Ontario Restaurant News - November 2013 by Ishcom Publications

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estaurant News R

November 2013 Vol. 28 No. 10

C O V E R A G E

R E G I O N A L

F O C U S

$ 5 . 9 5

Photo by Renée Suen.

N A T I O N A L

DESIGNATION FOR T.O.’S THAI RESTAURANTS

A FORTIFIED LOOK AT SHERRYFEST

HUNTING CANADIAN FLAVOURS ON COLLEGE

A TASTE OF EUROPE IN MISSISSAUGA

ORN talks tabletop

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152

with industry experts. Read on for tips on how to set your table this season.

From left to right: Kamiar Zahedi, Michael Lublin and Christopher David.

The $100-million pizza/pasta concept By Don Douloff

CEO of Tramez Restaurant Corp., told ORN. Lublin added that the launch exceeded his expectations. “We’ve been very well received by the customer base in Vaughan, and we’re on target to do $1,000 per square foot,” said Lublin, whose foodservice experience includes a stint as chief operating officer of Yogurty’s FroYo chain. Bankrolling Trambusto is more than $100 million in funding sourced by Kamiar Zahedi, vice-president of franchise development at Tramez. Overseeing the kitchen is executive

VAUGHAN—A restaurant chain backed by deep-pocketed investors and aiming to deliver family-friendly Italian fine dining launched in September north of Toronto and plans to roll out 100 units long-term Canadawide. Trambusto opened in Vaughan, ON in a strip-mall space measuring 900 square feet and seating 22. The concept offers a “fine-dining product served in an upscale environment at fast-food prices,” Michael Lublin,

chef and corporate trainer Shahir Massoud, formerly of now-closed Toronto eatery Cinq 01. The menu features pastas ($8 to $12), stone-oven pizzas ($8 to $12) and salads (about $9). Average check is $13 per person. All sauces are made in house, as are pastas (six noodle types in total). Pizzas are Romanostyle. Lublin said Romano-style dough yields a lighter, crispier crust than Neapolitan pies. Continued on page 3

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More changes at Prime Restaurants VAUGHAN, ON—Prime Restaurants will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cara Operations Limited through a “strategic financing partnership” with Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited announced Oct. 31, as well as taking on a new president and chief executive officer Bill Gregson of the combined enterprise. Cara founders, the Phelan family, continue as its controlling shareholders. The announcement comes two years after Toronto-based Fairfax topped Cara’s offer to buy Prime in late November 2011, with a buyout offer of $71 million. Cara, which owns casual dining chains Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, Kelsey’s, Montana’s and Milestone’s, bid on Prime with a $59-million offer at the time. On Sept. 17, 2013, an article in the Financial Post said “according to industry sources, Fairfax Financial Holdings is eyeing an investment in Cara Operations Ltd.—the owner of Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s and Kelsey’s—to pave the way for a possible merger with its Prime Restaurant Group.” Cara and Fairfax would not comment at the time. Prime’s casual dining restaurant brands

and premium Irish pubs include East Side Mario’s, Casey’s and Prime Pubs (Fionn MacCool’s, D’Arcy McGee’s, Paddy Flaherty’s, Tir nan Og) and Belgian-style brasseries operating as the Bier Markt. The combined company now consists of 843 corporate and franchise-owned restaurants and employs more than 50,000 people across the country, according to a release from Cara, who refused further comment on the deal. Gregson, who replaces former president and CEO Don Robinson who departed earlier this year, was most recently executive chairman, president and CEO of The Brick Group. He has also held the president and chief operating officer position at Forzani Group, a Canadian sporting goods retailer. John A. Rothschild will continue as the CEO of Prime and will be the executive vice chair of the board of Cara. “Becoming part of Cara will create new and dynamic opportunities to grow the Prime brands and participate in an exciting future with Cara and Fairfax,” said Rothschild in the release.

Backers of new pizza concept spend some serious dough

Interior of the Vaughan, ON location. Continued from cover

Since the dough contains an extremely high proportion of water, it is “very difficult to work with,” he said. Consequently, the restaurant’s team studied with a pizza master in Italy to learn how to mix and handle the dough, which is made with a flour produced in Italy from a wheat flour and potato blend. When the Vaughan location opened, Trambusto flew in the pizza master to tutor staff on the fine points of baking the dough.

No desserts are offered, but Lublin said he might, in time, introduce one—perhaps panna cotta—which would change quarterly. Augmenting the food are four wines: Santa Margherita pinot grigio, Gilles Louvet chardonnay, Barbanera chianti and Bertani valpolicella priced at $6 per glass and $25 per bottle. Capping off the bar menu are four imported and domestic beers. Immediate, aggressive growth is planned for the concept. Leases for six more locations have been signed, including two downtown Toronto

Photo courtesy of Bier Markt.

Cara also has some management changes, according to a company memo. New chief financial officer Ken Grondin is also from the Brick, where he held the position of chief financial officer and president, financial operations. Grondin replaces Steve Smith, who had been with the company for more than six years. Senior vice-president, corporate development Sean Regan is also leaving, although continuing as president of Cara Holdings. sites planned to open before Christmas—one in the former Hadley’s space at College and Dovercourt and the other at Dovercourt and Sudbury. Thirteen additional locations are targeted, including one each in Barrie and Burlington, ON and six more in Toronto, including outlets at Yonge and Sheppard, Jarvis and Charles, and Queen and Bathurst. In total, 20 restaurants are set to open during the next several months, said Lublin. Plans in 2014 call for two to three locations per month to open, focusing on southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area and outlying areas such as Niagara, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge, he said. In addition, Alberta landlords have made inquiries and opening in that province is “a very good possibility,” he said. All locations will be corporate-owned. New sites will feature a larger footprint than the flagship location—around 1,200 square feet—and feature about 30 seats and a patio of between 12 and 18 seats, he said. Decor will be consistent chain-wide, sticking to a template developed by Trambusto partner and designer Christopher David, said Lublin. He characterizes the look as traditional Italian “Canadianized with contemporary accents”: stainless steel, wood, polished concrete floors and a colour palette favouring earth tones such as brown and beige.

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Seal of disapproval

Editorial Director Leslie Wu ext. 227 lwu@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Contributing Editor Colleen Isherwood ext. 231 cisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com Assistant Editor, Digital Content Kristen Smith ext. 238 ksmith@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Account Manager Debbie McGilvray ext. 233 dmcgilvray@canadianrestaurantnews.com Account Manager Kim Kerr ext. 229 kkerr@canadianrestaurantnews.com Production Stephanie Giammarco ext. 0 sgiammarco@canadianrestaurantnews.com Circulation Manager Don Trimm ext. 228 dtrimm@canadianrestaurantnews.com Controller Tammy Turgeon ext. 237 tammy@canadianrestaurantnews.com How to reach us: Tel (905) 206-0150

O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

n an increasingly politicized food industry, is our sense of right and wrong starting to rule how we spend our dollars and cents? In late October, over 40 American operators, some with Canadian outposts, announced that they are boycotting this country’s seafood, basing their purchasing decisions on the controversial seal hunts that take place in eastern Canada. Despite the tenuous link between the two industries, Chefs for Seals and the Humane Society of the United States have called for the boycott—potentially involving more than 5,000 restaurants and grocery stores—due to the intrinsic economic value of the seafood export market. This is far from the first time we’ve seen purchasing power influence ingredient use. In the past few years alone, foie gras and shark fins have come under scrutiny and been banned in parts of North America. And although these are different issues, in some ways, the comparison is an apt one. Arguments of animal cruelty have played a factor in both debates, although sustainability (in terms of shark fins) is also an

Publisher Steven Isherwood ext. 236 sisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com

immediate concern. In both cases, chefs have publicly rallied behind the cause, through petitions, pledges or purchasing decisions. (Chef Martin Picard no-showed a public appearance at a Taste of Winterlude event a couple of years back to demonstrate his displeasure at being denied foie gras to cook.) But a troubling offshoot of boycotts—one that was especially a factor in the ban of shark fins—is the confusion in discussions surrounding the issue of the difference between the ingredients used in a nation’s cuisine and the nationalities that live there. Vodka maker Stolichnaya discovered this the hard way when the politics behind the Sochi Olympics led to public demonstrations where the vodka—owned, blended and bottled outside of Russia—was banned from bars and poured onto the street throughout the U.S. and Europe in a symbolic, but futile, gesture. Some chefs have taken to Twitter to point out inconsistencies in the current seafood boycott, currently signed by over 50 operators, including Whole Foods, The Old Spaghetti Factory and Scott Conant’s Scarpetta, who operate

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outposts within this country’s borders. Michael Smith and other chefs from Atlantic Canada and Quebec have been outspoken on social media against chefs such as Curtis Stone, whose name appeared both on the list of boycotting chefs and as the 2011 headliner for the P.E.I. Shellfish Festival. In the U.S., Anthony Bourdain spoke vehemently against what he called “collectively punishing the entire Canadian fishing industry (and fishermen) over sealing.” At the time of press, some operators were removing their names from the list supporting the boycott, including Daniel Patterson, who tweeted that due to the complexity of the issue, he felt he wasn’t well enough informed to participate. Boycotting elements of the supply chain can be an overly simplistic way to truncate, rather than continue, a complex discussion. “Let’s work together, armed with facts and compassion, to improve divisive situations, not punish entire countries/industries/economies,” tweeted chef Jamie Kennedy. By politicizing ingredients to extremes, perhaps we lose sight of the debates they could be feeding instead. Leslie Wu, Editorial Director

Bit e s

Editorial advisory CounCil Mickey Cherevaty Consultant, Moyer Diebel Limited Marvin Greenberg Consultant Jack Battersby President, Summit Food Service Distributors Inc. Barney Strassburger Jr. President, TwinCorp Paul LeClerc Partner, Serve-Canada Food Equipment Ltd. Michael Stephens Director of Retail, Inventory and Wholesale, LCBO Ralph Claussen Director Food and Beverage Operations Woodbine Entertainment Group Adam Colquhoun President, Oyster Boy John Crawford Director of Sales-Canada, Lamb Weston Tina Chiu Chief Operating Officer, Mandarin Restaurant Franchise Corporation Martin Kouprie Chef/Owner, Pangaea Restaurant Joel Sisson Founder and president of Crush Strategy Inc. Leslie Wilson Vice-president of Business Excellence Compass Group Canada Chris Jeens Partner W. D. Colledge Co. Ltd.

