Having your CakeStar and Eat it too!

How sweet it is. In a great leap of faith, two sisters who have spent their lifetime growing up in a family bakery business, decided it was time to take their own pathway in the world of baked confectionery. Located down in the rapidly reviving 'hood of Mimico/Long Branch/New Toronto, along the section of the Lakeshore we just call "the 'shore", you'll find a sweet, sweet spot called CakeStar.

The Flower is on the Bloom

The flower is definitely back on The Bloom on Bloor Street. I used to be fairly regular at this Bloor West destination but dining competition is fierce and it after a few visits at Bloom the menu lost its lustre for me. Then the lovely Mary Luz Mejia of Sizzling Communications, invited me to what I refer to as a "soft re-opening" of the restaurant for the local Tweeps and social media food goonies. How could I possibly turn that invite down?
A night to hang with my sisters in food crimes! I was so down with that.

Welcome to the Death Row Supper Club....reservations anyone?

Sounds kind of ominous....the Death Row Supper Club.....

Supper clubs have become an underground food phenomenon where a bunch of people, most of whom don't know each other, buy up tickets (usually online) for an evening of dining, organized privately, often hosted by a Chef, in a private location. In Toronto the most well known supper club is Charlie's Burger, a dining club I might add, that actually asks you to fill out an application for consideration for the invite list. Tickets are usually on a first come, first serve basis, involve cash and in many cases there is often a BYOW option.

La Vida Es Buena

Life is good. That is the translation of this latest installment of CoopSpeak Eats. Kensington Market is one of my happy places. Walking around there, even on a winter's day is like going into sensory overload. I always make sure to carry some extra shopping totes with me when I head through the streets. What can I say, I'm just a weakling when you put me on to these streets. Meat, cheese, fish, spices, baked goods and then your nose takes over. Akram's for Lahm Pies, Strawberry Baklava and Turkish Delights made with Rosewater. Meats at Pete Sanagan's, slabs of pie from Wanda's Pie in the Sky or empanadas from Jumbo Empanadas. These are my kind of streets. I feel very at home here on Augusta, Kensington and Baldwin Streets. As as kid, who grew up in the heart of the city, shopping on these corners was just a part of life. Now being in the 'burbs, while it might seem like an effort to haul ass down there, it is simply worth every single sight, sound, smell, taste and flavour.

When You Wish Upon a Michelin Star.....

Being awarded a Michelin star is to a chef what snagging a Grammy is to a rock star. It is the benchmark that says not only have you arrived but hot damn you are simply one of the best in the business. So when I got an invite from MaryLuz Mejia, of Sizzling Communications, to to sit in on a dinner up at the Stratford Chefs School being cooked by Michelin Star Chef Alexandre Gauthier, I started babbling and giggling moving straight into my food groupie mode. I felt like someone just handed me a pair of front row tickets for a Bon Jovi concert. Ok, ok, I know, I'm a middle aged broad, but Jon Bon Jovi still does it for me. Chefs are the food rock stars of my life.

Comfort Food with Pure Elegance

I love risotto. It is though, a labour of love to make it and it is a dish that while preparing you just cannot turn your back on. Once you the start the cooking process risotto becomes about as high maintenance as it gets but if you do it right it is pure food love and comfort on a dish. My favorite risotto of all time (forgive me Iron Chef, Mario Batali, it isn't your Risotto Milanese!) is a fragrant Wild Mushroom Risotto, inspired by the mushrooms of northwestern Italy.