Ottawa’s famous Kettleman’s Bagel Co. is finally coming to Toronto after a slight delay due to COVID-19. Kettleman’s has been a staple in the 613 for years and the city is just a tiny bit excited to try out some of the shop’s famous flavours.
As with most respected and hailed bagel shops, Kettleman’s makes their bagels fresh daily using wood-fired ovens for that perfect crust and gooey middle. This shop has every standard bagel variety you’d expect to find and serves up a variety of styles, including the Montreal-style (which may be the closest thing you’ll find to a Montreal bagel in T.O. unless ordering a bunch from St. Viateur the way these people did).
Montrealer Craig Buckley opened Kettleman’s and spread across Ottawa with a few choice locations and a menu that expands a bit beyond your average bagel and schmear.
Salads, bagel sandwiches, cheese bagels, turnovers, and a slew of spreads (including dill pickle cream cheese and hot pepper cream cheese) are some of the things we’re looking forward to eating soon. Kettleman’s have been in business for more than 25 years, so they know a thing or two about rolling, kettling, and baking.
If the Toronto location replicates the Ottawa locations, the shop will be open 24 hours a day and seven days a week so that you can get your bagel fix at literally any time. The Toronto location in the Alderwoods Plaza in Etobicoke officially opened its doors on Nov. 12.
Some of Canada’s most well-known personalities are showcasing their favourite local restaurants for Rally for Restaurants, a new digital series created by Stella Artois in partnership with athlete empowerment brand Uninterrupted Canada.
The series builds on the original Rally for Restaurants initiative, which was launched by Stella Artois in April of this year. The Canada-wide campaign is part of a larger global initiative that rolled out in 10 different countries. It aims to support diners in helping the restaurant industry to navigate the financial impact of the pandemic. When diners buy a gift card for a participating restaurant via the Rally for Restaurant’s site, Stella Artois donates an additional $10 directly to the restaurant.
“This is a great opportunity to really show that sense of community.” – @evanderkane_9
The partnership with Uninterrupted sees celebrities and athletes lending their voices to the initiative by highlighting their favourite places to eat in cities around the country. Participants in the series include Canadian hip hop legend Kardinal Offishall, who will share his top Toronto restaurants. San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane will highlight restaurants in Vancouver, while three-time Olympic Gold medallist Tessa Virtue will introduce viewers to London, Ontario’s dining scene.
“We are proud to partner with Stella Artois’ Rally for Restaurants campaign and share the personal connections these famous Canadians have to their hometown dining culture and the individuals and families behind them,” said Vinay Virmani, chief content officer at Uninterrupted Canada in a press release. “At a time when the Canadian restaurant and bar industry has suffered immeasurable economic loss, we hope this series inspires viewers to continue to support local businesses that make up the backbone of our communities.”
The series launched on YouTube on Nov. 12. Check out the trailer here.
Inspired by his father’s work as a tailor but itching to carve his own unique path in the garment biz, Ben Viapiana chose to begin working with denim as a teenager. He made his first pair of jeans at age 16, and from then on, he made it his mission to make each pair better than the last.
Three years later, what started out as a trip to Thailand turned into a decade-long adventure travelling across Asia, learning as much as he could about the industry and picking up tricks of the trade. In 2006, Viapiana started his own denim business and soon realized he preferred the idea of creating custom orders for each unique client rather than selling his designs in stores.
Today, his studio at Dundas and Dovercourt houses more than 100 sewing machines from several different historical eras going back a century.
“I like to make more of a classic jean,” Viapiana says. “I pride myself on having all the machines that would have been used during almost any historical era. For example, if you wanted Levi’s 501s from 1933, I can make a reproduction on the same machines they used in 1933.”
With a meticulous eye for every detail and a strong reason behind each choice made during the process, Viapiana crafts his authentic designs completely in-house. He says his passion for denim stems from the material’s classic yet versatile look and feel.
“Denim never dies,” Viapiana says. “The first pair of blue jeans in recorded history was from the 1850s or 60s. The silhouette has changed a little since then but the shape and the idea of them has remained the same. Every pair is special.”
