This local entrepreneur is making natural and sustainable hand sanitizer

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12:07 pm

A hand sanitizer company may seem like an obvious idea for 2020, the year of COVID-19, but Amy Welsman, founder of natural and sustainable hand sanitizer brand Paume, actually came up with the idea well before the start of the pandemic.

Welsman says it all started when she gave birth to her daughter in early 2019.

“When I brought my daughter home from the hospital, my husband and I immediately went out and bought all this hand sanitizer because you just become so aware of germs and people coming in to visit your baby and you just want to wrap them in bubble wrap,” she says.

She was using sanitizer so much at the time that she started noticing some things about the product itself.

“I found that the formulations I used were really harsh on my skin. It was a very utilitarian product, so it was packaged very plainly and not very sustainably, and it didn’t smell very good,” she recalls. “There wasn’t really a brand at the time that was trying to create a pleasant experience. If it’s something we’re going to use a lot of in our daily lives, why not make it nice and esthetically appealing and sustainable.”

At the time, Welsman had no idea just how much people would begin to use hand sanitizer, but a few months later when the pandemic arrived, she felt it was a sign that she should get started on turning that idea into a business.

Since Welsman wanted her product to be made of ingredients that would be good for skin, along with packaging that is multi-use, refillable and made of recycled materials, she says the process of creating the product took a bit of time and planning.

“I had to do a custom formula . . . and to source packaging from different suppliers because I had different needs than just a regular brand,” she says.

After months of back and forth with suppliers, Welsman had it: an effective but moisturizing hand sanitizer with a pleasant scent called Paume, available in reusable and recyclable options for home, office and travel use.

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A post shared by PAUME Hand Sanitizer (@mypaume)

This isn’t Welsman’s first attempt at entrepreneurial work. She was Canadian brand Knix’s first employee and worked on marketing and building Knix’s wholesale channel during her four years there. She says that, while she was in high school at Bishop Strachan School, she didn’t really know what she wanted to do with her life but says she always had a “subconsciously entrepreneurial spirit.”

“I started a little side business when I was working in my early 20s. I was reselling designer handbags on eBay for people,” she says. “It’s funny now that I look back on things like that. I think I’m just one of those people that, if I’ve wanted something in my life, I’ve been sort of resourceful to get it, and that’s part of being entrepreneurial.”

Welsman says that, although it may sound clichéd, you have to really believe in yourself to be able to start your own business.

“At the time, when I thought of this, I was thinking, ‘How can I actually do this when I know nothing?’ And it’s amazing how quickly you can learn and how possible things are,” she says.

Paume is available in Canada and the U.S. at mypaume.ca and will be fully in stock by late January.

Sweaty Betty’s fundraiser tops $20,000 after one day and could save bar from closing

By

Ron Johnson

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8:30 am

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This week, Toronto was greeted with the news that another beloved local bar and restaurant is closing down. Sweaty Betty’s on Ossington is a COVID-19 casualty, but since the news hit a fundraising campaign has picked up speed and could save the 17-year-old institution.

“With the case numbers climbing in Ontario still, I realized that the lockdown is likely going to extend longer than we originally predicted when they first shut the bar down at the beginning of December,” owner Mary Brand says. “And there’s only so long the bar can go being closed completely. I really have exhausted all of the options on my end, every type of loan and government support, and it’s just not enough.”

Brand’s friend, a hairstylist across the street from Sweaty Betty’s at Parlour, convinced her to start a GoFundMe, asking the community to help keep the bar afloat.

“I was really reluctant. I didn’t want to ask for help because I know everybody is struggling right now, not just me. But I felt like I’d run out of options, and there shouldn’t be any shame in asking for help when you need it,” Brand says. “Friends and staff had been mentioning setting up a GoFundMe to me since the first lockdown, and I was set against it. I really don’t like asking for help. I’m the kind of person who likes to take care of things on my own.”

In the end, though, Brand changed her tune at her friend’s insistence.

“She convinced me that we really didn’t have anything to lose and that offering people the chance to help out, letting the community come together, would really be something meaningful,” she says.

The GoFundMe garnered tons of support. Brand is beloved in the LGBTQ+ community and in the bar industry. She has supported various charities over the years, and it was now her turn to receive the love she gave to the community.

“It’s just been mind-blowing, really, to see how many people care and made the effort and offer their hard-earned money when I know none of us have much right now. It’s just meant more to me than I can possibly say,” Brand says.

