I had the immense pleasure of being invited to another outstanding edition of Terroir Symposium in Toronto. What an amazing day we had with fabulous chefs and speakers who came from all over Canada, the United States, and the world.
I was mostly impressed with Gérard Mathar, who flew all the way from Gaspésie in Quebec to show us how he forages the many wild products, herbs, mushrooms, seaweeds, and roots he sends to Chefs, as John Winter Russell cooked incredible wild bites to sample. I had never tasted lichen before and I loved it!
Crunchy and savoury with some wild sumac and a bit of yogurt.
The strawberries were served with celery root and seaweeds from the St-Laurent River, which created quite a sensational and unexpected taste.
Most impressive, this cake was presented on a sweet cream of porcini mushrooms, that tasted a little like nougat, with a caramelized chanterelle.
I went from the main room, where sensational speakers—such as Daniel Boulud (Chez Boulud, NY&Toronto), David Chang (Momofoku NY&Toronto), Normand Laprise (Toqué! and Brasserie T!, Montreal), Albert Adrià (Barcelona, Spain), Amanda Cohen (Dirt Candy, NY), David McMilllan, and Fred Morin (Joe Beef, Liverpool & Vin Papillon, Montreal)—captivated the audience, to the food demos and wine workshops featuring some of the world’s best sommeliers, all women! And amazing Ontario wines.
With world champion sommelier Véronique Rivest, who will soon open her own wine bar in Gatineau.
The next day, we all went on a tour of the Niagara region and I have to say that I was most impressed by the chefs who presented their savoir-faire at Dillon's Distillery and Ravine Winery.
Delicious food from Tide and Wine—smoked oysters on a fresh soda biscuit, wild mushrooms mini-burger, smoked trout with Niagara walnuts from Spencer's in Burlington, 63 degrees Lake land chicken eggs with cured halibut, wild leek salsa verde and perch bottarga from Wellington Court Restaurant, seared scallops, foraged wild asparagus, candied bacon and quail egg from Adam Hynam-Smith - El Gastronomo Vagabondo.
I could tell you more, but I will leave it as a mouthwatering piece, hoping it will inspire you foodies to join us next year! The event was sold-out, so make sure you book early!
Congratulations Arlene, Ivy, and Alessandro and all the team for another outstanding edition of Terroir! I came back home so inspired!!
Big thank you to the state of the art Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto for such a comfortable and luxurious stay.
Want to try whipping up a gourmet meal at home? With these 5 ingredients you can turn an ordinary meal into a decadent dinner in less than 30 minutes, or you can try these 3 Great Ways To Enjoy Lobster.
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