The Good

Founding member, Anita Stewart, has been awarded the Order of Canada “for her contributions as a journalist, author and culinary activist and for her promotion of the food industry in Canada.” Over the years, two of Stewart’s cookbooks — The Flavours of Canada and Anita Stewart’s Canada — won Gold at the Canadian Culinary Book Awards.

Rose Murray’s A Taste of Canada has been chosen as Brant County’s “One Book One Brant” title. Every year the County of Brant Public Library selects one book to help promote a love of reading in adults, share local stories and culture, and create a community-wide reading experience. A Taste of Canada received an honourable mention at the 2009 Canadian Culinary Book Awards.

The Badly Needed

After three years, Cuisine Canada Scene is going offline. But don’t despair, this makes room for …

The Tasty

Taste Canada—The Food Writing Awards now has its own website. All news about the 2012 awards will be posted there. Drop by and subscribe via RSS or email. Be the first to hear about calls for entry, shortlisted nominations, and who wins Gold.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the members who contributed to Cuisine Canada Scene, all the readers who followed us, and to Cuisine Canada for bringing together such a diverse and dedicated group of people.

This isn’t good-bye. It’s just a new beginning…

2012 marks the fifteenth year for the Canadian Culinary Book Awards. In keeping with the shifting culinary landscape, the Awards Committee and the University of Guelph are proud to introduce a new name, a new logo, and revised award categories.

Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards is an evolution of the former Canadian Culinary Book Awards.

The awards will continue to annually recognize excellence and creativity in food and beverage writing and publishing. The new branding will further celebrate Canadian culinary food culture, Canadian authors and publishers, while acknowledging and respecting the authority and history of the original Awards.

Taste Canada ― The Food Writing Awards is still managed by the same core staff, under the leadership of the new National Chair, Karen Gelbart, a Toronto media consultant with a long and distinguished career in broadcasting and journalism. Before taking on the role of Chair of Taste Canada, Karen held a senior executive position with Shaw Media, formerly Canwest Broadcasting, overseeing content for the company’s lifestyle specialty channels. In this role, Karen helped bring the Food Network to Canada in 2000 and then administered its explosive growth until 2010.

She says, “I was delighted to join the Awards Committee in re-imagining the awards for 2012.  We all share a common desire to encourage the development, use, and recognition of fine Canadian food and beverage books by instituting these timely changes. I look forward to a year of increased profile for food writing in Canada, and to further exciting developments.”

Remaining as a partner, the University of Guelph has for more than 140 years contributed to Canadian cuisine with programs in agriculture, food science, hospitality and tourism management, and other related fields. One copy of all nominated books will be donated to the University’s Canadian Culinary Book Collection.

Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards invites all Canadian publishers to submit nominations to the 2012 Awards, formerly known as the Canadian Culinary Book Awards.  Deadline for submissions is February 1, 2012.

Designed to recognize excellence and creativity in food and beverage-writing and publishing, the awards also promote our Canadian culinary food culture while celebrating Canadian authors and publishers. The awards are presented annually to honour books published during the previous calendar year.  Revised awards categories, criteria, submission procedures, and entry forms are available online.

Karen Gelbart is available for comment and interview. To arrange an interview contact Debby de Groot, MDG & Associates | 416.363.1448 | debby@mdgassociates.com

English Special Interest

GOLD
Sarah Elton
Locavore: From Farmers’ Fields to Rooftop Gardens – How Canadians Are Changing the Way We Eat
HarperCollins Canada

Strawberries in January, fresh tomatoes year-round and New Zealand lamb at all times — these well-travelled foods have a carbon footprint the size of an SUV. But there is a burgeoning local food movement taking place in Canadian cities, farms and shops that is changing both the way we eat and the way we think about food. We learn how a group of New Brunswick farmers saved the family farm, why artisanal cheese in Quebec is so popular and how a century-old farm survives in urban British Columbia, bordered by the ocean on one side and by a new housing development on the other. We follow food culture activists as they work to preserve the genetic material of heritage plants to return once-endangered flavours to our tables.

