Vanilla Food Company + Weekend Roundup

Boy could I use a company like this when I am missing baking ingredients in Prague.  I can’t tell you how many times I go to bake, realize I am missing an ingredient, head to the store and end up searching endlessly for something that I may or may not find.  Vanilla was one of the top things on my list that I could not locate in the city, however now I know you can purchase a small bottle at Marks and Spencer ($$).

I thought the Vanilla Food Company, a Toronto based, specialty, online-only business that sells vanilla (beans, extracts), plus other baking items such as spices, dried fruits, extracts, flavourings, pastes, powders and colourings (to name a few) was a neat niche business for bakers and food enthusiasts to know about.  Not only can you get extracts, you can get beautiful things like Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste, Callebaut chocolate chips as well as chocolate from Cacao Berry and Valrhona (the premium chocolate heavyweights!), and cinnamon from Vietnam.

It looks as if this company was born out of a bit of frustration with the quality and selection of vanilla beans available to regular/non professional chefs in the marketplace.  “The dried up, shriveled, over-priced vanilla beans” we are all accustomed to buying would not suffice for this entrepreneur.  Instead, Vanilla Food Company is filling that gap by upping the quality and accessibility to customers in Canada and the US!

I can’t wait to put my order in and pick up some items to bring back with me to Prague when I return to Toronto in May.

Photo Source: 1, 2, 3

Outside of craving quality chocolate and vanilla paste, I found some interesting ideas on the blogsphere to share with you:

I would like to try this pancake recipe on the weekend from Indonesian blogger, Cemplang Cemplung

I enjoyed reading this blog post on organic vegetables and fruit in Dubai from blogger, My Custard Pie

Finally, design store, Riija, in Riga Latvia, looks like it carries a lot of neat stuff from local designers, if you are into exploring or collecting some design products from Latvia.

Wax Bars and Fuzz

I was all set to write a nice post on the chocolate beetroot cake I baked over Valentine’s Day (I still have a quarter left wrapped up in the freezer) but thanks to an email I received this morning from a friend on the opening of a new wax bar in Toronto, my topic of conversation for today has change to the increasingly visible trend of specialized service businesses.

Let me explain, there is a growing trend among professional service businesses to focus on one service.  I suppose one could argue nail salons and hair salons were the original businesses to offer a focused service but for some reason, in the past couple years, I keep reading about these new, young entrepreneurs who are breathing new life into specialized services.  I love these places because they are able to do an amazing job, quickly, and for a relatively inexpensive cost.  The added bonus is the fun of branding and consumer experience is brought back into to the service which makes returning as a customer a pleasure!

I’ve blogged about a handful of these specialized concepts before including Dry Bar  in Los Angeles which kicked off the blow dry bar trend, followed a more recent post on Blushington Makeup (also Los Angeles) that specializes in make up glamorizing services and now, the next focused service: wax bars.

Wax bars are not a new concept, especially in Europe.   The two wax salons that come to my mind are MaxWax in New York, and  Wax in the City from Germany (Wax in the City rocks in Berlin and Vienna); both companies have been around for several years.  Clearly, wax bars have not finished expanding and evolving as the newest addition to the waxing salon genre recently opened in Toronto on Queen Street.  Fuzz Wax Bar offers hybrid membership and non membership pricing for clients of  its extensive waxing services.  I plan to go check them out in May when I return to Toronto for a week of wedding planning appointments and look forward to reporting back to you all about my experience.

Photo Source 1

Does anyone have any amazing specialty service shops in their city that they would like to share?  Would love to hear what is going on around the world.

Photos Sources 1, 2, 3, 4

Macaron Day Toronto March 20th

If you have been following my blog, you’ll know I have a soft spot for macaron.  I’ve blogged about some of my favourite macaron shops around the world including MadMac (NYC), Adriano Zumbo (Sydney), Bottega Louie (Los Angeles) and Thurel & Thomas (Mexico City) to name few. There is something about their colour, size, texture and taste that I just can’t get enough of.  Macarons were also part of my scavenger hunt marriage proposal that my fiance organized last February.

Toronto macaron lovers rejoice.  The city wide event you have all been waiting for is almost here.  On March 20th, over 15 bakeries around the city will be offering free macarons in support of the Red Door Shelter. The list of participating bakeries in Toroto include several of my favourite shops in the city (I have blogged about a handful of them over the years).

(photo via Macaron Day TO)

The macaron day event, is not new to the world stage.  In fact it started in Paris back in 2005 under the name “Jour du Macaron” by Pierre Herme. The event has spread to far reaching cities such as Berlin, Brussels, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Alsace, numerous cities around France, and  New York.

(photo via la fuji mama)

If you have never tasted a macaron in your life, this is a terrific opportunity to broaden your palette and see what you have been missing for so long.

(photo via The Culinary Life)

(photo via Girl Eat Girl)

Macaron Day TO participating bakeries include:

La Bamboche (my blog post)
Petite Thuet
Patisserie La Cigogne
Butter Avenue
J’adore Cakes Co.
Rahier
Patachou
Moroco (my blog post and my marriage proposal macarons came from these guys)
Bobbette and Belle (my blog post)
Ma Maison
Ruelo Patisserie
Cake Opera Co. (my blog post)
Daniel et Daniel
The Sweet Escape
Julio Bonilla
Frangipane
Patisserie 27

Toronto on a roll

While doing my rounds this month of reading through magazines, blogs and websites, I’ve noticed several new event/wedding/bakery related establishments have opened in the city.  The gods of creativity are smiling on Toronto as fresh ideas, concepts and businesses are brought to market to make the city a sweeter, more colourful place.  Let’s see, on the list I can count at least three, Petite and Sweet, Nadege 2, and Bakerbots.  Honourable mention goes to Bobbette and Belle’s great interview in this month’s House and Home magazine.    Is it just me noticing this or do I dare say, Toronto, I’m impressed?!

via toronto life

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via Baker Bots

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via love the design

linebox studio

Toronto/Ottawa based, Linebox Studio designed this fabulous, bright, modern kitchen that I saw posted on Plastolux.  I particularly love how the colour of the wood floor makes the white cabinets pop.  

There are some great shots of other Linebox Studio projects on their website.  Here are a few of my favourites.

via plastolux

via mocoloco

via modto

via modto.com

Gary Taxali

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via gary taxali