As I take a sip of a Merlot from Friuli, I'm expecting to dislike it. Kind of like going on a first date and telling your friend to call an hour in, because you think it'll be awful. It's not fair, to the date or the wine. But as I let the Merlot from I Clivi cover my tongue, … [Read more...] about Treating Immigrant Grapes and Family Unfairly at the RASPIPAV Private Import Salon in Montreal
One Love Soup: Vegan and Gluten Free Minestrone
Ras Iville Wright understands the need for soup. I originally met Wright every week for an entire summer at Harbourfront Centre where he'd set up his giant pot at a food stall every weekend for festivals. It contained a vegan variation on Jamaican pepper pot soup: chunks of … [Read more...] about One Love Soup: Vegan and Gluten Free Minestrone
New York Restaurants: From a Speakeasy Sake Bar to Smorgasburg to Superior Seafood to Vegan Sushi
My entire recent trip to New York felt like wandering down the rabbit, which we did when we went to Sakagura, a speakeasy-style sake bar (no cell reception, so no texting friends if they're late) in a residential building where you need to sign in with facial recognition. So … [Read more...] about New York Restaurants: From a Speakeasy Sake Bar to Smorgasburg to Superior Seafood to Vegan Sushi
Behind HelloFresh with Recipe Developer / Chef Corby-Sue Neumann and Pastaga Chef Martin Juneau
Did you know that a small team in Toronto plans all the meal kit recipes for Hello Fresh across Canada? At a recent HelloFresh event in Montreal, I met the international company's Toronto-based Menu Planning Manager, Corby-Sue Neumann. That was more exciting to me than meeting … [Read more...] about Behind HelloFresh with Recipe Developer / Chef Corby-Sue Neumann and Pastaga Chef Martin Juneau
Spatchcocked, Wet-Brined, BBQ-ed Thanksgiving Turkey: Not For Beginners
This recipe is probably not for Thanksgiving Dinner first-timers. It's actually really easy, and if you're comfortable grilling a big piece of meat on a barbecue, maybe this is for first-timers. But if not, just salt the thing in advance (on and under the skin and … [Read more...] about Spatchcocked, Wet-Brined, BBQ-ed Thanksgiving Turkey: Not For Beginners
Best Montreal Restaurants and Food Hall Options for Thanksgiving Without the Dishes: Eat Out or Order In
When I do television segments, I usually forget to mention something pretty important. Today on Global TV Montreal it was the fact that the Marché Artisans is a quasi-food hall. I said it's in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, but not that there are different counters where you can sit … [Read more...] about Best Montreal Restaurants and Food Hall Options for Thanksgiving Without the Dishes: Eat Out or Order In
Sad Stomach Soup: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho’ Ga)
The worst feeling in the world is feeling stomach sick, I think. Okay, maybe not the worst feeling. But it's no fun. Not wanting to eat is also bad, as I experienced recently while away on a work trip. Lying in bed for a day with my knees elevated to relieve the pressure on my … [Read more...] about Sad Stomach Soup: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho’ Ga)
A Birthday Best Forgotten
What's your worst birthday? Think back. Was it the time your parents got you the stupid book about farm animals instead of the supercool video game? The time your mom made a saggy vanilla cake or oatmeal raisin cookies instead of buying one from the grocery store (or better yet, … [Read more...] about A Birthday Best Forgotten
Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Confit Garlic Oil and GAPS Diet adventures
I'm not actually on the GAPS diet, but I'm writing about it for an upcoming magazine edition. I came up with this recipe because I was thinking about how monotonous the first phase of the GAPS diet must be (though brief, thankfully). And then how over the next year or so you're … [Read more...] about Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Confit Garlic Oil and GAPS Diet adventures
How Did My Garden Grow? My Community Garden 2018
I can barely call myself a gardener. For four years now, I've had a garden plot in the southwest of Montreal and I've learned a little from the Bangladeshi women, Quebecois men and published authors who share my tree-lined oasis right next to a train track. Why there's a hammock … [Read more...] about How Did My Garden Grow? My Community Garden 2018