Ottawa Awesome: A weekend of tea and craft (Part I)

High Tea at The Tea Party features sandwiches, scones, squares and, of course, tea!

Jordan is co-author of the Project: Priceless blogs. Their first blog, The Free Wedding Experiment, was a year-long project to put together a cost-free wedding via social media. The new chapter, The NEST, is a tale of frugal, DIY’ing newlyweds nesting, loving, cooking, adventuring, reviewing, and regaling with tales. Check out both blogs at projectpriceless.com.

PART I: THE TEA PARTY ON YORK STREET

The Tea Party (119 York) is a busy spot around lunch

In preparation for my birthday month, I purchased a social coupon (you know, off a site that does group coupons, if you will), for The Tea Party on York Street in the Byward Market. Anything Alice in Wonderland-themed is guaranteed to catch my eye, so I bought the coupon — $20 for a High Tea for two — and invited my mom along.

The scones at The Tea Party are 'superb'

We headed down to the Market, parked, and walked down to the little house. As we stepped inside, the place was rockin’ busy. A dozen charmingly mismatched tables were crowded with cheerful diners enjoying all sorts of Indian lunch foods (oddly enough, given the Wonderland theme). I have made a note to come back and try the tandoori tofu because it looked delicious. We were led to our tiny reserved table in a corner by the front window and, while we waited for our server to come, we perused the shelves of tea cups, teapots, and china all available for sale. A two-tier Alice in Wonderland-themed tea tray caught my eye and I may have to go back for it.

The floor-to-ceiling shelves at The Tea Party are lined with teas and pots

The server brought us our teas in big pots, chosen by us from the wall of labelled glass jars. The tea was lovely, and I was pleased to see the wide array of non-caffeinated options they had. Settling on a concoction called Jamaican Chai, I was delighted with the spicy aroma mixed with tropical undertones. Mom chose an anise-based tea called Angel Wings, which she enjoyed very much, being a fan of strong flavours.

A few sips into our tea, our tray of squares, scones, and sandwiches arrived. We were surprised to find none of the ‘usual’ tea sandwiches — no tuna, egg salad or ham here — but a wide variety of unique flavours instead. My favourites included a roasted red pepper with hummus, and a tomato with some type of baba ghannouj. The scones were superb, served with a pot of jam, and the squares were all made on-site … no pre-packaged Nanaimo bars here.

Tea to go is also an option at The Tea Party

We munched away happily, lingering long after our sandwiches were done, pouring more tea from our big pots and gossiping. When it was finally time to go, we went to the cash to buy a tea cup for Mom, and received the last part of our social coupon deal: two little bags of tea to take home. I grabbed a bag called Yoga Spice, and Mom grabbed a green tea. We headed out, satiated and promising to return for a full lunch.

Thanks, Jordan! Sounds like a delightful day out! Catch Part II of our Ottawa Awesome weekend tomorrow.

Bettering the ByWard Market: Jessica shares her thoughts (and tells you how you can too!)

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The beautiful ByWard Market has a lot to offer -- and should be a first stop for both local and traditional tourists exploring Ottawa

Jessica aspires to be an event coordinator in Ottawa. She loves new and exciting activities happening in the city, and letting loose with a dance party or two. Plus, she’s a first-time blogger.

I’ve lived in Ottawa for my entire life and still find myself exploring new things to do and see in my very own hometown. It’s exciting when someone comments on this being the city “fun forgot” because I take so much pleasure in proving people wrong. Now, of course there are a variety of places in Ottawa I could spend my downtime wearing the “I love being right” smirk with these “non-believers,” but the place I love taking them most is the ByWard Market.

Now, let’s go back a few … ok, a lot of years to when I was just a little tot, being driven to my dance classes by my mother, where we would pass the University of Ottawa campus and I would say “Mom, one day, I’m going to go to school there and live in the Market with all my friends.” Little did we know that it actually would happen just like that.

I’ll be honest, my first choice was to leave the city and experience university out of town. However, when that didn’t pan out, I decided to make the most of my stay in Ottawa. I made a bunch of new friends that were from outside Ottawa, and decided to show them the great things downtown Ottawa had to offer. I was inspired by a trip to Europe with my two girlfriends where we vistited five countries in 32 days. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and made me think “Why don’t I treat Ottawa as an unknown destination and see all it has to offer, just like we did when we are travelling around the Euro?”

So, that’s just what I did. Starting with all the museums I could get to, revisiting Parliament Hill, and seeing all the ByWard Market has to offer. Living here, you forget that there’s so much to do and see in your very own city.

My reccommendation: Explore the ByWard Market — day or night — because there’s always something happening. The beauty of the ByWard Market’s historical Farmers’ Market, the mix of vintage and trendy boutiques on Dalhousie Street, the exclusive art galleries that emcompass the entire Market and the six quaint courtyards from George Street to St. Patrick, are only the beginning of the top things I love to bring the “non-believers” to prove Ottawa has fun times to offer all visitors and residents alike.

