The LG Fashion Week Diaries: Day Five

10:42 am

Adrian Wu ushered in the final day of Fashion Week. The 21-year-old designer —who has produced, oh, seven collections in two years — staged his collection in the smaller studio space. As a string quartet began playing, a spindly-legged male model — with his feet encased in shoes of absurd heights — emerged in a beige lace dress.

The rest of the challenging collection consisted entirely of dresses, many with gigantic protuberances emerging from them, given names such as “blue balls” and “the first period,” the latter of which reminded us of the final scene of Black Swan.

We’re not sure if Wu takes himself incredibly seriously or if he’s yanking our communal leg; no one seemed to know quite what to make of it. However, what it refused to do was bore, which is always a good thing.

Next came Anu Raina, a fun and lighthearted collection, filled to the brim with prints. We enjoyed most of the colourful prints — ranging from ones resembling bold swirls of paint to far more muted ones — but felt that many of the garment styles themselves needed improvement. Imperfections were noted in small details (such as button spacing), and we thought that some of the cuts looked a bit juvenile; we did, however, love a crop-sleeved blazer with a painterly poppy print. It’ll be the perfect piece in which to welcome spring.

The jewellery line Micalla, designed by Camilla Jørgensen, was inspired by the decadence of cats. This show opened with a short film starring the indulgent (and apparently jewel-loving) creatures. As the necklaces were paraded out, they somehow managed to become increasingly opulent, with endless sparkling options calling out towards the girl (or guy) who refuses to be a wallflower. Each creation was highly fanciful, with standout pieces including a unique mesh panel necklace that was suspended across the chest, and a bib necklace whipped up out of ruby and fuchsia crystals.

Baby Steinberg followed with a collection titled “Remnants,” referring to the salvaged materials she used to create the garments. While we think her work is honourable, we wonder about the remnants of handout material left on the seats, much of which likely went immediately into the trash. Regarding the show itself, there were a few pieces that had potential (a cropped sweater with shaggy shoulders; a chunky knit sweater dress), but overall we feel that the designer is producing work that, well, needs some work. If Steinberg removed the unnecessary trimmings (feathers stuck into the shoulders of said sweater dress) and got rid of the highly questionable pieces (one look reminded us of Eve, as in the Garden of Eden) something truly unique could be attained.

The goths — and a girl wearing an outrageous ball gown from a past collection — stepped out for Cydelic by Choryin. With the collection dubbed “Aliens,” it opened with a short film starring model Renee Thompson, who writhed around in various dresses. Consisting mainly of pieces in white paired with an alien-ish leopard print, what really nabbed everyone’s attention were the bags; each had horn handles and was of similar shape, with one drawing comparison to a forest floor (complete with moss), and another resembling a shark (complete with teeth). Our favourite look was a white mini dress with jutting hips, though the flowing leopard-print gowns would be far easier to pull off.

Lauren Bagliore — who has worked with big names like Vivienne Westwood, Zac Posen and Paul Hardy — was inspired by the streets of Florence, Paris and Bangkok, and the beauty she discovered in each city. Bagliore’s collection featured a black and white palette with many of the pieces reappearing in different renditions throughout the show. We loved a tie-dyed draped dress cut on the bias, a charcoal wrap vest, and a draped dress in black and white that was quite the shape shifter, and would be perfect for travel.

The first big draw of the night was David Dixon, who brought out society names like his good friend Suzanne Rogers as well as Jenna Bitove. Opening with Naro Lokuruka in a canary yellow floor length gown, the show continued with a parade of lady-like looks in a mostly black and white palette, with the occasional pop of yellow. We felt that the supposed rock ’n’ roll jewelry — which incorporated chains — failed to make much of a statement, and were perplexed by Dixon’s bow, in which he was accompanied by a model whose dress was completely undone at the back.

