Last Thursday evening, a swarm of hungry foodies took over St. Lawrence Market, wining and dining their way through Recipe for Change, FoodShare’s biggest shindig of the year. Bringing together 30 of Toronto’s finest chefs — including Aaron Joseph Bear Robe, Brad Long and Rocco Agostino — the event raised over $50,000 for food literacy in schools, which aims to broaden the culinary horizons of Ontario’s youth.
While we dreamt of nibbling our way through each and every dish, we didn’t quite make it — time flew by and every last morsel was gobbled up too soon. Read on to discover some of the culinary creations we managed to discover.
ChocoSol’s Chrystal Porter whipped (and churned) up some Oaxacan cinnamon churros and xocolatl, a spiced chocolate beverage originally guzzled by the Aztecs. The vegan churros were spun from chia, flax, sorghum, buckwheat and amaranth — pretty much the healthiest churro imaginable.
Winlai Wong, executive chef at Spice Route, offered up some dumplings because, well, who doesn’t love dumplings? Her version starred king oysters, celery, shallots, and garlic, and was served with organic soya sauce.
Next up were Brad Long’s vegan meatballs, a strong contender for best dish of the night. The delectable morsels were constructed from a tofu marinara mélange, nestled into a toutin — fried Newfoundland bread — and accented with a pickled mushroom and some orange and herb zest. It was love at first bite.
Frank’s Anne Yarymowich enticed attendees with her vegan version of carrot cake. We opted for the cream cheese frosting over the tofu and went with the pineapple coconut sauce and a sprinkling of toasted coconut. The teeny cake was moist and sumptuous, and most likely resulted in many re-thinking vegan (or in this case, almost-vegan) desserts.
Another top-notch dessert offering came from Bernardin’s Emerie Brine. A baked cinnamon puff pastry was wrapped around their apple pie in a jar (they are Canada’s canners, after all), before being topped off with a dollop of crème fraiche.
Steffan Howard of Palais Royale served up tiny spheres of Ontario chèvre rolled in shards of apple and pistachio. The truffles were then drizzled with either a subtle July or a more robust September harvest of Fred D’s Rooftop Honey.
At Rocco Agostino’s table, one diner announced that this was the only table worthy of seconds. The Pizzeria Libretto and Enoteca Sociale exec chef was busy ladling up a patate e fagioli soup into paper cups. Although the presentation was somewhat uninspiring, the soup itself was a lovely medley of chickpeas, white beans puréed with chard, sweet potatoes and a tomato confit.
Fabio Bondi of Local Kitchen & Wine Bar was furiously pulling mozzarella when we strolled by. His beautifully simple dish was lightly sprinkled with sea salt, gently drizzled with olive oil and flagged with a torn bit of basil.
On the menu at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen was a chickpea and roasted squash tagine. The dish was served on a bed of orange and cardamom couscous, and topped off with chef Donna Dooher’s ras el hanout — a Moroccan blend of 38 (yes, 38) spices.
When we finally made it to Keriwa Café’s table, chef Aaron Joseph Bear Robe was putting the finishing touches on his braised bison tongue pierogies. Bringing together his background (he originally hails from Alberta’s Siksika Nation) and his wife’s (she’s Polish), the red fife pierogies were plated with shallot jam and juniper crème fraiche, and finished off with a medley of spiced, pickled vegetables. Carnivores could not stop singing the dish’s praises.
Le Sélect Bistro’s Albert Ponzo delivered a Texas-style beef brisket. Created using a traditional Texas rub, the meat had been smoked for four hours before being cooked sous vide for 72 hours. It was then served on a house-made brioche with a sunny side up quail egg cheerfully perched on top. The affable Ponzo — whose own kids have no problem mowing down on fois gras — noted that the reaction to the dish was so great that he’s thinking of introducing it to the menu.
Top to bottom: Steffan Howard's chèvre; Fabio Bondi's mozzarella; Donna Dooher's chickpea and roasted squash tagine; Albert Ponzo's beef brisket