One of eight tasting dishes prepared by eight outstanding chefs from across Canada for the Cooks & Curds Gala at the 2012 Great Canadian Cheese Festival on Saturday evening, June 2, presented by Swallow.
The Gala is the culinary and social highlight of the Cheese Festival. The first sitting at 6:00 p.m. has SOLD OUT. Second sitting at 7:00 p.m. now on sale. Don’t delay ordering your tickets!
Chefs use Canadian cheeses to create mouth-watering tasting dishes that are paired with Canadian wine, craft beer and cider. The strolling dinner concludes with an after-dinner cheese board presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sweets and wine.
Food Network celebrity chef Bob Blumer will make a guest appearance to prepare his signature blue-cheese cappucino made with Alpindon from Kootenay Alpine Cheese and Devil’s Rock Creamy Blue from Thornloe Cheese.
Ivy Knight, editor-in-chief of Swallow, the new online food and drink magazine, serves as Gala Co-ordinator.
Comox Brie from Natural Pastures Cheese of Vancouver Island.
It takes a big person to admit a big mistake. And I’m, um, a big person. I can’t believe it! I have made a grievous cheese-based error. I have somehow overlooked the World Championship CheeseContest gold medalist—even though it’s made in my own backyard. Forgive me, cheese gods!
I was in my local market in Vancouver the other day, checking out the cheese—as I always do—when something caught my eye on the package of Comox Brie. That something was a Gold medal. Yikes! A cheese Gold medal. You see, I purposefully overlooked this cheese BECAUSE it’s always at my local market. I made the mistake of assuming that anything that could be widely purchased was crap, and that’s just foolish snobbery on my part. Do not be trapped into this assumption. I can’t tell you how many “artisan” type handmade cheeses I have tried that were just kind of meh, and how many widely available cheeses I have tried that really rocked. I know, it seems wrong, but I must speak the cheese truth.
Comox Brie comes from the town of Courtenay, a small town on Vancouver Island with a close connection to my own hometown, Powell River. I spent many days in my youth wandering the little streets of this town. Comox is an even tinier little town near Courtnenay. Comox Brie takes its name from this town. Sweet. I feel almost like cousins.
Natural Pastures Cheese Company is a family owned affair. The Smith family makes only “artisan cheeses,” all hand-made under the guidance of their very own Swiss Master Cheesemaker Paul Sutter, originally from Switzerland where he received traditional Swiss training and professional accreditation. For the record, I also would like my very own Master Swiss cheesemaker!
Guest blogger and author Willow Yamauchi.
Natural Pastures sources all the milk from its own farm, Beaver Meadow, as well as a handful of other local farms, all on Vancouver Island. Thus the “terroir” of the coastal valley environment is evident in this cheese—all the milk coming from a single area. Interestingly, when I was a child we sometimes ate bear. If the bear had been feastin
g on berries, the meat was sweet and succulent. If, however, the bear had been feasting on salmon, the meat was, well, fishy. This is an example of terroir that I just wanted to share with you, because it’s my blog, and I can say whatever I want! Ha!
I digress. The Smith family turned to cheesemaking in 2001 and have made a big splash on the cheese world winning 40-plus prestigious national and international awards. How did I miss this? Scratches head. Interestingly, the farms they work with, “Heritage Dairy Farms,” are committed to environmental sustainability including natural wildlife habitat. Their enhanced stream habitats raise thousands of wild Coho Salmon each year which could be eaten by bears causing a unique salmon terroir. See, full circle logic.
I digress again. Natural Pastures Cheese Comox Brie earned the pinnacle World Championship Gold Medal in the 27th biennial World Championship Cheese Contest, a technical evaluation of cheese by an international panel of 22 judges, experts in cheese evaluation. Again, I shall volunteer to be a judge at this event. It saddens me that I have not been called upon to judge cheese, as I am so clearly qualified!
I digress yet again. As the first World Championship cheese ever produced from Vancouver Island and the first WCC gold medal Brie ever from western Canada, scoring 98.95, Comox Brie edged out Damafro’s double crème from Quebec (which I previously reviewed and ADORED, OMG, so good). Comox Brie begins with milk from a herd of Ayrshire cattle raised by Guy Sim, a Canada Master Breeder. Wow, this cheese and the cows all have their own pedigree! I’m assuming this is a pasteurized cheese, but I can’t be sure. I’m about 99.99% certain of this, but as the wrapper has disappeared and it doesn’t say on the website, it’s an educated guess at this point.