Viapiana ships his designs worldwide and creates custom orders for Toronto locals by appointment only. In addition to men’s jeans, he creates moleskin shirts, dress shirts, vests and jackets for men and women. Learn more about his designs at viapiana.ca or email [email protected] to book an appointment.
This week, Rick’s Good Eats and The Rolling Pin are teaming up to create the ultimate treat for Diwali, the Indian festival of lights.
Diwali, which begins Nov. 14, is a New Year’s celebration that usually includes family feasts and fun. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, this year’s festivities won’t look like previous ones.
However a local restaurant is finding a way to still inject some fun into the celebration while respecting COVID-19 safety measures.
Known for its Punjabi-Canadian comfort food, Rick’s Good Eats is putting together a special dessert for the upcoming holiday.
“Diwali is one of the most colourful and important celebrations because of its meaning of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance,” says Rick Matharu, chef and owner of Rick’s Good Eats.
Matharu teamed up with longtime friends Vanessa Baudanza and Isabelle Loiacono of The Rolling Pinto develop a Diwali treat that would be comforting and familiar but with a twist.
“Next thing you know we came up with this Ras Malai Cheesecake doughnut, glazed and then topped with a Parle-G cookie crumble, whipped cream, rose petals and our Cinnamon Toast Crunch Matri,” says Matharu.
Matharu says he was inspired by the idea of ‘mooh mitha.’
“Mooh mitha literally translates to ‘make your mouth sweet,’ ” explains Matharu. “To have your mouth taste as sweet as the occasion. So for Diwali I thought, let’s sweeten up people’s palates because it’s going to be a little different this year.”
The doughnuts, which come in either a package of two or six, will be available for pre-order on Rick’s Good Eatsuntil tomorrow morning.
Pick them up at the restaurant’s Mississauga outpost on Nov. 14, just in time to celebrate.
The latest addition to Mejuri’s collection of dôme rings is inspired by one of the world’s greatest cities and one it also calls home — Toronto. With the bulk of 2020 behind us, the company created the ring to acknowledge the strength and determination the city has shown throughout this challenging year.
Chief creative officer at Mejuri Justine Lançon says the design process behind the ring was a labour of love, fuelled by the characteristics that make Toronto special like its modern architectural elements and minimalist esthetic.
“The design for the Toronto ring could be described as the most unconventional, which renders it even more covetable,” she says. “It is inspired by the minimal modernity of the city, including Bauhaus architectural elements in the buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe and the contrast of lights at night.”
The ring is handcrafted in 14 karat solid gold and black enamel and set with ethically sourced diamonds as a representation of Toronto’s dazzling persona. Mejuri’s first two dôme rings were inspired by the stars of L.A. and the Chrysler building of New York, respectively, but given Toronto is the brand’s hometown, Lançon says the team was especially focused on highlighting the city’s most unique and beloved qualities.
As a subtle diversion away from the classic design, the Toronto ring makes use of enamel for a slightly more contemporary look. Despite the differences, all of Mejuri’s dôme rings can be considered staple pieces perfect for stacking, everyday wear or as a standalone statement maker.
“Toronto’s unwavering growth and relentless spirit — understood by those lucky enough to call it home — are the inspiration behind the ring,” Lançon says. “2020 has certainly been a transformative time, and the Toronto dôme is a golden reminder of our collective bright future.”
The Toronto ring is the third instalment in Mejuri’s limited-edition dôme ring collection in celebration of iconic cities around the world, and fans of the brand can now look forward to a fourth representing the city of love — Paris.
“The ring is a celebration of one of my hometowns, the one I reside in and a source of inspiration for me every day,” Lançon says. “I love that this concept will allow me to eventually stack all three of my home cities together; Toronto, NYC and our soon to be launched Paris dôme ring — each representing a piece of my home and heart.”
The Toronto ring launches Nov. 12 and is available at mejuri.com.
