gelato

via sugar cookie brooklyn

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better in Toronto.  The past few days, the temperature has been hovering around 13 to 15 degrees.  The sun is shining and people have magically appeared on the street and come out of their winter hibernation in search of vitamin D.   

One of the first things I think about when the weather warms up is gelato.  Maybe it’s the allure of colourful choices staring back at me with creative topings that draw me in, or the pungent, strong flavours that taste so much better than ice cream, in my opinion.  I am not a seasonal gelato eater by any means.  I am happy to grab a cup in the dead of winter but I am sure any gelato cafe owner will tell you that business is booming between spring and fall in Toronto and now is the time to start hunting for your gelato spot.

I noticed two new gelato cafes in Toronto this past month prepping themselves for the gelato season; one that recently opened on Eglinton West between Avenue Road and Bathurst.  I don’t remember the name but it looked cute when I drove by this evening.  The other is the Mad Italian Gelato Bar on Bayview south of Eglinton that will compete head to head with Hollywood Gelato.  (Very art of war strategy- keep your enemies close by).   As a follow up (post post) review, I tried the Mad Italian Gelato Bar today and it doesn’t come close to Hollywood Gelato or Il Gelaterie.  Mad Italian is light and creamy but is missing the bold flavours.  I would not rush back.

In my tribute to new gelato and the start of gelato eating season, a couple pictures to rouse excitement.

via laist

via serious eats

dinner party

There is a dinner party going on at my house tonight that I was not invited to attend.  It’s okay because I am heading out with my two best friends for dinner to one of my favourite wine bars in the city, Pic Nic.  I was however, recruited to be the sous chef and help my mom wash and prep everything! 

During the menu shop and prep this morning, my mother and I were fortunate to have a professional photographer in the house to take pictures of all the fresh fruit and veggies that would later be turned into the meal for my mom’s guests.

Here are a couple shots that I hope get you excited for spring, entertaining, and everything to do with fresh food!  Have a nice weekend.

Guess Who Is Coming to Toronto?

Entertainers rejoice!  I was reading the CB2 blog a couple days ago and noticed a very exciting news- CB2 is opening their first store north of the border in Toronto, downtown in the old Big Bop.  I can’t wait.  I think it’s fantastic Toronto is slowly becoming the choice of expansion of creative home retailers from the US.  Now if only a couple European stores would look this way, the home decorators and consummate party throwers would be in business.  For now, I will start my unofficial count down for CB2. 

via CB2

via city hammer

via apartment therapy

via uncrate

Sweet Treat Round Up

I have been making mental notes of new (that is, new to me) and notable sweet treats that I think deserve a prominent space at an event, as a host/hostess gift or just for pure indulgence.  

First up, Twisted Sisters by sisters, Missy and Jill are the two enterprising women behind the Toronto based gourmet pretzel company.  They offer four products with lots of variations including twisted apples, marshmallows, pop’ems (pretzel sticks) and of course regular pretzels dipped in chocolate, candies and more.  I have done chocolate dipped pretzels at a wedding, they were packaged in two’s for guests to share and they turned out to be a hit.  I will definitely keep Twisted Sisters in mind for my next salty/sweet table!

via food and drink magazine

Next up is More Cupcakes from Chicago.  Move over pastry chefs, owner Patty Rothman is a cupcake curator!   Patty designs cupcake creations using high quality ingredients.  To me, More Cupcakes look sophisticated and are a far departure from “grandmas kitchen” cupcakes.  For a sophisticated dinner party, More Cupcakes (sadly only in the US) would make a great after dinner indulgence. 

via jtwoo

via chicago bites

Lastly, Suite 88 in Montreal ranks high on my list of sweet treats that are not to be overlooked.  Their modern chocolates are complemented by the equally modern, minimalist interior design of their two boutiques in the city.  If you happen to be in Montreal and can stop by Suite 88, in addition to purchasing chocolates, you can relax in store and taste their amazing waffles, gelato, chocolate bars and rich hot chocolate.

via suite 88

via suite 88

entrepreneurial art

I have been noticing more and more talk on the integration of art, design and business;  the marriage of right and left brain, yin and yang, arts degrees and business degrees, together to produce more value out of the sum of the parts.  The increasing support, awareness and talk over integration of design and business makes me happy because I subscribe to this way of thinking whole heartedly.  I am the arts degree and the business degree in one.  I grew up performing on stage, playing musical instruments, taking art lessons and doing other crafty things but I also have an interest in business and work in real estate.  Are the two things so at odds with each other?  I don’t think so.  

To learn more about my own philosophy,  I started reading up on these two unlikely opposites and ended up studying a business case on the design firm, IDEO and their practice of ethnographic research in solving business problems.  I think IDEO is a great example of a company that “gets it.”  IDEO created an entire company (very successful- that was later purchased by office furniture company, Steelcase) on the marriage of design and business and countless products have been born out of this integration.  Fast forward to this year, the Dean of Rotman Business School in Toronto, Roger Martin published a book that I read called the Design of Business which discussed the value of attacking problems through an integration of design and business philosophies.  Finally, the other day while reading the blog, Out of the Way, I saw a piece of art that caught my attention. Artist/entrepreneur/blogger/cartoonist, Hugh MacLeod, produces great pieces of work that I find are representative of the marriage of design + business.  For an interview and to learn more about Hugh MacLeod click here.  Hugh also published a book called “Ignore Everybody”  on how to unlock your own creativity and brilliance and unleash it on the world. For the events/entertaining industry where the pressure to be innovative, new and relevant is ever more pressing, Hugh is a great source of wisdom and inspiration for us all.  His book is already on my library list and look forward to reading more about his opinions and experience.  But for now- you can appreciate his art! 

via gaping void

via gaping void

via gaping void