I have actually had a hard time reviewing Comox Brie, chiefly because everyone in my family kept eating it before I was ready to sample it. My small wedge—which was much larger before the swarm of locusts known as my family descended upon it—is a typical white-looking brie: penicillium mold on the outside (yup, the white stuff is mold, deal with it) and creamy buttery interior. I have wisely chosen to taste this one right before the best before date, when the brie is perfect. Like women, brie really must be aged in order to achieve true greatness. You can tell a brie is ready if it’s gooey inside. If it’s kind of dry and chalky, you have a young brie. Put it back! This Comox Brie is gorgeous looking, so creamy and succulent, it smells faintly of ammonia, mushroom and um, adult pleasures . . . shall I leave it at that?
Here goes….
Mmmmm . . . Oh my lord, now this is a great brie. Like, really, really great. It’s perfectly ripened, look at the picture above, see how it’s gooey all the way through, that’s what you want! It’s making love to my teeth and tongue. It’s salty and creamy and slightly uric and carnal . . . Oh yes, this is a carnal little cheese. This is actually quite a naughty little cheese. This is the way I always want brie to be but it rarely is. It’s absolutely divine. Yes, this is a Gold Medal winner—all the way. Scrumptious! Go and get yourself some of this, stat. Let it ripen up until the best before date and go for it. You’ll thank me later.
—Willow Yamauchi
Guest blog courtesy of Willow Yamauchi, creater of My Blog of Cheese: My 100-day gastronomic journey into fromage—one day at a time—one cheese at a time. Comox Brief was her 113rd cheese in an ongoing quest for pleasure.
Natural Pastures Cheese is a Featured Cheesemaker at the second annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival taking place this weekend in Picton, in Ontario’s Prince Edward County.Doug Smith, one of three brothers operating Natural Pastures, will be featured in the Breakfast of Champions presentation.
One of eight tasting dishes prepared by eight outstanding chefs from across Canada for the Cooks & Curds Gala at the 2012 Great Canadian Cheese Festival on Saturday evening, June 2, presented by Swallow.
The Gala is the culinary and social highlight of the Cheese Festival. The first sitting at 6:00 p.m. has SOLD OUT. Second sitting at 7:00 p.m. now on sale. Don’t delay ordering your tickets!
Chefs use Canadian cheeses to create mouth-watering tasting dishes that are paired with Canadian wine, craft beer and cider. The strolling dinner concludes with an after-dinner cheese board presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sweets and wine.
Food Network celebrity chef Bob Blumer will make a guest appearance to prepare his signature blue-cheese cappucino made with Alpindon from Kootenay Alpine Cheese and Devil’s Rock Creamy Blue from Thornloe Cheese.
Ivy Knight, editor-in-chief of Swallow, the new online food and drink magazine, serves as Gala Co-ordinator.
Meet Mark and Helena Litherland, two of the many volunteers who help the annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival run so smoothly. It’s not too late to sign up as a volunteer for this year’s Festival next weekend. Just click here.
Questions asked, answers provided by Mark:
Do you like cheese?
Do we like cheese? No, we love cheese! I was (Mark) lucky to have been exposed to great Canadian cheeses when I worked for an Ontario winery in the 1990s. During that time I knew that Quebec produced a diverse range of cheeses but what I did not expect was the variety and quality of cheeses from other areas of Canada like Manitoba, Ontario and BC. When Helena and I have visited Europe, Mexico and North Africa, each time we have experienced new types and flavours of cheese. This exposure to cheese has encourage us to seek out equally great and diverse Canadian cheeses. In addition, I have taken a number of culinary courses and this in turn has broadened my experiences in cheese heaven.
Why did you volunteer?
