Kuidaore: Food and Drink Podcast

Terroir brings together chefs, writers, educators and hospitality professionals from across Canada and around the world. The thread that brings these people together is a desire to connect, learn and share their passion for food. While attendees are in town visiting for Terroir we thought we’d put together a podcast talking about some of our favourite hidden gems in Toronto. Yes, the top places and old favourites in downtown Toronto are great restaurants and offer some of the city’s best eating expereinces. But they’re also places you can find in any quick web search, not to mention many of the owners, chefs, employees will be amongst the speakers and attendees. Toronto is also a rich multicutural city and its dining scene reflects that. Unfortunately these places aren’t always downtown nor are they often easily accessible by subway. So with that in mind we discussed some hidden gems and new and old favourites worth seeking out—we’re talking little independent family-run places off side streets, in strip malls and outside of the core. These represent some of Toronto’s finest eats for those willing to get in the car and explore the path less traveled. On the podcast we mentioned Takht-e Tavoos, which serves comforting and homey Persian specialities like stone pot Dizi and the head and hooves soup Kalleh Pacheh. Toronto has a strong South Asian population, which brought its rich and proud culinary traditions to the city’s kitchens. For the best South Asian food you need to travel to the suburb of Scarborough. While you’re there visit Martin Bakery for short eats like fish buns and mutton rolls and the house speciality kottu roti—a Sri Lankan street food dish composed of chopped roti bread girdled and mixed with a spicy curry. Dindigul Thalappakattu Biriyani is another must visit for the fragrant, spicy Dindigul-style of chicken and mutton biriyani. Mike still loves Babu, especially the vadai and the crab curry special (pictured above). Next door in Markham there’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Cantonese cuisine. One of our favourite spots for dim sum and Cantonese seafood is Dragon Boat Fusion, which blends classic favourites along with innovative modern upscale bites. If you get a craving day or night the 24 hour Magic Noodle in Scarborough is the place to go satisfy your craving for springy, chewy and comforting for hand pulled or cut noodles. If you’re in the mood for something spicy Bashu Sichuan is the place to go for layered fiery chile and peppercorn cuisine. There’s also One2Snacks, one of our favourite Malaysian takeout counters in the city. The best laksa hands down. Also worth a visit is the Lebanese bakeryshop Patisserie Royale (get lots of swar). A couple other places we didn’t mention are Lucullus for the best char siu bao and egg tart in the GTA and Dayali for Peking duck. Where else? Where would you tour some of the world’s best chefs? – Suresh and Mike Kuidaore – ‘To eat oneself bankrupt’. The Kuidaore food and drink podcast is a celebration of epicurism. Hosted by Mike Di Caro and Suresh Doss. Subscribe to us on itunes.  The post Kuidaore: Where should chefs eat during Terroir appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

After a bitterly cold and seeming endless winter, spring has now arrived in Southern Ontario. While some listen for the first song of migrating birds and others await that first patio beer as signs of spring, I look beyond those harbingers to avoid the dreaded false start. For me the never fail sign that spring has arrived and is here to stay are outdoor farmers’ markets. Over the past week those markets have emerged and delivered on our call for salvation like Bruce Wayne to Commissioner Gordon’s bat signal. This past week has brought fiddleheads, spot prawns and ramps—a trifecta of spring delights that would bring a wide grin across the face on any northern food lover. In the podcast we break down what they are, why that trio of beauties signals a season of great local eats to come and what to them them once you’ve brought your bounty home from the market. On the Podcast we talked about properly  preparing fiddleheads. Here are Health Canada’s tips on how to enjoy your fiddleheads without getting sick. We had an in-depth talk on the sustainability of ramps. A few years back the NY Times published a great article exploring that very issue which you can read here and Suresh mentioned a pickled ramp  recipe from Momofuku which you can find here. We love live spot prawns but as we talked about one the podcast they take a little extra care beyond a typical shrimp. Here’s a primer that will ensure you get the best spot prawn dish when you’re ready to enjoy them. Kuidaore – ‘To eat oneself bankrupt’. The Kuidaore food and drink podcast is a celebration of epicurism. Hosted by Mike Di Caro and Suresh Doss. Subscribe to us on itunes.  The post Kuidaore: Spring is here appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