In another tough blow for Toronto restaurants and bars, the city announced yesterday that indoor dining will remain closed for at least another month. The news came as an unpleasant surprise for Toronto restaurants, with Ford having previously announced that the city would move into the restrict (orange) level of the COVID-19 response framework, allowing indoor dining to reopen with a 50-person limit on Nov. 14.
With CaféTO curbside patios closing this month to make way for winter snowplows, reducing the number of restaurants that have outdoor dining space, many eateries had been preparing to reopen for indoor dining this weekend.
With Toronto recording its highest number of new COVID-19 infections yet on Nov. 10, however, the city will now be moving into the control (red) level of the COVID-19 response framework instead. Building on the red level guidelines set out by the province, Toronto also introduced “enhanced” safety measures, which include the continued closure of indoor dining.
“COVID-19 is spreading at an alarming rate that we haven’t seen before in our city. While we’ve seen some progress with the temporary restrictions that were imposed last month, more action is required now to protect the people of Toronto from rampant virus spread,” wrote Dr. Eileen de Villa, medical officer of health, in a press release.
“These decisions aren’t ones I take lightly, however, in my professional opinion they are needed to reduce virus spread, save lives, protect our health system for those who need it most, and mitigate broader health, social and economic impacts.”
Toronto restaurants can continue to offer takeout, as well as outdoor dining. Restaurants across the city are continuing to erect elaborate tent and heating set-ups in an effort to create warm, weather-proof spaces for diners as we head further into November. The red level measures also mean, however, that restaurants will have to stop serving liquor at 9 p.m. and no consumption of alcohol will be allowed after 10 p.m.
The Lighthouse Immersive team behind the popular immersive Van Gogh exhibit has announced a new production dubbed Illusionarium, which is set to open on Dec. 14 and run alongside Van Gogh.
The exhibit is said to feature life-size holograms, 3D projection, floor-to-ceiling production design, and vanguard special effects within a 300,000-square-foot space.
The Lighthouse team has combined forces with British magician Jamie Allen (iMagician) for the experimental exhibit that, according to a press release, “blends Jamie’s encyclopedic knowledge of the history of magic with state-of-the-art technology, bringing the illusions of the past into the 21st century.”
The Illusionarium will consist of four magical rooms representing different eras beginning with the 17th century.
“Illusionarium was in many ways born of my own lifelong love of magic as well as from the circumstances of the pandemic,” says co-producer Corey Ross, Lighthouse Immersive.
Illusionarium opens Dec. 14
“I had intended to bring Jamie’s iMagician stage show to Toronto this December, but when it became clear that wasn’t possible he and I began to ask ourselves what could be possible in this new world. What we have come up with is infinitely exciting and really demonstrates how amazing ideas can be born from challenge.”
The exhibit will feature 3D projections and life-like holograms but also live magicians.
“Illusionarium is completely unique in seamlessly blending technology and practical magic – I have been combining magic and technology since I was a boy but this takes that passion to a whole new level,” says Allan, the magician and creator. “I am so thrilled to debut this new experiential work in Toronto. It is a great launchpad for new productions and the community of talented performers is so impressive.”
The installation will occupy the third gallery space in a historic building that was once home to the Toronto Star printing presses and will run alongside Immersive Van Gogh and Gogh By Car on the first two floors.
Nick, John, and Tim Frank are the brothers behind Toronto-based Frank Brothers Guitars. The Frank brothers began their custom guitar business in 2014 with a sketch of a guitar and the drive required to learn how to build guitars from scratch.
With no prior woodworking, design, or luthier experience, the self-taught brothers have evolved into a well-known niche guitar company popular with musicians worldwide.
Some of the artists the Frank brothers have worked with include Trey Anastasio (Phish), Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies), Leandra Earl (The Beaches), Eli Maiman (Walk The Moon), and many others. Handmade guitars are a niche market consisting mainly of established musicians and traditionalists, which the Frank brothers understand well.
“Some of the materials we use today are the same materials used in the 1950s, 1940s,” Tim Frank says.