Denis Gagnon closed the week, much to our delight. Bringing out Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine, Suzanne Boyd, Tony Pham, Wesley Badanjak of Lovas, and Jeanne Beker in striped Gagnon, the atmosphere was celebratory, with people cheering as the lights dimmed. Starting off with a rather long “short film,” we saw the following: a girl floating in water, multiple close-ups of Gagnon’s bespectacled eyes, bubbling champagne (clearly a sponsor) and girls looking intense in the woods. At one point we heard someone fall off their seat; we presume they nodded off.

Finally, the show began, with models dancing lightheartedly down the runway, carefree grins spread across their faces. While it could have come across as absurd, the take was actually quite refreshing, and it was lovely seeing some personality coming from the models.

The clothes themselves were all fantastic; a mix of black and white, masculine and feminine, with floral pants and blazers being instantly covetable, and small details (such as a delicate beading, or studs on the cuffs of blazers) making each piece special. We loved that the model’s cheery grins and fresh makeup changed the interpretation of the black leather garments, giving them an air of insouciance rather than a harder edge which could have easily been read into, say, a cone bralette. A smooch between a “bride” and “groom” ended the show, with Gagnon skipping down the runway after them, putting a beautiful end to a long week.

The Breakfast Hub: York Region Transit workers go on strike, Pusateri’s reopens, ex-lingerie football players open up

8:10 am

GO riders can breathe a sigh of relief, but York Region Transit users, not so much. While a strike was averted with GO, York Region Transit workers walked off the job at 4 a.m. today.
[Globe and Mail]

Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump

Pusateri’s has reopened today, following a successful inspection by Toronto Public Health.
[CNW]

Krista Ford and some of the other players who left Toronto’s lingerie football team open up to The Star, citing concerns over safety and coaching.
[The Star]

Leading by example? A motorist captured an image of a TTC vehicle parked in front of a fire hydrant.
[Toronto Sun]

Former Health Canada advisor Pierre Blais believes that silicone gel breast implants available on the Canadian market are unsafe and similar to those banned in 1992.
[Toronto Sun]

The CBC has launched a PR campaign as a response to Quebecor’s media holdings attack to cut funding to the public broadcaster.
[National Post]

Pusateri’s closed: a timeline of events

2:12 pm

As has been widely reported, the Avenue and Lawrence location of Pusateri’s was shut down Thursday due to a pest infestation. The gourmet food store, a mainstay in the area, is expected to reopen pending a follow-up inspection. In the meantime, we have compiled a timeline of how the drama unfolded.

Oct. 20

The Pusateri’s store at Avenue and Lawrence is closed, following an inspection by Toronto Public Health. According to the report, the specific reason for store closure is due to an “operator fail[ing] to prevent an insect infestation.”

When The Star quizzes General Manager John Mastroianni about the incident, he insists Pusetari’s was closed “for general maintenance … equipment maintenance, that kind of thing.” “It’s not rodents.”

Mastroianni eventually comes clean to the newspaper after confirmation about the infestation is made public.

Oct. 20, 6 p.m.

Pusateri’s press release states that as of 3 p.m. that day, the Avenue Road store had been closed. An infestation of pests was found in “a small portion of the storage area and walk-in coolers” as well as “hard-to-reach and obscure locations.” It continues: “none of our public areas have been affected by this incident.”

Oct. 20, late last night

President Frank Luchetta tells a news conference that cockroaches had made their way into the store with a collection of wicker baskets imported from out-of-country.

Oct. 21, 10:40 a.m.

When asked about the likelihood of tainted product being transferred to either of the other two Pusateri’s locations, Shawn Rusich of Butter Communications, Pusateri’s PR company, tells us that no product is ever transferred between stores, saying that the food is brought in separately to each store, and that each store operates independently.

Oct. 21, 11:15 a.m.

A spokesman from DineSafe says that, given the public nature of the incident, the other two stores will be inspected sometime soon as well. “I would anticipate it, because of the publicity, I’m thinking that people will be phoning in and complaining as well.”

In response to the need for destroying any tainted food, the spokesman said it was not an issue in Pusateri’s case.

“Basically, if we condemn food that needs to be seized and destroyed, we would issue a form. We have to be able to prove that food itself has been contaminated,” he said. “In this case we didn’t find any directly chewed food. What we just found was a fair bit of mouse droppings and the signs of a fairly large-scale activity for mice.”

