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What comes to your mind when you hear about Saint Lucia? Of course the obvious would be the sunny climate, rainforest, their famous cocoa and beaches and ocean... but what about their diverse culinary profile, street food, and Top Chef finalist & fan favourite, Chef Nina Compton? We had the pleasure of getting a taste of Saint Lucia with a menu inspired by Nina's native, Saint Lucia and cocoa. Having been a Top Chef fan, I've been watching chef Nina Compton cook her way to the finals on season 11 and quickly became a fan. She's also the current Culinary Ambassador of Saint Lucia! Her recipes are inspired by her native Saint Lucia and this night was no different. Each dish, beginning from the appetizer, entree to dessert, plus the cocktails were created  highlighting cocoa, as the Island grows some of the finest grade of cocoa in the world. Cocoa isn't the only thing Saint Lucia is proud to offer its guests. The vibrant island is much more than a sun vacation or a , ...

If you haven't downloaded and started using the coolest new app for foodies called  Zomato , you're missing out! I mean, even though we've been to many eateries in Toronto, there are times when we just can't decide! That's when we open our Zomato mobile app and choose options near my location that "speak" to us, whether it's part of the 'Trending This Week' or simply the closest spot to me at that point for convenience. To celebrate the launch, we're partnering with our friends at Zomato to give away a $50 gift card to your restaurant of choice on Fridays for the next 3 weeks! What do you have to do to win one of three $50 gift cards? Easy!     All you have to do is:  Take a photo of your food or drink & tag @foodsisterhood using Zomato! Winners with the best photo will randomly be chosen and announced on Fridays of each week until December 5th.

With just over a month until Christmas, I'm sure everyone's planning their holiday gift lists and get togethers with friends and family - we're no exception!  After visiting David's Tea's new & improved location on Queen West (they've moved a block East), I'm super inspired to recreate their tea cocktails and tea lattes using some of their festive Winter Collection teas! How inviting do the above sugar plum sparklers look? Easily made by combining David Tea's sugar plum forest (rooibos) tea syrup with sparkling wine, almond liqueur and cinnamon, these tea cocktails are sure to be your best welcoming cocktails to your holiday party. Easy Recipe for Sugar plum Sparkler using the sugar plum forest tea Ingredients: - 4oz sparkling wine - 1/4oz bitter almond liqueur (Amaretto) - 1oz "Sugar Plum Forest" syrup - rasp'd cinnamon Directions for "Sugar Plum Forest" syrup: 1. In a small saucepan, place 2 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar ...

Iceland has been one of the places I want to visit for a long time! Since Icelandair upgraded its service Toronto to be available year-round just last year as well as the recently launch of year-round flights from Edmonton in March, it's all I've been seeing on advertisements in the city!  Even though I don't have any upcoming trips planed to go to Iceland, I'm happy to have participated in Toronto's 4-day festival, Taste of Iceland happening through November 16. Taste of Iceland celebrates the food, music and the culture of the nordic country and this year, the Icelandic culinary creations are hosted at Luma by Oliver & Bonacini.   The Iceland Cuisine is available from November 13 - 15th and guests can indulge in a special Icelandic prix-fixe menu for $55 per person, prepared by acclaimed Icelandic chef Viktor Örn Andrésson (Lava Restaurant at the Blue Lagoon) in collaboration with Anthony Walsh (O&B) and Michael Wilson (Luma). On November 16th , Luma an...

Recently named 'Best Butcher in Toronto' by Now Magazine, the Healthy Butcher   just may become your go-to butcher shop for organically & locally-sourced meats as well as sustainable seafood!  It's no surprise that The Healthy Butcher caters to those that 'live to eat' as they're passionate about food themselves. In fact, they're so serious, that they offer educational and fun workshops on roasting, knife skills, butchering and lots more... The hands-on workshops and classes are held on weekday evenings and range from $40 to $125 per person depending on the class.  With an intimate group, you'll be sure to learn a new set of skills at these 2.5 hr classes at The Healthy Butcher in the company of other food lovers.  When I first heard about their workshops, I thought it would be a perfect team-building exercise for co-workers but it would be great to take friends or family as it's a great time overall. The Healthy Butcher Sausage War Media Class w...

The biggest food and drink event of the year is back, marking it's 20th year! We had a blast at last year's Gourmet Food & Wine Expo ( read our recap here ) and we're happy to giveaway 2 pairs of tickets to our amazing readers to attend this year. With hundreds of food and wine vendors, you definitely will need to wear comfortable clothing to get a taste of everything you want! Enter to win a pair of tickets to the November 20th VIP Preview Night, valued at $90! The VIP Preview runs from 6PM - 10PM and you'll have access to the VIP area.   Yes, the food is important but that's not all. What sets apart the GFWE from other shows is the number of celebrity chefs and all the wine tastings one can indulge in ;) Here's a list of chefs that you can expect to see at the Food Network Stage: Lynn Crawford (Ruby Watchco) David Rocco (Dolce Vita) Matt Dean Pettit (Rock Lobster Food Co.) Rich Francis (District Red, Top Chef Canada finalist) Brett Turnball (Modus Ristor...

Last week, we were on a very interesting food tour hosted by Ontario Pork and organized flawlessly by Foodies on Foot . This #Porkalicious event took us foodies for a wild ride (on a pork party bus) around the city to 4 restaurants using Ontario Pork for some of their delicious menu items. It's an understatement to say that by the end of the tour, we were "porked-out" but it's one food tour we'll never forget! Check out the sweet ride that took us from restaurants to more restaurants throughout the night! With music, drinks and yummy treats on this "Pork Party Bus," going from A to B was just as much fun as trying the dishes at the stops. Custom Pork Rinds Doughnuts by Glory Hole Doughnuts  Stop #1 Branca Restaurant (Bloordale/Brockton/Wallace-Emerson) This new Argentinian inspired restaurant prides itself on using traditional fire roasting methods with locally produced and naturally raised, hormone free livestock. Their meats are prepared using only f...