Volume 28 No. 10 Ontario Restaurant News is published 12 times a year by Ishcom Publications Ltd., which also publishes: Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News, Atlantic Restaurant News, Canadian Lodging News, Ontario Chains and the ORN Buyers’ Directory. 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201 Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Tel: (905) 206-0150 Fax: (905) 206-9972 In Canada 1 800 201-8596 Subscriptions: Canada: $52.33/year or $78.57/2 years, $102.67/ 3 years; U.S.A.: $58.85/year or $84.85/2 years, $108.70/ 3 years. Single copy: $5.95 (Plus taxes where applicable) Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation department, 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40010152 ISSN 0834-0404 GST number R102533890

Correction notice: In the October 2013 issue of ORN, the phone numbers for the Cara-owned listings—Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet, Kelsey’s, Montana’s and Milestone’s—were listed incorrectly. The correct number is 905-760-2244. We regret the error.

Going for Gold Medal Plates TORONTO—George Restaurant’s chef Lorenzo Loseto took home top prize at this year’s Toronto competition for Gold Medal Plates at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Oct. 30th. Loseto won for his Ahi tuna, jasmine carrot and pear dish, matched with a KEW Vineyards, Old Vines Riesling 2010. Tyler Shedden, chef at Café Boulud, came in second with a wild Quebec hare “a la Royale” (with B.C. quince, chestnuts and porcini mushrooms) paired with Stratus Vineyards Red 2010. Chef Victor Barry’s matsutake mushroom and burgundy black truffle salad paired with Hidden Bench Vineyards & Winery Vintage 2010 Estate Pinot Noir won bronze for Splendido restaurant.

Toronto board of health endorses smoke-free bar/restaurant patios TORONTO—Toronto’s Board of Health has unanimously recommended that the city widen its ban on smoking to include bar and restaurant patios. The board’s vote follows the release of a report from the city’s medical officer of health recommending the changes, which would also ban smokers from lighting up at outdoor sports fields, swimming beaches and public squares, according to the Globe and Mail. Currently, Toronto prohibits smoking inside workplaces, bars and restaurants and in vehicles where small children are present. In

order to become law, the changes would have to be approved by city council.

Blood pressure group slightly raises salt limit consumption guidelines MONTREAL—A Canadian blood-pressure group is slightly raising its recommended daily intake of salt following its annual review of the scientific evidence on sodium consumption at a meeting in Montreal on Oct. 17. Hypertension Canada’s task force on sodium consumption has increased its recommended daily salt intake level to 2,000 milligrams from 1,500, according to the Globe and Mail. Task-force co-chairman Dr. Raj Padwal said research shows that reducing salt intake to 2,000 mg daily can significantly improve blood pressure, said the Globe. Padwal said persuading Canadian adults to limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day from the estimated current average of 3,400 mg is unlikely.

Susur takes on Manhattan NEW YORK—Toronto chef Susur Lee plans to open a restaurant and grab-and-go shop in Manhattan’s One World Trade Center, an office tower expected to open in 2015. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the fine-dining restaurant will operate on the tower’s 66th floor in an exclusive Asian business and cultural exchange club, according to the Toronto Star. The grab-and-go shop will serve the entire tower, but the restaurant will only be open to club members. Set to occupy six floors, the China Center will feature a tea lounge, restaurants, bars and ambassador services, according to the Star. Lee’s previous New York eatery, Shang, operated in the Thompson Lower East Side hotel and closed in 2011 after two years.

Korean chain Kintaro opens in Canada TORONTO—Korea-based Kintaro Yakitori Izakaya opened its first international loca-

tion on Sept. 23 in Toronto’s Church and Wellesley Street area. The Toronto location serves a menu similar to that of its Korean counterparts “modified to fit Canadian tastes,” general manager Jay Park told ORN. About 60 Kintaro outlets operate in Korea. Covering 2,500 square feet, the Toronto location serves yakitori—charcoal-grilled meat, chicken, fish and vegetable skewers—as well as ramen, donburi and sashimi. Average check is about $40 per person. Kintaro’s executive chef Daniel Park (Jay’s father) worked for six years in izakaya restaurants in Kyushu, Japan. Daniel also owns Toronto’s Kenzo noodle house. Completing Kintaro’s menu is a beverage list comprising a small selection of sake, Asian beer and cocktails. Jay Park added that expansion is in the cards. Initial plans call for three corporate-owned restaurants to open in Toronto and 10 to 20 franchises to be launched in the Greater Toronto Area within two years, he said. 459 Church St., Toronto. (647) 560-5335, www.kintaro.ca.

Great service gets people talking TORONTO—Good news travels fast (and far), according to an international study on the impact of good customer service. The American Express Great Service Travels Miles Study polled more than 8,000 respondents in July from Britain, Canada, Mexico and Australia. According to the study, 90 per cent of Canadians will tell others (an average of 20 people) about a great service experience; 32 per cent tell others within the hour and 45 per cent within the day. Participants said the top three requirements for a good service experience are: spontaneity (51 per cent), feeling supported (39 per cent), and receiving a personalized experience (29 per cent).

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Top: Mieng kum, a signature dish at Linda Modern Thai, meaning “many things in one bite.” Left: Custom made by Thai artisans, a golden statue centres the main dining room at Linda’s. Right: Britwin Dias and William Thetsombandith from Bangkok Garden, owner of Golden Thai, Kiem Thung, Allan Lim from Mengrai Thai, Daovipa Leekumjohn Consul (Commerce), Thai Department of International Trade Promotion, Linda and Ernest Liu from Linda Modern Thai and Salad King. Far right: Specially requested by the Thai Consul, the pla tu nam prik (crispy mackerel with dipping sauce) is a traditional Thai dish made for sharing. All photos by Renée Suen.

TORONTO—Although authenticity can be an often debated and shifting measure of a restaurant’s offerings, the Thai government is looking to provide concrete guidelines and certifications for Canadian restaurants. At an event in mid-September at Linda Modern Thai in Don Mills, representatives from the Thai government unveiled the newest incarnation of the Thai Select program, designed to recognize both the authenticity of a restaurant’s Thai pedigree and its local inspiration. The program is divided into two categories based on the levels of design and service, Thai Select Premium (5-stars or higher) and Thai Select (restaurants with 3 to 4-star ratings). In Toronto, 22 restaurants received the designation, and of those, four were considered to be “premium”: Linda Modern Thai, Mengrai Gourmet Thai, Golden Thai and Bangkok Garden. In order to be eligible, a restaurant must offer at least 60 per cent authentic foods on its menu, employ the same or similar cooking methods used in Thailand and import some ingredients from Thailand. Businesses must be open for six months before applying, and although head chefs may be of nonThai nationalities, they must prove that they have at least two years experience cooking Thai food or have a training certificate from an accredited Thai institution. To recognize the designation, restaurants can display a Thai Select logo and also receive a certificate with the signature of the Thai Minister, Ministry of Commerce and the date of issue.

O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

The Thai Select Cuisine program is a global initiative by the Thai government and part of its “Kitchen of the World” policy. Although the program has been around since 2004, it has been expanded to be more inclusive. “We adapt to the present time, little by little,” said Daovipa Leekumjohn, Consul (Commercial), Thai Department of International Trade Promotion to ORN. The September launch marks a concentrated effort from the Thai government to promote Thai Select across Canada to restaurateurs. Plans include expanding the number of restaurants involved throughout Canada from 32 to 50 by the end of the year. (There are currently two premium and 12 select institutions in Vancouver.) Leekumjohn sees a more general awareness of Thai food in Canada today. “Even when I go to Western mainstream restaurants, they have Thai ingredients and dishes; it’s much more common now,” she said. “The purpose of the program is to give restaurateurs awareness and knowledge, so sometimes, if you have to adapt to materials you can find, authenticity can still be found in preparation (although it is still best if you can source Thai ingredients).” Alan Liu, general manager of Salad King and Linda Modern Thai, feels that the Thai Select program allows the restaurant to have the confidence to experiment. “It really helps us promote authenticity of the cuisine, while pushing the envelope,” he said.