SILVER
Sonia Day
Incredible Edibles: 43 Fun Things to Grow in the City
Firefly Books Ltd

Vegetable gardening is back! Concern about the environment and the desire to eat food unpolluted by chemicals, to buy local and to be thrifty are some of the reasons. Urbanites who have never grown a thing are now eager to try to cultivate vegetables, herbs and fruit in back and front yards, on rooftops and on balconies — in any suitable space they can find. Incredible Edibles is for anyone who’s thinking: “I’d love to try growing some herbs and vegetables. But is it too difficult? Do I have the space? Or the time?” Sonia Day focuses on edible plants that can be easily grown in a city setting, many of which are seldom featured in gardening books.

English Canadian Culinary Culture

GOLD
Jeff McCourt, Allan Williams & Austin Clement
Flavours of Prince Edward Island: A Culinary Journey 
Whitecap Books

Bring the taste of PEI home with you, with a stunning collection of recipes from PEI’s top chefs, enriched by photographs and stories from the island’s cooks, farmers and fishers and a foreword by Food Network star Michael Smith. From heading down to the wharf early to get your pick of the best lobsters, to taking an afternoon to forage for the elusive chanterelle, tasting the mouthwatering dish that’s the end result is the last in a long line of adventures the island has to offer.  Each chapter focuses on one of the Island’s delicacies, and tells the story of how signature ingredients make their way from the farm, field, or ocean to your plate. It includes profiles of chefs, fishers’ tips, and an incredible array of recipes from the island’s best-known chefs.

SILVER 
Michele Genest
The Boreal Gourmet: Adventures in Northern Cooking
Harbour Publishing

As much culinary adventure story as cookbook, The Boreal Gourmet combines a portrait of northern life with an exploration of wild or “country” foods in gourmet recipes for the home cook. These recipes are inspired by a diversity of countries, traditions and kitchens, and spring from a love affair with the indigenous foods that flourish in the boreal forests and river valleys of the Yukon. Whitehorse author and chef Michele Genest has recipes for every season supported with information on such northern plants asArtemisia frigida, or pasture sage, and its effect on the flavour of the wild Dall sheep that graze on it, the mysteries of morel mushrooms and tips on where to find them, and advice from Dawson City’s Uncle Berwyn on the proper use of birch syrup.

English Language Cookbooks Award

 GOLD
Michael Bonacini, Massimo Capra, & Jason Parsons
3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men
Whitecap Books & Madison Press Books

Whether they’re in the kitchen, at the table, or on TV Michael Bonacini, Massimo Capra, and Jason Parsons are known for the excitement they bring to the art of cooking. Now, these three top chefs have come together to produce a cookbook that accurately reflects the sense of fun and adventure that makes them such a great team. In Three Chefs: The Kitchen Men Michael, Massimo and Jason have combined their best recipes to create a cornucopia of tasty meals. Complimented with anecdotes and stories of growing up and learning to cook, this personal collection of recipes will delight and entertain.

 SILVER
Meeru Dhalwala & Vikram Vij
Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey
Douglas & McIntyre

Delicious everyday Indian recipes from the authors of the multi-award-winning bestseller, Vij’s. Pull up a chair—Meeru and Vikram invite you to dinner. The owners of Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants in Vancouver have an all-new follow-up to Vij’s, the bestselling cookbook that has won numerous awards, including the Cordon d’Or Gold Ribbon International Cookbook Award. In Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey,Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij show you how to prepare the recipes they eat at home, from vegetarian dishes that go from stove to plate in less than 45 minutes to seafood, poultry and meat dishes that come together in 20 minutes then cook while you help the kids with their homework or sit down with a glass of wine.

SILVER
Moira Sanders, Lori Elstone, & Beth Goslin Maloney
Harrow Fair Cookbook: Prize-Winning Recipes Inspired by Canada’s Favourite Country Fair
Whitecap Books

Since 1854, the Harrow Fair has been attracting visitors from near and far to one of the most southern towns in all of Canada. Now, with The Harrow Fair Cookbook, everyone can enjoy the delicious traditions that make it one of the most authentic agricultural fairs in Canada. The recipes in this book reflect the author’s belief that when food is made from scratch, with wholesome, natural ingredients, it can’t help but be delicious. The Harrow Fair Cookbook will inspire you to cook with what’s local and seasonally available, as well as getting a personal tour of what is arguably the richest agricultural area in Canada. The book is filled with the best recipes from prize-winners, as well as the author’s takes on many of the classics.

French Special Interest Award

GOLD
Martin Thibault & David Lévesque Gendron: La route des grands crus de la bière
Québec Amérique.

