamia nut ice cream or Dark chocolate trifle with whiskey, caramel bananas & whipped cream. $58 pp+tax & tip. For an additional $30, add three glasses of wine.

And if you’re so thoroughly jaded that nothing here whets your Valentine’s appetite, head on down to Mildred’s Temple Kitchen (85 Hanna Avenue, 416-588-5695) where they’re encouraging guests to engage in sex in the washrooms from February 12 to 14. Okay, everybody has already reported on that, but Mildred’s is also offering (if you prearrange it) a minstrel to sing at your table ($25 per ballad), a parchment message in a bottle delivered to the table ($15) or a “Love Hamper” ($55) filled with sweets, their cookbook and some furry handcuffs.

Red Prince Apple Promotion in the PATH System @RedPrinceApple

I've been curious about the new Red Prince apples since some of my friends and colleagues have had a chance to taste them, and one food fan glowingly declared them to be similar to but "better than a MacIntosh and a Red Delicious".

Red Prince appeared in 1994 in an orchard in a small town called Weert on the border between Germany and the Netherlands, and has more recently been cultivated at Martin's Family Fruit Farm in Thornbury, Ontario. (Recall that good new apple strains appear from time to time through natural genetic selection, and can be propagated by grafting.)

Red Prince apples are just about to become available in Ontario at all Sobeys locations, as well as Longo’s in the GTA and some Loblaw “greatfood” locations. Tomorrow between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. , a launch of sorts is being held in the PATH system, when "the" Red Prince and his cohorts will hand our about 10,000 apples at the Exchange Tower (130 King West) and First Canadian Place (100 King West).

The event, called the "Red Prince Civility Event", also features free hand massages, as well as entertaining etiquette tips from Louise Fox of The Etiquette Ladies. It sounds like fun. If you get your hands on one of the new apples, let me know if it lives up to the advance press!