I truly believe that Canada can and does produce great culinary treasures and the best way to experience these is by seeking out opportunities to be exposed, not only to the products, but the individuals who have produced them. Fine food is like a great book. There is always an interesting story to tell. Knowing the story increases my appreciation for the product and enables me to be a fellow ambassador. I am a proud Canadian who has a strong interest in all foods, cheese just happens to be one of my favourites. Volunteering allows me to be side by side with the individuals and companies that are creating this new found confidence and appreciation of Canadian cuisine. Lastly, I always get more out of volunteering than I give and feel good that I have helped my community.
What tasks were you given?
Helena and I were assigned to assist with registration at the entrance initially. Before long, weassisted in the setup for lunch and seminars about cheese. There were three keynote speakers and we distributed their respective cheeses. Later on that day we each had the opportunity to help at an additional cheese seminar which had specific themes.
What did you get out of the experience?
I took away an increased sense of awareness, appreciation and education for Canada cheese, wine and the culinary capabilities of our chefs. The exposure to these great products only drives me to seek out additional quality products created right here in our own backyard of Canada. It is always great fun to meet similar-minded people.
One of eight tasting dishes prepared by eight outstanding chefs from across Canada for the Cooks & Curds Gala at the 2012 Great Canadian Cheese Festival on Saturday evening, June 2, presented by Swallow.
The Gala is the culinary and social highlight of the Cheese Festival. The first sitting at 6:00 p.m. has SOLD OUT. Second sitting at 7:00 p.m. now on sale. Don’t delay ordering your tickets!
Chefs use Canadian cheeses to create mouth-watering tasting dishes that are paired with Canadian wine, craft beer and cider. The strolling dinner concludes with an after-dinner cheese board presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sweets and wine.
Food Network celebrity chef Bob Blumer will make a guest appearance to prepare his signature blue-cheese cappucino made with Alpindon from Kootenay Alpine Cheese and Devil’s Rock Creamy Blue from Thornloe Cheese.
Ivy Knight, editor-in-chief of Swallow, the new online food and drink magazine, serves as Gala Co-ordinator.
It’s not cheese but the mouth waters at the sight of charcuterie from Seed to Sausage.
Michael McKenzie, owner and chief salumi maker of Seed to Sausage, is one of hundreds of businesses around the world paying tribute to Food Revolution Day, an international movement sponsored by the Jamie Oliver Foundation to inspire change in people’s food habits.
This Saturday, May 19, McKenzie hosts a food festival in Sharbot Lake, Ontario, featuring hand-crafted artisan salumi and deli meats from his charcuterie, fire-roasted lamb and pork, artisan pizza, local and area artisan cheese, fresh oysters, micro-beer and local wine.
“I wanted to do something special to mark the opening of our retail operation and what better way than to recognize Food Revolution Day and celebrate the joy of eating wonderful food with your friends, family and those who have helped support us over the last year,” says McKenzie. The event runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and will move indoors in the event of rain.
Joining McKenzie are a host of well-known chefs and from Kingston and Ottawa, including Kingston Chef Derek MacGregor of Chien Noir and Chef Stev George of Olivea who will prepare whole roasted lamb and pork. Also in attendance is The Whales Bone Oyster House from Ottawa who will be shucking oysters, Kyle Christofferson, Chef de Cuisine of Brookstreet Ottawa will be running a food truck, St. Amboise microbrewery from Montreal and Sandbanks Winery from Prince Edward County.
Food and beverage prices will range from $5 to $10. Sharbot Lake Community Living will volunteer to help out during the event. Seed to Sausage is located at 12821 Highway 38 in Sharbot Lake, 10 km south of Highway 7, 60 km north of Kingston, 130 km west of Ottawa and 100 km east of Belleville.
Since starting his enterprise in 2011, McKenzie has discovered that he is ideally situated to service his customers in Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto. “This is a wonderful location as it also allows me to purchase pork and other meat products from within a 100 mile radius,” he says.
Michael McKenzie, chief salumi maker and proprietor, Seed to Sausage. Photos by Tim Forbes.
He is an enthusiastic supporter of a unique eastern Ontario economic development partnership called Food and Beverage (FAB) region that involves the counties of Hastings, Lennox & Addington, and Prince Edward and the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC).