We’re back with another episode of our food and drink podcast, focusing on all things delicious in the province.  In this episode, we take a look at the current state of food events in the province, the pros and cons of IBM’s cognitive cooking program, really tasty biryani, and new openings. Also, Mike tries a new ‘orange’ wine from an Ontario winery, and David eats his way through Scarborough again.  Above is a video that we refer to on the podcast about the recent cognitive cooking event.  Places mentioned on the podcast; Barque Smoke house, Thalappakattu biryani (3850 Finch Ave East), and Magic Noodle.  We also asked our listeners to chime in with their recent food festival experiences. What stood out, what do you like/dislike about food events, and what do you want to see in 2015? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. Participants; Mike Di Caro, David Ort, Suresh Doss. Producer: Matt Mark Thanks for listening.   The post Spotlight Food and Drink Podcast. Episode 2 appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

We wanted to kick off 2015 by bringing back our podcast series, focusing on food and drink in the province. We hope you enjoy the first episode.  For our first episode, we look back at 2014 and our most memorable food and drink experiences, we argue about restaurant decor and those annoying edison light bulbs you see everywhere. Mike and David ponder alcohol retail change in Ontario, and talk about recent hidden gems while exploring Scarborough and Mississauga. We also announced our first contest of the year with a pretty cool prize pack. Listen and you can learn how to win 2 tickets to the sold-out Steam Whistle winter craft beer festival this weekend, along with the plenty more Ottolenghi book, and a dining gift card. So listen, and leave a comment in the thread to enter.  Participants; Mike Di Caro, David Ort, Suresh Doss. Producer: Matt Mark Thanks for listening.   The post Spotlight Food and Drink Podcast. Episode 1 appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

Last week Charleston chef Sean Brock visited Toronto to participate in a Q&A at George Brown College. The celebrated Southern chef spent a few days eating through the city (he was spotted at Momofuku and Santouka getting his ramen fix) and mingling with local chefs. Brock has a new cookbook out (Heritage) and last Monday, Alison Fryer (formerly of the now defunct Cookbook Store) interviewed Brock in front of a packed room of George Brown culinary students, media, chefs and cooks. Some came from as far as Niagara to hear Brock speak. During the hour-long conversation, Brock touched on everything from his upbringing, to falling in love with Southern cooking and heirloom ingredients, and how he runs his restaurants in Charleston and Nashville.  You can find the full audio here if the embed below doesn’t work. The next night, Brock hosted a popup event at P&L burger on Queen West in collaboration with exec chef Matty Matheson. Approximately 150 lined up for a small menu of Brock’s fried chicken and the Husk cheeseburger. The recipe for the cheeseburger is in the book, and its easy enough to re-create at home. The’s a version of the fried chicken, in the book. It was some of the best I’ve had in recent memory, incredibly moist with a crunchy skin that had some smoked paprika/nutty notes to it. Brock’s recipe in Heritage requires a tea brine for the chicken and then cooking it in chicken fat, lard and canola oil. Epicurious posted it online. You can purchase Sean Brock’s new cookbook Heritage here. Bits > Interesting and tasting, casually chronicling where we’re eating, and what we’re eating.  The post Bits: Sean Brock Visit to Toronto; Chef Talk + Popup Event appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

Last night, George Brown College hosted acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse for a conversation about food and the global dining scene.  In a packed auditorium of student cooks and chefs, Montreal chef Chuck Hughes (Garde Manger, Le Bremner) spoke to Duccase about his approach to opening restaurants around the world, where he’s heading next next, and what exactly is “glocal” cuisine. During the hour long chat, Ducasse also touched on how he maintains his impressive palate, and  ‘naturalism’ cuisine — the focus of his restaurant in his Hotel Plaza Athénée restaurant. We’ve got the full audio and it’s worth a listen, especially to hear what Ducasse thinks about opening a restaurant in Canada, and the role of female chefs in the industry. You can find the audio here if the embed below doesn’t work. The audio kicks off with chef and director of George Brown culinary programs John Higgins, and then follows with Hughes diving into conversation with Ducasse. Note: a translator was present. Reminder; the second part of Ducasse’s stint at the George Brown is tonight. French Culinary Market The next night, GB will be hosting a walk-around food market featuring French inspired dishes by 15 (yes 15!) local celebrity chefs, including Jason Bangerter of Langdon Hall, Alexandra Feswick of The Drake, and Anthony Walsh of Oliver & Bonacini. Guest of honour of course will be Ducasse. We’re told that the event will culminate in an important announcement regarding the training of future generations of George Brown College culinary students. Thursday, October 16, 2014. Grand Atrium, 300 Adelaide St. E., Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Tickets for the French Culinary Market are available at $75 online. The post In Conversation with Alain Ducasse Recap – Audio appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

