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Mercasa Little Italy Eatery And Catering 195 Henry Street Brantford, ON www.mercasa.ca Head chef Tom Mercante is a busy father of two and understands the struggle many families face when trying to choose healthy meals while on the go. Mercasa Little Italy Eatery and Catering is designed around the Italian concept of fast, casual dining, offering families a healthy alternative to the fast food drive-through. Everything is made from scratch with a focus on fresh, local produce, meats and dairy with high quality olive oils, prosciutto and cheeses imported from Italy. Lunch and dinner options are available ready to takeout for those who are in a hurry but still want to enjoy a “real meal”. Mercasa also offers pre-frozen entrées like lasagna that you can cook at home. Mercasa offers family dinners with options that include pasta, roasted chicken, lasagna, salads, fresh baked breads and more - but the real star of the show is their signature Roman pizzas. Their authentic Roman style pizza dough, which takes 72 hours to prepare, contains no preservatives and hardly any yeast. The pizza crusts are brushed with homemade roasted garlic infused extra virgin olive oil and topped with only the freshest toppings. 50 Mercasa also offers catering options for weddings and celebrations of nearly any size. Catered meals are cooked the day of the event, ensuring guests enjoy the true, fresh Mercasa taste. On Sundays, the restaurant can also be booked for private parties of 20-60 people, making it a great place to host birthday parties and other family events without breaking the bank. CHEF CAM DYMENT TheSmoke Collingwood 498 First Street Collingwood, ON www.thesmoke.ca TheSmoke isn’t exactly what you might expect from a barbecue restaurant. Restaurant owner Cam Dyment has a long time passion for smoked foods and brings this passion into each dish. While you will find your typical smoked fare: ribs, brisket, pulled pork, etc - you will also find a variety of unexpected dishes including smoked burgers, smoked banana ice cream, wild boar bacon and more. TheSmoke occasionally features smoked duck breasts, smoked sausages, smoked beef short ribs and more. Dyment attributes the keys to his popular menu to his passion of experimenting with flavors and a low-and-slow cooking process infused with rubs, braising liquids, injections and the like. For a real treat, visit TheSmoke for lunch on a Friday afternoon and enjoy the Montreal smoked meat. Because it takes 17 days to prepare, it is only available once a week and then it is gone! TheSmoke was featured on the Food Network Show “You Gotta Eat Here,” for a very good reason. John still says TheSmoke has the best Brisket he’s ever had.