Tidings Magazine

The summer 2009 issue of Best Health Magazine, a nation-wide Canadian publication, named Wolfville’s Tempest Restaurant as one four of Canada’s Healthiest Restaurants. The award was based on Tempest’s commitment to local, organic food. Chef and co-owner Michael Howell was also awarded Tidings Maverick Chefs award in 2006, and is currently featured in Tidings July 2009 issue.

Chef and co-owner Michael Howell was about his restaurant’s commitment to regional food. “Tempest is committed to preparing the best local fresh ingredients that result in a great dining experience. We do not eschew the flavours and techniques that create great cuisine, but if we can reduce unhealthy additives, make a dish completely vegan or prepare a six course completely gluten free menu for a keen diner à la minute, we can be proud of the recognition that Best Health bestows upon us. As a chef who believes inherently in the Slow Food Movement and its relevance in the restaurant sphere, I am as committed as ever to extol the virtues and health benefits of locally produced food.”

Tempest was again recognized as one of the best restaurants in Canada in the 2009-10 edition of Where to Eat in Canada. Tempest Restaurant is a member of Taste of Nova Scotia.

Italian Marries Canadian

You’re a young ragazzo growing up in Castellamare di Stabia near Naples, Italy. In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, you spend the days watching your mother tend the family garden, raise a small flotilla of farm animals and prepare regional dishes from handfuls of fresh local ingredients. And though her talent in the kitchen has earned her a spot as chef for a noble family, she never wavers in her approach to food: simple, fresh, local ingredients cooked in a manner that showcases rather than overwhelms the individual ingredients.

Cut ahead 20-odd years and you’ve been transplanted to Toronto. Mamma still tends vegetables in the backyard garden and cooks traditional dishes that fill the house with aromas from the past. In the meantime, you train as a cabinetmaker while expanding your knowledge and passion for wine and food. You work in all aspects of the furniture industry, but inevitably the siren song of your true passion calls and you follow into a life of oenology and gastronomy. It’s everything that pops your cork. But still something is missing. The food scene is full of fusion, confusion and, distressingly, disillusion. You crave simplicity, purity and what you remember as a kid. What do you do? Simple, really. Bring home your old home. Put “Italian Roots in Local Soil.”

Happy Canada Day!

Now that the warmer weather is finally here, kick off the summer and celebrate Canada Day with a tasty tipple. If you're throwing a Canada Day party, start off the festivities with a selection of cool sippers. Make your cocktail experience more special by preparing drinks from scratch. Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with picking up some ready-made mixers from your local grocery or liquor store.

Keep your liquor cabinet stocked with staples like vodka, rum and gin, and your fridge at the ready with bunches of fresh herbs, berries and lemons. Make up a batch of simple syrup and store it in the fridge, too. Better than granular sugar, simple sugar dissolves instantly and completely in a cold drink. You can even infuse the syrup with other flavours, such as mint or ginger. Summer’s the perfect time to get reacquainted with fun, refreshing cocktails. 

Finish the meal with a red & white sundae bar where guests can create their own patriotic sundaes. Garnish beverages with miniature Canadian flags, and create red ice cubes using food colouring and water.  Impress your guests with these 10 new cocktails.

142 Years of Good Taste

We have never been a melting pot. The fact is we are more like a tossed salad. Arnold Edinborough

Bring Canada's culinary cultural mosaic to life this year with a spectacular Canada Day menu. Having a barbecue featuring hamburgers and hot dogs is always fun, but this year try a different approach. Take friends and family on a culinary journey around the country without spending a penny on airfare.

With the heat of summer now in full swing, plan on holding your party outdoors. Set out popular lawn games, like bocce, horseshoe toss, Frisbees or a limbo stick. That inner child will just love to “get in the game”. If you’re worried about the cost of providing all of the food and beverages, invite family, friends and neighbours to contribute some of it. Most people are more than willing to help out in some way.

Start your Canada Day party with some afternoon nibbles to help get everyone into the spirit of the day. Once the party’s rolling and dusk sets in, lay out the dinner fare. After a day of playing in the heat, your guests will appreciate sitting down to a meal in the cool of the evening.

Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, get out there and celebrate all of the great food and wine festivals that are taking place all summer long all over Canada. Wherever you happen to be, there are sure to be community-wide events that showcase the good things growing in each region of this expansive land.

Some of the summer events are free while others may charge a nominal fee. Hop on the Internet and search for those taking place around you. Most of the planned festivals around the country have websites, so you can look up any information you need quickly and easily. These events are a perfect opportunity to meet the farmers, chefs, brewmasters and winemakers who live and work in your own neighbourhood.

If you’re in need of a little down time, plan a get-away to any one of these summer events. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see what’s happening in another part of the country.

Welcome to Tidings' Cooking Challenge! Every month we'll offer a recipe for you to try. You can follow the recipe exactly or vary it however you would like. Then, log on to our Forum page and post a short descriptive paragraph (up to 150 words), and, if you’d like, a picture (in .jpg format).

On a recent trip through the Niagara region, I stopped in at About Thyme Bistro in Vineland and had a thin crust pizza made with Cabernet flour. Tidings’ July-August 2009 issue features sausage-maker, Angelo Bean who uses Cabernet flour in his sausage mixture. So, when I came across a bag of the flour at The Upper Canada Cheese Company in Jordan Station I had to snap it up.

Cabernet flour is made by a company in Ontario called Vinifera For Life. Owner and founder, Certified Chef de Cuisine Mark Walpole, also produces Chardonnay, Icewine and Late Harvest flour. Grape flour is made by grinding dried grape skins into a fine powder and is extremely high in fiber and antioxidants. The Cabernet flour I used in this recipe has nuances of fruit flavours and a tart finish. It produces a pastry with a deep burgundy colour.