After the great response we got for our first roundtable podcast, we got together for another to reflect on what were up to in February, to discuss articles and conversations that caught our interest and fill to you in what we'll be up to in the coming weeks. You can find our first roundtable podcast here. Spotlight Toronto Roundtable Podcast – Episode 2; You will need a flash player to listen to the podcast. You can also directly download it here. Suresh and Michael just came-off a weekend at Cuvée, the Ontario wine industry awards where winemakers judge peer-submitted wines and honour those that represent excellence in the Ontario wine industry. You can see all the winners here. Michael also follow-up Cuvée by attending the Experts' Tasting at Brock. This excellent invite only tasting gathers those in the wine industry for an afternoon of exploration and education in VQA wines. David and Suresh talked about their 24 hour round trip to Montreal to attend the launch of chef Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack cookbook. Above you'll see a video highlighting some of the antics at the party. We talked about some exceptional meals we had last month at Keriwa Café, Hopgood's Foodliner, Hockley Valley Resort and Gusto 101. Suresh led a conversation about the no reservation policy at some Toronto resturants inspired by this article and how it might be time to start revisiting it. Michael talked about winemaker Thomas Bachelder's new Chardonnay project and got the inside scoop about what happened from Rick VanSickle when the Oregon wine was pulled from LCBO shelves. Mark talked to us about terroir in Scotch based on these comments from the owner of Bruichladdich. The discussion centered on how tradition more than the climatic differences in the regions themselves has the biggest impact on flavour. David led a group conversation regarding Dish Duel and talked to one of its co-founders about the competition, what its aim is and about the critical discussion it sparked on Twitter. Michael talked to the group about the phenomenon that's engrossing the Twitter wine community Jonathan Wilson's and Joel Wilcox's Marc Madness aka #marcmad. Michael talked to co-creator Joel about the origin of the competition and how the format has evolved this year. We closed the podcast talking about what to look for from Spotlight in March, including: a GwaiLo preview dinner, more Metropasser installments and a couple of new columns involving your kitchen, as well as wine in restaurants. Also look for a guide to St. Patrick's Day with a possible Tweet-up, another Food Truck Eats event at the University of Toronto and our next staff tasting involving take out Sushi. Speaking of, we're taking suggestions for this so feel free to chime-in using the #sushigoTO on Twitter or take it to our Facebook page. We always appreciate your comments, suggestion and feedback so if you have something you'd like us to explore in March's podcast please feel free to reach out to us. Thanks for listening. The post Spotlight Roundtable Podcast – Episode 2 appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