No holds barred in program expansion to Ottawa OTTAWA—A year after the voluntary Best Bar None (BBN) pilot program launched to deal with alcohol related issues in Toronto’s Entertainment district, organizers are setting their sights on Ottawa’s Byward Market. The market has recently seen increased law enforcement presence with a three-month initiative by Ottawa Police Services, sending 14 officers to patrol on foot, according to the Ottawa Star. The Best Bar None program was introduced to Ontario in late October 2012, taking a page from Manchester’s bar accreditation standard. The British city saw a nine per cent reduction in serious violent crime when it launched in 2003, said Tony Elenis, president and CEO of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel Motel Association (ORHMA). Similar projects in Doncaster, England saw 70 per cent fewer police calls to BBN-accredited venues, he said. In late May 2013, 37 Toronto establishments received Best Bar None accreditation. Participating bars, hotels and restaurants are assessed annually based on submitted applications

and rewarded for responsible management, service and operations. The Toronto launch marked the first time the project had entered Ontario; Edmonton and Calgary started programs in 2010. “This pilot served as an opportunity to evaluate what worked in the program and where we needed to invest efforts to support the program,” said Elenis at an Oct. 10 event at Toronto’s Eaton Chelsea. He called the results of the pilot—which targeted 175 licensed establishments near King Street West between University and Spadina Avenues—“very positive.” According to post-pilot surveys, 71 per cent of patrons believed that the program is needed and 83 per cent claimed they would be likely to attend a certified establishment due to “enhanced safety,” said Elenis. Phase two of the program will extend the parameters of the BBN program throughout the downtown core to over 1,400 licensed establishments encompassing Parkside Drive to the west, Bloor St. to the north, Yonge St. to the east and south to the Toronto Islands, said Elenis. The players behind the project

include the ORHMA, the Toronto Entertainment Business Improvement Area, the LCBO, Prime Restaurants, Crocodile Rock, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Sponsors include Smart Serve, Labatt, Molson Coors, Spirits Canada, The Beer Store, Sleeman, Ontario Craft Brewers, the Wine Council of Ontario and the Winery and Grower Alliance of Ontario. “The goal here is to achieve responsible alcohol service through a volunteer program driven by compliance and not federal enforcement alone,” Elenis told ORN at last year’s launch of BBN in Ontario. “It’s the social and economic responsibility of our business to support programs like this one,” he said. Similar to the award ceremony held this year, Elenis plans to hold another one in spring 2014. Award winners from the 2013 ceremony included The Bier Markt, for Best Overall and Best Bar/Lounge, 360 at the CN Tower for Best Restaurant, Fionn MacCool’s for Best Pub and the InterContinental Toronto Centre for Best Hotel Lounge.

ORHMA president and CEO Tony Elenis.

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enRoute names Bar Isabel “Best New Restaurant”

1. 1. Grant van Gameren. Right: Dishes from 2. The Acorn. 3. Bar Isabel. 4. Fogo Island Inn. Photos by John Cullen, courtesy of Air Canada’s enRoute magazine.

TORONTO—Air Canada’s in-flight magazine enRoute announced the Top 10 list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2013 and the inaugural winner of the People’s Choice Award on Oct. 24. Toronto’s Bar Isabel topped the list, while the people’s choice went to mobile restaurant Vij’s Railway Express in Vancouver, owned by chef Vikram Vij. Food writer Andrew Braithwaite travelled from Vancouver Island to Fogo Island to evaluate the 35 new restaurants shortlisted.

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The following are enRoute’s Top 10 restaurants and what Braithwaite said about them: 1. Bar Isabel, Toronto: “Looks, feels and tastes vaguely Castilian but does far more than ape a menu straight out of Madrid.” 2. Shoto, Toronto: “A storybook of a tasting menu, with all the typical annoying bits—the repetition of ingredients, the showy caprice, the monotonous pacing—smartly edited out.” 3. Fogo Island Inn, Joe Batt’s Arm, Newfoundland and Labrador:

“There’s a terrific survivalist spirit bursting out of chef [Murray] McDonald’s kitchen, where most everything is made from scratch.” 4. Supply and Demand, Ottawa: “It’s not supposed to be this easy for a first-timer...you notice all the little things that rookies Steve and Jennifer Wall are getting so right.” 5. Pidgin, Vancouver: “The cuisine of Winnipeg-born chef [Makoto] Ono, who ran restaurants in Beijing and Hong Kong, draws from multiple languages.” 6. Carino Japanese Bistro, Calgary: “A Japanese-Italian wine bar that defies logic in the most wonderful ways.” 7. Maison Publique, Montreal: “A mere 250 years after the Treaty of Paris, cooking Anglo food in Montreal is cool again.” 8. Le Bouchon du Pied Bleu, Quebec City: “One of the most convivial, playful, unabashedly fun dining experiences I’ve had anywhere in North America.” 9. The Acorn, Vancouver: “That the food is meatless is almost beside the point unless you’re a foodie vegetarian who’s long hankered for a compromise-free night on the town.” 10. Electric Mud, Toronto: “Electric Mud is a twisted hymn to the American South.” “We’re very proud of the strong regional representation from coast to coast this year,” said Ilana Weitzman, editor-in-chief of enRoute in a release. “And I love that the People’s Choice Award went to a food truck from one of this country’s great chefs.”

Taco takeover in north Toronto TORONTO—Estrella Taqueria, a 300-seat eatery specializing in tacos, bourbon and tequila opened in Toronto’s Yonge/Sheppard neighbourhood in early November. “We want to bring downtown uptown,” owner and general manager Otta Zapatocky told ORN. Modelled on Chicago’s influential Big Star taqueria, Estrella serves about half a dozen tacos (pork with pineapple, chicken tinga and braised pork belly) and nachos topped with the taco filling options as well as other meats (duck confit, for example). Also expected on the Mexicaninfluenced menu were tortilla soup and queso fundido cheese dip starters, along with specials such as grilled skirt steak and shrimp sautéed with chili, lime and garlic. The executive chef is Jeremy Dyer, former head chef of Toronto’s L.A.B. restaurant and, for about 18 months prior to Estrella’s launch, executive chef at L’Avenue Bistro, also owned by Zapatocky. Tacos are priced between $4 and $6 and the average check is expected to be about $20 per person, said Zapatocky, who was the opening manager and sommelier for Toronto’s Nota Bene restaurant. Desserts may include churros and ice cream made in house with dulce de leche and poblano pepper flavours. Making up the taqueria’s beverage component are 30 bourbons and

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30 tequilas along with mixed drinks based on those spirits ($7 to $14). Scott Avery, former bartender at Toronto’s Barchef, is in charge of the cocktail program. A certified sommelier, Zapatocky curates a wine list expected to feature 60 Spanish, Portuguese and South American labels, with bottles priced $35 to $60 and a small selection of premium labels priced as high as $400. Ten wines (five reds and five whites) are available by the glass, priced around $7. At least 10 craft brews will be available on tap and 15 to 20 bottled offerings are planned from European, Ontario and Mexican labels. Estrella, which operates in the 6,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Smokey Joe’s Café, features imagery based on Mexico’s Dia de Los Muertos: skulls, flowers, bison skulls, said Zapatocky. Reclaimed items such as vintage liquor signs also adorn the room. Seating includes stools, booths and banquettes and, in the lounge, couches and loveseats. A rooftop patio features 130 seats, augmenting the dining room’s 200. He added that expansion is possible, as is another four to five locations, each with its own look, in areas such as Oakville, Vaughan and Brampton. 4899 Yonge St., Toronto. (416) 2221500, www.estrellataqueria.ca, @estrellataco.

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O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

The hunt is on for Canadian comfort cuisine By Kristen Smith, assistant editor, digital content

The Huntsman Tavern interior. Top right: Co-owner Nic Savage, manager Aja Sax and chef Mike Tan.

TORONTO—Industry veterans Nic Savage and Saeed Mohamed are bringing “Canadiana comfort food” to the corner of College Street and Delaware Avenue with the Oct. 1 opening of The Huntsman Tavern. Savage owns The Red Light near Dundas and Ossington streets and Mohamed founded BQM (Burgershoppe Quality Meats). With businesses around the corner from each other, Savage said the pair often had “grass is greener” conversations and eventually decided to pool their bar and foodservice knowledge. A seven-week, full renovation of 890 College St.—from the basement floor to the decorative tin ceiling and the dark blue tiled walls—saw everything in the 1,200-square-foot building change except “the guts,” Savage told ORN. With 65 seats and a 45-seat patio, Savage said the design, created by Mohamed’s wife Silvana D’Addazio, looks to incorporate the Old World comfort of a classic tavern with something more modern. Leather booth-style seating lines the west wall, old decanters were repurposed for bar stool lighting and hunting lodge appropriate art

and antlers adorn the walls. Exposed light bulbs hang above wood tabletops and a 10-person high top sits in front of the kitchen window. “The whole idea is to combine the comfortable neighbourhood spot with something a touch nicer,” said Savage. The menu, split into small, medium and large items, is meant to allow customers to have a casual burger and beer or splurge on a large entrée and a signature cocktail. Restaurant manager Aja Sax, formerly of County General and Miller Tavern, is heading up the bar program. Eric Hadley, former chef/owner of Hadley’s, runs the weekend brunch, which offers items such as chicken and waffles and eggs Benedict on biscuits. Head chef Mike Tan, whose previous Toronto experience includes time at The Saint, Oddseoul and Smith, developed the lunch, dinner and snack (available after dinner and between day parts) menus. Savage said Tan “kind of specializes in meat,” (the two became friends

From Mississauga to midtown Toronto

Left: Union Social interior at the Mississauga location. Right, top: Steve Proulx, Union Social president. Bottom: Executive chef Michael Rame.