“With a strong history in artisanal food and beverage production, combined with a growing global market for artisanal food and beverages, we formed this historic relationship to pool our resources and work together to develop and attract additional artisan food and beverage producers to the region,” says Anne Prichard, Executive Director, Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC) and FAB partner. “Mike’s charcuterie is a prime example of an artisan business that can thrive in our region. We are delighted with his success.”
Seed to Sausage sells a range of hand-crafted cured meats including speciality items such as pancetta, guanciale, fermented salumi, bacon and deli-style meats. The company wholesales to 35 restaurants and specialty shops in Ottawa, Kingston, Perth and Toronto and will operate its retail shop over the summer months. To learn more about the company, visit www.seedtosausage.ca. More information about the FAB region can be found at www.fabregion.ca.
If you cannot make it to Sharbot Lake, Seed to Sausage is a Featured Artisan Producer at the upcoming Great Canadian Cheese Festival in Picton, Ontario.
Food and Beverage (FAB) region is Gold Sponsor of the Festival and will also have a booth to offer information on its initiatives.
Cheesewerks Original: Aged and double-smoked Balderson cheddars are grilled on cracked-peppercorn sourdough and served with roasted-garlic-red-pepper ketchup.
The Toronto grilled-cheese emporium is Canada’s first and only restaurant totally dedicated to placing artisan cheese at the centre of every plate. The Festival is Canada’s only event to showcase Canadian artisan cheese from coast to coast, along with artisan foods, fine wine and craft beer.
“Although we had more than 100 artisan cheeses on hand for sampling and purchase at the inaugural event, our patrons asked for more,” says Georgs Kolesnikovs, the Festival’s founder. “Thus was born the idea for a food court featuring grilled-cheese sandwiches and other eats.”
The Cheese Festival and Cheesewerks share the same mission: promote the best in Canadian cheese.
” We support 100% Canadian cheese, using Canadian artisan products throughout our menu and retail offering,” says Kevin Durkee, co-owner of Cheesewerks. “In fact, we are recognized and endorsed by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Having the little blue cow as part of our credentials is amazing. The DFC designation is typically offered to producers and retail brands, to showcase their use of 100% Canadian Milk. I’m not familiar of another restaurant that has been awarded this designation. We are very proud of this designation.”
Cheesewerks is developing a special menu for the Cheese Festival, but it’s sure to feature some of its more popular offerings such as:
Original: Balderson Aged and Double-Smoked Cheddars on Cracked Peppercorn Sourdough
Los Angeles: Havarti, Smashed Avacado, Arugula, Citrus Compote on Green Onion Potato Bread
Chef Jamie Kennedy serves Braised Oxtail Poutine with two Black River cheddars at the Cooks & Curds Gala at the inaugural Great Canadian Cheese Festival in 2011.
The Cooks & Curds Gala is the culinary and social highlight of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival held annually in Picton, Ontario, in the heart of Prince Edward County.
Eight leading chefs from across Canada use Canadian cheeses to create tasting dishes that are paired with Canadian wine, craft beer and cider. The strolling dinner on Saturday evening, June 2, concludes with an after-dinner cheese board presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sweets, sparkling wine, ice wine, port, coffee and tea.
From British Columbia to Newfoundland, here are the Gala chefs:
Top Chef Canada contestant Jimmy Stewart is the sous chef at the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler, British Columbia. With strong beliefs in foraging and a love for Canadian products and ingredients, he is driven by modern Canadian cuisine.
Top Chef Canada contestant Jimmy Stewart of Whistler, B.C.
Classically trained in her grandmother’s kitchen, Talia Syrie’s nouveau Baba-style deli food combines the traditional Shtetl recipes of her people and the southern country cooking that she loves. Hailing from the North End of Winnipeg Talia’s intimate café, The Tallest Poppy, is loved by the community.
For over three decades, Jamie Kennedy has been instrumental in shaping the culinary landscape in Canada. His innovative approach to gastronomy, commitment to sustainable agriculture and advocacy of local food have been unwavering.
Chef Kennedy has applied the slow food philosophy in every aspect of his acclaimed restaurants and his flourishing catering business. His seasonal methods of cooking and involvement with the local food movement continue to inspire progress in agricultural and gastronomical communities across Canada.