She says the full amount of $50,000 will save Sweaty Betty’s and it is currently at more than $21,000 after one day.

Sweaty Betty’s has been on Ossington for 17 years, and Brand herself has been in the industry for 20 years. Pandemic struggles, of course, are unprecedented, but Brand is grateful that she can rely on a little bit of help from her family and friends.

“No one ever predicted we could be in a position like this,” she says. “I know bars and restaurants are closing left and right and it just means so much that people are willing to help me.”

Jeanne Beker on the best winter boots for when you’re out in the snow

By

Erin Neilly

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3:03 pm

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One of Canada’s most trusted authorities on style and fashion, Jeanne Beker has covered the industry for more than 30 years. Now watch her in her current style editor role on TSC’s Style Matters with Jeanne Beker or tune into her new podcast Beyond Style Matters, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Winter is here, and everyone needs a pair of sturdy and warm winter boots. So we asked Jeanne Beker to pick the perfect pairs that scream cosy, cool and casual and will keep you upright when you’re out in the snow and slush.

winter boots

A) Lime green dream

“This fabulous lime green Pajar is a great Canadian boot. It really screams style and it’s fun.” BrownsShoes.com, $190

B) Take a hike

“I love these winter boots because they look so heavy-duty like an old pair of ski boots from the ’40s. They really mean business.” StudioDShoes.com, $278

C) Space-age style

“These are delightful and fun. They have a space-age feel and a great graphic heel. I love the shot of orange up the back.” UnitedNude.com, $325

D) Saffron in your step

“These have a special insulation so they’re going to be warm. And that saffron colour is so optimistic. It puts a spring in your step.” SportingLife.ca, $139.99

winter boots

E) On the wedge

“Sorel is such a great Canadian boot, and this wedge is great for women who are looking for some height in a boot.” GetOutsideShoes.com, $259.99

F) Lace up

“I love these red laces. They look like a pair of skates. The graphic nature of this Moncler boot is pretty irresistible.” HoltRenfrew.com, $890

G) Green with envy

“You’ve got to love this green metallic. It looks like a Chelsea boot, and these treads are great for plowing down a sidewalk in.” LIntervalleShoes.com, $228

H) Quilted queen

“This boot has a Chanel feel with the quilted motif, and it’s beautifully constructed. This is a very high fashion statement.” RonWhiteShoes.com, $645

winter boots

I) Ivory elegance

“This is a wonderful example of something that looks very tech driven yet has a great air of femininity to it.” GeorgeC.ca, $598

J) Cosy and cool

“This beautiful olive green suede, this great big platform and these huge no-nonsense treads — these winter boots look very cosy and cool.” TNTFashion.ca, $446

K) Have you any wool

“This wool boot looks like a slipper. The outsole is made of cork and latex, some really interesting fabrications going on here.” Gravitypope.com, $160

L) Vintage vibes

“These look like they’re from another era. It’s a real salute to the mukluk with the way they’re laced around the leg.” Heelboy.com, $240

Wholesale liquor pricing could help restaurant industry survive pandemic

By

Ron Johnson

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1:14 pm

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It’s no secret that restaurant and bar owners are struggling due to the indoor and outdoor dining restrictions, but many believe a wholesale discount at the LCBO might help. Hospitality owners holding a liquor licence can currently pay more than retail buyers at the LCBO.

In-restaurant dining markups on alcohol are one way that restaurant owners offset this cost, but that becomes impossible during a pandemic when many restaurants have to close their dining rooms, lower prices and consistently offer meal deals for takeout.

The issue of LCBO pricing is not a new problem but it’s one that may sink the pandemic-stricken industry if left unchanged.

“This is something we’ve lived with for way too long. This particular issue is very, very, crucial to the survival of restaurants, our volumes are down drastically, in most cases, next to zero,” says John Sinopoli, co-founder of the group Save Hospitality (www.savehospitality.ca) and partner and chef of the Ascari Restaurant Group.

Sinopoli says wholesale pricing will help with sales margins during the pandemic and even then it will take months for bars and restaurants to recover.

“We will be down as we move forward even with the recovery and opening of the economy a little bit, we’re not going to go back to 80 per cent or 100 per cent volumes for a long time,” he says. “Who knows, it could be many, many months if not a year or more.”

Advocacy groups have raised the issue numerous times before the COVID-19 pandemic in the annual Raise the Bar guide (published by ‘Restaurants Canada’) and in a recent letter to the minister of finance from Ontario special advisor for the Beverage Alcohol Review, Ken Hughes.

