The dish was devoured in much less time than it took to make it.“ Fun Guy” supplies a handful of Montreal’ s top chefs with foraged mushrooms and pickled lily buds. When he is not in the forests of the Eastern Townships, he can be found serving his own dishes to gourmands shopping at the Marché Atwater. publisher’ s note
For food lovers, the heart of the action is always in the kitchen. When travelling, no amount of sightseeing can equal learning the secrets of regional specialties, and if they are really lucky, a few family recipes. For those that fit this description, discovering a new type of pickle or artisanal cheese at a market will get their tongue wagging for days.
A few recent visits to Quebec had this effect on me. Markets brimming with berries, greens and foraged mushrooms of all kinds had me imagining the array of delicious dishes I could make – if only I had a kitchen in my four star hotel room! Instead, cheese and fruit tasting at the hands of shameless produce pushers convinced me I needed to sit down at one of the food service stations. Of course, foodies know that what happens next can often blow you away.
In my case, a freshly sautéed pan of chanterelles was spooned onto olive tapenade crostini and placed atop two generous handfuls of fresh mixed greens. Watching this demonstration of fresh market gourmet come together from my barstool perch was impressive, but it wasn’ t over. The mushroom man reached over to a lily bouquet sitting in a plastic take out container of water, plucked the petals from one, then grabbed another container, this one holding pickled lily buds( yes, I asked) and scattered both on the salad.
The dish was devoured in much less time than it took to make it.“ Fun Guy” supplies a handful of Montreal’ s top chefs with foraged mushrooms and pickled lily buds. When he is not in the forests of the Eastern Townships, he can be found serving his own dishes to gourmands shopping at the Marché Atwater. publisher’ s note
Eating local begins with learning where your food comes from, and it is the first step in making good food choices and supporting great business owners. Manitoba has its own impressive share of entrepreneurial ventures that exceed our expectations.
Ciao! magazine’ s annual Good Food Manitoba Awards for producer, retailer and restaurant of the year celebrate the creative promotion and use of local ingredients. This year’ s recipients will not disappoint Ciao! hounds who eagerly sniff out good food from every corner of our city!
Farmery Estate Brewery, a prime example of successful vertical integration, is the 2015 choice for Producer of the Year. Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen has earned Retailer of the Year for its commitment to buy from nearby and provide top notch artisanal preserves. Diversity Food Services is awarded Restaurant of the Year. It is the biggest institution Ciao! has ever saluted with this award, and its huge heart for the region makes it the right choice. Read inthekitchen on page 8 for these stories.
August marks a second celebration for local foodies, as Ciao! mounts its summer lunch promotion Taste the World, drawing attention to some of Winnipeg’ s greatest ethnic eats. As you taste your way through this year’ s features, it will become clear that Manitoba regional cuisine continues to be a stunning reflection of the creative people in this province and the top notch ingredients available.
Laurie Hughes Publisher
Made
For Each Other
Manitoba Master Potters
artist: Kevin Stafford
778 Corydon Ave.( 204) 475-8088 www. stonewaregallery. com
Accesorize. With all the trimmings.
1775 Portage Avenue Winnipeg 204-885-5900 www. canadiansupershop. ca
ciao! / aug / sep / two thousand fifteen 3