about

I started a food site because not only am I reviewing restaurants and writing about food for a living, but I’m spending much of my “free” time cooking, shopping for ingredients and basically thinking about what I’m going to make next.

So I hope you’ll follow me and my little adventure here.  I will not be posting pictures of everything I make step-by-step, or what I eat at every meal or anything like that.  There are thousands of blogs cluttered with photo after photo if that’s what you’re looking for.  I want to stand out from the crowd.  And I will be sharing TMI – what I bought, what I made, what I read – so you’ll get your fill that way at least.

I figure if I’m thinking about this stuff, someone out there must be too.  I can’t be the only one questioning whether next time I make lime chicken I should finish it with grains of paradise or pepitas.

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Whether it is writing a restaurant review, chef profile, or a column about everything from asparagus to zinfandel, I am up for the challenge. After running my own catering business and creating original recipes and menus, and spending as much time in restaurants and cooking classes, I am ready to tackle any topic – how to make perfect eggs Benedict every time, the gadget that will change your life, and raw food – will it ever catch on?

I am passionate about fresh food, local and international cuisines and anything that James Beard said, wrote and made. I promise to bring that same passion to my food writing.

I cover everything to do with food (just try me) and am reviewing restaurants and writing about various food topics for a number of publications and sites.

A good portion of my book is dedicated to my experiences in restaurants and with chefs.  I am constantly asked about this area of my work in particular, so my goal was to answer those questions that you might have—Read all about what I’ve got to say about today’s menus – Will mini sliders continue to wow the crowd?  Is shrimp still the top-selling appetizer choice?  Should you offer 3 or 10 desserts?

Due to the immense success of my weekly column of restaurant reviews, complete with photo, that appeared in Metro Newspaper, Canada’s most read National Weekly with 1.3 Million daily readers, I’m now doing them weekly here.  My restaurant reviews and news are frequently featured on AM 640′s food show, Cravings with Christine Cardoso.

I feature chefs, restaurant news and everything from cooking at home to dining out.

Experience

I was the restaurant critic and columnist for Metro Newspaper , where I sought out the city’s newest restaurants—and sometimes those long forgotten— undercover and give the readers the real scoop on the food and service.

I was the restaurant critic and food writer for Dine.TO, a top restaurant and hospitality website, for many years.  I reviewed restaurants, wrote columns on the industry and trends and conducted many interviews with the city’s top chefs.

You can read my columns on my Writing Samples page on my website.

Watch me in my role as Restaurant Critic on Slice TV’s “The List! (Click here and go to THE LIST – S2 Full Episodes.  Click on Episode 24 – Part 4  (6:47 minutes)

I specialize in Chef Interviews.  You can see the roster of chefs I’ve interviewed on my website.

I was also co-editor, columnist and feature writer for the online food magazine pan, that explores the people, places and stories behind the food that Canadians love. This is where I get to dish about everything there is to do with food.  I post food, cookbook and product reviews as well as contribute columns and articles regularly.

I was the food columnist for eatdrink magazine, where I’ll wrote about food trends, how to eat healthy when dining out and a number of exciting other topics.

I ran a bunch of Food Book Clubs (6 and counting!) that are part of a ongoing series. The latest one, Appetite for Reading: A Book Club for Serious Food Lovers is for people who not only love to eat or cook, but want to read about it as well.  I also do the food portion of the evening  with our book club  Taste of the China Seas – all 4 seatings of them.

I am a food judge—On Saturday, February 14, I was one of the featured judges for The National Post’s Shelf Life Taste Test.  We rated gourmet hot chocolates – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

I also host many food talks and workshops.  You can check these out on my website.

Currently, I am writing a cookbook, as well as a restaurant guide.