One of the most popular questions we get asked at Spotlight Toronto is what have you been up to that really stood out? With that in mind we gathered some of our staff for the first monthly Spotlight Toronto roundtable podcast. What we're hoping to do is highlight some of the great food, events and wines we've experienced over the past month. We're also looking to talk about some interesting food and cultural topics on people's minds in the city. And we might also share some of the more interesting news and articles we've come across with the aim of furthering the discussion. But we don't just want the podcast to be a discussion amongst ourselves, so if something piqued your interest by all means please comment on the post, email, tweet or comment on our Facebook wall. Even better if you have a topic or suggestion for a future podcast we'd love to hear it—after all Spotlight Toronto is as much yours as it is ours. You will need a flash player to listen to the podcast. You can also directly download it here. In this podcast we talked about our January adventures in Niagara including Michael's broken arm and experience during the Icewine Festival and Winter WineFest. We also shared some of our favourite dining experiences including Yours Truly and chef Nick Liu's last days as head chef at Niagara St. Café. We discussed one of the most heated topics for local Toronto food lovers—Winterlicious. The prix fixe promotion featuring 175 of the city's restaurants is a decade old and still going strong. We talked about some of qualms people have with it and the alternative movement that has sprung up since its success. We also delved into the love-hate relationship that both the city's serious eaters and restaurant staff have with it. David shared some of his thoughts about judging last year's and being in the audience for this year's S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition. Suresh chatted with Chris McDonald of Cava Restaurant during the recent Groundhog day Challenge hosted by the event. One of the most interesting things we came across was Renée Suen's experiential article based on a 12-hour stage at top Toronto restaurant Splendido. It generated a lot of discussion regarding whether it's beneficial for a food writer to have experience in the kitchen. During the podcast we had an in-depth discussion on food writers and staging. We closed with some things to look forward to from Spotlight Toronto in February including: a new edition of Suresh's A Messy Kitchen featuring tacos and a new Metropasser from David. There will also be the debut of a couple new wine columns. Also be on the look out for some off the beaten path Valentine's Day suggestions, a Jamaican patty tasting and a takeout sushi tasting. The post Spotlight Roundtable Podcast – Episode 1 appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.

If you haven't been to Niagara wine country or in the past five years now is the time. There are more wineries than ever, quality has consistently improved and with Brock's CCOVI and Niagara College's Viticulture and Technology program now in their fifteenth year and eleventh year respectively, the pool of highly-educated local talent has never been stronger. With that in mind we brought a small group of some of the younger members of Niagara's wine industry around a table for a candid conversation. We talked about what got them interested in making wine, some of the important lessons they've learned, some of the challenges Niagara wine faces and where they see the industry going in the next few years. This is the first of a series of podcasts we're planning for 30 Days of Local Wine this year. After all, the best ways to find out about the current state of local wines and where they might be going is to have a conversation with the passionate people behind them. Below is a brief bio of the participants. Feel free to continue the conversation with them and us on Twitter using the #30DaysONwine hash tag. Andréa Glass Winemaker Good Earth Vineyard and Winery Twitter: @GoodEarthGlass Andréa is a born and bread native of Niagara with grape growing in her blood—her family's farm has been growing grapes in the region for many years. The graduate of Niagara College's Winery and Viticulture Technology program has harvest experience in Niagara, Argentina and California. Andréa's knowledge and passion for wine, craft beer and good food is only exceed by her quick wit. Shauna White Associate Winemaker Ravine Vineyards Estate Winery Shauna grew-up in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley and always felt at home amongst the vines on her grandparents' vineyard now turned winery Sperling Vineyards. White came to Ontario to pursue that passion and attend Niagara College's Winery and Viticulture Technology program. After graduating she gained harvest experience in Niagara, Australia, Chablis, New Zealand and Oregon. White is the associate winemaker who alongside consulting winemaker Peter Gamble, crafts the wines at the celebrated Ravine Vineyards. Lawrence Buhler Winemaker Peller Estates Winery Twitter: @Lazza99 If there's one word to sum-up Lawrence Buhler it's humble. After graduating from Brock University's CCOVI program in 2002 Buhler joined Peller Estates as assistant winemaker in 2003. He quickly worked his way to the head winemaking position two years later. The award-winning winemaker firmly believes good wine is made in the vineyard and is passionate about Niagara's ability to grow world class wine. Will Roman Operations Manager Rosewood Estates Winery and Meadery Twitter: @willsroman You'll mostly likely find Will Roman tending to the vines at his family's estate winery where he'll happily explain to anyone who inquires exactly what he's doing to get the best grapes from the vines. The recent Niagara College Winery and Viticulture Technology program graduate has harvest experience in Niagara and BC's Okanagan Valley. As a third generation beekeeper Roman is equally passionate about the mead and honey Rosewood also produces. 30daysONWine, Day 3 – Podcast The post 30DaysONWine, Day 3 – Podcast – Niagara’s Next Generation of Winemakers appeared first on Spotlight Toronto.