10.30.2013

More From the Delicious Food Show in Toronto

There was so much to see at the Delicious Food Show in Toronto last weekend that we scarcely knew where to begin. A good place to start, however, was the Martha Stewart Living kitchen where Martha and the other celebrity chefs would be cooking and doing demonstrations during this three-day event. The kitchen that was used for this purpose was the Ox Hill model. All of the Martha Stewart Living kitchens are available at Home Depot locations across Canada and everyone in attendance was so impressed by how beautiful they looked. There was another Martha Stewart kitchen called the Lacombe Avenue kitchen - a very sleek and modern kitchen that I really loved. The Ox Hill model is still my favourite from the collection, however. I love the simplicity of the design and the very utilitarian components it offers, such as the very deep counters, the open shelving with brackets and very intricate design details that are hidden behind those closed doors that make for easy storage and organization.
The first chef to take the stage was Chuck Hughes - a French-Canadian television host. He has a television program on the Food Network called "Chuck's Day Off" that is shown on the Cooking Channel in the U.S. Chuck owns two very successful restaurants in Montreal: Garde Manger and Le Bremner, both located in the city's historic district called Old Montreal. The next time I visit, I plan on eating at one of his restaurants. Chuck is certainly an entertainer and has a sort of ''rock star'' quality about him. He is very sexy, to be sure, and his cooking is all about comfort and making his patrons feel good. During his presentation he asked his Aunt Louise to join him on stage, along with a gentleman who was selected at random. They were invited to have a seat and a glass of wine at a table where they would be sampling his cooking. The seemed nervous but happy to be there!
Not too long after Chuck's demonstration, it was Martha's turn to take the stage. Before she came on there was a hive of activity to get everything set up correctly. There were two Kitchenaid mixers and all sorts of bowls of ingredients. It reminded me very much of Martha's old television program and I got all nostalgic. When Martha came on she made very sure that everything was in its proper place and that everything was fully prepared. Her assistant, Thomas Joseph, showed Martha everything and took her through the steps of the presentation before they began. Martha took it from there and aced it.
These were three of the cakes that Martha presented to her fans just after the book signing at the Lacombe Avenue kitchen. Each one looked impeccable!
Indigo books - a large Canadian book store chain - had various cookbooks for sale, including Martha Stewart's Cakes, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and Martha's Entertaining. Martha was only signing the Cakes book at this event but it was nice to have a selection on hand to purchase. All of Martha's books sold out by the end of the day.
Say it With Fruit, a catering company in Toronto that specializes in fruits and vegetables, had these beautiful carved melons on display. Martha enjoyed this booth.
Petite Maison is a wonderful brand that specializes in cheeses and spreads. They had a very nice table with some of their wares, including their famous Brie Baker and sets of cheese knives. They also make aioli, cocktail sauces, mustards and jams.
I had a few samples at this booth - Superior Meats. Their shop is located on Dundas Street in Toronto and they have an enormous selection of cured meats, sausages and cheeses.
Everywhere we turned there were booths filled with ''good things'' to sample and buy. We left with quite a hefty bag of goodies, from hummus to chocolate brownies!
I am not a coffee drinker, but I thought this coffee stand was really cute: an old trailer with a glowing sign you could see from across the entire venue.
Everywhere there was food being made to order. There was even a section of local food trucks that had been brought indoors to serve the lunch crowd. We left feeling full and happy! We'll be back next year!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess there was no photo snapping during the MS presentation?

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Did you see the previous post? Lots of photos of Martha during her presentation.

Anonymous said...

Those cakes look amazing.

Heather said...

That was the weekend of a large work event I coordinate and I was sad not to go. We are so lucky to live in such a large city centre and have access to so many amazing places and events!