As photographer for the Stratford Chefs School, Terry Manzo’s delectable food shots and vibrant event coverage contribute to our world class reputation. Terry is an SCS Alumna, graduating in our inaugural class of 1985…
Our class had the extraordinary opportunity to try some very old wines from Bordeaux that Chef Ian Middleton generously shared from his father George’s collection. As interesting as the wine was in flavours and complexity, for me, the most fascinating part of the afternoon came with the stories and the history they illustrated…
Autumn is a very busy time for many people. For the Wet’suwet’en, it is a time to hunt, preserve, and prepare meats and vegetables for the winter season. It is also a time to come together to enjoy the abundance of fresh food and the generosity of the Creator. Thanksgiving has a similar sentiment. It is a time to gather with family, eat delicious food, and give thanks for the things that you are blessed to have in your life.
With this in mind, October’s recipe of the month is a Cranberry Sweet & Sour Goose Breast. It is a delicious addition to a Thanksgiving feast or can be served as a tasty main course on a crisp fall evening.
In October 2017, we were lucky to partner with Digiwriting Book Marketing to host Appetite for Words Festival: A literary festival with a culinary twist. Joining us that weekend to promote her book I Hear She’s a Real Bitch was Toronto’s own, Jen Agg. Notorious for calling out “bro culture” in the restaurant industry, she is blazing a new trail for women in kitchens.
It is not particularly easy to tease a dinner menu out of a work of fiction, even when cooking and sharing food figures prominently in the story itself. Five Roses, by Alice Zorn is an engrossing story of the complicated relationships and histories between four women living, loving and working in St. Henri, a working-class neighbourhood in Montreal.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to have lunch with Gabrielle Hamilton at Rene’s Bistro. We talked about food writing, being a chef and her process for choosing menus. These are the bits of the interview that weren’t just us rambling about drinking at the Boars Head and our mutual love Eddie Huang. It’s a lot to read, but a person like Gabrielle Hamilton has a lot to say.
Chef Gabrielle Hamilton came to the Stratford Chefs School for two weeks this January as the Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer in Residence and International Guest Chef. Students in both levels got to interact with her, learn from her and cook with her. There is a natural ease in how she speaks, both in her writing and to the people around her. As a student, this made everything I learned from her very clear and simple.