He’s also aware of the ethical responsibility that comes with harvesting the wood required to make a custom guitar and wants people to know that the wood used in Frank Brothers Guitars is responsible.
Image by: Daniel Alexander
“We’re really careful about sourcing sustainably and ethically-sourced materials. A lot of our mahogany comes from community forests in Southern Mexico. Sourcing materials sustainably is important to us because we don’t use a lot of materials (guitars aren’t that big), and we don’t make a lot of them,” he adds.
Community forests play an essential part in the broader sustainability picture by offering community members a stake in forest management decisions and land value benefits. A practice crucial to the Frank brothers because it means better quality materials that stem from ethical practices.
“It’s also important for us to have a steady supply chain. We try and find materials that we can continue to find over and over again,” says Tim.
Recreating a Frank guitar design is essential because it stems from a classic style that began in the early 1950s.
“Most guitar designs stem from a golden-era of guitar design when electric guitars started in the ’50s. What we wanted to do was embrace that traditional esthetic and do something familiar but different. We’re not trying to be super modern or create some kind of ergonomic design, but it’s something unique that we’re bringing to the market,” says Tim.
It takes seven to eight months to create a unique handmade guitar for a client, but most of that time doesn’t involve carving wood.
“It takes anywhere from 60-80 working hours to build a guitar, but you can’t do every step in a row,” Tim says. “A lot of that time is spent waiting for glue or lacquer to dry. It’s a lot of patiently waiting.”
Most Frank Brothers Guitars are built-to-order. Customers can choose an existing design or build an entirely custom guitar using the company’s website builder. Tim urges people to call the shop to help with custom builds or ask any unanswered questions.
Tim’s happy to have found a strong following in Canada and across the world, but if there’s one guitarist he’d love to see play a Frank Guitar, it’s Bonnie Raitt.
“Bonnie Raitt is a great guitar player,” Tim says.
Erin O’Toole is the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and member of Parliament for Durham (Ontario). He, along with his wife Rebecca and two kids, are just settling into their new home in Ottawa as he settles into his new post. Here he shares the story of how he met and married Rebecca.
How they met
Rebecca and I met at a Halifax Mooseheads’ game while we were both living on the East Coast. I was a navigator in the Air Force from Ontario, and she was a student, in her last year at the University of King’s College, from a small town outside of Halifax. A mutual friend had invited us both to the game — and I knew immediately that she was one Nova Scotian I needed to get to know.
The first date
We went on our first date at Tom’s Little Havana, a quaint tavern in Halifax. We instantly connected and were even dancing by the end of the night to “True” by Spandau Ballet, which was our first dance at our wedding. Not your typical first dance song! That was in November 1998 — 20 plus years and two kids ago.
The courtship
It was definitely what some would describe as a whirlwind romance. I knew from the moment I saw Rebecca that she was special. We fell for each other fast and hard. After three weeks, we started talking about what we wanted for our future. I am a little biased, but Rebecca is one of those warm, loving people who make every moment special. There are lots of great moments that come to mind — but our first Christmas truly stands out to me. It was only a month after we had first met, but I knew that I wanted to take her home to Bowmanville to meet my family. Being the oldest of five kids, this was a big deal. But I knew I wanted her with me so I bought a pair of plane tickets and showed up at her door with them. She was the first and last girl I ever brought home.
The proposal
It was the first day we were moving into our first apartment together. It was the beginning of our next chapter, and I knew that I wanted it to be one we would remember forever. Rebecca loves Chinese food, so we ordered takeout. We were still living in Halifax, so we ordered from the Great Wall — a great locally owned spot that’s still there today. When she cracked open the fortune cookie, her fortune read, “Rebecca, will you marry me?”
Luckily, she said yes. The funny part was, the fortune I replaced said, “Answer what your heart prompts you.” Some things are just meant to be.
The wedding
We just celebrated our 20-year anniversary this year. We were married Aug. 18, 2000, at Saint Mary’s Basilica in Halifax. Then, we honeymooned on Prince Edward Island.