TORONTO—After two years in Meadowvale, Mississauga Union Social Eatery plans to open in midtown Toronto at St. Clair Avenue and Yonge Street in late November. “We love the area,” Union Social president Steve Proulx told ORN. “There are lots of businesses, a strong lunch [day part] and a good residential population that likes to dine out. Plus, there aren’t many casual, social restaurants in the area.” The new location is slated to open at 21 St. Clair Ave. West near

Yonge Street, a site that has housed Fran’s restaurant, Fionn MacCool’s and, most recently, Harry’s Social Kitchen & Bar. The space sat vacant for about 18 months prior to Union Social’s arrival, said Proulx. Proulx said the Toronto location’s menu is virtually identical to that at the Mississauga site. What does differ, he said, are the weekly soup, lunch and dinner features. Union Social dishes up wings, burgers, flatbreads, steak, chicken

and pasta. Average check is $20 per person. On tap are 20 draft beers and 22 bottled beers comprised of Ontario craft brews and imported labels. Executive chef Michael Rame, who has cooked at the Mississauga location since its 2011 launch, heads up the Toronto restaurant’s kitchen, and Mark Waler is general manager. The Toronto location occupies 6,000 square feet on two floors and features the same design as its Mississauga counterpart, but includes

an enhanced AV system and more industrial-looking accents such as light fixtures, a concrete bartop and steel beams, said Proulx. Seating about 170 people in 3,700 square feet, the upstairs room features a bar area displaying four large TVs broadcasting sports. The downstairs private dining area seats 30 and is suitable for corporate meetings, he said. 21 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto. www.unionsocial.ca, @unionsocial.

over barbecue) so it’s no surprise some of the signature dishes feature protein as the star such as the chuck and brisket burger, a venison and beef stew served with pie-crust crackers and topped with a short rib, duck confit tacos, deconstructed chorizo corndogs and pulled pork and dill slaw on a brioche bun. Everything except the bread is made in house. The boar tourtière hand pies are “almost like a strudel,” said Savage. “It’s not traditional tourtière by any stretch of the imagination.” Average check can vary between $20 and $40, with menu items ranging between $6 and $24 and drinks between $5 and $13. 890 College St., Toronto. (416) 9019919, thehuntsman.ca. @TheHuntsmanTO.

Cost isn’t the only factor, say Canadians TORONTO—A study released Oct. 9 by U.S. research firm Technomic indicates that Canadian consumers primarily seek good value when dining out, but prize factors other than price when considering a restaurant’s value proposition. Eighty-seven per cent of consumers rank aspects relating to food and beverage as the most or second most important value element at fast-food restaurants, according to the Canadian Value & Pricing Consumer Trend Report, while 74 per cent say the same thing about price, said a release. Forty-one per cent of consumers say the ability to customize their meal is either important or extremely important in creating good value, and 39 per cent say the same for staggered portion sizes at different price points. Descriptors can increase consumer price thresholds: 42 per cent of consumers say they would be likely to purchase and pay more for food and beverages that are labelled ‘fresh.’

Got news? Email lwu@ canadianrestaurantnews.com for editorial consideration.

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By Robert Carter

he Ontario restaurant market is a dynamic industry that has become one of the most competitive markets in Canada. According to NPD’s CREST research, Ontario represents 41 per cent of all restaurant traffic in Canada. The research also highlights that customer traffic at Ontario restaurants has not seen growth during 2013. A main reason for the stagnant growth is due to the declining per capita restaurant visits for Ontarians. In 2012, Ontario consumers visited restaurants an average of 209 times per year. During 2013, that per capita number decreased to 202 visits a year. The result is an increasingly competitive market which requires restaurant operators to steal share from competitors in order to grow.

What is online marketing? To steal share, today’s operators need to focus on creating brand awareness, encouraging consumers to visit and convert a trial into repeat visits. Online marketing is a simple and

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Online marketing

effective tool that allows today’s restaurant operators— whether a large chain or an independent—to create awareness, promote trial and encourage repeat visits. Typically delivered via a website or smartphone application, online marketing is the driver behind 33 per cent of first-time restaurant visits in Canada. According to NPD’s CREST research, this triples the number of new visits resulting from other forms of marketing, which amount to 10 per cent. The most popular online site used to influence restaurant usage and awareness is Facebook. The second most used online site is Twitter, followed by YouTube, Vimeo and, rounding out the top five, Yelp.

Location, location, location Interestingly, discount and deal sites such as Groupon, WagJag and Livingsocial rank lower in usage than location-based sites such as Foursquare. Restaurant location-based sites are resonating with consumers and

34573D_CC_RestNews_Ad_Layout 1 13-04-26 8:59 AM Page 1

Making the most of

are gaining popularity. In the past year, these sites have influenced the dining choices of 17 per cent of Canadians. Helping drive the use of location-based sites is the decision of many Canadian telecommunication service providers to pre-load smart phones with location-based applications that have segments dedicated entirely to restaurants in the user’s surrounding area.

Must be the money Increasing customer traffic is important in today’s market conditions, but equally important is getting customers to spend. According to CREST research, restaurant customers who used online marketing to influence their restaurant choice have a higher average eater check compared to customers who didn’t use online marketing. The CREST research also reveals that spending differs depending on what online site a consumer uses. Restaurant consumers who used Urbanspoon have the highest average eater check compared to customers who used other online sites.

Relying on recommendations

Restaurants have long relied on word-of-mouth recommendations to create brand awareness and encourage trial. In a restaurant market that is struggling to increase customer traffic, the reliance on word-of-mouth promotion increases. For consumers, making these recommendations becomes progressively habitual as the world of online marketing evolves. According to CREST research, the number one reason consumers use Facebook when deciding on a restaurant is for a recommendation. Consumers are essentially social creatures and the instinct to follow

the herd is deeply ingrained in our behaviour. With the increasing popularity of online marketing, following recommendations and trends is easier than ever. As the existing array of online marketing platforms becomes increasingly sophisticated and new ones are introduced to the market, online marketing will need to be a central element in an overarching strategy for businesses to be successful in today’s restaurant market.

Robert Carter is the executive director, foodservice Canada, for The NPD Group.

“Consumers are essentially soCial Creatures and the instinCt to follow the herd is deeply ingr ained in our behaviour. with the inCreasing popularity of online marketing, following reCommendations and trends is easier than ever.”

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Social Media and

AFF ’ S T S R U O G Y ORK N I G A R E LE V ET W N L A I C SO BY J P M A RT I N DA L E

he most under-utilized asset is a restaurant staff ’s social network. According to Facebook, the average person has 160 friends. Whereas, an employee under the age of 25 who attended college or university in the past five years may have more than 1,000 friends in their social network. By leveraging staff ’s family and friends, a restaurateur may find a powerful medium to bring business back into the establishment and increase new sales by promoting the brand within social networks.

Turn every employee into your chief marketing officer At my first restaurant job, my general manager encouraged the servers to hand out our own business cards to regulars with our shift schedule for the coming week in order to build clientele and ensure our full sections. By empowering your staff, you can increase sales without having to spend a dollar on outside advertising. By turning employees into “brand ambassadors” a restaurant can promote new menu items, contests, and entice new trials. The results are impressive. Recently, by using social sharing tools, East Side Mario’s received more than 1.5 million social media impressions (views) for its latest feature menu resulting in more than a four per cent hike in sales compared to the weeks without staff engagement. Turn every employee into your chief marketing officer.

The power of recommendation A positive recommendation for your business is worth its weight ten-fold across social networks. North American consumers trust recommendations from people they know and opinions posted by unknown consumers online more than advertisements in traditional media like television, radio,

magazines, and newspapers (Nielsen Online, April 2009). Digital marketing resource Ecoconsultancy indicated in 2009 that 90 per cent of online consumers trust the recommendations of people they know and 70 per cent trust opinions of unknown users. Simply put, people trust their friends’ and strangers’ opinions more than any other medium. Ensure staff have the tools to recommend your business and promotions to family and friends.

ties and control over their brand’s promotions that can be managed through social-referral tools.

Reward and recognize Typically, restaurants compensate to correct a negative experience. Brands should instead focus on rewarding behavior that builds business. By utilizing some basic game mechanics, contests are a powerful way to motivate and increase participation by staff (and guests) for social sharing.

Make use of social amplification on multiple touch points Staff are only the starting point for maximizing referrals with social media. Every guest touch point such as loyalty programs, email clubs, surveys and contests are potential opportunities for customers to connect your brand with their social networks. In a week-long contest for Hero Burgers, participants gained additional entries by sharing on Facebook and Twitter. In six days, this resulted in 128,000 social impressions and a 36 per cent jump in Facebook fans. Social recommendation tools should be easily accessible to your customers at every online touch point.

