Gourmet Food & Wine Expo

Hi Folks,

We're gearing up here at pan for issue # 1, so be on the lookout! If you wish to be emailed an announcement, please email stephanie@panmagazine.ca.

In the meantime, I thought I'd tell you about the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo that took place this weekend at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Although it seemed smaller than previous years, some of the finds were worth the trip:

La Casa Del Habano, fine makers of Cuban cigars in Yorkville, has a Cuban cigar rolling demonstation with a lovely man who made the most exquisite cigars I've ever seen (and I've seen them first hand on the streets of Cuba). It was fascinating to learn about the layers of leaves, the quotas that the rollers must adhere to and the people who make them.

Aqua Bar has a unique booth - it was filled with just bottled water! The most interesting was the pricey BLING water ($30 for a small bottle), whose bottle is encrusted with Swarovski crystals (Holt Renfrew is carrying it in case you feel the need for ice).

And yes, some of the food and wine were good too. I had venison ribs, eggplant pasta, sushi and oysters from Rodney's. I had a $50/bottle glass of Cabernet that was lovely, a Niagara Blonde beer (I see it becoming a serious contender in the market this year) and the most refreshing grapefruit sake cooler that can only be ordered by the case from Japan. I'm thinking maybe 2 cases would tide me over until the holidays...

I know it's too late to go to the Expo now, but keep it in mind for next year. There's also a lot of confectionary and condiment goodies to be had at the One of a Kind show this week, so there's still time for that.

And Chris and I will be getting you our year's favourite gadgets, ingredients and the like soon, so stay tuned for more great food news!

- Stephanie