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TORONTO’S TOP CULINARY FUNDRAISER CELEBRATES 20DELECTABLE YEARS

Willow’s Eat to the Beat – Roy Thomson Hall – Tuesday, October 27 – 7pm

More information or purchase your ticket(s) at Eat to the Beat

Sixty top female chefs have signed up to lend their support to make the 20th Anniversary of Willow’s
Eat to the Beat an evening not to be missed. The event, which will take place on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 7 pm at Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe Street, Toronto) benefits Willow Breast & Hereditary Support, a not-for-profit organization that offers free peer support to anyone coping with breast cancer. Tickets are $175 (with a tax receipt) and include all food and beverages.

“Willow’s role in a person’s journey with breast cancer and other hereditary forms of cancer is undeniably important in making sure caring and compassionate support and valuable information is there when they need it most,” states Karen Malone, Executive Director of Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support. “Proceeds raised from Eat to the Beat go directly to our programs and services that Willow offers which are vital in ensuring that women and their families are supported throughout every stage of the individual’s diagnosis and treatment.”

Guests will have access to 60 female chefs, who are donating their time and talent for the event, and will tantalize guests by personally preparing their delectable specialties on-site. Mouthwatering sweet and savory delicacies, premium beers, wines and spirits will prove irresistible temptations for Toronto’s foodies and Willow supporters and will be set up around Roy Thomson’s Hall’s outer lobby while Toronto band Arden & The Tourists perform.

“Celebrating 20 years is a significant milestone in the history of Eat to the Beat and we are so grateful to our participating chefs, sponsors and supporters who have helped to make Eat to the Beat Toronto’s must-attend culinary event and fundraiser over the years,” says Barbara Track, Eat to the Beat Co-Chair.

Chefs that have signed up to date include: Sandra Abballe (Succulent Chocolates); Wanda Beaver (Wanda’s Pie in the Sky); Renée Bellefeuille (Art Gallery of Ontario); Arvinda Chauhan (Arvinda’s); Kyla Eaglesham (Madeleines Cherry Pie and Ice Cream); Alexandra Feswick (The Drake Hotel); Bonnie Gordon (Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts); Kimberly Humby (East & Main Bistro/Pomodoro); Anna Janes (Cocomira Confections); Leyla Kizilimak (Art Square Gallery and Café); Jacqueline Lo (Ruelo Patisserie); Kimberley Lugsdin (Catering by Kimberley); Joshna Maharaj (Ryerson University); Erin Marcus (Ace Bakery); Joan Monfaredi (Park Plaza Hotel); Catherine O’Donnell (Willow Cakes and Pastries); Angela Panigas (The Sultan's Tent & Café Moroc); Jennifer Perusini (BerBer Social); Karen Rachlin (Bite Catering); Emily Richards (Professional Home Economist); Dufflet Rosenberg (Dufflet Pastries); Trista Sheen (Crush Wine Bar); Lili Sullivan (Waupoos Winery); Karen Viva-Haynes (Viva Tastings); Vanessa Yeung (Aphrodite Cooks); and many more.

“Our participating chefs, many of whom have been with us from our early days, are planning exquisite culinary treats to commemorate our 20th anniversary of women helping women in support of Willow,” adds Cathy Park, who is co-chairing Eat to the Beat.

Started 20 years ago by Lisa and Abby Slater, Eat to the Beat has raised more than $3.7 million for Willow. In keeping with tradition and adding a bit of sass with class, the event will also feature breast cancer survivors modelling original food-inspired corsets that they have created.

About Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support

Willow Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support, founded in 1994, is a national not-for-profit organization that provides free support, insight and information to anyone affected by breast or hereditary cancer, including those at high risk. From the individual diagnosed, to family and caregivers, Willow endeavours to ensure that no one needs to face it alone. For more information please visit www.willow.org.

** Photography provided courtesy of Willow’s Eat to the Beat **

I've mentioned this in an earlier post before, but there is a serious lack of options in Mississauga other than tons of chains. I was craving for some fried chicken one night, and my options were either Popeyes, or K-Pocha. Of course, I chose K-Pocha, as I wanted to try a new place. K-Pocha is a late night Korean restaurant & pub in Mississauga that specializes in Korean style chicken. I have been a fan of Korean fried chicken since I first had it at The Fry. The menu was of course heavily concentrated on fried chicken, but they do offer some standard Korean dishes like bulgogi, rice cakes, pork belly, etc ... In regards to the prices, I would say that their food was fairly priced, as it was definitely cheaper than both The Fry, and Home of Hot Taste.