The LG Fashion Week Diaries: Day Four

11:18 am

Day four began on a high note with Sarah Stevenson’s oh-so-pretty showing of ombre florals. Inspired by the spring flowers she discovered in her own Toronto backyard, Stevenson’s collection — comprised mostly of dresses — showcased both her artwork and digitalized imagery for the prints next to the garments themselves.

We honestly loved everything; we thought that a lilac dress — which had the flowers climbing onto the piece in an X-shape — was a unique use of the print. The only fault would have to be Stevenson’s logo; we don’t feel that the loopy, girly font communicates the maturity of both her taste and skill set.

The designer high continued with a double showing from Golnaz Ashtiani and Caitlin Power, drawing the likes of Nathalie Atkinson, Andrew Sardone, Mosha Lundström Halbert and Deirdre Kelly. Ashtiani’s collection featured a muted palette, with lilac, pale yellow, pale tangerine and washed-out mint being paired with cream and dove grey. We liked the mix of hard (collars, shoulders) and soft (almost-ruffles), and enjoyed her take on the jumpsuit: done in a lilac silk charmeuse, it had a ruffle of sorts that wove its way around the body from one shoulder to the other leg, which made for an interesting silhouette.

While Ashtiani’s collection looked to the past (Roman Holiday was named as one influence), Caitlin Power’s focused on the future, or, more specifically, the first signs of it. Using printed leather, silk chiffon and wool, her collection referenced Blade Runner and Star Trek; our favourite looks included a white leather vest with a cropped front and a black dress with croc-like printed leather and orange piping. We also rather enjoyed a cream silk blouse with orange detailing, which was styled with a gold choker peeking out from under the collar.

Next up was Mélissa Nepton. Inspired by a desert safari, the collection featured much draping and gathering, with a mostly muted palette occasionally spiced with Creamsicle orange. We favoured the black and white looks: a flowing vest-cum-dress in a black and white stripe, and a modern take on the kaftan, done in white with black piping that extended up into a hood. The models were outfitted with clear visors and odd perforated knee wraps, which brought to mind an unsuccessfully-styled Prada collection of the past. If Prada can’t do it, neither can you.

Then came Ken Chow’s menswear line Krane. Last season’s show had models removing bags from hooks dangling from the ceiling; this season saw models hanging bags on hooks protruding from faux walls. Unfortunately the act didn’t translate as well to the space this time around, and the models read as a bit creepy (especially the last one, who reminded us of a certain Austrian who came to power in a neighbouring country in 1933). While the presentation threw us off, we did like the clothes. The suspenders-slash-harnesses — a continuation from last season — were all fantastic; we loved a Y-front one paired with a bow tie. Meanwhile, a shirt and jacket that morphed into faux bags (to sling over the shoulder when hot) drew oohs and aahs from the crowd. Innovative and interesting.

We were then treated to an appearance by the American designer Cynthia Rowley, flown up north thanks to Kellogg’s Special K. While we presumed there would be a runway show, this was far from the case. A wooden speech from Kellogg’s presenter, Monika Schnarre (in which the word "fabulous" was more than ubiquitous) was followed by a seemingly embarrassed Rowley, who appeared for an awkward Q&A session. Three women (who had lost weight thanks to Kellogg’s Special K) took their turn on the stage in ill-fitting dresses designed by Rowley (we presume they ate more Special K after their fittings) before a lengthy photo op ensued, and Rowley slunk off the stage sideways. Hopefully the winners had a bit of fun, because most of us were simply cringing.

After an apparently Arabian Nights-inspired jewellery collection from Caroline Néron, it was time for Bustle. In the crowd we spotted Anwar Mukhayesh of the Designer Guys, Andrej Pejic (sitting pretty in sheer black tights), a Carolina Herrera look-alike, and, of course, Stacey McKenzie.