The kids
We have two amazing kids. Mollie is 14 years old, and Jack is nine years old.
Balancing work and marriage
Politics keeps me busy — but it’s all about making time for what’s truly important. Sunday nights are our chance to have a family dinner and hang out around the fire outside to start the week strong.
Life after retirement
What I look forward to is the time we’ll have together. Our lives can be busy, but I see retirement as a chance for us to relax and enjoy our time together. We have quite a few years to figure it out, but I could see us retiring somewhere like Chester, Nova Scotia — close to Rebecca’s family, or like Kingston, Ontario — close to mine.
Fans of Marvel will be thrilled to learn a new respite from reality is coming to Toronto and setting up shop at Yorkdale Mall.
Marvel’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N is an interactive, immersive walk-through experience where guests can submerge themselves in the origin stories, science, technology and genetics of their favourite superheroes like Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk and Thor.
Each room is dedicated to a specific Avengers character, and guests will have the opportunity to learn more about each character. There will be original costumes and props. In addition, there will also be a special Hulkbuster simulator and a Black Panther exhibit that is exclusive to Toronto.
The exhibition opens Nov. 20 and runs until Jan. 31. Tickets go on sale on Nov. 12 and start at $29 and you can even get collectible commemorative tickets and VIP tickets.
Strict COVID-19 protocols will be followed and the public is assured that “interactive elements and high-touch surfaces will be disinfected regularly throughout the day.”
A wave of pop-ups continues to sweep across the city, as restaurants seek ways to better cater to takeout diners amid the pandemic. Adrian Forte, a semi-finalist on the most recent season of Top Chef Canada, is the latest chef to help shake the city out of our collective takeout rut with his new to-go concept.
Yawd, described as a modern Caribbean pop-up, is now operating out of the temporarily closed Mahjong Bar space on Dundas West. The pop-up takes its name from a Jamaican patois word meaning “home” or “turf.”
Originally from Jamaica, Forte is known for reinterpreting the foods of his heritage using French culinary techniques. Yawd seems to be no exception, with its pared-down menu featuring dishes like jerk chicken coq au vin and braised oxtail with cassava gnocchi.
Previously, Forte helmed now-shuttered Toronto restaurants AF1 Canteen and Gangster Burger. More recently, he developed the menu for popular smash burger joint Aunty Lucy’s, as well as appeared in Netflix’s Restaurants on the Edge.
Yawd is open for pick-up only and pre-orders can be placed via its website. The pop-up is currently set to finish its short run on Nov. 15. A spokesperson for Yawd, however, said that the team is planning to roll out delivery in the future, hinting that the pop-up may continue in some form beyond this weekend.
For the second time in its 98-year history, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair will not take place this November. The first time it was cancelled was during the Second World War. Although the fair will not take place in its original form, organizers are making sure that Royal Winter fun still takes place with a virtual experience from Nov. 10 to 14.
The experience is completely free for all participants and will include programming from the four main pillars of the fair — equestrian, agriculture, culinary and education. Catch interviews with the country’s top equestrian riders, find out who won the Royal Food competitions and get involved by entering the butter sculpture competition. It won’t be in person, but the fair will still be full of fun and furry animals.
Burnbrae Farms is hosting a culinary series with cooking sessions with chefs such as Michael Bonacini, Devan Rajkumar, Trevor Lui and Joseph Shawana. This kicks off tonight at 5:15 p.m.
For equestrian fans, Heartland star Amber Marshall will be chatting with Ross Millar from The Royal Rodeo at 7 p.m. And for youth, the Rural Ontario Institute is presenting Rural Change Makers at 8:15 p.m. The presentation will showcase youth mobilizing rural communities to act on issues that matter.
These events are all taking place in the virtual Royal Pavilion where viewers can register for the free virtual experience. The pavilion is also where viewers can catch the SuperDogs, which is always a fan favourite at the fair. For those hoping to cast a vote for their favourite cattle in the Ultimate Supreme Champion in the Champions Showdown, the pavilion is where you’ll find all the information you need.