This past June, British Columbia allowed restaurants to register for wholesale prices through the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) effective until March 2021. This small change has allowed B.C. restaurant owners to offer clients alcohol at a much lower price resulting in larger sales.

Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia have also created discount or wholesale pricing on some or all alcohol sales. Several provinces have also offered discounts on licences easing some of the costs that come with serving alcohol.

An attempted partnership between the LCBO and delivery company SkipTheDishes added more fuel to the fire this past December. Due to the backlash, the attempted partnership announcement was paused but didn’t escape scrutiny from restaurant owners struggling to make ends meet.

“The timing was completely tone-deaf,” Sinopoli says, “If that’s something they want to do in the future, it doesn’t bother me as long as we get wholesale pricing and make a bit of a margin.”

But the playing field would be uneven otherwise.

“If they go into alcohol delivery where they don’t have to sell food when we have to sell food, and then we have to pay their retail prices. There’s no way we can compete. Zero way we can compete,” he says.

So why does the LCBO charge hospitality owners a markup?

“Retail markup is supposedly the cost to put it on the shelf, to process it through their warehouse, deliver it to the stores, and pay the people to sell it to you,” Sinopoli says. “Except that we don’t buy our alcohol off the shelf from the LCBO store, we buy it directly from our suppliers. We’re not getting anything for that retail markup.”

Sinopoli also adds that the LCBO’s retail cost applies even if a restaurant or bar buys wine directly from a winery.

Save Hospitality (a group founded to help restaurant and bar owners survive the pandemic and bring light to current problems) is in talks with the Ministry of Finance in an effort to work towards wholesale pricing for the hospitality industry.

“We’re excited to continue to work with the Ministry of Finance on this topic. We want to create a win for them and the public,” he says. “They campaigned on this platform, and the pandemic has created a horrible situation for restaurants but a great opportunity to rethink the restaurant bar model, normalize it, and create an environment that helps bars and restaurants to be much more sustainable.”

Save Hospitality’s proposal includes 12-month wholesale licensee pricing on alcohol while simultaneously working towards a better plan.

“What we’re proposing is that the government give 12-month licensee pricing on wholesale alcohol, and during those 12 months, we can be at the table to discuss a new structure that allows small businesses to purchase alcohol from the LCBO without the markups,” he says.

Many restaurants and bars in the GTA closed last year, mostly due to pandemic restrictions (10,000 Canada-wide).

“The whole system is archaic,” Sinopoli says. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Popular Leaside restaurant going on hiatus after 10 months of the pandemic

By

Ron Johnson

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11:35 am

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Popular Leaside bar and restaurant McSorley’s is going on a hiatus after 10 months of trying to cope with running a food and beverage operation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a note sent to the restaurant’s mailing list via email and then posted on social media, the long-time Bayview Avenue bar noted that after 10 months of the pandemic, they deserved a “little vacation from all this mess,” before thanking the community for their support.

The plan, according to the statement, is for the business to reopen when it is appropriate to do so.

“We appreciate all the support you have shown during this time and rest assured we will open again soon when the time is right,” the post read, in part.

The hospitality industry, in particular restaurants and bars, has been amongst the hardest hit during the pandemic with some suggesting one in 10 have already closed across the country.

McSorley’s statement indicates the inability to sell alcohol on a regular basis for its dine-in customers, or sell it at wholesale prices similar to the LCBO means it does not have the “right business model to operate during these times.”

“We pay our employees properly, we pay our taxes and bills, we put our 2019 profits right back into the business in 2020 with a full exterior and interior renovation. We feel we have done everything right to the best of our abilities during these times, but it just wasn’t working well enough,” the statement continued.

The McSorley’s team took the opportunity to ask its own customers to support local businesses in the Leaside area, especially the tiny shops on Bayview Avenue that have “fought really hard over the past 10 months to stay afloat.”

“With a little effort and sometimes extra money yes, you can buy the same thing on Bayview that you could from Costco or Walmart,” they wrote. “It will go a long way to helping them support their families. I look out the window on many of the slower times and see many businesses doing well during this time, so I know that many of you are doing your part. In a few months when the warmer weather comes back, maybe the majority have been vaccinated, we will all have a street filled with unique shops, activities and restaurants for us to enjoy.”

Summerhill’s newest shop is all about pampering your feet

By

Marlene Mendonca

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10:15 am

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The Kushie pop-up is all set to open its doors next week in the spot that used to be home to a Summerhill neighbourhood treasure, My Favourite Ice Cream Shop.

The tiny, seasonal ice cream parlour that has been serving up sweet and frosty delights to local families for more than 17 years has paved the path for this new pop-up to fill in for winter.

Known for premium cushions, The Kushie is all about pampering your feet. Bhargavi Varma, co-founder of The Kushie, shares, “Our foot cushions are a must-have. These cosy slip-ons will solve all your cold feet issues year-round.”

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“It is meant to be used like a single slipper even if you purchased two of them. It is designed to be a one size that fits all,” she adds.

It all started two winters ago when Varma was gifted with a foot cushion from Japan. Common to Japan’s Kutsurogi lifestyle, the cushion was cosy, warm, and felt like a hug for her feet, she says.

“I raved about the foot cushion to my colleagues, who tried it on and experienced the same foot bliss. In that moment, we knew that this cosy comfort had to be shared with the world.”

The Kushie has been rigorously tested and barring any medical conditions, it promises to not make your feet sweat.

This pop-up is open for curbside pickup by texting 1-888-4KUSHIE or by placing an online order at www.thekushie.com. For those looking for the in-store shopping experience, the pop-up will also be open for one day a week once COVID-19 restrictions allow it.

Fleeting as they may be these pop-ups sure help keep the fun going in such dismal times.

HGTV’s Kortney and Dave are looking for fixer-uppers to reno in Toronto

By

lindsaylow

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12:48 pm

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HGTV Canada series Making It Home is currently casting homeowners in Toronto who have a fixer-upper that they are ready to renovate. The show stars real estate agent and interior design expert Kortney Wilson and contractor Dave Wilson who will turn the drab and outdated property into a gorgeous forever home.

Torontonians from Rosedale to the Roncy looking to put their home in the spotlight must have a minimum budget of $125,000 for the project and can move out for the duration of the shoot which can last up to seven weeks. The homeowners must also be willing to hand over control of the project to the show’s expert design and construction team.

The expert team will strategize a renovation that will get the most value and equity out of the fixer-upper, and the design team will add all the perfect finishes and decor to make for a jaw-dropping reveal.

In terms of air time, the homeowners should have a flexible schedule and make themselves available for four days of shooting staggered throughout the course of the project. The show will be featuring homeowners in both Toronto and Nashville, Tennessee where the Wilsons first rose to popularity with their show Masters of Flip.

Projects will begin by March 2021 so if you and your family are outgoing and energetic with fun personalities ready for your 15 minutes of fame, apply at makingithometoronto.castingcrane.com.

Making It Home focuses on families looking to flip their fixer-uppers into forever homes. Kortney and Dave bring their years of flipping expertise to the project and decide the best way to make the home function for the family while getting the most bang for their buck. With the reno projects beginning in March, the new season will likely air later this year on HGTV Canada.

Popular Toronto boutique Ellie Mae is opening a second location this spring

By

Marlene Mendonca

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12:44 pm

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The fashion world has been steadily moving away from mass-produced clothing, making way for more sustainable and local boutiques selling quality items at a higher price point. Toronto’s Ellie Mae Studios is taking that concept one step further by entering the scene with a style the company calls “luxury hippie.”

With superstar clients including Gigi Hadid, Mila Kunis and others, Toronto’s homegrown Ellie Mae Studios has gained more than a fair bit of A-list attention.

“We are super fortunate to have an organic celebrity reach,” says Ashton Ramcharan, head of sales operations. “Our biggest market comes from that, being Los Angeles…those celebrity placements provide our biggest traction. Toronto is our biggest market in Canada, and after this year, it is our biggest market with the U.S. right behind it.”

The new Ellie Mae boutique will be located at 1096 Yonge St. just down the road from the company’s corporate office and fashion house at 100 Niagara St.

The Niagara Street location will include a workspace that’s open to the public and a VW bus cafe.

According to Ramcharan, the fashion industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and sourcing material from overseas vendors now relies heavily on technology to be the eyes, ears, and hands of a fashion buyer.

“We source most of our fabrics from Europe — about 50 per cent come from the U.K. and the rest from Italy, France, and Spain. To not go to the fabric shows is a huge loss. It’s all done through Zoom now,” he explains.

Ellie Mae had built relationships with mills in Europe before the current pandemic, which has helped. Still, things get a lot trickier when purchasing vintage T-shirts for the brand’s “vintage closet” collection.

“We’ll buy a [vintage] piece through Zoom and then get it, and it’s not what we thought it was…it’s been challenging,” says Ramcharan.

Without opportunities for in-person networking, the pandemic also impacts the brand’s audience. However, Ramcharan says that they still have a strong following on social media and have a solid foothold with their current celebrity clientele both locally and across the border.

“Our biggest challenge right now is that we can’t go to the U.S. We have kind of lost that momentum, but we are fortunate enough to have some great placements with celebrities,” he says.

Despite being forced to cut its collection to a third of what it was supposed to be due to production slowdown, the brand is pushing forward with the new space thanks to comfort-seeking clientele keeping the brand afloat with purchases of cosy sweaters and lounge sets.

The new 650-square-foot space at 1096 Yonge St. will have a vintage feel, including rustic walls and vintage carpets. The new Ellie Mae Studios will open this spring.

These new meal kits are inspired by Michelin-starred restaurants

By

Jessica Huras

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12:05 pm

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North of Here, a Canadian hospitality collaborative founded by chef Roland Torok-Ducharme, has launched a series of do-it-yourself meal kits inspired by Michelin-starred restaurants.

“The art of fine dining is in designing unique dishes, selecting spectacular ingredients and the key is preparation. All of which I have done, to make it easy for our guests to put it together and take all of the credit, and I’m okay with that,” says Torok-Ducharme.

After honing his culinary skills abroad in Europe and Asia, Torok-Ducharme, who grew up in Montreal, went on to work in some of the most renowned Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, including Paris’ Lasserre, as well as London’s Petrus and the Square. His style of cuisine is inspired by his experience in fine dining.

“When shelter-in-place started to happen and the city’s restaurants were shut down, I wanted to create a way where people could still enjoy fine dining from the comfort of their home,” he says. “I find that take out or delivery leaves something to be desired with the presentation and the challenge of keeping the dishes at the temperatures a chef would want.”

North of Here handles 90 per cent of the prep work required to execute the meals and leaves the fun part to the diner. Each meal kit comes with a recipe card and fresh ingredients, making it the perfect date night idea, or solution for those who miss the traditional elements of fine dining.

Much like a regular restaurant, North of Here’s menu rotates monthly, and always includes a vegan option. For January, a sample of savoury dishes includes beef tartare, beetroot tartare and salmon rillette for the appetizer, followed by lobster, short rib and squash for the main.

“We want our food to be cooked by people that have elevated tastes and culinary abilities, but maybe can’t get those ingredients, or don’t have the time to cook elaborate meals or are just bored of cooking the same kind of food after nine months of being trapped at home,” adds Bailey Singer, head of operations for North of Here.

North of Here accepts orders on its DIY meal kits Sunday through Thursday with delivery beginning on Saturday. They are currently working on a new menu that will launch Jan. 17th.

Appetizers range from between $20-$28 and entrees go from $50-$80. To see a full list of available meal kits, click here.

Food Dudes’ Adrian Niman is behind a new line of cannabis edibles

By

Ron Johnson

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10:54 am

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Adrian Niman knows his way around the food industry. He founded The Food Dudes 14 years ago, when he was just 22, and has spent the last decade and a half looking for new ways to explore his culinary passion while injecting youthful energy into the Toronto food industry. Although the last year presented many challenges, it also provided the energetic foodie with a rare opportunity to make forays into uncharted culinary territory.

The Food Dudes already helm a slew of restaurants around town including such places as Rasa in Harbord Village and Pantry at Yonge and Roxborough in Rosedale.

Three years ago, the opportunity came for Niman to partner with John B. Aird and Sarah Gillin of Olli Brands on a line of cannabis-infused food products, and Niman took the chance to venture into yet another facet of the food industry. They struck a deal, built a state-of-the-art facility in the west end of Toronto, and set to work.

The result is a range of cannabis chews, teas and brownies created with the highest-quality ingredients.

“We can guarantee that our products are much more nutritious and more beneficial for you than anything else on the market,” Niman says, pointing to the natural benefits of cannabis as a treatment for anxiety, physical pain and more.

Niman, Aird and Gillin hired a team of industry professionals to help them develop their line — the soft chews in both strawberry and dragon fruit flavours are available now (priced at $7.90 per pack), and the teas and brownies will drop by the end of the year.

A food scientist ensured that the goodies have a shelf life of up to six months without sacrificing the flavour profile.

“I’ve been able to work with them on a bunch of ideas,” Niman says. “And now we have such a great team. They come to us with ideas, and it makes my job really fun. I just get to come in and see what they’ve been working on and try their amazing products.”

But that wasn’t the only new venture for Niman in 2020. This recent launch comes on the heels of Niman’s experience with Hotel X, catering for the hotel’s NHL playoff bubble. He was given the task a mere 10 days after signing a deal to cater for Hotel X.

As a former competitive hockey player and a big fan, it was an experience that Niman says brought endless positivity to 2020.

“We took over our first hotel deal and then 10 days later, we’re told they won the bid to be able to be one of the hotels to cater to the players and teams. I ended up having to live in the hotel for 40 days and 40 nights,” he says. “We had to launch three different restaurants and run a breakfast, lunch, and dinner banquet for all the teams every single day.”

The players recognized his efforts, and Sidney Crosby even signed a stick for him. “It was definitely the highlight of 2020 for me, in a year that was full of so much despair,” he says.

For 2021, Niman and The Food Dudes are working to open more Blondie’s pizza locations and continue to establish their name with Fare by The Food Dudes, a grocery and gift experience that provides curated boxes and experiences for six different themes. But, more importantly, he’s looking forward to a COVID-free future.

“Really, it’s just trying to stay patient and wait for everyone to get vaccinated so that we can get back to doing what we love,” he says. “And that’s cooking for people.”

A much-loved Toronto bakery is opening a midtown location this spring

By

Jessica Huras

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3:53 pm

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Beloved bakery Prairie Boy Bread, known for its organic sourdough and delicious homemade baked goods made from scratch, is all set to open a second location. Construction on a new storefront is currently in the works, and owner Grant MacPherson hopes to bring the Prairie Boy brand to the eclectic Yonge/St. Clair neighbourhood by April 2021.

“We have been looking for a chance to grow our business for some time,” MacPherson said. “We had a seasonal location in Muskoka for the summers of 2018 and 2019 and we really enjoyed the challenge, but decided we wanted something closer to home. We are really excited about the changes going on in the Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood and hope we can contribute something unique to the neighbourhood.”

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The new Prairie Boy Bread will offer a similar selection of products that are currently available at their College St. location. MacPherson says that the bakery will also stock an arrangement of carefully-curated products made by local makers who share the company’s ethos about food and community.

“As we get to know the neighbourhoods, we will do our best to adapt to their distinct needs,” MacPherson said.

As an essential service, Prairie Boy’s College St. location is currently open for in-store shopping, but strict health and safety protocols remain in place. Curbside pickup is also available.

“The support from the neighbourhood has been really great over the last 10 months. This has allowed us to keep our doors open and the staff employed,” MacPherson said. “While we will be opening into a different reality than we had previously envisioned, we feel reasonably confident that there will be sufficient business to make the new space a success.”

How to make Amal’s muhammara dip

By

lindsaylow

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12:42 pm

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“This is an important item on our menu as we source the ingredients directly from local farmers,” says Amal’s executive chef Rony Ghaleb of his recipe for muhammara dip. “What I enjoy most about this starter is the combination of sweet and sour notes — it offers a nice blend and balance of flavour.”

Ingredients

1.2 kg white onion
1.2 kg red pepper
50 ml olive oil
½ tbsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp sweet (Spanish) paprika
1 tsp Aleppo red pepper
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp salt
40 ml tahini
25 g pomegranate molasses
240 g walnuts
120 g breadcrumbs

Method

Warm olive oil in a rondeau (a large flat pot) on low/medium heat.
While the olive oil and rondeau are warming up, blend the red pepper. Once finely blended, add the red pepper to the rondeau.
Next, blend the onion. Using a strainer pan, press with a spatula and drain as much liquid as possible.
Once drained, add the onion into the rondeau and mix well with the red pepper. Increase heat and bring to a boil — you will need to let this simmer for a total of 1–2 hours, stirring frequently.
After 20 minutes of simmering, add in the allspice, white pepper, cinnamon, sweet paprika, Aleppo red pepper, coriander and cumin. Stir to combine and continue to simmer.
Once 1–2 hours have passed, mix in the salt, tahini and pomegranate molasses.
Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in some chopped walnuts and breadcrumbs and top with olive oil and additional chopped walnuts for a beautiful finish.
Serve with fresh pita and enjoy!