Lunch with Tori Spelling

Normally I tend to steer clear of mainstream brands, but I was intrigued by McCain Foods choice of Tori Spelling as their spokesperson for their new Ultra Thin Crust Pizzas.

After all, Tori is a celebrity and mogul with numerous books, reality television shows with her Canadian-born husband Dean McDermott and children, and products on the market as well as InvenTORI, a store featuring home and beauty products. How does pizza fit into her life?

It turns out despite her fame, she is a warm, giggly ray of sunshine who has a Mom’s club and is like many women – trying to do it all and keep her kids and husband fed in the meantime. On Wednesday on the Rooftop Patio at the Thompson Hotel in Toronto, she seemed genuine and all of this, 7 months pregnant looking stunning in a gorgeous vintage Valentino yellow floral dress.

She remarked that her son Liam doesn’t like vegetables, but liked the pizza, which she saw as a great thing. And that’s when I realized that while Tori could be a hands-off mom if she wanted to be – she’s got the money for it – she chooses to have playdates and people over and eat frozen pizza. I really admire that. And her.

The pizzas themselves  – Roasted Mushroom & Garlic, Pollo and Spinach & Provolone -  were undoubtedly well-researched, as they have a cracker thin crust, making you feel like you aren’t having any carbs at all, and the ingredients are all things you’d pick up at the grocery store – breadcrumbs, butter, onions, etc.  They are also quite tasty and don’t feel have the usual frozen supermarket pizza acidic flavours that linger long after you’ve eaten.

A representative from McCain told me that the company had considered other folks to be the face of the campaign - Bethenny Frankel , amongst them – but having seen Tori Spelling in person this week, I think they made a very smart choice.