Ensuring your branding message Whether employees or your guests are promoting the brand, it is vital to maintain the core message. While it would be relatively easy to email a picture of the newest menu item to your staff and ask them to post it on their facebook walls, it’s not quite the same as using social programs that track and provide analytics on who your brand ambassadors are and what social media platform they are promoting your brand on the most. This is a contributing factor as to why staff are underutilized for pushing viral content, as companies are unaware of the capabili-

A positive recommendation for your business is worth its weight ten-fold across social networks.

Monetary prizes can be useful motivators, but the most over-looked motivating reward that can be used is recognition. In 2012, Prime Restaurant’s 1,000 employees asked guests to round up their bill to the nearest whole dollar for charity. More than $50,000 was raised and the prize to the winner was not financial but simply recognition amongst their peers that they personally raised the most donations. Recognize and reward positive behavior and your brand ambassadors will be flooding their social networks on your brand’s behalf for years to come. JP Martindale is president and coFounder of GuestEngine.com, a relationship marketing company that specializes in mobile, social, and loyalty programs for the hospitality industry. He can be reached at jpm@guestengine.com.

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This past summer, Boston Pizza used social media to drive its “redneck-themed” marketing campaign announcing its new slow-roasted pork back ribs. Launched in early June, the campaign included TV ads featuring banjo-playing Southerners (dubbed “Ribnecks”) enthusing about the new menu item. An online infomercial, describing the messiness of eating ribs, featured Tshirts splattered with fake rib sauce. Sold online for $14.99, the “Rib Stain Camo” T-shirts allowed wearers to contribute their own rib-sauce stains without embarrassment. Both the TV ads and Rib Stain Camo infomercials were posted on YouTube, “which is driving a whole new area of getting our promotions out there,” Boston Pizza International vice-president of marketing Alex Green told ORN. He added that YouTube generated more than 350,000 views of Boston Pizza’s Ribneck commercials. The restaurant chain used Twitter (#RibbinIsLivin) to build awareness for the new menu item by sharing real-time Rib Stain Camo updates and encouraging rib-related discussion. “Twitter gave us an opportunity to engage with people who are passionate about ribs,” said Green. Facebook is another way the company engages with its core customer, said Green. Boston Pizza employed Facebook to build awareness of its new rib offering and encourage customers to visit the restaurant, said Green. Overall, 150,000 Canadians follow Boston Pizza on Facebook, a number that is “well into double-digit growth annually,” said Green. During the campaign, customers posted Instagram photos of Boston Pizza’s ribs and shared pictures of themselves wearing Rib Stain Camo shirts, with 5,000-plus account users viewing the pictures, according to a company spokesperson. Each week, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram generate a combined reach of one million impressions in Canada, and in its first month, the Rib Stain Camo campaign generated over 7 million impressions, said Green. Social media let Boston Pizza customers “celebrate what they love about our brand, engage guests in the promotion and drive further impressions,” said Green. He added that social media enhances traditional media campaigns and, increasingly, shapes how those campaigns are created.

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Last summer, Taco Bell Canada used social media to its advantage as part of its Eat Your Words campaign. In advance of the Sept. 2 launch of Doritos Locos Tacos (DLT) in Canada, the company invited four customers to a special event at its location in Oshawa, ON. The four had been chosen because they had tweeted and posted on Facebook about their dismay that DLT—launched by Taco Bell in the U.S. in March 2012—hadn’t reached Canada. The ground-beef taco features a shell made from a Doritos Nacho Cheese chip. When the four invitees arrived at the Oshawa Taco Bell in mid-August, they were invited, one by one, into the restaurant, presented with a DLT etched with their verbatim complaints and invited to “eat your words, because DLT has come to Canada,” marketing manager Veronica Castillo told ORN. A video camera captured the whole thing. “It was our way of saying, ‘we know you’re frustrated and we want to make it up to you’,” said Castillo. At the Eat Your Words event, the four were “super-excited,” said Castillo—so much so, that Taco Bell Canada commissioned two videos, a 30-second version that aired as a TV commercial and a two-minute version that was posted to YouTube and the company’s website and link from its Twitter page. As of mid-October, views for the video totalled more than 125,000. After the launch, Taco Bell Canada invited customers to share their best DLT experiences through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat, she said. Customers shared photos, tweets and posts. The social media campaign “drove the conversation” about the DLT introduction and in the weeks following the Canadian launch, sales were experiencing double-digit growth, said Castillo. As of mid-October, more than 500,000 had been sold and Taco Bell Canada was “working with [Taco Bell in the U.S.] to make it a permanent menu item” north of the 49th Parallel, said Castillo.

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When Matt Basile launched “food experience company” Fidel Gastro in November 2011, it made sense to promote food parties and pop-ups online. The former marketing copywriter grew up working in butcher shops and, after realizing food was always what he turned to after a long day or to bring friends together, started working on plans to open an eatery. It turned out his concept for a sandwich shop wasn’t financially viable. But, while cooking at a party he realized it was part of the experience. “I thought ‘maybe that’s what I do. If I can’t open up a space called Fidel Gastro’s, what if I create an experience called Fidel Gastro’s and just bring it with me’,” Basile told ORN. He says Twitter was “a massive tool for trying to sell people on the brand.” Basile didn’t put together a formal strategy; his goal was simply to create legitimacy by letting people know he exists, is making food he is passionate about and spread the word about his business. “Once I was ready to start tweeting, I started tweeting at [specific] people,” he says. “Facebook allowed me to connect with my existing friends and tell them what was happening and Twitter allowed me to connect with new people that I hadn’t really met,” he says. Following the appropriate people and acquiring and maintaining interested followers is a large part of whether Twitter benefits the user,

he notes. “Twitter is a one-to-many communication [form], so if you’re talking to the wrong audience, you will completely get missed and then you’re not really using it as a tool,” he says. “In the beginning, you have to be very specific with who and what you’re saying and what you’re tweeting, because everything is business,” he says. The key to having a solid social media presence (as opposed to shameless self-promotion) is being genuine. Basile says people are pretty keen when it comes to detecting contrived tweets and prepackaged responses. “I was always very honest about what my intensions were,” says Basile. Basile still personifies the Fidel Gastro character, but the company has grown and the concept includes everyone at bricks and mortar restaurant Lisa Marie (which opened at 638 Queen St. West earlier this year) and partners Kyla Zanardi and Don Finelli. “We’re trying to build an actual machine (a business) now, but everything we have today has come from that initial fabric,” says Basile, The tweets from the Fidel Gastro handle (@fidelgastros) are still sent out by Basile, but he gets some help creating the content he is pushing out such as videos and food photography. He says the content doesn’t have to be professional, but it had better be good if it’s going to make a positive impression. The Fidel Gastro website was recently revamped to consist solely of dynamic content. It features the

live Twitter, blog, Instagram and YouTube feeds. There is no “about us,” which Basile says no one cares about any longer. Instead, people want to know what you are doing, cooking and writing about in real time. “What better way to get people to know more about you than to [show] constant evolution?” asks Basile. When catering weddings with food truck Pricilla, this strategy has often paid off. “I’ve booked weddings while posting photos of doing the weddings,” he says. Instagram, being a picture and video-based medium, “allows you to get peoples’ attention very quickly” and lends itself well to the foodservice industry, he says. Showing the stages of new product development makes people feel they are a part of the process. When Lisa Marie opened six months ago, the social media community was made to feel like they were part of Fidel Gastro’s growth, says Basile, who used social media to share pictures throughout the build and joke about setbacks. A segment of Fidel Gastro, Basile calls the eatery “a hub for all things street food” and says they try not to be too traditional, play with the menu often and incorporate oneoffs. While Lisa Marie was promoted through the existing Fidel Gastro channels, which Basile says made sense for launching the restaurant, Basile is contemplating giving Lisa Marie its own handle to appeal to those who weren’t already familiar with the Fidel Gastro brand.

Social media data collected by Chris Gibbs, Ted Rogers Institute for Tourism and Hospitality Research at Ryerson University. Sidebars by ORN staff.

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Drop site investigation in Ontario concluded TORONTO—Federal officials and two provincial ministries carried out a joint assessment of Sysco Canada’s use of “drop sites” to store food products in mid-September. The Ontario Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care (MOHLTC) officials and food inspectors from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) visited 14 storage depot sites the week of Sept. 16. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the federal organization contacted Sysco Canada to get information on the use of drop-off locations and were told the company’s use of these sites ceased on Aug. 12. A spokesperson told ORN there was no indication that Sysco drop sites have been associated with unsafe food in the Canadian market. The provincial MOHLTC facilitated the engagement of local public health units to help with conducting site visits on the request of the OMAF and the CFIA, according to a

spokesperson, and concluded there were no identifiable food safety concerns or violations observed at any of the locations. The food distribution company stopped using its drop-site program, which was used to store products, following reports that some U.S. sites were not meeting the company’s standards, according to an early September release from Sysco. An OMAF spokesperson told ORN that Sysco Toronto and Sysco Central were “using unlicensed locations, otherwise known as drop sites, to store fluid milk.” OMAF senior communications advisor Tanya Marissen said in an email that “the ministry’s investigation began as soon as concerns were being raised about Sysco’s use of drop sites in the United States and Toronto.” She said the ministry was involved to ensure Sysco was in compliance with the province’s Milk Act regulations.