The top restaurants and nightlife in the ByWard Market have something for everyone whether it’s a dinner date for two, or a night on the town with your friends. The best part: if ever I want something new and exciting to try, I visit the ByWard Market website to research the next great thing to experience.

Just recently I was planning my next visit to the ByWard Market and came across a survey they were distributing on their website. As it turns out, I have a lot of opinions about Ottawa and the ByWard Market, so I took the survey. Be still, readers. You actually get to tell them your opinions and exactly what is important to you. I personally love shopping at local merchants and scouring the racks for Ottawa designers and artisans. To me, buying locally is like lending your neighbour a cup of sugar when they are mid-recipe. You never know, they may bring you a slice of cake as thanks for your help — as I know from experience.

Anyways, I know many people have thoughts and suggestions on how to make the Market an even better place to visit, but no change will happen if opinions are not shared with the right people … so here’s your chance:

• www.surveymonkey.com/s/bywardmarketsurvey

Now, not only can I show my friends a great time in the ByWard Market, I can have my opinions heard about what I like and what minor changes I think could happen to make my life and the ones I’m entertaining even better! Now there’s a survey i’m willing to take AND suggest. Don’t you think? 

Here’s hoping you feel the need to do the same and fill it out, and get out exploring the greatness of our city and the ByWard Market!

All Alayna wants for Christmas … is a great day downtown

Alayna (blog/Twitter) is a proud Ottawa native who loves travelling, photography and the wonders of social media. She is a web communications specialist during the day and, in her spare time, she is often found baking, crafting and planning her next trip.

Murray Street Kitchen is located at 110 Murray Street

Ah, the holiday season downtown. The malls are packed, parking is a nightmare, and the cold is (finally) starting to set in. It’s enough to make a person want to curl up on the couch, pull out a good book and spend the day indoors.

But get out there fellow Ottawa dwellers!

There’s a hell of a lot more to see downtown besides the Rideau Centre! After a year living in the heart of downtown, I’ve found there are ton of ways to enjoy a perfect winter weekend, without being trampled by the frantic shoppers in the mall. Here are a few of my favourites …

Start the day off with brunch at the Murray Street Kitchen (110 Murray Street). For just $13, they serve up a delicious mix of flavours and unique twists on the old classics. Cheddar french toast with garlic maple syrup? Yes please! The menu changes often, so it’s impossible to get bored with the options. Be sure to get there early or make reservations, as they fill up quickly.

Alanya Wright high fives the chef at Murray Street Kitchen, which offers a great weekend brunch

If you take part in the Ottawa Foodie Challenge next year, you may even get the chance to high-five the chef!

Next, take a stroll up to the awesome shopping area of Dalhousie North. It’s a bit of a walk, but well worth the trip! Stop by Victorie (246 Dalhousie) to check out their creative and unique selection of clothing. It’s my best bet for a Christmas or NYE party dress like no other! A little further down, Workshop Boutique (242 Dalhousie) offers a great mix of handcrafted gifts — perfect for those last few people to cross off your Christmas list. Finally, pop by to visit the ladies at Luxe Bridal Boutique (206 & 208 Dalhousie). Not only do they have the most gorgeous gowns, they also have fun accessories to finish off your holiday outfit.

On the way back towards Rideau street, be sure to visit the Byward Market. During the summer, this area is packed with tourists checking out the fresh fruit and veggie stands. During the winter, the market is a bit quieter and features vendors selling maple syrup, Christmas trees, and knitted mittens.

Colourful mittens are just one of the great gifts you can find in the Byward Market

Here, you can even watch a fresh evergreen wreath being whipped together before your eyes! $8-10 will get you a handmade wreath that makes your house smell amazing.

Vendors whip up some holiday-scented wreaths in the Market

Another must-do on my list is a stop at the Parliament Buildings. Too often, it seems Ottawa natives (myself included) rarely visit this Canadian landmark. As a bit of a political junkie, I always find it exciting to walk around and see who you can run into on the Hill.

The gazebo behind the Parliament Buildings boasts my favourite view of the Ottawa River, and don’t forget to count the raccoons at the Canadian Parliamentary Cat sanctuary (located to the west of the Centre Block). From now through January, the Christmas Lights Across Canada is lighting up the Parliament Buildings and other locations around town. It’s a great way to see these well-known places in a whole new light (literally).

Christmas Lights Across Canada is a sight to see on Parliament Hill

Finally, it’s time to reward yourself for a great day out in Ottawa with a pint from D’Arcy McGees (44 Sparks Street) This Irish bar was named after Thomas D’Arcy McGee, who was assassinated just steps away from this spot in 1868, but fear no bad vibes! The cozy atmosphere and rockin’ bands always make for a great evening. Warm up in a corner booth, call a few friends, and enjoy some local beer from Beau’s or Kichesippi — both served on tap! 