The show opened onto a sailboat scene, complete with bottles of bubbly and a trio of dancing girls. While the girls took no issue with imbibing freely throughout the show (it was definitely the real stuff), male models paraded a series of elevated nautical looks down the runway. We liked a deep purple suit worn with a black and white striped pocked square and a pale mauve and blue checkered sports jacket. After the seemingly endless display of looks, the obviously drunken troika of girls (one in particular) made its way down the runway to mug for the cameras before Shawn Hewson and Ruth Promislow appeared. Next time, lose the girls.

The day ended with Vawk by Sunny Fong. Showing both his resort and spring/summer collections, the presentation began with a series of long black dresses with laser cut gold leather. The intricate pieces were all stunning and incredibly regal; a halter-necked version was our favourite. Fong’s spring collection was equally as elegant, moving from simpler shapes to more elaborate ones as the series progressed. A grey V-necked dress with rectangular gold leather inserts made a quiet statement, while mud-coloured suede shorts, which appeared tie-dyed, would make a great transition from day to night. Inspired by insects, the influence was best seen in the closing pieces: a series of swirling dresses in mauves and gold with delicately-patterned skirts.

As the adorable Fong took a bow, day four came to a close.

Tony Aspler’s Wine Pick of the Week: Henry of Pelham Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay 2008

11:14 am

You could pass this off as a white Burgundy any day of the week. Straw-coloured with a touch of barnyard on the nose, riding on minerally apple and toasty oak notes. Rich and full on the palate with a fine, long, nutty finish. Food match: grilled salmon, ripe brie.

$19.95, (Vintages #268342).

Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards. He can be heard on 680News.

The Breakfast Hub: Pusateri’s shut down due to infestation, Toronto Police get a reprieve from budget cuts, the question of licensing cyclists

7:27 am

The Toronto Department of Public Health has shut down the Avenue Road location of ultra-luxe grocery store Pusateri’s due to a pesky little problem (or two). The store expects to reopen soon.
[National Post]

The Toronto Police Board has approved a budget of almost $1 billion dollars for 2012, right in line with Police Chief Bill Blair’s steadfast plea for a budget increase. So much for the cost-cutting campaign that Rob Ford was hoping for!
[Globe and Mail]

Plates and licenses could become mandatory for all cyclists as the Toronto Police Board begins to discuss the possibility.
[Toronto Sun]

Once again, Rob Ford demonstrated his dedication to the arts by not attending the annual Mayor’s Arts Awards lunch.
[Globe and Mail]

A piece of Toronto history goes up in flames as one of the city’s oldest houses is found ablaze.
[Toronto Star]

If your teen isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, not to worry! A new study finds that IQ levels fluctuate during teen years.
[Parent Central]

This food show is bound to be delicious

2:30 pm

Food. We can’t live without it, and the more delicious it is, the better. This weekend, hardcore foodies have reason to celebrate at the four-day food lovers’ extravaganza, the Delicious Food Show, happening in the Ex’s Better Living Centre.

Food Network fans will be able to get their celebrity chef fix, with Lynn Crawford, Mark McEwan and Padma Lakshmi, among others, appearing on centre stage.

Throughout the weekend, foodies will have a few opportunities to traditionally stomp grapes while listening to Argentine tango and stimulating all five senses. There will be glamorous kitchen designs and appliances for gawking at, and food samples from fine Toronto restaurants, which promise to be sweet, good for the soul and extravagant.

Watch out for a cooking with kids demonstration, a vegetarian meal cook-off and a workshop about the process of making chocolate with chef Steffan Howard, who will speak about buying chocolate from more ethical sources such as farmers’ market regulars Chocosol. And yes, there will be an opportunity to sample real chocolate.

The kickoff happens tonight with Delicious!, an opening night party with rare cocktail samples, a gourmet menu and, what else, dancers from Conteur Dance Company.

It’s like a food lovers’ paradise at the Ex.