In order to ensure the crispiness of the skin, Korean fried chicken are deep fried twice. This way of deep frying also creates a lot less grease all over the chicken. Looking through the menu, we decided to order the half spicy, half fried option ($21), and an order of crispy french fries ($5). The chicken took a bit of time to come out, but that was understandable as they are made fresh to order. In terms of presentation, both chicken were plated together with a few pieces of crispy fries. Nothing too special, but it was piping hot (just the way I like it). The fried chicken at K-Pocha had a nice crispy skin, and the meat itself was juicy. It wasn't heavy, or greasy at all, which was a great alternative to the greasiness of western chicken. I preferred the fried chicken over their spicy chicken, which I didn't think was spicy enough. I liked the taste of the sweet glaze, but I wished that it had provided a little more kick.

The overall atmosphere was good for large groups, and they also had a few private booths on the side for a more intimate dining experience. The one thing that surprised me most was that they don't refill the kimchi at all. I have never been to a Korean establishment where they don't refill the bachan, or this case ... just a tiny bowl of kimchi. I just thought that was super stingy of K-Pocha, cause it was something that was unheard of. However, this doesn't deter me from returning to K-Pocha, as I did liked their fried chicken, and they are one of the few options in Mississauga that offers it.

I had the opportunity to attend a tour of this lovely neighborhood called “The Upper Beaches" about two weeks ago. The neighborhood had an abundance of small and indie shops, and there was a sense of belonging to a community, as shop owners and locals knew one another. I joined a small group of bloggers, and we visited a couple of the shops in the neighborhood, where we got to meet and chat with the respective local business owners. We also traveled in style - in a limo.

One of the stops was to The Beech Tree for a quick dinner; it's a restaurant along Kingston Road offering traditional pub fare. Robert Maxwell, owner, quit his job as a former analyst, to open up his own restaurant after realizing his culinary dreams. Despite being a first-time restaurateur, he has succeeded in creating a warm space where people could enjoy "comforting and accessible food made with good ingredients and flair." The Beech Tree specializes in creating from-scratch dishes that are made with locally sourced ingredients, and providing customers with an exceptional dining experience. I liked that the menu incorporate inspirations from British, Italian, and French cuisines, but they do add a more Ontario-centric interpretations of these dishes.

Click here to read more about the Streetcar Developments Upper Beaches Tour that I had to opportunity to attend.

London Calling - London dry gin, Pimms, St. Germain Elder flower liquour, lemon juice, garnished with a lemon twist, and rosemary, and House-infused hot pepper tequila margarita with fresh Ontario peach puree, salt/sugar rim

Gnocchi - The gnocchi is house-made traditionally with potato, tossed with a sweet corn puree, and garnished with marinated zucchini, feta, and a fennel bread crumble

Charcuterie Board - Everything on the charcuterie board was made in house; pork rillettes, the pork and walnut terrine, pork and herb terrine, the air-cured duck ham, chicken liver parfait, apricot chutney, and turmeric Dijon


Short Rib - 36 hour sous-vide short rib with deep-fried broccoli, sherry vinegar, and roasted king oyster mushroom, topped with a caper and raisin dressing Disclaimer: The food provided in this post were complimentary. However, all of the opinions expressed in this review are of my own.

Toronto restaurant Gangster Burger announced today a partnership with artist Mark Liam Smith that will transform the burger joint into a fine art gallery in time for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche on October 3, 2015.

Gangster Burger is located on Queen West, just steps away from a high concentration of the exhibitions that will mark Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, the free all-night contemporary art event.

“The past two years, we’ve loved serving the masses of art aficionados who stop in during Nuit Blanche. This year, we’re looking forward to feeding their appreciation of arttoo. We see our burgers as art, and we can’t wait to see howMark Liam Smith translates that to canvas,” said Gangster Burger owner Lee Baxter.

Smith will begin painting several larger-than-life Gangster Burgers in hyperrealistic detail over the course of the next few months. The paintings represent a continuation of hisbody of work, entitled Fast Food, Slow Art, in which he elevates the iconic fast food meal to the status of subject for mindful contemplation.

“The guys at Gangster Burger are artists too. Their attention to detail, from concept to execution, separates them from the other burger joints. Together, we are blurring the lines between the culinary and the visual arts in a way that is new and exciting,” said Smith.

Smith’s body of paintings (markliamsmith.com) has already garnered the attention of gallerists: Ceci n’est pas un burger was exhibited by The Black Cat gallery earlier this year and has recently been featured alongside another painting, Big Bacon Burger, in the 2015 fall/winter Fleck Contemporary Fine Art Magazine.

Smith’s painting of The Escobar, Gangster Burger’s homage to the infamous Colombian drug lord, will be unveiled on October 3, 2015, at 607 Queen Street West.

About Gangster Burger

Gangster Burger opened on Queen Street West in September 2012. The restaurant, known for its gourmet burgers and gangster-themed branding, is owned by Lee Baxter, who also owns the tattoo and piercing shop FY Ink across the street and Hardknocks Boxing Club at Queenand Dufferin.

Social Media:

Website @ http://www.markliamsmith.com/

@markliamsmith on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter