Toronto musician Lido Pimienta nominated for Grammy Award

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12:41 pm

Toronto musician and artist Lido Pimienta revisited her Colombia roots and her views on her relationship to her home country and in so doing produced the critically acclaimed album Miss Colombia. Her work and her vision have paid off with her first Grammy Award nomination.

“The Grammys, in general, is like this weird, non-accessible-to-art thing, like it just seems so big,” Pimienta says. “It was very surprising. But I wasn’t shocked because I already kind of went over the Latin Grammy thing [which she was also nominated for], so I mean, it’s cool. I hope I win. I feel like I deserve it.”

The awards were scheduled to be presented Jan. 31, but have been postponed until March 14, 2021.

“Of course, it makes so much sense, the year I get nominated. I don’t even get to go to the party,” she says.

Miss Colombia was released earlier this year. It’s a project that began with an infamous gaffe at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant when the host of the show mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as the winner and then corrected himself and awarded the title to Miss Philippines.

“When 2015 came about with that Miss Universe, it made me, you know, realize there’s all this Columbian-ness that I haven’t unpacked, that definitely informs a lot of my behaviour and a lot of my reactions to Canada, you know,” Pimienta says. “So it just helped me and pushed me to just look at myself, as a Colombian that lives here, not like a Colombian that is surviving in Canada.”

As Pimienta says, Miss Colombia is a sort of breakup record with a country.

“Like on the A-side of the album, it is all about the pain, all about the hurt. And then on side B, it’s all about the hope,” she says, “and the revindication of Colombia, where I’m from, and also a revindication of our society at large.”

Pimienta says she concentrated on art and culture and tradition to get her back to a positive frame of mind.

“Those were the things that I needed to fall back and to be reminded of so that I wouldn’t just end up with 10 songs about despair,” she says.

“To me, the first five in the album are totally about that, and it’s just very heartbreaking. It’s just very hard.”

Since its release, the album has garnered critical acclaim but has also proven to bring much comfort and joy to people around the world for whom Pimienta’s music resonates so strongly.

It has also given Pimienta a new perspective and energy for her new music.

“Miss Columbia has given me a lot of teachings,” she says. “It’s been a huge learning and evolving curve, and I’m on it. I’m riding the wave, you know. I’m paying attention.”

Toronto’s Caitlin Cronenberg shoots Dan Levy for iconic issue of People magazine

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lindsaylow

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9:35 am

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Dan Levy with dogs — by Caitlin Cronenberg

Toronto photographer Caitlin Cronenberg has had many opportunities to shoot fellow Torontonian Dan Levy, creator and co-star of the award-winning comedy series Schitt’s Creek, but nothing quite as big as the most recent project for People magazine’s annual Sexiest Man Alive issue (pictured above).

Schitt’s Creek just finished off its sixth and final season capping off the series’ amazing run with a slew of Emmy Awards including Best Comedy Series.

Cronenberg has done the gallery shoot for every season of Schitt’s Creek in addition to shooting Levy in particular for magazines such as Adweek and Out.

Cronenberg says the shoot took place in October on her birthday. “We had an amazing time shooting and Dan was so much fun to work with,” she says. “Of course because we were shooting during COVID times we had to be very safe on set and it wasn’t as wild and organic as pre-COVID shoots. But because Dan is so much fun, his personality shone through in every shot.”

By the way, if you think the dogs in the photo couldn’t get any cuter, they are from the Lost Boys Hope rescue in Barrie. Do yourself a favour and check them out!

Schitt’s Creek can and should be streamed on Netflix and the CBC Gem app. Also, check out Cronenberg’s website where she has created a series of puzzles based upon some of her fave photos including the cover of Drake’s album Views.

Well-known Toronto bakery Prairie Girl just closed the last of its five Toronto locations

By

Ron Johnson

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12:54 pm

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Prairie Girl bakery has shut its doors for good in the GTA. Prairie Girl first opened in April of 2011 and gained a loyal following for its old-fashioned cakes, cupcakes, and catering options. Directly impacted by the current pandemic, Prairie Girl closed four of its five locations in 2020 and is now shuttering its flagship location at 18 King St. E.

Jean Blacklock, Prairie Girl founder, recently told Bloomberg that keeping the bakeries running is no longer sustainable. Mainly relying on foot traffic and large orders that no longer exist, Prairie Girl’s last location was unable to turn a profit despite government financial assistance.

Blacklock began the bakery in 2011 when she left a job as a wealth services manager at the Bank of Montreal (BMO) to open a cupcake shop. The shop quickly blossomed into a chain of popular bakeries that became something of a staple in the Toronto dessert world. For the past 10 years, the bakery has been a go-to cupcake stop for many city residents.

When the pandemic shuttered restaurants last March, Blacklock had to adapt to a new digital reality and find ways to sell baked goods virtually. Freezer assortments made the popular list, as did jars of homemade icing but pivoting to a new online strategy wasn’t enough to keep the business afloat.

“We are sorry to be sharing the news that Prairie Girl Bakery has permanently closed as of today, January 5, 2021,” the bakery’s Instagram page stated. “Thank you to our wonderful customers for the past 10 years of support!”

Prairie Girl joins a long list of restaurants, cafés and bakeries that shuttered in 2020 and 2021 as a direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBC’s Marivel Taruc on meeting her husband in the newsroom

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lindsaylow

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12:39 pm

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CBC News anchor Marivel Taruc met her husband Trevor Pilling while they were both working at CBC Manitoba. They bonded over a love of sports, and as she went on to become the weekend anchor of CBC Toronto News, he became the director of news and highlights at Olympic Broadcasting Services. Here is how they met.

How they met

I was working as a reporter at CBC Manitoba in my hometown of Winnipeg in 1994. A new associate producer came up to me and introduced himself: “Hi, I’m Trevor.” We were the youngest people in our newsroom. I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight for either of us. I will say he had these amazing blue eyes that I tried very hard not to stare into.

The first date

Our first date happened a few weeks after we met, around the holidays. We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant called Civita in Winnipeg. One thing I’ll never forget was talking about our goals and dreams. Mine was to become a CBC News anchor, which I’ve been blessed to accomplish. Trevor told me he wanted to work on Hockey Night in Canada someday. And a few years later, he became the executive producer of that show.

The courtship

One of the most memorable things about our courtship was that we worked in a newsroom together but kept our relationship very private. Our colleagues and friends were among the best journalists in the country and had no idea we were dating until about six months in. We’re also both competitive. We had some memorable games of horse on the basketball court — I mostly let him win.

The proposal

The proposal wasn’t a complete surprise to me. We had already gone shopping for a ring. Trevor asked me to marry him in our apartment on Dovercourt Road in December of 2000. Our beloved chocolate lab Coco stood by for moral support.

The wedding and honeymoon

We got married in August of 2001 in Winnipeg. Our first daughter, Maia, was four months old at the wedding, and she got to walk (was carried) down the aisle with us. She definitely stole the show. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We went on our honeymoon a year later to Italy (minus Maia). It was a glorious two weeks of travelling through Rome, Tuscany and the Italian Riviera. We took a day trip to the south of France to see how the rich and famous live. From the sublime to the ridiculous, we capped off the visit by eating at a McDonald’s in Cannes. Vive le MacPoulet et frites!

The kids

Our second daughter, Callie, was born in June 2010. She’s nine years younger than her big sister, Maia. Such a big age gap comes with many bonuses including having an instant babysitter, teacher and cool authority figure in the house.

Balancing careers and marriage

That is the million dollar question, isn’t it? We were blessed to have my parents around to help us. My mom and dad were retired and made it part of their retirement plan to help take care of the grandkids. That was especially valuable in the years when I worked on weekends and late nights and when Trevor worked for CBC Sports covering Olympic Games, CFL football and Hockey Night in Canada to name a few.

The home

We live in Leslieville. We bought our Victorian semi-detached house in 2001 and moved in two weeks before I gave birth to Maia. It was supposed to be our starter home, but we fell in love with Leslieville right away. Because of its proximity to work, the beach and downtown, it’s the best of all worlds. And it’s been a wonderful neighbourhood to raise our kids.

A new barbecue joint is coming to the Junction

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Jessica Huras

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4:23 pm

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Matt’s Smokehouse, the Junction’s newest barbecue joint, is officially opening for pre-orders tomorrow. Originally a home-based business, Matt’s Smokehouse started when owner Matthew Horowitz bought a backyard smoker a few years ago. Gradually, his personal barbecue experiments led to him serving his smoked creations to friends and neighbours. Soon, he was taking orders almost daily via Instagram.

“I did a trial run from about February to June and during that time I was selling five to seven days a week and I would essentially sell out every day to my friends and family and whoever knew me,” says Horowitz.

After purchasing a second smoker, bringing on a restaurant industry friend to help him keep up with the orders and crunching the numbers, Horowitz decided to turn his hobby into a full-time career, quitting his day job and signing a lease to a commercial kitchen.

He plans to operate Matt’s Smokehouse mainly as a takeout restaurant but adds that the space has a few patio tables for outdoor dining in the warmer months.

The simple menu at Matt’s Smokehouse includes brisket and pulled chicken sandwiches, ribs, wings, and rotating weekly specials like jerk chicken sandwiches and sausages. Meats are smoked over a blend of apple, pecan and hickory woods.

“I do a mix of the three so it’s light but you still get that outer smoke,” Horowitz says. For sides, there’s homemade candy jalapeño cornbread and a Memphis-style slaw.

Horowitz says that his wings have already become a fan favourite because, unlike most barbecue joints, he smokes the wings rather than frying them. They’re seasoned with a dry rub and then coated lightly with a signature sauce on the smoker, which Horowitz says gives them a slightly caramelized exterior.

Matt’s Smokehouse is launching its online ordering platform tomorrow. The initial launch will be for pre-orders only, but Horowitz hopes to start taking same-day orders as well next month.

Mark McEwan on 10 fab food finds

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Erin Neilly

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4:22 pm

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Our resident taste test chef Mark McEwan shares his all time favourite sweet and savoury treats in Toronto.

A) Best Pizza

Maker Pizza, 1537 Avenue Rd., 59 Cameron St.

B) Best Pancakes

Fuwa Fuwa, 2471 Yonge St., 408 Bloor St. W.

C) Best Spring Rolls

Lime Asian Kitchen, 3243 Yonge St.

D) Best Artisanal Burgers

The Butcher’s Son, 2055 Yonge St.

E) Best Smash Burger

Extra Burger, 1265 Dundas W.

F) Best Carrot Cake

Bakerbots, 205 Delaware Ave.

G) Best Artisanal Cakes

Nadege, 1099 Yonge St., 780 Queen St. W.

H) Best Macarons

Nadege, 1099 Yonge St., 780 Queen St. W.

I) Best Pumpkin Pie

Dufflet Pastries, 787 Queen St. W.

J) Best Ice Cream

Delight Organic Fair Trade Chocolate, 3040 Dundas St. W.

Scaramouche chef-owner set to open a huge new restaurant next month

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Jessica Huras

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5:52 pm

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Keith Froggett, the chef-owner behind long-running Toronto restaurant Scaramouche, is set to open a beautiful new restaurant and event space in Orangeville next month. Greystones is located in a historic building dating back to 1852. It was one of the first permanent structures constructed in what would later become Orangeville.

Benn Froggett (Keith Froggett’s son and co-owner of Halton Hills’ restaurant the Glen Tavern) and Jennifer Dattels, who first purchased the property several years ago, join Keith as co-owners of the new restaurant.

Dattels oversaw a redesign of the space by Toronto-based agency Solid Design. “This was a special building to her [Dattels] that she just wanted to bring back to life,” says Benn. “It’s always been a hospitality building over the years, ever since it was built in the 1850s. It was originally called Graham’s Tavern,” he adds.

The space has been given a contemporary makeover that also maintains some of its original details, such as exposed stone walls. It now includes a lounge, main dining room, an event space for up to 50 guests and a private 10-seat dining room, as well as a separate neighbouring cafe.

Greystones’ website says that diners can expect “seasonal, contemporary cuisine,” teasing a sample menu featuring small plates, pizza, housemade pasta and meat and fish mains, such as hand-cut Ontario Black Angus beef burgers and herb-and-mustard crusted halibut. “We have a pasta extruder for making all our own pasta in-house, and we’re using the same suppliers as the Glen Tavern and Scaramouche, so really high-quality ingredients,” says Benn.

Keith will act as a culinary consultant for the restaurant and work on menu development, while Scaramouche sous chef Shigetaka Wakai will take the helm as Greystones’ head chef.

Greystones is slated to open in February if the lockdown restrictions that currently prohibit indoor dining are lifted. “We need to be back in the red zone to at least have a few people inside,” says Benn. “Even if we can only open to 10 people, it’s a great way to get to know the community and for them to get to know us.” Keep an eye on the restaurant’s website for further updates in the coming weeks.

Soulpepper collaborates with Toronto History Museums on new art film project

By

lindsaylow

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3:14 pm

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Toronto’s Soulpepper theatre company announced a partnership with Awakenings, a new programming philosophy from the City of Toronto. Awakenings is a series of art projects created by Black, Indigenous and artists of colour for Toronto History Museums, with themes of anti-oppression, anti-colonialism and anti-racism.

Soulpepper artistic director Weyni Mengesha co-directed one of the featured pieces, the short film A Revolution of Love.

According to Soulpepper’s website the piece “follows a young Black woman as she grapples with the histories of her ancestors and the present-day violence ravaging her community and begins to imagine what her future looks like through dance.”

The film was shot at Toronto’s Fort York National Historic Site and features 15 women moving to poet d’bi.young anitafrika’s “r/evolution is love: an urgent message from Assata Shakur.”

“I think it’s really exciting and unique to have a partnership between the city and a cultural institution in this way,” Mengesha says. “I personally feel so inspired by the fact that artistic institutions and the city are in dialogue together about how to make a healthier city.”

Awakenings is about exploring stories that are not often heard at these sites. She says in Toronto we are often told diversity is our strength, “but it needs to be mirrored in the largest cultural spaces to know that’s actually true.”

“To make our city healthier and to have a city that is not only diverse, but inclusive, we need to go beyond not only celebrating the many communities that we have but actually creating meeting points for those communities to celebrate together,” she says.

Mengesha says the discussion is part of a larger and widespread cultural awakening.

The backdrop of the piece, Fort York, was one of the historic sites that the city was hoping to animate through this project, according to Soulpepper’s Mengesha, who feels the history of the site may at times be overlooked.

“A lot of people walk their dogs there and consider it a dog park,” she says.

Fort York was built in 1793 and was used as the city’s primary harbour defence and military outpost in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Most notably, the fort was the location for the War of 1812’s Battle of York.

Mengesha says the site’s history and relevance were not lost on her: “People fought and died there for their freedom. What does freedom mean now and what are we fighting for?”

Walking into the fort, she asked herself, “In this particular moment, when people are in the streets talking about Black Lives Matter, what is a 21st-century revolution?”

Mengesha says the answer is about working together. “If you listen to the lyrics [in A Revolution of Love] it’s about weapons of mass construction,” Mengesha says. “It’s about organizing together to call out for justice and love.”

The top fashion stories of 2020

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Nikki Gill

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9:15 am

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When it came to 2020 fashion, there is a common theme in the top stories of the year — masks, masks and more masks. It makes sense as the mask is the one accessory that most people didn’t have before, and the number one accessory that everyone now needed to purchase. Thankfully, local fashion designers stepped up to the plate to fill the void and Torontonians were more than happy to support local when it came to their masks.

Where to buy fashionable reusable masks

The top fashion story of the year was a full list of twelve local shops and designers that were making and carrying face masks. From notable names like Narces, Hayley Elsaesser and Peace Collective to smaller operations such as Doll Factory by Damzels — the list covered them all.

Joseph Tassoni’s reusable masks and gloves

Joining the ranks of local designers who answered the call to make masks was Canadian designer Joseph Tassoni. He took it further and also donated a portion of each purchase to Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington. Tassoni uses a specially-sourced material that resists the build up of moisture and bacteria which differentiates his masks from the more common cotton variations. He also began producing gloves.

Greta Constantine’s fashion-forward masks

One of the country’s top design houses, Greta Constantine began making high-end and fashion-forward masks for its fans. Instead of making the masks available online, designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong chose to sell the masks at local small businesses across the country to help the suffering retail landscape.

The best fashion boutiques now open in Toronto

Once Toronto moved into Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan, residents were eager to hit local boutiques to find some pieces to spruce up their summer wardrobes. This column outline 10 boutiques that were happy to finally be opening their doors to welcome back local shoppers.

Nonie’s sustainable and ethically-made face masks

Of course as masks became necessary, the increased waste from single-use disposable masks became a concern as well. Canadian womenswear brand Nonie decided to create sustainable and ethically-made reusable face masks to combat this issue. The masks are Canadian-made with 100 per cent upcycled cotton and the collection features a large variety of colours to suit anyone’s style.

The top home design columns of 2020

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Nikki Gill

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8:54 am

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Danielle Bryk home design — Bryk during the winter construction

This was the year that we were all stuck in our homes, so naturally we all decided to renovate, redecorate and more. We tapped our interior design and renovation experts for guest columns highlighting all the latest trends, DIY projects and tips for making your home a space you never want to leave. Here are the top five columns of the year.

How to make an outdoor planter

DIY was more popular than ever when it came to home design projects so of course expert DIY’er and self-taught woodworker and carpenter Mark Rason was in big demand. Readers loved his step-by-step guide on how to create an outdoor planter for your front or backyard. Rason chose a geometric-shaped planter because geometry is all the rage these days.

How COVID-19 shut down Danielle Bryk’s home reno

When the initial lockdown came into effect in March, it halted almost all projects — including HGTV Canada designer Danielle Bryk’s major home renovation. The Bryk family had moved into a temporary condo for the duration of the renovation, which was now going to be longer than expected. In this column, Bryk explains how she adapted her plans and learned to enjoy the entire muddy, dusty process even with all of the uncertainty in the air.

How to make one-of-a-kind wrapping paper

Another DIY expert, HGTV interior designer Tiffany Pratt, was a big hit with readers. Pratt is known for her use of colours and creating whimsical do-it-yourself projects. In this column she outlines how to make your own wrapping paper with special unique touches using chalk paint.

Making your home a colourful and happy place during isolation

Interior design expert Brian Gluckstein shared many tips and tricks with readers this year. His top column was one that outlined the secrets to designing a space with colour. Forget those all-white kitchens or those beige family rooms, here Gluckstein takes it way out of the box. He suggests creating a mood board before you design anything.

Easy reno projects to tackle while stuck at home

It’s not always just enough to redesign or redecorate, sometimes you need to tear down and rebuild or completely renovate. For this, renovation and income property expert Scott McGillivray shared tips on the easiest projects to tackle while stuck at home. He suggests starting outside with something like the garden while the weather is nice, and then moving to projects like painting indoors when the weather cools.

The top love stories of 2020

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Nikki Gill

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8:55 am

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love stories 2020 — Bryan and Sarah Baeumler

Readers loved getting the inside scoop on how some of their favourite TV personalities met. Here are the top five love stories in our how they met column from 2020.

Bryan and Sarah Baeumler

Though the pair met in high school, it wasn’t until a decade later that they officially started dating. Now, along with their kids, they have become HGTV stars best known for their renovation of a resort in the Bahamas.

Andrew and Caro Chang

With the pandemic changing everyone’s lives in 2020, Canadians were keen to tune in to their daily newscasts to get the latest updates. Many became fans of Andrew Chang as he anchored CBC’s The National. Chang met his wife Caro while at a chemistry party one night in Montreal.

Stephanie Henry and Brydon Hargreaves

Stephanie Henry is one of the stars of Breakfast Television and while viewers enjoyed waking up and getting their traffic updates from her in the morning, they also loved hearing all about how she met her high school sweetheart Brydon Hargreaves. The pair got engaged this year and the wedding plans are still in the works.

Anthony Farnell and Samantha Guedes

Anthony Farnell shared how he and wife Samantha Guedes got through some tough times this year when he became one of the first Ontario residents to test positive for COVID-19. The pair met years ago at a bar. The Global News meteorologist says he found out shortly after that she had been “semi-stalking” him from TV.

Eden Grinshpan and Ido Nivron

The Top Chef Canada host first heard about her husband Ido Nivron while she was on a trip to Israel. She agreed to meet him when she was back in New York City where they both lived at the time, and within weeks they were engaged. It was quite the whirlwind romance. The pair now have a daughter together and they chose to ride out the pandemic while quarantining with Grinshpan’s parents in North York.

The top food stories of 2020

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Jessica Huras

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12:35 pm

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Yes, 2020 has been a tough year for people and businesses from all walks of life, and that certainly holds true for Toronto’s restaurant industry. Our top food stories of 2020 were full of sad goodbyes, inspiring pivots and a whole lot of takeout.

Five restaurants that have said goodbye to Toronto in the last week

Unfortunately, closings were a reoccurring theme of Toronto dining in 2020 as restaurants struggled to adapt to on-and-off dining room shutdowns amid the pandemic. Our top food post this year highlighted several much-loved restaurants that permanently closed their doors in August 2020, including Queen West Argentinian eatery AMA, Bloor West locale White Brick Kitchen and cheerful cafe Elvy and Flo. Here’s hoping we’ll see new projects from these chefs and culinary teams in 2021.

How Toronto’s Michelin-starred chef went from $500 per person sushi to an affordable delivery menu

From restaurant-made meal kits to dining rooms transformed into grocery stores, restaurants across Toronto fundamentally changed the way they feed diners as a result of the ongoing indoor dining closures. Among the many notable restaurant pivots we saw this year was Sushi Masaki Saito, which swapped its $500 per person dine-in menu for a beautifully-executed takeout menu featuring dishes priced for as little as $58.

These are the best heated patios in Toronto

Patio season took on a whole new meaning this year, as Toronto diners continued to eat on patios well after the summer heat had subsided. With indoor dining restrictions stretching into the fall, scores of restaurants erected heaters and covered patios so they could continue to serve sit-down diners as the temperatures dropped.

Another downtown restaurant closes its doors

The wave of restaurant closures this year has tugged on the heartstrings of many Torontonians, but the closure of Montecito struck a particular chord with our readers. Owned by Hollywood director Ivan Reitman and chef Jonathan Waxman, Montecito was an Entertainment District staple and had been a popular TIFF hotspot in years past.

Toronto’s 35 best restaurants offering takeout or delivery right now

2020 was truly the year of takeout, with restaurants across the city expanding their to-go programs or offering takeout for the first time as they strived to continue serving customers while dining rooms were closed. We rounded up some of our favourite restaurants offering takeout across the city, from upscale spots like Edulis and Alo to comfort food classics like Brando’s Fried Chicken and Allen’s.