She said the storage areas had available electrical sources for cooling equipment. “At the time of inspections, the Sysco companies had discontinued the practice of storing fluid milk products at the drop sites,” said Marissen. Marissen said both Sysco divisions are licensed as non-shopkeeper distributors and must provide the ministry with the locations that are included and the activities taking place there. The license is able to cover fluid milk distribution sites or storage depots and vehicles that are used to distribute the fluid milk products. “The companies did not make OMAF aware of the drop sites and therefore those drop sites were not licensed,” said Marissen, adding the ministry “is determining whether Sysco or the appropriate company will be required to pay license fees retroactively for each depot.” Sysco Corporation declined comment on this story.

Maple Leaf Foods considers selling Canada Bread TORONTO—On Oct. 21, Canadian food processing company Maple Leaf Foods announced it is exploring a potential sale of its 90 per cent stake in Toronto-based Canada Bread as it reviews its bakery business. Canada Bread is one of two dominant Canadian bakers, along with food producer George Weston Ltd. The global company makes bread, rolls, bagels and sweet goods. The exploration of what Maple Leaf calls “strategic alternatives”—which could see the company turn its focus to meat products—is expected to be complete by early 2014.

O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

“This is about great business with a good view to help it grow profitably over the next four or five years, but because we’ve at a crossroads…we felt it was prudent to consider the alternatives,” said Maple Leaf president and chief executive officer Michael McCain in an interview with Reuters. According to Reuters, Maple Leaf has launched an auction for the bakery company. Following the news of a potential sale, Canada Bread Company announced the sale of fresh pasta and sauce business Olivieri Foods to Spanish-based Ebro Foods. The $120-mil-

lion deal is pending regulatory approval and is expected to close by year’s end. According to the Globe and Mail, Maple Leaf said that if it doesn’t sell its Canada Bread stake (worth nearly $1.6 billion prior to the Oct. 21 announcement) it will continue to invest in and grow the business. In the event of the sale of Canada Bread, Maple Leaf has said it might use the proceeds to pay down debt, reinvest in its business and return capital to shareholders. Maple Leaf closed the $645-million sale of Rothsay to Texas-based Darling International Inc. on Oct. 28.

Nov. 13: Ontario Culinary Tourism Summit, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. For information, go to: www.ontarioculinary.com. Nov. 13: CAFP Toronto Branch professional members dinner meeting, Cutten Fields Golf Club, Guelph, ON. For information, go to: www.cafp.com. Nov. 25: The Food Industry Association of Canada Golden Pencil Award Ceremony. Concert Hall, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto. For information, go to: www.goldenpencilaward.com. Jan. 11-12: Franchise Show, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. For information, go to: www.cfa.ca/TheFranchiseShow. Jan. 28-30: Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Supply Show, Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, SC. For information, go to: www.hmrsss.com Feb. 10: Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals 40th Top Management Night, International Centre, Mississauga, ON. For information, go to: www. cafp.com. Feb. 26-28: Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador, Conference & Trade Show, Gander, NL. For information, go to: hnl.ca/conference/hnl-annual-conference-and-tradeshow. Mar. 2-4: 2014 Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association Show. Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto. For information, go to: www.crfa.ca.

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Innovation excellence awards TORONTO—On Oct. 7, Premier Kathleen Wynne awarded the top Innovation Excellence Award to chef and cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen, who plans to spend the award money on starting a cheese-making school. Ruth Klahsen, winner of the Innovation Excellence Award. The founder of Stratford, ON’s Monforte Dairy received the Premier’s Award and Niagara region’s The Foreign Affair Winery received the Minister’s Award. After five years of operation, Monforte ended up without a lease, so in 2009 the company put its fate in the public’s hands. Through a community supported agriculture (CSA) style of funding, it raised $500,000 from customers buying “futures in cheese” (1,000 people bought in at $500 each). “We just put ‘the ask’ out and the response was huge; it was amazing,” said Klahsen in a video shared at the event. Klahsen told ORN the “whole premise of my company is, we work on relationships” and the impetus of the CSA was born out of the intimacies formed while connecting with customers at farmers’ markets. The Foreign Affair Winery. Klahsen said Monforte has served

$400,000 of the CSA debt to date. “It’s the nicest debt in the world,” she said, adding it’s hard when someone comes in with a voucher during a slow period and there are bills to pay, but “it’s because of them you have a company.” She said they plan to open the CSA back up next year. “I think it’s shown that there’s room in the market for artisanal production, for sure,” she said in the video. “I don’t think we’ve even hit the tip of the iceberg of where the potential is for cheese-making in Ontario and in Canada and the potential for what we can do.” She hopes other artisanal producers adopt Monforte’s model. “The best thing about it is the consumer feels like they’re vested. They feel like they’re part of the process. They feel like they’re part of their food.” At the Agri-Food Summit at Queen’s Park, Klahsen announced Monforte’s intention to use the $75,000 award money to launch a cheesemaking school in February. “What we really need in the industry is education and depth and understanding of regulations so that we can [produce] safe, wonderful products that are as good as Europe,” said Klahsen. “The school becomes the coolest thing that we can do and I’m so excited about the potential of that, and the potential for what that can do to Ontario as far as just making really, really good cheese and creating my own competition,” said Klahsen after accepting the award. “It could really change the face of the industry,” Klahsen told ORN. She said the cheese industry needs to work with the government,

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establish more stringent safety guidelines and develop a better understanding of the science behind making cheese. Monforte Dairy is taking eight students for the eight-week, apprenticeship-style course, which Klahsen hopes to continue annually. The Foreign Affair Winery in Vineland, ON, was awarded the Minister’s award at the summit. The winery brought Amarone-style product to Ontario with locally grown vinifera varietals and a grape-drying method referred to as appassimento. “In terms of the vineyard, our end objective was to try to create a brand new wine product here in Ontario by using some of the knowledge that was developed in another part of the world,” said co-owner Len Crispino, in a video shown at the event. “We did a smart process of mapping our vineyard so that we knew the condition of each plant,” he added. Crispino said he and his wife “had this idea that if we’re going to get into an industry, we felt it was really important to add value.” The three Leaders in Innovation Award recipients were Geissberger Farmhouse Cider, of Hampton, ON, which brings a cider press on wheels to the apples and uses bag-in-box packaging that keeps cider fresh for one year, allowing all apples to be pressed by producers at the peak of flavour; Thompson’s Maple Products, which uses a wireless remote monitoring system to monitor tap lines; and Y U Ranch, which delivers grass-fed beef in the first hybrid gas/electric refrigerated minivan in North America.

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How to ensure every element has a place at the table.

By Kristen Smith

henever president of Table Top Resources Deepak Mirchandani goes to a restaurant, he picks up the plate to check the brand, folds his napkin to test whether it is a perfect square and tries to bend the cutlery. “I do all sorts of funny things in restaurants; I’m surprised I haven’t been kicked out yet,” laughs Mirchandani, who started the Mississauga, ON-based distributor focused on luxury brands

nearly two decades ago. Restaurateurs are looking for a point of differentiation, creating an atmosphere and a brand through their tabletop, says Iana Fatkhutdinova, director of marketing for G.E.T. Enterprises. “You don’t have to be uptight and stuffy; you can show your individuality,” says Fatkhutdinova. “It’s OK to mix and match different textures and different colours.” “Fast casual and casual restaurants are trying to simplify their

table tops,” according to Fatkhutdinova. She says many operators are opting to bring out items depending on customer orders as opposed to the more traditional approach of guests arriving to a set table. While the requirements, decor and menu items of an establishment play a large factor in determining what goes on the table (and when), industry experts told ORN what trends they’ve seen in plates, glassware, f latware and linens.

Stepping up to the plate White tableware is still the highest seller for foodservice overall, according to experts. “Food and presentation is a focal point; everything on the table is there to complement it,” says Fatkhutdinova. Mirchandani, who supplies fine-dining establishments, agrees that current plate trends keep the focus on the food. “A chef is like an artist; they like plain white plates on which they can make their own creation,” he says. Twenty years ago, six, eight and 11-inch rounds were the norm, says Mirchandani. “Now, they are looking for presentation plates where they can highlight the cuisine based on the shape of the plate.” 1.

Nonetheless, a more playful approach to plating is starting to take root. While hotels and large chains tend to stick with white plates, Fatkhutdinova has noticed independents shift toward natural, earthy colours, textures and organic shapes. Dinnerware doesn’t even need to be from the same set, she says. “Imperfections are welcome.” Ken Locke, Vancouver general manager for Russell Food Equipment, says restaurants’ plate collections could be called eclectic, mixing rectangular and triangular shapes and incorporating texture or colour. In addition, more and more restaurants are serving smaller portions and tasting menus, which affect plate sizing. “Although the portion is small, [the chef] might serve it in a nicer, larger plate to make the food look more appetizing,” adds Catalino Misenas, Russell Vancouver sales manager. Bill Horosko, president of Tableware Solutions in Mississauga, ON, says the majority of his business comes from new openings and renovations. Occasionally, the bulk importer/distributor sees customers who are introducing a new dish

or looking for a “wow” item. “There are a lot of people trying to be one better than the other,” he says. Regardless of trend, people will always buy a go-to round plate or stacking cup; standard pieces that, operationally speaking, stand the test of time, says Horosko. Although he saw coloured plates as popular years ago, a move towards rectangular and then progressively softer shapes such as rounded edge and ovals are becoming popular. He uses the term “another dimension” to describe a method of innovating the tabletop. “People are accessorizing. Instead of a really nice conical, ceramic bowl that adds nice presentation to a rectangular platter, they’re looking at things like cast iron, slate, stainless steel, copper finishes and earth toned, rustic pieces,” he says. Plate size preference, he says, depends on the chef and restaurateur. “You need everything in proportion: servings, sizes and presentations all go hand-in-hand,” he adds. Locke notes restaurants are moving away from side plates. “My opinion: put side plates back on the table,” he says.