Delicious Food Show, Exhibition Place, Oct. 20–23

Theatre Review: In the Next Room or the vibrator play

11:17 am

What a pleasure it is to encounter a near-perfect production of a play by one of the most exciting young playwrights in the world: Sarah Ruhl. Still in her mid-30s, she was nominated for both a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize for her witty, raunchy and admirably serious play about 19th century sexuality In the Next Room or the vibrator play. A hit on Broadway less than two years ago, it’s now lighting up the Tarragon Theatre.

This is a surprisingly funny, insightful play about the historically accurate attempts to cure “female hysteria” through the use of, well, read that title again. My rusty, high school Latin informs me that the word “hysteria” had its origins in the word for “womb.” Ah, those universally accepted sexist beliefs of the 1880s! The Victorian set is both beautiful and clever, as two often-related scenes take place in a den on stage right, as well as “in the next room,” where the “healing” takes place.

The acting, especially by Melody A. Johnson, Trish Lindström and David Storch, who often perform with Soulpepper, cries out for several Dora Awards. The play’s obsession with sex is never prurient and is often as moving as it is comical, even as the audience realizes that this miraculous new machine, designed to electrically produce “paroxysm” in these frustrated women, is actually designed to create orgasms. There is a complete lack of vulgarity in this finely penned piece of theatre, as we are continually bombarded with reminders about the general backwardness of the era.

What makes Ms. Ruhl such a fine playwright is her determination to never ignore the 19th century world of racism and religious prejudice present in the search for mental health. We see the wife of the doctor mortified by her lacking breast milk to feed her newborn (“Wet nurses are nine parts devil, one part cow!”) and put off by the fact that the woman who is recommended to nurse her baby is an African-American, whose own infant recently died.

Richard Rose has not merely directed this play with genius, he has choreographed it as well. And the playwright’s symbolism does not clash like an orchestra’s cymbals, as many modern plays do.

Not to gush, but this was one of the best evenings of theatre I’ve had in years.

In the Next Room or the vibrator play, Tarragon Theatre. Runs until Oct. 23.

David Rocco on cookbooks, food television and the state of Italian cuisine in Toronto

11:02 am

While you may not be able to escape the colder weather outside your front door, David Rocco’s latest cookbook, Made in Italy, will bring a taste of Italy to your kitchen. In his third book, he delves further into la dolce vita to bring together a new collection of traditional, regional and best of all, simple Italian recipes. We caught up with him to talk about, what else, Italy.

What do you mean when you say, “I’m not a chef, I’m Italian”?
I’m not a trained chef. I do not have the education or formal training in cooking, but being Italian, cooking Italian food is in my blood, it’s in my DNA. So it’s is kind of a play on that.

What made you decide to bring your cooking to television?
I actually wanted to be a filmmaker and an actor. I saw a cooking show back in the late 90s as being an easy thing to do — certainly easier than a film — and that would be a nice way of getting into the filmmaking business. Little did I know that I would be doing it 10 years later!

You have two previous cookbooks. What made you decide to write another?
I like to say I have only one previous cookbook because the first one [Avventura] was something that was done through another production company, but Dolce Vita certainly was my first baby. I think it was hugely successful, and we just felt it was an obvious thing to do another one. Italian food is so simple and it’s so accessible. And aside from our fan base wanting more, we just had more to say, and I had more to write and more recipes to share, so it’s something that I felt was an obvious kind of sequel.

What makes Made in Italy different from your previous two?
I talk about some of the regional cooking. Some of the recipes are from the island of Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany. We have little chapters that reflect the times of season, like the olive harvest, so they’re little vignettes of moments in Italy.

What is your favorite recipe in Made in Italy?
Oh my god, it’s like saying pick your favorite child! I love pasta. I’m a big carbs guy, I love risotto, but probably my favourite recipe is the spaghetti alla carbonera. It has crispy pancetta, fresh cracked pepper — it’s a beautiful kind of natural creamy pasta, so delicious — and I present it with the egg yolk on top. It’s raw and the heat of the pasta kind of cooks it up; everyone loves it! That and fried pizza dough. People think fried pizza dough must be heavy, but it’s these delicious light little fluffs of dough with tomato sauce on top.