These are just a few of my favourite things to do. Ottawa is a big city with a ton of great things going on every day. Get out there, find some fun, and share with us your recommendations for the perfect winter weekend in Ottawa!

Looks like Ottawa’s festivity doesn’t go way when winter comes! Thanks for your holiday tour, Alayna. Have suggestions for other great holiday spots in Ottawa’s other neighbourhoods? Leave a comment below.

Fashion on Display goes out on a stylish note

Michelina Teti (Twitter) is a fourth-year journalism and gender studies student at Carleton University. Originally from Brampton, Ont, she’s a huge fan of a great yin yoga class, horrible television and hanging out with a pile of magazines in the traditional print form. She’s also Starbucks and agenda obsessed.

The window displays on Dalhousie Street have been returned to their usual form.

It’s true, Fashion on Display is over in Ottawa. I first wrote about the collaboration between eco-friendly boutiques and local artists in my original post a few weeks ago.

One of the Fashion of Display storefronts

In a nutshell, here’s what the two-week-long fashion tour was about:

The tour matches locally owned eco-fashion boutiques, vintage shops and thrift stores with a local artist who then creates a window display for the shop that spreads a message. The cause behind the event is to promote conscientious consumption. 

The event was a great success and ended Thursday night with the Wrap-Up Bash at Cube Gallery.

Here are a couple photos to remember the night!

Maureen Dickson (centre) and Malorie Bertrand (right) with a Wrap-Up Bash guest

The Wrap-Up Bash was held at Cube Gallery

A big Local Tourist Ottawa congratulations to Malorie Bertrand and Maureen Dickson for such a successful event! We’ll window shop under your guidance any time!

Did you get the chance to see the creative shop windows presented thanks to Fashion on Display? Think Ottawa needs more collaboration between businesses and artists? Let us know! Thanks for the pictures, Michelina.

Shopping for a cause: Exploring Ottawa’s sustainable fashion scene

Michelina Teti (Twitter) is a fourth-year journalism and gender studies student at Carleton University. Originally from Brampton, Ont, she’s a huge fan of a great yin yoga class, horrible television and hanging out with a pile of magazines in the traditional print form. She’s also Starbucks and agenda obsessed.

It’s the perfect weather for window-shopping.

Maureen Dickson and Malorie Bertrand

Maureen Dickson, a sustainability consultant and co-founder of Slow Fashion Forward, and EF Magazine editor-in-chief, Malorie Bertrand, joined together recently to create Fashion on Display, Ottawa’s first-ever boutique tour. The event has been going on since October 6, but doesn’t end until the 20^th, so don’t worry, there is still plenty of time to peruse the streets of Ottawa!

The tour matches locally owned eco-fashion boutiques, vintage shops and thrift stores with a local artist who then creates a window display for the shop that spreads a message. The cause behind the event is to promote conscientious consumption. 

During the tour, locals are invited to visit each location, admire the displays and learn about the shop’s sustainable brands. 

Both Dickson and Bertrand are hoping the event sparks some debate in Ottawa about the eco-fashion options in the city. The tour also promotes the great local shops that do provide sustainable choices for customers. 

It was only a few years ago that Dickson used to shop just like the rest, tempted by the latest fashion trends and cheap retail prices. She’d buy at stores like H&M and Zara, and she’d shop a lot. 

Dickson gained new perspective and shopping habits during her time in Sweden, where she graduated with a master’s degree in strategic sustainability.

Now, when it comes to her clothes, Dickson is eco-conscious.

For those interested in sustainable fashion, the girls recommend shopping at second-hand stores and consignment shops. They also suggest having a clothing trade with your friends.

It’s when you need a piece of clothing that will last a lifetime that you should buy new and high quality, Dickson says.

Bertrand says her best finds are from thrift shops.

Her latest highlight? She recently went thrift shopping in the states and bought 20 things for $12! She boasts that she always gets compliments on those types of steals.

“At the end of the day we are all individuals and we all want our own sense of style as well. I find this so much more rewarding and satisfying,” Dickson says. “I’ve always loved rummaging for things and finding things that are unique that nobody else has.” 

As for me, my shopping trip down Dalhousie was a complete success. I found three new shops, all local and unique, and even bought a pair of earrings!

Here’s a sneak peak for you: I’m not going to tell you where the photos shown below are from – it’s your job to check the shops out for yourself. All I will say is these three shops were very close to each other, and visiting them could be a great little walk-and-talk kind of coffee date with a girlfriend.

Visit your Ottawa locals, shop at some great boutiques and learn a little bit at the same time.

Enjoy!