Nourishing the senses Jacqueline Poirier is a server and an artist in residence at The Ritz-Carlton’s TOCA restaurant. Her paintings aren’t on canvas hung on the wall, but on the 14inch charger plates greeting guests as they are seated for dinner. Poirier has painted more than 300 plates for the 110seat Toronto restaurant depicting seasonal scenes, familiar street signs, wildlife silhouettes and special series for events such as the Toronto International Film Festival or Toronto Fashion Week. When customers sit down, they f lip the plate over to see who the made the art. “I say ‘I’m your server and your artist tonight,” (often to the customer’s disbelief), laughs Poirier, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ontario College of Art & Design. Restaurant supervisor Hanan Abdulahi says the charger plates bring personality and character to the wood-top tables. “It’s not just a table, it’s a conversation opener,” she says, noting many restaurant guests are at the hotel on business. Abdulahi says people have high expectations for their dining experience at TOCA before they arrive and the unique table art helps meet them. “We had these big, beautiful charger plates,” says Poirier, who started out by painting four more than a year ago at the suggestion of a former manager. From there, she proceeded to paint them all, and often looks through reservations for birthdays or anniversaries she can mark with personalized plate art. “It became part of the restaurant,” says Poirier, adding 3. the opportunity combines her two passions: art and hospitality. 2.

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Mad for white linens

“The minute you put a tablecloth on the table and you put out a nice cotton napkin, it adds value to the restaurant,” says Mirchandani, who brought the Italian-based Frette line to Canada as the first brand his company represented. “[Linen napkins] add sophistication to the table; it makes the table look rich.” Mirchandani says over the last two decades, restaurateurs have shied away from tablecloths, largely because of the varied styles of

wood available in Canada. Fatkhutdinova adds restaurateurs focusing on locally grown and organic food ref lect that trend through rustic tabletops with no linens. “People are coming up with such spectacular tabletops that they don’t want to hide the table by covering it up with a tablecloth,” Mirchandani says, adding tablecloths have been replaced with placemats to protect the finish. “That is a dramatic change in the industry with regard to linens, but the (cotton) napkins still remain a priority for high-end establishments.” He says operators “used to go absolutely nuts” when they saw swatches featuring coloured, f loral and checkered designs, “because they loved that European feel.” He says the trend is more minimalist now, because restaurateurs want to maintain focus on their beautiful oak tables, on the food presentation and on the oversized wine glass bowls and stems. He says he has noticed a trend toward

white or ivory over the last five years. For a napkin, 22 by 22 inches is an appropriate size, but since cotton shrinks—and the horizontal and vertical weave shrink differently—a napkin that starts out at 23 by 24 inches will become a perfect square after four or five washes, he says. Lindsey Anacleto, of Anacleto Design—a firm responsible for the Oliver and Bonacini at Blue Mountain Resort, Jump Café, Bloom Restaurant and Canoe—thinks the type of napkins should depend on the restaurant: linens for fine dining and a big stack of paper napkins for finger food. She says aesthetics should follow function in designing a tabletop. “When it comes to eating, I think you have to consider function first, because what’s a good meal, if you have nowhere to wipe your hands?” asks Anacleto, adding that sending hot water and lemon to the table following lobster or chicken wings is always a nice touch.

Cuts like a knife Mirchandani says there hasn’t been much innovation in flatware in the last century, with the exception of knives designed to stand horizontally so the blade rests above the tabletop. “When I first started the business almost 20 years ago, places like the King Edward Hotel or the Royal York Hotel would hear of nothing but silver, because that’s what they would use to differentiate themselves from the corner mom and pop,” he says. Silver-plated flatware, he notes, needs constant polishing and burnishing machines became scarce as fast-service philosophy grew in popularity. He says 18:10 (chromium to nickel) is as close to silver-plated as you can get without going for the real deal. (Other options are 18:0 and 18:8.) Locke says flatware is going in

two directions: 18:10 and 18:0 (all chromium). “The nickel gives it extra shine, gives it better performance and, most importantly, gives it more durability,” says Horosko. A party rental place, for example, would need 18:10 for it to stand up to food acidity overnight. “The weight of an 18:10 is heavy, it feels good, balances well in your hand and it looks phenomenal.” he says.

Glass half full Locke says glassware is getting larger and larger. “The line between wine glasses, water glasses, and highballs is kind of blurry,” says Locke. Within the world of wine glasses, volume is increasing, the rim is getting smaller and the stem is longer, he says. Many operators are looking to enhance the f lavour and aroma by selecting the appropriate glass for particular varietals. Fatkhutdinova sees glassware and ceramic mugs as an opportunity to get creative with shapes and texture. She notes that there has been an inf lux in consumer interest in craft beers, which has led many operators to carry different pint style vessels appropriate for distinct varieties, such as pilsners, lagers, stouts or wits. Mirchandani sees glassware as “the most boring thing in the industry over the last 20-odd years.” A decade ago, manufacturers were getting into different colours, but he says that trend never really saturated the Canadian market, who still seem to prefer a traditional-looking wine glass with a “nice bowl and a beautiful stem.” Horosko says when it comes to glassware, an operator needs both everyday and go-to pieces. “In most cases, even the most casual of restaurants are looking to promote the wines and specialty drinks,” he says, and most eateries have one or two signature drink items. If the focus is on wine, a high quality wine glass is in order, whereas a brew pub might be inclined to offer a beer f light board. Glassware can also make a good final impression. The deciding factor between a guest choosing one restaurant over the one across the street for a repeat visit, he suggests, could be as simple as ending the meal with a cappuccino served in an interesting glass.

“The weight is one of the biggest components somebody should be looking at,” says Mirchandani, who notes many restaurateurs still love the traditional look of baroque design. A lot of people are misled by the weight of the product, however, Locke says. Most importantly, flatware should have the right balance and fit the contour of the hand. He recommends investing more when it comes to cutlery, since it is what the customer physically handles. “The old saying is: every cup goes into a customer’s hand and every fork goes into a customer’s mouth,” says Locke. Horosko suggests Europeansized cutlery is properly balanced and comfortable to hold and use. He encourages proprietors to eat with the cutlery before making a decision.

Designing ways

Anacleto makes tabletop concept recommendations, but the extent of

her input depends on her relationship with the client. “I think [the tabletop’s] an integral part of the design,” says Anacleto. “It’s all about presentation; that’s really what it comes down to (and wowing the customer),” she says. Anacleto points to candles—which she thinks add ambiance to the dinning experience—and the design of the bread bowls as items that should be considered. Decorative items, such as flowers, shouldn’t interfere with the conversation, and Anacleto suggests that fresh flowers can be as

simple as wildflowers in a vase. While Mirchandani thinks tea lights, flowers and lamps on a table give a European touch, he says the use of decorative items in general is fading. “I think the trend is to be more modern,” he says, and use food-centred items, such as “funky salt and pepper shakers, oil and vinegar displays” and bread baskets to add character. While focus has shifted to food presentation in tabletop wares, “Ambiance can’t be forgotten; it’s what makes or breaks a restaurant,” says Mirchandani.

Main photo, page 14, courtesy of Russell Food Equipment. 1. Courtesy of G.E.T. Enterprises. 2. Jacqueline Poirier at TOCA. 3. Plate photos courtesy of Jacqueline Poirier. 4 and 6: Courtesy of Russell Food Equipment. 5. Cutlery at Momofuku Daisho, Toronto. 7. Courtesy of G.E.T. Enterprises.

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O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

BeverageNews A MONTHLY REPORT ON THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

Wolf Blass takes top prize at Intervin

Top: Derek Kranenborg. Bottom left: Peter Liem. Bottom right: Lorenzo GarciaIglesias, director of Bodegas Tradicion.

Fortifying interest in sherry TORONTO—Sherryfest, created by Peter Liem and Rosemary Gray for the New York market, made its way north this year for an event in mid-October at the Gardiner Museum. “Sherry is experiencing a renaissance, taking place in the export rather than Spanish market,” said Liem. “Here in North America, compared to three or five years ago, sherry is so much more approachable by sommeliers and restaurateurs willing to share it with their guests.” Derek Kranenborg, who brought Sherryfest to Canada, told ORN that although the fortified wine is making inroads into the Canadian market, there’s still a lot of hand-selling required by operators to shine a spotlight on the sherries on their beverage lists. “A lot of people still have the perception of sherry

as grandma’s drink,” he said. “With chefs and sommeliers, there’s an interest in sherry due to its ability to stand up to food that other wines can’t, like vinaigrettes and asparagus.” Kranenborg recommends that sommeliers consider a lower priced by-the-glass sherry program (“try $5 instead of $10 to get people interested”, he said) and to promote it through hand-selling and staff tastings. “Don’t wait for the customer to pick it off the list, because they won’t,” he said. “Train your staff to have the confidence to offer it as a pairing with food.” Ten sherry bodegas were represented, including Barbadillo, El Maestro Sierra, Fernando de Castilla, González Byass, Hidalgo-La Gitana, Jose Estevez, Osborne, Sanchez Romate, Tradicion and Williams & Humbert.

