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Canada’s Great Kitchen Party Ottawa-Gatineau 2022
What joy to be sampling the remarkable efforts of five remarkable chefs after a three-year drought from the Kitchen Party’s regional culinary competitions. The warm up events for the Canadian Culinary Championship, to be held in early February 2023 at the Shaw Centre, launched in Ottawa on September 26th. James Chatto, national culinary advisor for […]
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Great Kitchen Party of 2020: the pandemic edition
Things were done differently in this quite-different year. Glittery galas cancelled, gatherings reduced to tiny numbers, the good people who have staged Canada’s Great Kitchen Party (formerly, Gold Medal Plates) have had to come up with a new plan. Conceived 15 years ago as a series of coast-to-coast culinary competitions in support of Canadian athletes […]
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Coconut Lagoon’s sorrow
I was writing a short piece to celebrate Joe Thottungal’s cookbook making the ‘long list’ for the Taste Canada Awards when the awful news hit that his restaurant was on fire. After sixteen years of operations Coconut Lagoon has now closed for the foreseeable future. I’m acquainted with a great number of restaurants in this […]
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Join the Kitchen Party: Home Edition
The Home Edition of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, in support of our shuttered national restaurants community, is bringing us 3 events in conjunction with the Canada Take Home Day Campaign #TakehomeDay. Here’s how it works: On these three Wednesday evenings, order takeout from your favourite restaurant, uncork or pop a great Canadian beverage, and invite […]
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“The Vendors Project”
A marvellous community-minded group effort, spearheaded by Poppa-Bean Coffee Company and Purebread Bakery. Now with eight vendors and counting, all with stellar product. Check it out and place an order. Everyone needs excellent coffee and bread these difficult days (did I mention hot cross buns!) among other treats (Comfort Cornish treats from The Great British […]
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Cooking for a cause
Team STOFAThe Ottawa restaurant industry has always given big-heartedly its precious time and gastronomic treats to a worthy cause. And here’s yet another example of this generosity: STOFA (chef-owner Jason Sawision) was the first of three restaurants to host a pop-up dinner in support of the invaluable work of Citizen Advocacy Ottawa. Four courses for 35 […]
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Canadian Culinary Championships 2020
Voila! The 2020 Canadian Culinary Championships podium. Silver medallist, Montreal chef Marc-André Jetté of Hoogan & Beaufort; gold medallist, Vancouver chef Roger Ma of Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar; and bronze chef Emily Butcher from Winnipeg’s deer + almond. (First time Manitoba has been on the podium since Makoto Ono won the very first CCC […]
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Goût de France 2020
Goût de France is an international gastronomic event, celebrating French cuisine around the world, calling on all of us to sit down this April, and share a French dinner! While doing good in our communities. When it comes to Ottawa, it’s launched with great style, thanks to Ambassador Kareen Rispal and the team at the […]
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Mystery Wine Pairing 2020
Counting down the days till the Canadian Culinary Championships roll into Ottawa. It all starts on Thursday January 30th, when 12 chefs from St John’s to Vancouver, champions in their cities’ competitions, will be paired up with their Algonquin College culinary students, handed a wad of cash for buying provisions to make a kick-ass dish, […]