Born in Leicestershire, England, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Chef Michael Blackie has been cooking for 25 years on three continents. Among his many career highlights, Chef Blackie held executive sous chef and acting chef positions at the prestigious and world-renowned Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. He joined the artistic leadership team at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa three years ago.
A unique feta and elk dish created by Chef Blackie expressly for The Great Canadian Cheese Festival was voted the most popular dish by close to 400 guests at the inaugural Cooks & Curds Gala in 2011.
Originally from the U.K., Marc Cohen studied cooking at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. After moving to Montreal, Marc quickly established himself on the city’s culinary scene running the kitchen at The Sparrow before opening Lawrence in 2010. Chef Cohen emphasizes the use of sustainable products from local farmers, in-house butchery and nose-to-tail cooking.
Top Chef Canada contestant Francois Gagnon of Montreal.
Top Chef Canada contestant François Gagnon, a seasoned chef who has worked in top restaurants in Quebec, France and Vancouver, currently is private chef for Ædifica, a prestigious architectural firm in Montreal, where the design culture stimulates his use of color, texture, technique and flavours to produce visually and conceptually inspiring meals daily.
Just before joining Ædifica in 2011, Chef Gagnon took part in the first season of Top Chef Canada on the Food Network, finishing in the top 5. In the future, he plans to partner in the opening of a gourmet sandwich shop in downtown Montreal.
For more 20 years, the Inn At Bay Fortune has been serving its guests the best that Prince Edward Island has to offer.
Chef Domenic Serio and Team Cuisine draw heavily on the Inn’s extensive herb and vegetable garden ensuring fresh and season driven cuisine. As well as working directly with local farmers, Chef Serio can be seen at the Charlottetown and Cardigan Farmers Market taking advantage of all the wonderful organic produce that is available. Together, this all adds up to a truly remarkable dining experience where guest get to enjoy Chef’s and his team’s passion for true farm-to-table cooking.
The Bonavista Social Club, located in the small community of Upper Amherst Cove on the Bonavista Peninsula, harnesses the established farm gardens, animal husbandry and self-sufficient lifestyle at work in Upper Amherst Cove to provide a truly unique experience of rural Newfoundland. The restaurant is home to the only commercial wood-fired bread oven in Newfoundland and Labrador. The bread oven is the centrepiece of an open kitchen.
The eight chefs have been selected and announced. Now starts the much-anticipated challenge for event organizers to match and pair the chefs and their ideas for tasting dishes with the most appropriate cheeses from the Canadian producers featured at the Festival. Karin Desveaux is the Festival’s executive director, Ivy Knight is chef co-ordinator and Jackie Armet is cheese co-ordinator. Menu details will be announced as soon they become available, with recommended wine pairings by David Lawrason.
Advance tickets are sold online at www.CheeseFestival.ca. In order to assure a high-quality experience for chefs and guests, Cheese Gala ticket sales will be limited, so don’t delay in ordering tickets by clicking here.
At 12 noon today, Loblaws stores across Ontario banded together to break the Guinness World Records title for the most Parmigiano-Reggiano wheels cracked simultaneously.
Employees in more than 250 stores were specially trained to crack more than 300 wheels at one time. A representative from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium was in attendance in Toronto at the Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens store as the stores attempted the historic endeavour which CheeseLover.ca witnessed at the Pickering store—mainly because we love the smell and taste of freshly cracked DOP Parm.
That’s Nunzio Coppa (left) and Phil Chamberlain displaying their handiwork in Pickering. It took them just over four minutes to crack open the 40-kilogram wheels.
The former record was 176 wheels achieved in 2008. The new record by Loblaws will be tabulated later today.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard Italian cheese produced in the region of Parma, Italy, using the same recipe for almost 1,000 years. Parmigiano-Reggiano has been considered for centuries as the “king of cheese” with its amazing taste and crystalline texture. It is sold exclusively around the world through the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium (or Consorzio).
Hey, cheese lovers! Please pass the word on the upcoming Great Canadian Cheese Festival by using the Facebook, Twitter and e-mail buttons at the bottom of this post. For Festival information and tickets, go http://cheesefestival.ca/ Thanks for your help. Cheese be with you!