TORONTO—Australia’s Wolf Blass and Canada’s Tawse Winery, Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate and Painted Rock Estate Winery were the top-performing producers at this summer’s InterVin International Wine Awards. The Australia winery earned InterVin’s Winery of the Year title with four gold medals for its 2010 Gold Label Adelaide Hills Shiraz Viognier, 2010 Gold Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Grey Label Cabernet Shiraz and 2008 Platinum Label Shiraz. Tawse’s second place finish ranks it as InterVin’s Canadian Winery of the Year. With its fourth place standing, Painted Rock Estate Winery is positioned as the competition’s British Columbia Winery of the Year. The competition was held in Niagara-onthe-Lake, ON in August at White Oaks Spa and Resort. Of the nearly 1,300 wines submitted, 57 received gold medals and 210 received Silver Medal scores. InterVin head judge Christopher Waters said Wolf Blass’s success in the competition was especially impressive since it came across the whole range of its portfolio. “Wolf Blass earned judges’ praise for wines from the affordable Red Label range right through to the

ultra-premium Black and Platinum labels,” Waters said in an Oct. 9 release. The tasting process for the InterVin awards pairs a winemaker, sommelier and wine educator to taste and evaluate brackets of wine. “The way InterVin is structured, the judges first reflect individually then discuss and review the wines to reach consensus,” explained wine educator Linda Bramble, who has served as a panel chair for the past five years. Winery of the Year finalists included: • Cavas la Capilla, Argentina; • Church & State Wines, Central Saanich, BC; • Gray Monk Estate Winery, Lake Country, BC; • Inniskillin Niagara Estate, Niagaraon-the-Lake, ON; • Mission Hill Family Estate, West Kelowna, BC; • Nk’Mip Cellars, Osoyoos, BC; • Ravine Vineyard, Saint Davids, ON; • Red Rooster Winery, Penticton, BC; • Rosewood Estates Winery, Beamsville, ON; and • Wild Goose Vineyards, Okanagan Falls, BC.

Taste Ontario TORONTO—400 members of the media and trade tasted Ontario this year at the annual event held Oct. 10 at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Throughout the day, 43 wineries from across the province poured more than 150 wines to attendees. Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery vigneron/proprietor Harald Thiel (shown right) showed off his licensee-only wine Bistro Red 2011, designed at a lower price point for restaurateurs. Other wineries included some from emerging regions such as Dover Vineyards Limited, virtual wineries such as Generations Wine Company, and Ontario stalwarts such as Reif Estate Winery, Stratus Vineyards, Chateau des Charmes, Flat Rock, Le Clos Jordanne, Tawse Winery and Henry of Pelham.

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BeverageNews A MONTHLY REPORT ON THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

Wines of Looking at Laphroaig Chile 2013 TORONTO—At the annual Wines of Chile tasting in early October, 250 members of the trade explored 120 wines from 20 producers. In 2012, Ontario accounted for 43 per cent of Chilean wine sales in volume and 38 per cent in value, an increase of six per cent since 2009, according to Wines of Chile. The Top Wines for Licensees section returned with 13 options for restaurateurs including a Volcanes de Chile 2010 Parinacota Limited Edition Carignan-Syrah from Maule Valley being poured by winemaker Pilar Diaz on her first trip to Canada. Top: James Cocks from Phillipe Dandurand Wines. Bottom left: Seminar panellists Juan Ignacio Zuñiga Guzman, North and South America sales director, Vinas Ventisquero; Marcela Molina, commercial manager, Vina Maquis and Marcela Burgos, Wines of Chile seminar co-host. Bottom right: Winemaker Pilar Diaz from Volcanes de Chile.

TORONTO—John Campbell, distillery manager at Laphroaig Distillery, was at The Caledonian Pub in early October to talk about the distillery’s initiatives and identity. Campbell spoke of the importance of the tight-knit nature of the Islay community to the distillery (“We’ve got 10 times the amount of sheep and cows than people,” he joked), and how the small, 31-person site interacts with its surroundings. “As much as business is business, we know that at the end of the day, the island is more important than we’ll ever be,” he said. “You can’t be an individual on an island.” Campbell, who was last in Canada in 2011, sees the North American market for scotch evolving. “I definitely think that we’re more of a taste culture,” he said. “People are more confident about experimenting.” The biggest market growth that he has seen

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in the last five to 10 years is women drinking Laphroaig, said Campbell, and 70 per cent of the brand’s case sales come from the 10 year old product. Shown above: Laphroaig distillery manager John Campbell with Beam brand manager Danielle Millette.

PE OPLE

1. From left: Peter Lachmaier, Esther and Franz Hochholdinger. 2. Bruce Wallner. 3. A pre- and post-disguise Tina Chiu. 4. Joseph Nusca. 5. Atif Rafiq. 6. Chris Koehler and Miles Chesher.

Restaurateurs Franz and Esther Hochholdinger celebrated 20 years at Mississauga’s Apricot Tree late September with a week-long special menu prepared by certified Swiss master chef Peter Lachmaier of GastroLuzern. Festivities began in advance of the actual anniversary date on Dec. 4, two decades after the Apricot Tree— which grew from a small dessert café to a full service restaurant—first opened in Sherwood Village plaza in Mississauga. The Hochholdingers opened a second restaurant, Bistro Narra, in December 2010. Master sommelier Bruce Wallner joined the Trump International Hotel & Toronto food and beverage team on Oct. 1. Wallner is one of three Canadian master sommeliers; he was certified in November 2009 and earned the title of Ontario’s Best Sommelier in April 2012. According to a release, Wallner will focus on guests at Stock Restaurant Bar & Lounge and Suits Lobby Lounge. “Helping wine enthusiasts to uncover the endless delights available from wine has always been my top priority and I look forward to assisting guests of Trump Toronto in reaching their wine goals,” said Wallner. “It is my adamant belief that the sommelier’s role is to act as the direct connection between

the consumer and the wine producer and Stock and Suits offer some of the best options available in Canada,” he said. Wallner’s experience includes a position as the first chef sommelier to serve the Palazzo Versace Australia, where he designed and executed a beverage training program that highlighted the sommelier profession in the Australian hospitality industry. He was the first sommelier from outside of France to serve at the UK’s Hotel du Vin, where he worked for five years. ORN editorial advisory board member Tina Chiu, chief operating officer of Mandarin Restaurant, had a stint on reality show Undercover Boss Canada in an episode that aired in late October. “Our founders are much too recognizable within the company so I assumed the undercover role,” said Chiu to ORN. “It was a great opportunity to learn about what’s going on in the company from a different perspective: that of the front line employees.” Joseph Nusca, founder of Arctic Refrigeration & Equipment, has turned 90. The company, which will celebrate 69 years of business in January 2014, was started by Nusca, who is still licensed as a refrigeration technician. He was one

of the early members of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association and a writer of the refrigeration technicians’ curriculum for Ontario schools in the early 1960s. McDonald’s Corporation announced Oct. 3 that Atif Rafiq joined the company in the newly-created global role of chief digital officer, effective Oct. 21. Rafiq has nearly 20 years of financial and tech industry experience, including senior-level positions at Amazon.com and Yahoo. He was most recently general manager of Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon.com, overseeing global product management, marketing, design and development. According to a release, Rafiq will lead McDonald’s global digital strategy, focusing on future growth in e-commerce, modernizing the restaurant experience and engaging with consumers digitally. “Consumers visit and interact with our brand in multiple ways—and digital continues to grow increasingly important to them,” said chief brand officer Steve Easterbrook, to whom Rafiq reports. “Atif will lead a more co-ordinated and comprehensive digital strategy for our global organization as we deepen our connection with our customers.”

In September, Chris Koehler became a partner in Chesher Equipment Ltd., joining owner Miles Chesher at the helm of the Mississaugabased Canadian wholesale foodservice equipment business. Koehler’s experience includes president of Rational Canada Inc., president at Rational Cooking Systems Inc., general manager at Garland Commercial Ranges, and channel manager at Libbey Inc. Most recently, he was president and CEO of ABM Canada Inc. “After spending the last six years developing an upstart plastics injection moulding business, I am excited to be back in an industry that I truly love,” Koehler said in a release. Jonathan Gushue, executive chef at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, ON, has left the hotel for Queen Margherita Pizza in Toronto. Jason Bangerter, executive chef of Luma at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, assumed Gushue’s former role in mid-October. During Gushue’s eight years at the Langdon Hall restaurant, he received his Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef designation. In 2010, Langdon Hall took the 77th spot on S. Pellegrino’s 100 World’s Best Restaurant List.

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