La route des grands crus brassicoles du Québec et de la Nouvelle-Angleterre arpente le nord-est de l’Amérique à la découverte des meilleures bières offertes par les artisans-brasseurs. Véritable compagnon tant pour le néophyte que pour l’amateur chevronné, ce livre propose de nombreux itinéraires pour apprécier la bière tout en voyageant, après avoir muni le lecteur des connaissances nécessaires pour profiter pleinement de ses dégustations. Toutes les brasseries du territoire sont présentées, et leurs meilleures offrandes sont décrites par le détail. Des accords mets et bières ajoutent au plaisir de la découverte, et les auteurs ont pris soin de recenser les lieux de vente de ces produits rares. Enfin, les photos d’Olivier Germain donnent envie de se lancer à la quête de ces grands crus et de leurs créateurs.

SILVER
François Chartier
La Sélection Chartier 2011: Guide des vins et d’harmonisation avec les mets
Les Éditions La Presse.

French Canadian Culinary Culture Award

GOLD
Marie-Christine Rhéaume, Olivier Clément & Dominique Rhéaume
Le livre gourmand des Iles de la Madeleine: Découvertes du terroir et recettes originales
Les Éditions La Morue Verte.

Livre de recettes et photoreportage qui donne accès aux secrets du terroir madelinot, renommé pour ses produits d’exception et ses producteurs passionnés.Véritable pèlerinage gourmand, cet ouvrage rend  hommage au savoir-faire de ces artisans et à la qualité de leurs produits. Dans les cuisines des chefs Olivier Clément et Marie-Christine Rhéaume on découvre un mariage unique et contemporain des saveurs de la mer et de la terre. Le livre gourmand des Îles vous emmène également chez 22 producteurs, chasseurs et cueilleurs, qui ont ouvert leurs portes aux deux chefs… et à la photographe Emmanuelle Roberge

SILVER
Marylène Leblanc-Langlois & Lynne Faubert
À la bonne franquette: 80 Chefs dévoilent leurs recettes simples de tous les jours
Les Éditions Transcontinental

Que cuisine un grand chef à la maison?  Délaissant la toque et les prouesses culinaires, nos 80 chefs-vedettes vous révèlent les recettes toutes simples qui font leur succès auprès de leurs proches: leurs spécialités familiales, les plats dont raffolent les tout petits, leurs coups de cœur pour la boîte à lunch, leurs plats dépanneurs pour la visite qui arrive à l’improviste, les soupers romantiques qu’ils concoctent pour leur douce moitié. L’ingrédient commun à tous ces petits bonheurs? La simplicité!

French Language Cookbooks Award

GOLD
Philippe Laloux
Le bonheur de cuire
Québec Amérique

Réunissant les 120 meilleures recettes de Philippe Laloux, ce livre magnifique met à la portée de tous une cuisine d’auteur simple et vraie. Pas de raccourcis, pas d’artifices. Un incontournable pour les cuisiniers amateurs et les gastronomes qui prennent le temps de penser à ce qu’ils mangent et veulent faire une fête de chaque bouchée de vie.

Au-delà du fourneau, Le bonheur de cuire aura une vie au salon et sur la table de chevet, car il est à lire et à regarder, puisqu’il raconte et montre plusieurs routes parcourues par ce véritable artiste, ce cuisinier rêveur qui a toujours en tête la beauté du monde et la joie de le nourrir.

SILVER
Chuck Hughes
Garde-Manger
Les Éditions La Presse

La cuisine, c’est le terrain de jeu de Chuck, il revisite les classiques et provoque des rencontres gastronomiques inusitées, au plus grand bonheur de ses clients. Homard du général Tao, Crabe à la jerk, Poisson rôti au jus de veau, Oursins et oeuf poché, les recettes du Garde-Manger sont parfois étonnantes, mais toujours inspirées. Dans les cuisines de Chuck Hughes, les grands classiques comme la bavette, le tartare de saumon et la salade verte ne sont jamais ennuyeux. Ils ont une petite touche de Chuck!

Canadian Culinary Landmarks Hall of Fame

Jehane Benoit (born, Jehane Patenaude, Mar. 21, 1904, died Nov. 24, 1987)
Jehane Benoit’s Encyclopédie de la cuisine Canadienne, a catalogue of French Canadian cooking, sold over 1.5 million copies and continues to be a sought after resource. A food writer of 30 cookbooks, Madame Benoit was a consummate culinary historian, a TV and radio star, and founded one of Quebec’s first French/English culinary schools, Fumet de la Vieille France.