What is the most surprising recipe in the book?
I have this one recipe, called caponata (Napoletana), made using stale bread. You slightly submerge it in water, to moisten it up a little bit, add olive oil and then add a few cherry tomatoes, some anchovy fillets, some olives and it becomes this bread salad. When you look at how simple this recipe is, literally using peasant ingredients like stale bread and a couple of tomatoes, you think no, it can’t be this good, but everyone loves it.

How important is authenticity in food?
To me, there’s a reason why recipes endure the test of time. When you have a classic recipe, it’s usually because it works, and people love it. What’s really wonderful about Italy, and I talk about this in the book, is that from region to region, town to town, there will be a slight difference based on that region or town’s take on it, but the base is always the same.

What is the easiest thing to mess up with Italian cooking?
I think, a good tomato ragu, which is a slow braised tomato sauce with mixed meats. It’s done in Italy all the time; cooking mixed meats, braising your meats and then adding your tomato puree and then letting the meat cook in the sauce for about 3 hours. The actual recipe is so simple, but I find that in North America we have a tendency to overcook with garlic. There’s an idea that Italian food is about cooking with garlic, and that’s not the case.

What do you think of the Italian food scene in Toronto?
We have some great pizzerias and great Italian restaurants in Toronto; it’s a great food city. Because of the Italian base you have customers that are Italian that expect it to be authentic. So I think our Italian food scene here is fantastic!

What’s next?
Well I just shot a new TV series called David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway, which is based on my cookbook. It is filmed entirely in the Amalfi coast. I am also developing a new series in Brazil and we have another series that’s in development as well. So there’s lots of good things going on.

Grab of the Week: yoga jeans that aren’t just jeggings

10:24 am

Hanging around non fitness-related environments in yoga wear is a definite fashion faux pas. We have nothing against comfort, yoga or fitness, and we realize that it’s hard to juggle outfit changes into a busy schedule. So we present to you: yoga jeans.

Don’t be alarmed: these aren’t jeggings. We can assure you that these are proper five-pocket jeans, made from high-quality denim right here in Canada. The product of Montreal-based denim line, Second Denim Co., yoga jeans contain brushed cotton and elastane combined with a specialized waistband, allowing you to bend, twist and downward dog with ease.

Most importantly, the jeans look and feel great. Whether you’re a yogi or not, you will rejoice in their softness, comfort and fit. Our fashion senses tell us that we will be living in these over the winter. They’re the denim answer to a thick legging. They’re also our new favourite jeans.

$125. Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor Street, 416-922-2333

Grace Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.

The Breakfast Hub: rewarding Toronto protesters, quitting lingerie football, privatizing garbage collection

8:07 am

Some Toronto councillors want to reward the OccupyTO protestors. What for exactly? We’re still trying to understand.
[Toronto Sun]

After one game with the Toronto Triumph lingerie football team, Krista Ford, along with other teammates, have called it quits.
[The Grid]

And the winner is: GFL Waste and Recycling Solutions, who have netted themselves a $17.5 million contract to pick up Toronto’s residential trash west of Yonge Street.
[CBC]

Coffee Lovers beware. A Facebook scam offering free coffee is too good to be true.
[Toronto Star]

Roncy is a little less vocal in the blogosphere these days after local icon Tom Clemens, otherwise known as the homeless blogger, passed away.
[Toronto Star]

At the age of 50, getting a tattoo shouldn’t cause that much of a ruckus with mom and dad. But that’s not the case if you’re name is Barbie.
[Globe and Mail]

It’s a zoo out there. No, not Toronto, but Zanesville, OH., where 48 exotic animals were released from their cages.
[Toronto Sun]

Bright lights, big cauldron

2:52 pm

Expecting upside-down crosses and human sacrifice, I arrive at my first Wiccan ceremony with my cellphone fully charged — if they’re going to boil me in a cauldron, I at least want to call my wife and baby and tell them I love them one last time.

I’m loitering in the parking lot of Serena Gundy Park just after 7 p.m. on a drizzly Sunday, creeping in and out of the damp woods, looking for the Wiccan Harvest Fall Festival, one of the biggest Wiccan events of the year. The Wiccan Church of Canada, founded by a Toronto-based husband and wife in 1979, is shrouded in weird. Like a Halloween-ready secret sect, the church uses a bizarre haze of vocabulary on their Web site, dropping terms like “coven,” “craft” and “ritual,” making the whole thing seem like one of those Twilight movies.

Tonight, the church is holding Harvesttide, an outdoor ceremony that pays tribute to our natural surroundings, and I’m walking around the park, looking for smoke and listening for screams. Frankly, it’s cold and I’m tired. Also, I’m scared out of my gourd. Thinking about home, I bump into a woman named Wendy with long blonde hair, a black leather jacket and a handful of rings. She’s either going to Harvesttide or else Siouxsie and the Banshees are playing a show.

“They certainly are a secretive bunch,” says Wendy, who tells me she’s celebrating her 46th birthday. “I don’t always attend their services, but I like to bless the harvest when they’re holding their meetings outside.”

Serena Gundy Park in the dark and at nighttime is so teenager-filled, cold and creepy that, when we stumble across the Wiccans by a bonfire at a clearing, I’m filled with relief. The truth is, the church was open with me and allowed me, a reporter — as they’ll allow anyone — to attend their ceremony and participate.

“Our religion’s not so much about the letter of God as much as it’s about doing unto others as you’d have done to yourself,” says a 35-year-old named Peter, who will act as the evening’s “summoner,” which is basically a witchcrafty word for security.

“My job,” says Peter, who’s wearing a long black robe and holding a staff, “is to secure the perimeter and make sure that no animals or people enter our circle.” What happens if someone does try and enter the circle? “I grab the high priestess and run,” he says.

When the ceremony begins, 13 people mill around the bonfire, and only half of them hold staffs or wear cloaks. It feels a little like a Dungeons & Dragons club.

“Let those now come forward and be cleansed,” says Daniel, kicking off the service by instructing the attendants to step away from the fire, then march back in, one by one, holding hands.

In the dark, holding the hand of a sneezy blind man, I repeat Daniel’s chant: “Hoof and horn, all that dies shall be reborn.”

Wiccans believe in reincarnation, spells and magic, and walking around the fire, chanting. And I begin to question what I believe in. At 13, I had a bar mitzvah. At 32, I was baptized, so I could be married in my wife’s Greek Orthodox church. Both of these ceremonies I found somewhat uncomfortable. I didn’t really choose to participate in either one.

“Corn and grain, all that falls shall rise again,” chants Daniel, and we follow — the blind man, Peter, Wendy and me. Just when I think things couldn’t get any stranger, that the costumes and chanting and hidden service are as far as things could go, Daniel unsheathes a sword and Stephanie, the high priestess, kneels down before an effigy of a man made of straw.

“Come to us, this evening, Lord of the harvest. My Lord, you are Lord of fruition,” she says, kissing the wicker man’s knees. Candles are lit and incense is burned, and we raise our right hands to the four points of the compass, blessing the harvest at all points of the globe.

I can imagine that Judaism looks strange to an outsider. People speaking in a foreign language, standing and sitting and kissing a book. And I know all the chanting and incense and icons at our Greek Orthodox church in Mississauga freaked out my parents when they came for a visit. Still, as the people at my Wiccan service grab offerings from a picnic table — plums, pieces of cookie — and toss them into the fire, I’m sure I’m experiencing one of the odder moments of a particularly odd month. “By this, I summon you, old ancient ones. Manifest your essence from the blessed elements,” says Stephanie, and after she and Daniel trade a few lines, like an even trippier version of Sonny and Cher, they conclude their blessing with a kiss on the lips.

“There is no greater bond than that of a man and woman joined in love,” says Daniel before using his sword to try and cut off the head of the wicker man. It doesn’t work, though, and he just sort of bangs the thing, and Stephanie gathers up its splintered pieces and tosses the wicker man into the flames.

“It’s a sacrifice,” says Peter, and I run out of the woods as if chased by wolves.

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