Sounds like a great way to combine shopping AND design (two of our favourite things). Well, Michelina has presented a challenge: do you recognize any of the window displays in the pictures above? Let us know – we’re curious too!

Experiencing two ByWard Market patios: Kinki Sushi and Mambo

Hilary Duff (blog/Twitter) is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. She has officially wrapped her LTOttawa series on the hunt for Ottawa’s perfect cupcake, but is continuing on as one of LTO’s top Local Tourists.  She is guest editing LTO this week.

Summer in the ByWard Market is practically synonymous with patio dining.

In fact, the only thing more plentiful than restaurant patios are the hundreds of tourists that pile onto them, making the area a hub of outdoor activity and experiential eating during the warm months.

Since I am neither a tourist nor a miraculously wealthy student who is particularly prone to dining at such locations, I was excited when Local Tourist Ottawa got the invitation to go experience the food and patio atmosphere at two of the Market’s restaurants: Kinki Sushi and Mambo.

I had been to the restaurants once prior when I participated in Ottawa’s first Dishcrawl at the beginning of June, but was eager to go back and sample more of what each had to offer.

Kinki Sushi

The front patio at Kinki Sushi. The restaurant is located at 41 York St.

I met Claira, the promotions manager for both restaurants, at Kinki – an Asian fusion restaurant on York Street.  If the name is a little alarming for you conservative types, fret not.  The restaurant was actually named after the Kinki region in Japan, a festive area abundant with places to eat, drink and share.

We went to sit out on the side patio, a large space to the left of the main restaurant building.  According to Claira, the side patio was created five years ago and has since become a main feature of the decade-old restaurant.

Scenes from the patio at Kinki Sushi

The patio itself is really is quite stunning.  Tall tables stand in the middle area, surrounded by equally tall wicker chairs.  In the back, three large sitting areas would be the perfect meet-up location for a close group of friends.  In front of them, bright orange chiffon curtains hang, ready to be closed for those more intimate of dining sessions.  Overhead, large black umbrellas create a canopy, ready to block out any of nature’s obstacles, be it the blazing sun or a sudden summer downpour.

As for the meal at Kinki, Claira wanted me to have the full experience.  This experience just so happened to contain two of the restaurant’s most popular cocktails – the China Doll and the Wild Orchid.

My two cocktails at Kinki Sushi: China Doll (l) and Wild Orchid (r)

In the first, a blend of Absolut mandarin, mango liquor, pineapple juice and tonic.  It tasted exactly like fuzzy peaches, but I didn’t want to say that out loud since it made me feel like a seven-year-old.  The Wild Orchid was more of a dessert cocktail, with vodka and lychee liquor/juice.

Oh, you want to know about the food?  Okay, well Claira had a chef’s platter prepared for us – basically we were served whatever the chef chose.  Our platter was a mixture of the traditional rolls (ours had cucumber and roasted red pepper with a salmon top), nigiri sushi topped with neta (what they call the raw fish), and a cocktail glass filled with thinly cut slices of scallops, salmon, red tuna and butter fish.  There was also octopus in the middle, but I just couldn’t muster up the bravery needed to try it out.

Our sushi platter

Looking at the plate, it’s clear that presentation and artistry is a fundamental part of the meal.  Claira says chefs are encouraged to make their own creations, and what often comes out of the kitchen is something that isn’t even on the menu.  She says the ingredients are also top notch, with the best quality fish being shipped fresh (as fresh as you can get after a 20-hour-long plane ride, that is) from Australia.

We finished off our meal with warm Dragonberry sake, my first time ever trying the traditional Japanese drink.

Mambo

Mambo is located at 77 Clarence St.

Keep walking deeper into the Market and you’ll eventually stumble on Mambo.  In fact, you’ll stumble on a whole lot more than that – Mambo is located on Clarence Street, the centre of all patio activity in the neighbourhood.  Restaurant after restaurant lines the street, and patios sit like gated communities, luring in potential diners.

Mambo, along with its neighbouring venue Stella, are the only two restaurants in the Market that boast rooftop patios.  This roof patio was where Claira and I would be sitting for our samplings.  Unlike the patio at Kinki which was more laidback, Claira said Mambo’s patio is meant to romanticize the aspects of outdoor eating.  I can see that.  At rooftop level, you’re high enough that the hustle and bustle of street level tourist traffic is drowned out.  Although we were seated while it was still light out, I can imagine the vibe created once the sun sets – the soft music humming in the background, twinkle lights dangling over the exposed grey stone and the buzz of good conversation.  It all seems like the ideal romantic retreat (translation: if you’re looking for brownie points with the significant other, you might want to check Mambo out).

