As we all wrap up the work week, and possibly the last day of the year at the office, and prepare for a weekend (hopefully) full of delicious food, family, friends and maybe a glass of wine or two, it's easy to wonder where exactly this month has gone and feel like it breezed by. From an inedible artichoke dip gone viral to a zamboni going through a fast food driv-thru and more, here are some of the more notable food news stories that made the rounds in the last little while.
A zamboni goes through a Tim Hortons drive-thru
Canadiana at its best. A man in Stony Plain, Alberta was craving a coffee and did what people expected Canucks to do: he decided to go grab one by means of a zamboni. The fact that it's a pretty slow vehicle helped onlookers love every minute of it.
Vinarterta: An Icelandic cake that's become a Canadian tradition
Gimli, Manitoba isn't just the home of an internationally award-winning line of Crown Royal, but it's also home to Canada's busiest vinarterta baker too. If you haven't heard of vinarterta before, don't feel bad; neither had we, but it certainly sounds delicious. What was originally a classic Icelandic torte made with alternating layers of cake and prune filling is now more common in Canada than in its homeland. Bakery owner, Carrie Arsenault, says she now ships the traditional dessert to all parts of Canada, but seems especially popular in Manitoba.
Old Dutch Cheddar and Sour Cream chips recalled across Canada
This week, we were really thanking our lucky stars that we pretty much only eat ketchup and all dressed potato chips from Old Dutch, as a big chunk of its Cheddar and Sour Cream flavoured chips were recalled in Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.
An Edmonton chef and Cranbrook chef prepare for international ice carving competition
Let's get carving! Edmonton chef, Steve Buzak and Cranbrook chef, Rusty Cox had a big fundraiser this week to help them get to Harbin, China in January for the 33rd annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. The chefs have some serious ice carving chops and will be the only team representing Canada at the cool (literally) festival overseas.
Joe Beef's David McMillan suggests Montreal puts limitations on opening restaurants
While most other Canadian cities seem to crave more and more restaurants with each passing month, Montreal seems to have the opposite problem. Many chefs, including David McMillan of Joe Beef, seem to be in agreement that the city has too many restaurants and that it's much too easy for anyone to acquire a business license.
McMillian was quoted by the Canadian Press saying, “I can’t decide tomorrow to practise plumbing, to practise amateur electricity. In Montreal you can apply for a restaurant permit and get it immediately — that’s a problem for me."
It's an interesting topic and to read more about it, see the in-depth Montreal Gazette article here.
Global Calgary's Leslie Horton's homemade artichoke dip fiasco goes viral
A holiday segment earlier this week on Global Calgary which saw one of its morning co-hosts, Leslie Horton, feeding her fellow hosts spoonfuls of homemade artichoke dip gone horribly wrong was, admittedly, quite humorous; and as a result, was picked up by news outlets and websites around the globe. Whether or not it was a purposeful on-air stunt is up for debate, but regardless, the clip now has close to five million views on the Global News YouTube channel and that's really something.
If you need a little laugh, then check out the artichoke dip disaster here. Weatherman Jordan Witzel's (who has gone viral several times himself) facial expressions are especially hilarious.
Chef Daniel Burns closing his Michelin-starred restaurant, Luksus
One of the more shocking news stories in the past week or so was the announcement that Dartmouth-born chef, Daniel Burns, would be closing his restaurant, Luksus. The restaurant that offered unique tasting menus opened in 2013 and became Michelin-starred in late 2014. It is also the only restaurant to receive a Michelin star that only offers beer pairings with its food. Tørst, its attached craft beer bar counterpart, will remain open while Burns moves onto other ventures.
