Over the past weekend, Torontonians were invited to come down to Virgin’s Mod Club, to participate in an Iron Chef-esque food competition known as ‘Abbeys Kitchen Stadium.’ With 4 prominent chefs from Toronto’s food scene, paired with 4 food authorities as celebrity judges, participants were eager to dive into a new culinary experience. The proceeds of the event are donated to a local food initiative, My Food My Way; at $10/ticket.
The atmosphere was buzzing and vibrant as participants strolled around the venue, sampling eats & treats from local food establishments like Fidel Gastro’s, Rock Lobster Co., Pizzeria Libretto, and Woods Restaurant. Throughout the conversation and the competition, our host Abbey was sure to remind us of other unique attractions, such as the local Limonana crew supplying their new drink - or even which Forty Creek whiskey would go best with each dish.
A close up view of Rock Lobster Co.’s ‘Cowboy Corn’ – topped with potato chips!
As with every competition or contest, there had to be a surprise, and Abbey’s Kitchen was no different! Chefs had to use a secret ingredient with their recipe, no matter what it was. Keep in mind the food offerings here ranged from cowboy corn to Himalayan marrow mash - it was going to be difficult finding an ingredient that could work with all of these offerings! And if that wasn’t enough - Abbey revealed potato chips! The chefs had to include potato chips in their meals to be judged. Needless to say all the dishes were amazing, we were simply blown away by the chefs creativity and final execution.
Throughout the event, you could always find a lineup at the FG booth!
But possibly the greatest realization of the event came towards the end, when we learned that this was just the first of 4 Kitchen Stadiums to come! YUM. Overall, the food was delightful; the audience was engaging, and the experience unparalleled! We know the Uniiverse team is looking forward for Round 2!
The winner of Round 1 was Woods Restaurant, led by Chef Bruce Woods, they took the crowd by storm with their candied bacon & poached quail eggs. A fantastic victory for this up and coming restaurant, and a delectable treat for the rest of us!
*All photos of the event graciously provided to us by Angelina Earley @Anzi
Hey Toronto! Are your tastebuds in desperate need of a gastronomic getaway? Are you looking to meet new people who share your love of international foods? Join Uniiverse and Death Row Meals for Food-Trotting-T.O., a week of tastebud tourism from May 27 - 31. No passports necessary! Here’s where we’ll be traveling….
To celebrate all of the amazing food events happening through Uniiverse, we wanted to give the foodies of the world a chance to win some dough (not the edible kind) with a photo contest!
Winning $50 could be a piece of cake by showcasing the yummy foods you’ve eaten.
How to enter:
We look forward to viewing your drool worthy entries. We’re getting hungry just thinking about it. Enter now by clicking here. Good luck and happy eating!
Contest Terms and Conditions available.
Uniiverse has teamed up with our friends at Etsy, the world’s leading global marketplace for handmade goods, to offer a week’s worth of craft workshops taught by top notch Toronto Etsy Sellers.
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CaffeineTO Week starts tonight and offers a fresh brew of unique caffeine infused events with some of Toronto’s finest baristas, chocolatiers, and tea experts. Check out the events listed below and buy your tickets here!
Monday, January 28, 2013, 7-9PM
Chocolate and Coffee Sommelier Tasting
Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 7-8PM
African Coffee Showcase with LIT Espresso Bar
Wednesday, January 30, 2013, 6:30-9:30PM
Coffee Cupping with Fahrenheit Coffee
Thursday, January 31, 2013, 6-8PM
Tea Blending Workshop at the Tea Emporium
Friday, February 1, 2013, 7:30-9PM
Tea Cocktails with Dan of Herbal Infusions
A new year is a chance to start fresh and commit to a resolution that can change your life. Here at Uniiverse, we believe in setting goals and pushing them to completion! To help keep you motivated, we want to see photographic proof that you’re working hard at achieving your 2013 resolutions.
Submit a photo of yourself getting one step closer to your goal for a chance to win $50!