Marie Nightingale
Marie Nightingale has dedicated her life to the culinary legacy of Atlantic Canada.  Still immensely popular, Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens, first published in 1970, sold more copies than any other cookbook published in Nova Scotia; the 40th anniversary edition is now in its second printing. Marie was food columnist for Halifax’s The Chronicle Herald and The Mail Star, wrote five other cookbooks relative to East Coast cooking, and was founding food editor for Saltscapes magazine.

Edna Staebler Award

Suzanne Bergeron joined her husband in the Press Commerce Group, purchased a magazine and book store in Montreal which she operated until 1997 before starting a wine sales agency representing Quebec producers only.  Since 1998 she has been president of Gestion Bergeron & Drouin.  Suzanne also started the Quebec Farmers Union (UPA) and managed le Marché de Chez Nous between 2003 and 2006.

Antoino Druin worked for over 25 years with McMurray publishing, Telemedia Publishing, Décormag, Hachette International and was co-founder of the Press Commerce group. After retiring in 1997, Antoino started a wine agency with Suzanne Bergeron. In 2000, Le Marché des saveurs du Québec was created.

Founders Award

In 1962 J. Charles Grieco joined his father, John Grieco at La Scala, one of the most influential restaurants in Toronto. For 35 years he was the owner/operator of this iconic dining establishment. As Chair and President of the Ontario Hostelry Institute (OHI), he has built that organization into a pillar of the restaurant industry. Charles also oversees the annual OHI Gala and has been instrumental in creating scholarships and honouring countless industry leaders.

August 2, 2011 (GUELPH, Ontario) – Can you judge a book by the cover? The expert panel for Cuisine Canada and the University of Guelph’s Canadian Culinary Book Awards wouldn’t dream of it. To select the best of 82 entries in six categories in two languages, 20 Canadian food professionals volunteered to read every word, test lots of recipes and decide who warrants recognition this year for the gold and silver awards.

The winners – along with the third award for the Canadian Culinary Landmarks Hall of Fame and the annual Edna Staebler Award – will be announced on Monday, November 7, 2011, at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, in Toronto.

Once again, this year’s short-listed authors and books illustrate the range and expertise of Canadian food writers and publishers.

English Special Interest Category Short List

1. Sonia Day, Incredible Edibles: 43 Fun Things to Grow in the City, Firefly Books Ltd., Richmond Hill, ON
2. Amy Jo Ehman, Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, Coteau Books, Regina
3. Sarah Elton, Locavore: From Farmers’ Fields to Rooftop Gardens – How Canadians Are Changing the Way We Eat, HarperCollins Canada, Toronto
4. Carolyn Herriot, The Zero-Mile Diet: A Year-Round Guide to Growing Organic Food, Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, BC
5. Ann Vanderhoof, The Spice Necklace: A Food-Lover’s Caribbean Adventure, Doubleday Canada, Toronto

English Canadian Culinary Culture Category Short List

1. Ian Coutts, Brew North: How Canadians Made Beer & Beer Made Canada, Greystone Books, Vancouver
2. Michele Genest, The Boreal Gourmet: Adventures in Northern Cooking, Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, BC
3. Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Heritage Committee, Just Add Shoyu: A Culinary Journey of Japanese Canadian Cooking, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Toronto
4. Kootenay Country Store Cooperative and the Nelson Municipal Library, Seasonings: A Year of Local Flavour in Words and Recipes, Kootenay Country Store Cooperative and the Nelson Municipal Library, Nelson, BC
5. Jeff McCourt, Allan Williams, and Austin Clement, Flavours of Prince Edward Island: A Culinary Journey, Whitecap Books, North Vancouver

English Cookbook Category Short List

1. Michael Bonacini, Massimo Capra, and Jason Parsons, 3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men, Whitecap Books, North Vancouver, and Madison Press Books, Toronto
2. Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij, Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey, Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver
3. Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming, Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood, Whitecap Books, North Vancouver
4. Jane Mundy, ed., The Ocean Wise Cookbook: Seafood Recipes that Are Good for the Planet, Whitecap Books, North Vancouver
5. Moira Sanders, Lori Elstone, and Beth Goslin Maloney, The Harrow Fair Cookbook: Prize-Winning Recipes Inspired by Canada’s Favourite Country Fair, Whitecap Books, North Vancouver

