June, 2005 - Nr. 6
Festival of Chefs
at the Cheese Boutique
Hosting
this type of event was the idea of Fatos Pristine, the owner of the Cheese
Boutique. When he relocated from the rather crowded premises in the Bloor
West Village, in June 2000, he made it a point to create a unique shopping
experience at the new location at 45 Ripley Avenue, and a culinary jewel
just off the foot of the South Kingsway, in Toronto.
Needless
to say he has succeeded admirably. The selections in his establishment leave
little to be desired. Cheeses, meats, wines, baked goods, condiments etc. –
if you can think of it, Fatos most likely has it in his extraordinary store,
plus a lot more!
Extraordinary was also the selection of ‘Guest Chefs’ picked for this year’s nine outstanding events: David Lee - SPLENDIDO; Christine Cushing – TV FOOD NETWORK; Mathew Sutherland – FAT CAT BISTRO; Marc Thuet – THUET CUISINE; Jamie Kennedy – JK WINEBAR (more about him further along); Donna Dooher – THE COOKWORKS / MILDRED PIERCE; Jonathan Gushue – TRUFFLES; Massimo Capra – MISTURA (I introduced him last year already) and Lino Collevechio – VIA ALLEGRO, a really great line-up!
On Sunday, the 15th of May, I attended the festival and watched Jamie Kennedy’s team – Brian Burke and Michael Dixon – prepare the day’s special feast. It was a celebration of mushrooms and herbs on a bed of crisp French fries with spices and Parmesan cheese, an enchanting combination and a delight to sample.
A
number of special guests are also invited on each of these occasions and are
served wonderful and select tasty Italian cuisine by Modesta Pristine, Fatos’
wife and the spirit behind the throne (or oven) – so to say!
On this second "Festival of Chefs" some of the invited celebrity guests were: Tyler Steward (Barenaked Ladies rock group); Ben Chin (Toronto One TV); Christine Cushing (Christine Cushing Live); James Chatto (Toronto Life Magazine); Jacob Richler (National Post Newspaper); Mr. & Mrs. Simmons (Vineyard Estate Wines) and Dr. Infusino from the Italian Trade Commission.
The
wine chosen to accompany this feast and freely sampled by the many visitors
was a delicious Rosé from the Malevoir Estate Winery and it was of course
served in Riedel crystal stemware supplied by "The Wine Establishment Ltd.",
Canada’s oldest and most trusted wine
accessory
and wine storage provider. A commemorative platter was proudly displayed in
the cooking area to celebrate the "Second Coming" of this festive event. A
great anniversary celebration in the fall is also on the horizon – so watch
this space and be prepared to celebrate with the Pristine family and the
Cheese Boutique.
r.k.a.
