Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

The accolades tell it all: "I had a terrific and very inspiring time in Oaxaca. Your knowledge of the culture and region introduced us to so many interesting people, all willing to share their passion, whether it was for pottery, wood carving, frothy chocolate, the best moles or natural dyes" [Elizabeth Baird].Elizabeth Baird, one of the foremost Canadian culinary icons of our time, was a participant in the May, 2010, Oaxaca Culinary Tour. So was prolific cookbook author and columnist Rose Murray, who endorsed a copy of her seminal work, A Taste of Canada, A Culinary Journey, with similar praise: "Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of Oaxaca with us. We know it through your eyes."If the foregoing is any indication of the success of this most recent tour, then the thought of what's in store for participants in future, similarly organized Oaxaca culinary events, should titillate anyone interested .. more»

There is no doubt that Canada is a northern country and that our winters here in Toronto can sometimes be a little harsh. But that's no reason to hold anyone back from getting out there and enjoying the city to the fullest.To ease the winter blues, the City of Toronto has developed a series of special events dedicated to bringing the city to life in the middle of winter. The WinterCity Festival is a city-wide celebration of Toronto's culinary offerings (the popular Winterlicious restaurant promotion), a wide variety of free entertainment events and a showcase of Toronto's vibrant arts scene, featuring live music, dance, theatre, spectacle shows, rink-side concerts and even aerial acrobatic performances. Throw in a number of child-friendly events, and WinterCity has something for everyone in the family.I had a chance to talk to Grant Ramsey from the City of Toronto who is one of the key people .. more»

Are you a self-confessed artist? Do you have a keen eye for detail and a sharp mind for beauty? Do you consider preparing food as an art? The culinary arts is not just about cooking delectable meals. It can also mean the courteous service we get from restaurants. Or it can be the hospital food that we never like to eat. Culinary arts is very much involved in the creation of ice sculptors, and chocolate carvings.That's not all. Culinary fruit designs have become famous over the years. Fruit carvings actually started in Thailand and have been around for several centuries already. The use of culinary arts fruit designs in dishes have basically been limited to those prepared for the royal family. The royal chef had the biggest responsibility in making sure that the meals served were pleasing not only to the mouth but to the eyes as well. This art .. more»

The 2011 Kentucky Derby will be held on May 6 and 7 at the world-famous Churchill Downs in Louisville. There is nothing like witnessing "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" live from the track, which is why attendance usually surpasses that of all other stakes races in the U.S. Anyone who has not purchased a Kentucky Derby ticket for this year can still do so in order to experience the action live.Churchill Downs was incorporated in 1937 and the race has had a distance of 1.25 miles since 1896. All horses must be three years old to participate. The top five finishers receive a share of the purse and the fastest time run to-date was 1:59:40 by Secretariat in 1973. A record was set by Calvin Borel in 2010, when he became the first jockey to win three out of four consecutive times.These facts are interesting, but there is .. more»