Food events/ Meeting celebrity chefs and hosts

Recap of Fall Culinary Events in Toronto and Ottawa

Eat to the Beat 2017

Toronto does not have a shortage of culinary events in the city. Check out my Toronto key websites and event directory, and will see the number of sites that showcase events in the city.

Here is a recap of memorable events in Toronto and Ottawa that I had attended:

Eat to the Beat

Eat to the Beat was a fundraiser to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) that happened on October 17th, 2017 at Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall.  This is the ONLY event in Canada that features 60 females chefs supporting women through the challenges that come with a breast cancer diagnosis.

I brought my mom as my plus-one, and we had a fantastic time eating and drinking. It was all-you-can-eat and drink with the ticket price.

Eat to the Beat 2017 at Roy Thompson Hall

Many of these ladies were Breast Cancer Survivors. They wore “food themed” outfits. Eat to the Beat 2017 at Roy Thompson Hall

The Food Bloggers of Canada Conference (FBC 2017)

The 5th annual FBC conference happened from Oct. 20th to 22nd, 2017 in Ottawa. The conference was located at the Delta Ottawa City Centre; a walking distance to the Parliament buildings and the Byward market.

This was my 2nd year attending (read about FBC2016) and feel that this is a must attend conference for all Canadian food bloggers. The conference is packed with networking opportunities including food bloggers, cookbook authors, TV personalities and sponsors. There were learning sessions on various topics to help bloggers like me improve our craft. As for the food, you can’t have a food bloggers conference without good food and lots of it.  Stay tuned for a post  stating the top 5 tips I have learned from the conference!

As for next year’s conference, instead of having it in one city, founders Ethan and Melissa, alongside Chef/photographer Dennis Prescott, will be travelling to 9 cities across Canada. If you are food blogger who has not attended a conference in the past, this is your chance.

FBC 2017

I’d suggest signing up for the FBC newsletter and never miss an update.

Thank you to FBC and all the sponsors for the swag bag!

FBC2017 Swag Bag

FBC2017 Swag Bag

Taste Canada Awards

The awards gala was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto on Oct. 30th, 2017. The awards celebrated 20 years of recognizing Canada’s world-class culinary writers including cook book authors and bloggers. It was quite the chic event with delicious eats to follow the awards ceremony with chef-led stations such as Chef Jason Bangerter (Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa); Chef Tawfik Shehata (The International Centre); Chef Matt Basile (Fidel Gastro’s); and Chef Vanessa Yeung (Aphrodite Cooks).

Taste Canada Awards 2017

Taste Canada Awards 2017

Gold Winners included:

  • Walt, James. Araxi: Roots to Shoots, Farm-Fresh Recipes. Figure 1, Vancouver (General cookbooks)
  • Duguid, Naomi. Taste of Persia: A Cook’s Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan. ARTISAN (Thomas Allen & Son), Markham (Regional/Cultural Cookbooks)
  • Rabinovitch, Daphna. The Baker in Me. Whitecap Books, Vancouver (Single-subject cookbook)
  • Liddon, Angela. Oh She Glows Every Day: Quick and Simply Satisfying Plant-Based Recipes. Penguin Canada, Toronto (Health and Special Diet Cookbooks)
  • Diversivore, Sean Bromilow http://www.diversivore.com (General food blog category)

Full list of 2017 winners

St. Lawrence Market #Evening At The Market

The event was held on the evening of Nov. 9th, 2017 at the historical St. Lawrence Market with proceeds supporting Second Harvest. The -tickets include all-you-can-eat and drink at the 64 merchants, with live entertainment and chef demos (Video of the 2016 event).

It was my 3rd year attending the packed and sold out event.

Check out http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/ for other events, and buy your tickets early next year.

St. Lawrence Market- #Eveningatthemarket Collage

St. Lawrence Market- #Eveningatthemarket Collage

Aphrodite Cooks “Beer and Food – Dumplings for Duos – Couples Cooking Class”

The cooking class was on Nov. 10th, 2017 at Aphrodite Cooks studio in Toronto. It was a hands-on cooking class for pairs taught by Chef and owner Vanessa Yeung, alongside her assistant instructor Veronica Mal. The menu included ginger chicken pot stickers,  siu mai, and mini coconut tarts. The dishes were paired with beer selections suggested by Vanessa’s  culinary partner Roger Mittag of www.thirstforknowledge.ca.

Chef and owner Vanessa Yeung of Aphrodite Cooks

Chef and owner Vanessa Yeung of Aphrodite Cooks

Aphrodite Cooks "Beer and Food – Dumplings for Duos – Couples Cooking Class"

Aphrodite Cooks “Beer and Food – Dumplings for Duos – Couples Cooking Class”

I loved that the class was hand’s on which is the best way to learn! My husband and I had a really fun date night with a fun group.

Check out https://www.aphroditecooks.com/classes.aspx for more information on her upcoming classes.

Gourmet Food & Wine Expo (GFWE)

The 23rd annual expo happened at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Thurs. Nov. 16th to Sun. Nov. 19th, 2017. The expo offers more than 1,500 wines, beers, spirits and gourmet foods to choose from. Thank you to everyone who entered my contest to win tickets to attend. This event is always a blast!

GFWE 2017

GFWE 2017

Fete Chinoise

On November 18th, 2017, Fête Chinoise was an unforgettable luxury experience at the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto and a cultural encounter designed by the city’s best in events, fashion, food, beauty, design, and photography. The fundraiser benefited The Markham Stouffville Hospital and Fu-Gen Theatre. The event was the nicest charity event that I have ever attended. Stay tuned for a full post on my experience.

Fete Chinoise 2017

These events are worth attending in the future.

I hope to see you at a future event!

*Disclosure: With the exception of FBC2017, I was invited by all the other charities and businesses mentioned. My admission tickets were complimentary to cover the event either on my blog or Instagram. All opinions are my own.

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply