Toronto, Canada
So when I held the contest for my +1 at the Jamie Kennedy Open Kitchen event I wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen. I knew Google was sponsoring it but I didn’t think much about it because when Jamie Kennedy invites you somewhere…you go.
Besides the Group of 7 Chefs were cooking, a group of 7 Toronto chefs, all friends who host monthly events. The idea was to spotlight local food something that unites the group.
First up was Matty Matheson from Parts and Labour serving pulled asian beef on a bakery bun, which is all to say the best bahn mi-style sandwich I have ever had. I had never heard about Parts and Labour but I need to eat more of Matty’s food.
Mark Cutrara from Cowbell served Ontario pork terrine with cider aspic. I’m not the biggest fan of terrine but I discovered that Cowbell doesn’t have a menu, simply a chalkboard that reflects what is seasonal and available at the time.
Others shared that Mark is really committed to local, organic food and also using the entire animal to minimize waste. I will definitely be eating there soon.
The biggest find of the night was Marc from Earth and his amazingly friendly girlfriend Skye. She helped him make the steamed pork buns that enveloped the slow roasted boar belly and northern woods mushrooms.
Skye also shared stories about how they met and how me makes her delicious lunch every day. All I kept wondering was, now how do I get one of these?
I’m not sure it’s through online dating.
I’m not going to lie, when I saw that Scott Vivian from Beast was serving fish I was a bit disappointed. Sure I had just eaten an entire pig at Beast, him but the man knows how to cook meat and I wanted more of it. His smoked akiwenzie lakefish was quite nice, it was atop fruit which was a nice sweet balance to the fish.
I shamefully did not get a photo of Kevin McKenna also from Earth but it really is not my fault. Once I discovered he was serving tartare I had other things on my mind. Here the elk tartare was served with foraged wild leeks and red fife bread.
My +1 Teresa loved the Chris Brown’s foraged stinging nettle gnocchi and was contemplating how she could smuggle more home. Chris runs really interesting programs like the Food for Change at the community food centre The Stop and (hint) hopefully will soon hold a gnocchi cooking class for Teresa.
And finally Bertrand Alépée from The Tempered Chef. I met him two years ago with Kaori and he made a pulled pork sandwich that I still think about today.
I’m not sure if it’s because he is French and has that charm but I have a chef crush on him and feel like a schoolgirl around him – unusually quiet and completely awkward. I’m more comfortable admiring him from afar and his food very near.
And while brown food does not photograph well, you must trust me that his duck confit cassoulet with navy beans was delicious but then again, you would never expect anything less from a French chef.
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I'm Ayngelina and in my mid-thirties. I left an amazing job, boyfriend, apartment and friends to find inspiration in Latin America. I'm creating a new life choosing what I want instead of what other people think I should do.
Nice, all the food displayed here looks simply mouthwatering!
Edible Toronto seems very yummy! This is a cool concept. We had a similar thing but in a underground market form (not contest) before in San Francisco to showcase local food too. Unfortunately it was shut down after it got too popular.
Annie – FootTracker recently posted..#1 Hot Chocolate in Town
This event was called Open Kitchen but actually I’ve seen that we also have an underground market too, I haven’t been able to get there…yet.
Beef on a bakery bun looks super nom nom! And spotlighting local food with a monthly event like this is an excellent idea!
Oh yeah Matty’s dish was also fantastic, the first one I ate and very hard to top.
I want to marry a chef!
The Travel Chica recently posted..Foto of the Week from … The Middle of the Andes: Lines
The only thing is they have to work nights, weekends and holidays… I should have asked Skye about that part.
Why not just enter into a relationship with the Steamed Bun / Wild Boar sandwich. Remove the middle man (literally).
Caanan @ No Vacation Required recently posted..The Best Washington DC Memorial
True, I could then give up my plight of online dating too…
That all looks so good. The gnocci especially! I’m with your +1 there
I went to Toronto last fall and loved, loved, loved a small place in downtown some friends took us to called “C’est what?”. My very first (and super delicious) poutine.
Sabrina recently posted..Beaches near Rome: Santa Marinella
Oh you went to a great place, C’est What is a fantastic bar with great food. It’s a favourite for many foodies.
My mouth is absolutely, positively drooling!!!!!! What a wonderful event to get invited to! Thanks for sharing via this way. Wish I could’ve been there with you to sample all this delicious looking food!
Courtney Mroch recently posted..The Lost World Beneath the Palatium Cafe and Restaurant
OMG, you lucky girl. Of course you don’t say no when Jamie calls… though everybody of the ‘group of seven chefs’ seems to be equally talented. Oh my, I am going back to my ordinary lunch
Fida recently posted..Breakfast at Tobys
The Group of Seven is new, or at least I didn’t know about them before I left for the trip but it’s exciting to see what a group of such talented people can do for an event.
Wow, that food looks delightful. Really beautifully presented and cooked to perfection… The photography is also top class, nice work.
It’s so easy to shoot food as delicious as this.
What a fun event!
I love tasting foods from different cultures. The filled steam buns look amazing. 
Krista recently posted..Our Lord in the Attic in Amsterdam, Part One
Toronto is full of different cultures and in a way all of the food is so reflective of Toronto melding together.
*sigh* duck confit…how I love thee…Those pork buns look out of this world.
I’ve just turned a nice shade of green envy…
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I hate to say Bertrand was not the best but the pork buns were really my favourite.
Mouth-waaaaterrrring. Dios mío. I just came back from an enormous Spanish feast, and I’m up-to-my-throat stuffed, but if I could reach into your photographs and take some food, I totally would!
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I made the mistake of reading this post on an empty stomach… That food looks so tasty!
And I absolutely fell in love with Toronto when I was there in February! Glad to hear they have such a fantastic culinary scene!
Aaron @ Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures recently posted..The Travesty That Was Christmas Eve in Bethlehem: Part I (The Good)
What a day out! My mouth is watering uncontrollably…
Nothing wrong with that photo at all — duck with navy beans! Oh, I’m salivating. Throw in a French chef and I’m a goner.
The Time-Crunched Traveler (Ellen) recently posted..Why you won’t want to miss Arequipa’s Monasterio de Santa Catalina
You always find the most interesting places to eat, Aynge. And, no matter what food it is, your photographs are always so delicious looking.
Apparently the whole “tattooed-badass-look-chef” has reached Toronto, too! For the pleasure of our taste buds, of course.