How it works:
Happy 2013!!! A new year is the perfect time to tackle new challenges and think about new ambitions: practice a new style of yoga, try 3D printing, master your new DSLR, learn to silkscreen, or become a scientist in the kitchen. You’re never too old to learn a new skill!
Rookie of the New Year is a series of five unique intro workshops to discover and learn something new this January. From Monday, January 14 to Friday, January 18, various Toronto-based experts will be teaching their skills to those willing to learn!
Not only are the workshops interesting, but also relevant to the time we are living in.
Rookie of the New Year workshops include:
Monday, January 14: Introduction to Suspension Yoga Class
Tuesday, January 15: 3D Printing for Total Beginners
Wednesday, January 16: Learn to use your DSLR
Thursday, January 17: Introduction to Silkscreening
Friday, January 18: An Evening of Molecular Gastronomy
To learn more and book your tickets to any of the above, check out: www.uniiverse.com/rookie2013
Picture this: It’s a cold wintery night on December 17th. You’re hungry and impatiently waiting for the release of Tarantino’s new film Django Unchained, which doesn’t come out in theatres until December 25th. Suddenly you realize that you have two tickets to the private screening tonight in Toronto, and a stash of free popchips! All of your problems are solved! How did you get so lucky? By entering the contest below, of course!
We’ve teamed up with our friends over at popchips to give 3 lucky winners a pair of tickets to the pre-screening of the highly anticipated Tarantino movie on December 17th.
Want to win one of the three pairs of tickets AND a popchips prize pack AND $25 in Uniiverse credits? Simply RT our initial tweet for your chance to be one the three lucky winners! Follow @uniiverseTO and @popchipsTO for brownie points.
Fine print:
• Contest is only open to those that live in Toronto
• Uniiverse will provide $25 Uniiverse Credits each for the top 3 winners
• Winner will be chosen on Thursday, December 13th
The first ever Movember Toronto Food Week (MOTOFO) will cook up 5 unique food events in the final week of November, guaranteeing fun, food, and full moustaches for everyone in attendance!
Organized by our team at Uniiverse and Joel Solish of Death Row Meals, MOTOFO will include one food event each evening, from Monday, November 26 to Friday, November 30, hosted by some of Toronto’s top food talent. A great cause, with great food. Who could ask for more?? Event proceeds will be donated to Movember.
MOTOFO Events:
Monday, November 26: Amanda Ford’s Fall Cooking Demo. City Girl Chef wants to teach us all a little bit about cooking for fall. Venison, cocktails, snacks, and a gorgeous woman - we can’t think of a better way to spend a chilly evening in Movember! There will also be an appearance from bee keeper Fred Davis of Fred D’s Bees. 7pm – 8:30 pm Cost: $40
Tuesday, November 27: Burgers n’ Beer at Burger Bar with Brock Shepherd. Taste a flight of all local craft beers, paired along side some great and inventive sliders from the crew at Burger Bar. 6pm – 8pm Cost: $25
Wednesday, November 28: Fermentation Workshop with David Ort of foodwithlegs.com. David will give a hands-on demonstration of the process that converts raw ingredients into some of the world’s most delicious foods. 7pm – 8:30 pm Cost: $5
Thursday, November 29: Fidel Gastro’s One-Year Anniversary: Matt Basille celebrates the elevation of street food and Fidel Gastro’s one-year anniversary with a Movember fuelled party. 7:30pm – 1:30 am Cost: $5
Friday, November 30: Uncorked Wine Tasting: Come and discover the world of local VQA wines with Allison Slute, the official sommelier at Death Row Meals and Pillitteri Estates Winery. Allison will present some great fall choices for buying local, and talk about these wines informally, but in depth. 7pm – 8:30pm Cost: $25
To attend any of the events and donate to the cause, book your tickets here: www.uniiverse.com/motofo
Are you a foodie? Post your own food events on Uniiverse! Learn more here: www.uniiverse.com/foodie