French Special Interest Category Short List

1. François Chartier, La Sélection Chartier 2011: Guide des vins et d’harmonisation avec les mets, Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal
2. Guénaël Revel, Guide des champagnes et des autres bulles, Les Publications Modus Vivendi, Montréal
3. Janine Saine, La route des vins parcourue par Janine Saine, Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal
4. Martin Thibault et David Lévesque Gendron, La route des grands crus de la bière, Éditions Québec Amérique, Montréal

French Canadian Culinary Culture Category Short List

1. Anne Fortin, Cuisiner avec le sirop d’érable du Québec, Les Éditions Cardinal, Montréal
2. Marylène Leblanc-Langlois et Lynne Faubert, À la bonne franquette: 80 Chefs Québécois dévoilent leurs recettes simples de tous les jours, Les Éditions Transcontinental, Montréal
3. Marie-Christine Rhéaume, Olivier Clément et Dominique Rhéaume, Le livre gourmand des Iles de la Madeleine: Découvertes du terroir et recettes originales, Les Éditions La Morue Verte, L’Étang-du-Nord, QC

French Cookbook Category Short List

1. François Chartier et Stéphane Modat, Les Recettes de Papilles et Molécules: Cuisine Aromatique et Créative du duo Mc2, Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal
2. Caroline Dumas, Soupesoup, 65 soupes, 40 salades, 40 sandwiches et des desserts, Flammarion Québec, Montréal
3. Chuck Hughes, Garde-Manger, Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal
4. Philippe Laloux, Le bonheur de cuire, Québec-Amérique, Montréal
5. Jean-François Plante, Plaisirs coupables: recettes cochonnes et gourmandes, Les Éditions de l’Homme, Montréal

Cuisine Canada is a national alliance of Canadian culinary professionals who share a common desire to encourage the development, use and recognition of fine Canadian food and beverages. For more than 140 years, the University of Guelph has contributed to Canadian cuisine in its programs in agriculture, food science, hospitality and tourism management and is the home of one of Canada’s best cookbook collections.

The 2011 Canadian Culinary Book awards are sponsored by: CanolaInfo, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Beef Information Centre, MDG & Associates, Niagara College Teaching Winery, The Fairmont Royal York, Niagara College, George Brown Chef School, Georgian College, Liaison College, Conestoga College, Rootham Gourmet Preserves, Harbinger Communications, and Stratford Chefs School.

For more information about the awards visit the Canadian Culinary Book Awards page on the University of Guelph website.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Debby de Groot
debby@mdgassociates.com
416-363-1448

With Canada Day fast approaching, we’re taking a break to enjoy some berries and the warm weather. We’ll be back in August when we announce the Canadian Culinary Book Awards short list, provide details of  the student cooking competition and share reviews of the short listed titles.

Have a safe and happy July.
The Cuisine Canada Scene Team

Photo © Manchester Monkey. Published under a Creative Commons License.

With the federal election, bin Laden’s death and the recent Royal Wedding hogging headlines, the little news gets lost. But not here. Got something to share? This is the place.

Drop by the comments section and tell us what you’re up to this month — or even what you did last month. We’re flexible. Product launches, media appearances, workshops, publications, book signings, website news… we’re open to anything food related that involves our members. Just post a comment and we’ll tweet it.

Photo © Hitchster. Published under a Creative Commons Licence.

For the past four years, the Ancaster Mill has helped feed hungry attendees at the Canadian Culinary Book Awards’ post-ceremony reception. Focused on Earth to Table cuisine, they source the local, seasonal ingredients from near-by farms and food artisans. To celebrate spring, the Ancaster Mill is featuring eco-friendly celebrity chef Michael Stadtlander.

Tuesday, April 19th
Cocktails 6:00pm
Dinner 6:30pm

Start your evening with hors d’oeuvres, followed by Chef Michael Stadtlander preparing a 7-course dinner with a specially selected wine pairing for each course.  Michael will be giving a narration of his food creations, each selected to feature the best of the season with the environment in mind.

The cost is $150 (plus tax & gratuity). The wine selections are included.

If interested, call 905-648-1828 to reserve a table.

The Ancaster Mill is located at:
548 Old Dundas Road
Ancaster, ON L9G 3J4