SIAL Toronto, 2017

SIAL Canada had their 14th edition earlier this month, on May 2-4. As a part of Canada’s 150th anniversary, the show will make a particular focus on Canadian innovation and multiculturalism. The largest trade show to learn and discover the latest finds across products, equipment and technology focused all around food innovation.

The European Union is amongst the many countries attending SIAL Canada, the EU is attending as the guest of honor as they bring 60 different vendors to the show. Throughout the three-day period within the EU pavilion, there was a variety of cooking shows with Canadian celebrity chefs and EU-Canadian product pairing classes with a focus on the high-quality European ingredients.

SIAL Toronto, 2017

On Day 1 in the EU pavilion, I was fortunate to see, learn and most importantly, taste a dish from local Chef Eric Chong. The first season winner of Master Chef currently has a restaurant in downtown Chinatown, R&D, and after learning a lot of lobster-knowhow from him, I think it’s time I visit! For the cooking demonstration, Chef Eric Chong prepared his favourite ingredient and showed the freshness of Canadian seafood, very appropriately, his social handles is @WOK_Lobster. by killing a lobster and teaching us how to prepare it:

Here are the steps by Chef Chong on how to kill a lobster and how to prepare it:

Take apart the claws from the tail, and drop each part of the lobster in a pot of hot water (pot off the heat), for the following minutes: Tail (4 minutes), large crusher claw (8 minutes), smaller claw (6 minutes).

The dish was very simple. Sweet peppers and leeks from Belgium, a Serrano ham from Spain to simply wrap the lobster, with the salts from the ham (Nico Jamones, cured for 15 months with sea salt) naturally infusing the lobster. To finish, a drizzle of fine extra virgin olive oil from a blend of four different olives. A fine combination of pairing European products with a Nova Scotia, Canadian lobsters.

SIAL Toronto, 2017SIAL Toronto, 2017

Chantelle Gambino, mixologist of Parts & Labour out on West Queen West created her “CETA Cocktail” for us, featuring some of the great products that the EU has to offer at SIAL Canada 2017. A specialty, specially created for the EU Pavillion and visiting EU Commissioner Phil Hogam as an ode to the Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. The cocktail is a play on a Wet Martini featuring two types of gin (the botanist and dillons rose), kiwi-infused dry vermouth, a pinch of Spanish sea salt and cascade celery bitters. Salty, yet sweet with aromas of kiwi.

SIAL Toronto 2017

For the rest of Day 1, it was a stroll throughout the space. We discovered a great variety of vendors and products, many that are exclusively not yet on Canadian shelves!

  • Canadian Roast Beef, served in a take-out container, Canadian Beef Inc.
  • Easily one of the best cheese I’ve ever had, Five Brothers by Gunn’s Hill
  • The most immaculate display of meats and an incredible assortment of all types of proteins in cans, including razor clams also by Serrano Imports
  • The squeakiest cheese from La Vaquita Cheese

Learn more about SIAL Canada, here.
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