(From L-R): Shrimp and scallops, mojitos, flatbread and soft tacos

At Mambo I also sampled one of their signature drinks: the Mojito Clasico, with Havana Club light and spiced rum, sugar, mint, soda and fresh lime juice.  On the plate were several different items.  The first platter was predominantly seafood, with garlic shrimp and Callos Latinos (Claira says this is the Latin American term for tangy and unique) scallops.  The second platter had two of my favourites from the night: pulled pork soft tacos toasted with cheese, onion and sautéed vegetables and the verano flatbread topped with (get this) a balsamic reduction, pesto, onion, jalapeno, tomato, cucumber, goat cheese (!!!!!), roasted almonds and strawberries.  So many of my favourite things were combined into one dish.  Needless to say I will be recreating this at home.

Mambo's rooftop patio

Overall, the patio atmosphere at each restaurant was great.  While not too much was happening on the Tuesday night that I visited, both patios play host to a live DJ on Friday and Saturday.  During the week, there’s also a Wednesday vegetarian night to look forward to (at both restaurants) and Mambo offers a salsa night on Thursday (a huge hit with singles, Claira says).

So are there any new restaurant plans in store for owner Marisol Simoes?  Claira tells me she recently purchased a location on Elgin and has plans to open a new steakhouse next spring.

But until that happens, patio party away – balmy summer nights are waiting for you.

Thanks so much to Claira for giving us a fun patio experience! What is your favourite summer hangout in the ByWard Market?

A delicious blend: Girl Geek Dinners joins forces with C’est Bon Cooking

Lara Bender is the creator of Agritourism Ottawa, a blog that profiles wineries, orchards, gardens, farm tours, and other agricultural destinations within an hour’s drive of Ottawa. When she’s not hanging out on farms and driving Ottawa’s rural back roads, she’s a product marketing writer in the high-tech industry.

In the last year, I discovered two new organizations that I wanted to check out: Girl Geek Dinners Ottawa, and C’est Bon Cooking.

Girl Geek Dinners is a group for women in technology; they hold monthly get-togethers with the goal of making technology accessible to all people, especially women.  I work in high-tech, so the idea of meeting other women in my field in an informal and fun environment is very appealing.

For more information on GGD visit GirlGeekDinnersOttawa.com

The other organization, C’est Bon Cooking, is an Ottawa-based company that offers cooking classes, food tours, and team building events. I’ve been particularly interested in their food tours, as it fits into my own blog’s focus on culinary and agricultural tourism.

So I was pretty excited when I saw that this month’s Girl Geek Dinner event was to be a food tour led by Paola St-Georges at C’est Bon Cooking. How perfect – the opportunity to attend my first Girl Geek Dinner event, while touring around Ottawa’s ByWard Market and learning about the local food scene!

The event took place on a Thursday evening, a special tour created just for us, since C’est Bon Cooking typically schedules their food tours during the day when the outdoor vendors are open.

The tour started at Murray’s Market, a local food emporium offering charcuterie, artisan cheese, and other gourmet products.

Murray's Market charcuterie

I walked into the store and was immediately welcomed by the Girl Geek Dinner coordinators. After filling in my name tag, I ran into an old work colleague, and then met some other women taking the tour. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming.

After some socializing, Paola kicked off our tour by introducing Paddy Whelan, the co-owner of Murray’s Market. He provided an overview of the Nose to Tail Cooking philosophy of the market. Next up were four big plates of artisan cheese and meat samples, including cheese from Glengarry Fine Cheese and Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, duck liver mousse made in-house at Murray’s, elk salami from The Elk Ranch, and Mario Pingue’s prosciutto. (If you want to read more about Fifth Town and Mario Pingue, I’ve written about them here and here.)

When we were finished sampling the cheese and meat, we headed out for a walk along Murray Street. For sustenance, we all dug into our free bags of gourmet granola from Siren Bakery (thank you Loreli Lees!)

Murray's Market cheese plate

Paola explained that Murray Street has seen a significant rejuvenation over the last few years with the addition of numerous critically acclaimed restaurants, including Domus Café, Navarra, Benny’s Bistro, Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro, and Murray Street Kitchen (which Paola recommends as the most romantic patio in Ottawa).

The Tea Store

Next up was the Tea Store in the ByWard Market, home to over 300 different types of tea. I love how the store keeps the tea in glass jars on the shelves, where customers can smell the teas on their own. I will definitely have to stop in at this store for a longer visit next time I’m downtown.

After the Tea Store, we headed over to the ByWard Market indoor stalls, where we sampled Mrs. McGarrigle’s mustard from the Canada in a Basket store. Then it was off to La Bottega Nicastro, an Italian gourmet food shop with an outstanding selection of international cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, deli meats, and premium pasta and sauces. We were treated to another big plate of cheese and deli meats, and some figs for dessert. Delicious!

La Bottega Nicastro cheese and deli samples

After this, we spent some time around the outdoor stalls in the ByWard Market. Our guide Paola provided an overview of the Savour Ottawa program. When a vendor displays the Savour Ottawa logo, it means that Savour Ottawa has verified that they are selling food grown or raised near Ottawa. Not all the ByWard Market vendors are selling local food – in fact, some of the food is imported from outside of Canada – so it’s a good idea to look for the Savour Ottawa logo or ask the vendor where the food was grown.

The Cupcake Lounge was recently named LTO's top cupcake in the city by Hilary Duff

Our last stop of the evening was The Cupcake Lounge, Local Tourist Hilary Duff’s winner for best cupcakes in Ottawa. We arrived to a store completely sold out of cupcakes! Fortunately for us, the owner, Claudia Arizmendi had put aside several cupcakes for us to sample. Yay! The red velvet cupcake was amazing, and the small piece I had left me craving much more. I think I’d have bought a dozen cupcakes if they’d had any left to buy!

We finished up outside of The Cupcake Lounge, where the Girl Geek Dinner coordinators explained that the group would take a break in August, but be back in September with the next event. Usually the events are more focused on technology, which is great, and I look forward to attending the next event (assuming I can get in – I hear that the dinners sell out fairly quickly).

I also look forward to attending some C’est Bon Cooking events in the future. In addition to their ByWard Market tour, they also have a tour of Wellington West. And on October 1^st, they are offering a Savour Ottawa Farm Tour, where participants will spend the day visiting local farms to learn more about how their food is produced.

Now that is a tour that is close to my heart!

Wow – thanks Lara! What a wonderful snapshot!

Years of yummy: Q&A with Tulips & Maple on turning 20

Tulips & Maple's Mark van der Pas and Kris Norenius

Tulips & Maple, one of Ottawa’s best-known and in-demand catering companies, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. Founded in 1991, the culinary firm is the brainchild of Canadian Kristine Norenius and Dutchman Mark van der Pas, a partnership reflected in Tulips & Maple’s name. From weddings to galas to cocktail parties, Tulips & Maple seeks to innovate, inspire and impress through their food, using only quality ingredients and creative talent.

Tell us a little more about how Tulips & Maple got up and running.
 

Tulips & Maple, back in the day

We were two MBA grads living and working in the corporate world in Geneva, Switzerland with a strong desire to start our own business at the time.  As Mark was able to win Kristine’s heart with his culinary skills and European flair and Kristine won Mark’s heart thanks to Canada’s natural beauty, we thought this combo could be applied to build a successful business. We decided on catering and to launch in Canada. Ottawa was our chosen locale because Kris had an uncle here with a basement apartment and cheap rent!  That’s where it all began, in a basement apartment in Manotick, just the two of us cooking, testing, calculating and designing.  Our logo was inspired by our wedding stationary, which was created by Mark’s dad.
 
Twenty years is an accomplishment for any business.  How has Tulips & Maple changed over the years?

All photos courtesy of Tulips & Maple

The biggest change is size.  We started as a team of two and our first commercial space was 600 square feet.  We did small dinners and small weddings back then.  Now we have nearly 40 catering professionals and we enjoy our 8,000 square foot facility.  We love the challenge of catering large complicated events and multiple events on a single day.  What hasn’t changed is the passion to be the best and the drive to create.  We are blessed with a team of individuals who love the creative freedom at Tulips & Maple and who truly care about each and every event.
 
How has the food scene in Ottawa changed?
 
When we began Tulips & Maple, Mark, our fine European chap, was shocked at the lacklustre approach to food in Ottawa.  We are often told that he was instrumental in changing the food industry in the early days through his own high standards and innovative style.  Before we began, catering was about industrial sauces, frozen pre-made entrees and canapés.  Now it is so refreshing to see a broadbase belief in scratch kitchens and creative cooking.  There is a greater awareness of the culinary world by both professional chefs and customers. 
 

All photos courtesy of Tulips & Maple

Where do you draw your inspiration from? 

Kris:  Everywhere.  Reading, nature, art, travel, play and those ideas that come to you in your sleep at 3 a.m.!

Mark: Anything visual (reviews and blogs, web photo galleries, travelling, conferences), my industry colleagues and most importantly: new cooks starting in our business as they are not yet conditioned to what is feasible and practical. I enjoy the enthusiasm of our new culinary professionals as they help re-focus my beliefs that it can ALL be done.

All photos courtesy of Tulips & Maple

All photos courtesy of Tulips & Maple

What’s been your favourite Ottawa-based event that you’ve catered to date? What’s been your biggest?

It is really hard to choose.  Weddings are wonderful when you become almost part of the family.  You share the excitement, the special moment and sometimes the nervous energy.  The large VIP events are memorable too – serving the King of Sweden, the Genies and Spezzas’ wedding will remain fond memories. 

All photos courtesy of Tulips & Maple

Themed events bring a lot of fun to our team.  We’ve dressed as gladiators, Yukon saloon girls, Wizard of Oz characters and medieval court servants.  And then there are those events that have a lot of meaning – Taste of the Arctic – celebrating and raising awareness of our north and fund-raisers for special purposes.

As for our biggest, it depends how you define it!

• In revenue: An absolutely gorgeous East Indian wedding where the father of the bride was probably one of our most-liked and professional clients.
• In number of people: The opening reception of the new Royal Ottawa Hospital
• In challenges: A wedding for the producer of a Food Network show
• In “headaches”: A box luncheon delivery for over 1,000 people in a downtown office. It was spread over 16 floors and to be delivered and set-up within 45 minutes on a hot July day.  I can tell you how long it takes in seconds  for an elevator door to fully close after you have pressed the “close door ” button.

All photos courtesy of Tulips & Maple

You created a cookbook for your 10th anniversary. Any plans to do more of that? How are you celebrating your 20th anniversary?

Our 20th celebration will be quite exciting . . . and the planning and execution of the celebration is in the hands of our staff.  They are keeping the lid on things right now – even to us!  We do know the party will introduce new cater-taining concepts to Ottawa AND will be lots of fun.  As we reflect on our 20 years, it is not the recipes this time that we’d like to capture but the memories.  Eventually, we’d like to capture the funny stories and or things that are have happened that are for the professional eyes/ears only.   Over the next few years however, we will be very involved in continuing to raise the catering and food service bar in Ottawa.

When you aren’t cooking for others, where are your favourite places to eat/explore in Ottawa?

All photos courtesy of Tulips & Maple

Kris: We love going to farmer’s markets and out-of-the-way ethnic stores, picking out fresh ingredients, tasting country or authentic ethnic fare, making a tasty picnic meal out of our findings and settling in a lovely spot along the Rideau or Ottawa Rivers for a relaxing afternoon of noshing. Some of our favourite markets are the Metcalfe Farmer’s Market, the Carp Farmer’s Market and the stands in the Byward Market.

Mark:  I like to eat with my friends – whatever they prepare (from simple to extravagant), the best meal as always is scratch cooking with excellent ingredients and love, love, love.

What’s next for Tulips & Maple?

We’d like to help Ottawa be recognized as THE place to hold world-class, innovative events. The team at Tulips & Maple will continue with our passion and creative drive to raise the bar of events in our region and our country to really put Ottawa on the map. 
 
A new development this year is the launch of  a sister company called Great Canadian Plates.  This company will provide a new, tasty and refreshing option for  food services at the new Capital Exhibition Centre currently under construction near the airport and set to open in January 2012.  This is an exciting new venture for us.

Thanks for the chat! And check out LTOttawa in the coming days for photos of what sort of deliciousness went down at Tulips & Maple’s 20th anniversary party at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Surprise dance party in the ByWard Market

Jessey is a writer, digital communications strategist, and the founder of Local Tourist Ottawa.

As some of you already know, while walking aimlessly in the ByWard Market on Saturday I saw this poster:

Obviously, I needed to get to the bottom of this, so I sent out a tweet asking Ottawa’s Local Tourists for more info.

After a bit of buzz and a lot of confusion, our dear friend Conor Cronin passed along this little gem:

Of course I wasn’t going to miss a surprise dance party! Luckily the rain cleared, and shortly after 9:30 p.m., this happened:

All in all, it was a very cool stunt that should definitely spike more interest in Ottawa’s thriving dance community. A big thanks and congratulations to the talented dancers that put on the show. 

The surprise dance was performed in the historic former Geological Survey of Canada Building, which is home to M^cMillan, who partnered with the Canada Dance Festival Society  to put on the show. The Society’s signature activity is a biennial celebration of Canadian dance at the Canada Dance Festival. It takes place in Ottawa, with the National Arts Centre as co-producer. This year it is taking place from June 15 – 18. Interested? 

Dishcrawl Ottawa. Yum.

Katy, Don, Anne and D.J. at Dishcrawl Ottawa

Hilary Duff is a quirky 21-year-old who loves multimedia journalism, cycling, food blogging, and churning massive amounts of baked goods out of her cramped student kitchen. When she’s not living the chaotically busy life of a Carleton journalism student, she also enjoys winter jogging and exploring the ins and outs of her Ottawa neighbourhood.

For more information about Dishcrawl visit.dishcrawl.com

Lamb with funky chili tacos, gnocchi poutine, chorizo tostados, pulled beef spring rolls, maple cinnamon cupcakes. 

Do I have your attention yet? 

The dishes listed above (and many, many more) are currently sitting happily in my stomach, thanks to Ottawa’s first ever Dishcrawl event (or #dcott, as the Twitter universe knows it).

I know what you’re thinking – what the heck is a Dishcrawl?

Let me explain.  As far as I see it, Dishcrawls are to food as pub crawls are to alcohol.  Basically, a large group of people go from one restaurant location to the next, trying a sampling of food from each place.  Socializing occurs.  Friends are made.  Yummy food is eaten.  It’s a good time.

Gord and I waiting for Dishcrawl to start

The Dishcrawl event is not unique to Ottawa.  The concept began in the U.S. and has since expanded to Canadian cities like Ottawa and Montreal.  The goal of the event is simple: to help people discover their local food neighbourhood and the hidden gems in their own backyard.

The “food neighbourhood” this Dishcrawl was set to explore was the ByWard Market – a logical first step considering the abundance of patio and outdoor eating locations.  There were more than 60 of us on the crawl so, as you can imagine, we took up quite a bit of space, even after being divided into two groups.

At 6:30 p.m., my food partner-in-crime, Gord, my friend Alex (who was covering the event for the Citizen) and I convened in a Market courtyard.  Here we were introduced to Caitlin and Michelle, the two organizers of the event. 

Every Dishcrawl event is shrouded in mystery, in the sense that attendees never know which dining locations they will be visiting.  Even the main meeting spot for the event was concealed until the last minute.  As a Dishcrawl participant, all I knew was that we would be visiting five locations.

The taco filling choices at Sidedoor

For my group, the first stop was Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen and Bar.  At this point I was starving, and would have gobbled down anything they served me.  Luckily the folks at Sidedoor decided to step it up a notch.  We had our choice of taco fillings, ranging from the Chinese BBQ pork taco that I got, to the aforementioned lamb with funky chili taco that Gord ordered.  The tacos were fresh and flavourful, and turned out to be my favourite dish of the night.  As always, I made a huge mess of my plate, hands, napkin and table.  Gord teased me shamelessly.

Gord and I's tacos

A quick walk brought us over to Clarence Street, where we went to Steak, a modern steakhouse lounge.  Believe it or not, they didn’t serve us a plateful of their signature protein, but opted rather for smaller portions of varying items: a gnocchi poutine with braised short rib, tempura calamari and beef tartar (this last dish made me feel like I was on Top Chef Canada!).  I was a little hesitant.  A plate that include squid and raw meat?  A tad scary.  It was because of my irrational fear of trying new things that Gord coined the phrase of the evening: “just put it in your mouth.”  So I did. 

Plate at Steak

The third location on the Dishcrawl was Mambo.  Even though the name suggests dance and movement,

I was already starting to get paralyzed by my food coma.  The plate we got at Mambo had an assortment of items, ranging from the chorizo tostado with capers to skewered shrimp with a butter and lime sauce to a “rollos de pollo” which was seasoned shredded chicken inside a tortilla.  The grouping was random, but paid off fairly well. 

Plate at Mambo

Our fourth stop was a surprising one – The Cupcake Lounge.  I’m all for dessert before dinner, but at this point I just wanted to sit down and nap.  I got a vanilla chocolate cupcake, and was gifted half a maple cinnamon cupcake from Don of FoodiePrints who also appeared to be a little full at this point.  Despite the jumping-the-gun quality of the visit, it was an enjoyable experience (but lets be honest, can cupcakes ever be anything but enjoyable?).

Don and his maple cinnamon cupcake

My Dishcrawl experience ended at Kinki Sushi, where I half heartedly ate two pulled beef spring rolls and the Kinki signature sushi roll whose name was too complicated and said too quickly for me to write down.  Pretty sure there was egg in it, though… The outdoor patio at Kinki was lovely and allowed us to fully embrace the perfect temperature of the late spring night. 

Pulled beef spring rolls from Kinki

So what’s my final verdict on the city’s first ever Dishcrawl?

Well, as a student, the Dishcrawl was a great way to try out restaurants that would normally be too pricy for me to afford.  The grand total for the night’s five course meal was $45 – a steal considering some of these places can charge $20 a pop for a main course. 

At Dishcrawl, waiting to go to the next restaurant

I also really enjoyed the social aspect of the evening.  The night was facilitated in such a way that you could sit with new people at every restaurant.  As well as seeing some old friends such as Don, Dayanti, my former editor at Ottawa Magazine (I can thank the magazine for informing me of the event), and Twitter friend Katy Watts, I also met some great new people. 

Gord and I had a blast and we’ll definitely consider going to future events.  Speaking of which, there will be Dishcrawl events held throughout the year (twice a month in the summer and less frequently as winter approaches) with the next one being held on Monday, July 4.  Tickets are already sold out, but Caitlin tells me they may be releasing more in upcoming weeks. 

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and your taste buds ready, Ottawa.

 Thanks again to Caitlin and Michelle for organizing Dishcrawl Ottawa!