Post by Vera Grbic Where do culture and the Canadian project meet? Some would say that the easy answer is in multiculturalism. That’s been the go-to answer for decades, ever since Trudeau presided over its recognition in the Charter and Mulroney oversaw the enactment of a Multiculturalism Act. And even though the topic has lately hit a contentious snag internationally and even in Canada, Canadians can’t deny that we’re still the more unique for it – a veritable jumble of nth generation and first generation Canadians. We not only make... | Continue reading article

Post by Stephan Telka Mathieu Juneau may just have the freshest nuts in town. The Ottawa native Juneau has been a roaster and the owner of his own gourmet nut roasting business, Roast’d, since autumn 2010, providing Ottawans with the closest thing to street-roasted nuts possible. During a 2004 trip to New York City, Juneau was inspired by the nuts roasted and sold in the parks and on the street corners of Manhattan. “All it took was a two-dollar bag brimming with almonds and cashews that had been roasted and... | Continue reading article

The interweb is a series of magical strings invented by Al Gore in the 1990s. Through our ‘Dear Interweb’ column, Apt613 will use its awesome powers to poll its readers on questions of import. If you have a query to make to the interwebs, screw Google – ask Apt613 readers by emailing apartment613 [at] gmail [dot] com or tweeting @apartment613. A question came in from @amelie_danger on twitter: I need #ribfest advice, twits! How does one choose!? Assuming she meant ‘twits’ in the social media positive sense, we’re happy to... | Continue reading article

By Yasmin Nissim and Chris Cline Well folks, that’s a wrap! A really tasty wrap if you’ve been following along on our edible adventures while covering the 2011 Duelling Chefs series. This has been a whirlwind of mind-blowing culinary creativity, where many of the delectable presentations we’ve had the privilege of experiencing could easily have substituted as a nouveau art installation at the National Gallery – delicious to the eyes and the palate. Since February, we have been able to indulge in some of the city’s best talent when it... | Continue reading article

By Yasmin Nissim and Chris Cline After covering this event for almost four months, we’d be remiss in our reporting if we didn’t let our readers know a bit more about the beneficiaries of this wonderful series. This is the second year for Duelling Chefs and, as last year, several local charities were selected to be the recipients of the net proceeds from the competition. In its inaugural year, the Duelling Chefs event series raised a whopping $30,000 for various local charities. This year, in true competitive form, they’ve upped... | Continue reading article

By Chris Cline and Yasmin Nissim This Monday night local chefs will ‘meat’ their match in a head to head, high-‘steaks’ cook-off extravaganza! The Duelling Chefs return for a second year to entice attendees with fast-paced culinary creations from some of Ottawa’s top gastronomic gurus. Last year, Juniper Wine Bar and Kitchen launched the first ever Duelling Chefs competition, intended to bring together top chefs from around Ottawa to compete in some friendly competition and raise money for local charities. This year, Juniper returns again with 10 new challengers set... | Continue reading article

Post by Dominic Maggiolo, Ottawa food philosopher and blogger on vegetarian food and culture. Check out some of his other writings on his blog, Le Jeune Gourmand. You’re not going to find mustard, relish or ketchup at this street vendor; no stocky polish man yelling at you for not taking the “special” sauce on your hot dog; nor are you going to have gulls taking a swipe at your freshly deep fried golden strips of love. I’m talking about something different, something Ottawa needs: an individual passionate about baking and... | Continue reading article

Post by Dominic Maggiolo, Ottawa food philosopher and blogger on vegetarian food and culture. With his series of exposés on women food entrepreneurs, chefs, bakers and more, he hopes to showcase the wonderful talent here in Ottawa and in the area. Check out other posts in this series or some of Dominic’s other writings on his blog, Le Jeune Gourmand. “Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.” Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) (1694-1778) – French philosopher. There couldn’t be a better time to be reading this article. With... | Continue reading article

Cupcakes: they’ve taken Ottawa by a storm. Critics and supporters alike have been seen to swoon after just one bite. They’ve been referred to as “the latest and greatest fad to hit the baking world since sliced bread,” “a gift from the gods,” and “cakes – but tiny!” In essence, cupcakes are a personal, not-for-sharing decadence. Curious about this tiny trend, local filmmakers from Dawghaus Studios sought out the secrets behind each cupcake lovingly created in our capital city. Bakers from Isobel’s, L’Oven and Auntie Loo’s, along with Ian Capstick... | Continue reading article

Ottawa might not be known as a foodie capital, but there is no doubt that there is something of a food culture living below the surface of our city. A world-class culinary school and top-notch restaurants certainly help, but the lifeblood of any foodie community (and we hope any community really) is its bloggers – an area where Ottawa is excelling! The institution of Food Blogging has really taken off – I’ve followed about ten new ones since watching Julie and Julia alone. In my Google Reader list there are... | Continue reading article