Scenes from the Staycation Vacation

{ weekends are infinetly better when they start with organic coffee and Wychwood Market }

{ brunch dates at Pain Perdu for pain due chocolate and lattes }

{ pool time all the time - true to my Pisces nature }

{ professional taste tester in the making as you can see,
New Liefmans Beer, Aperol sprtiz on the patio and the all time summer mint chocolate chip classic }

{ a visit to the new Ripley's Aquarium Toronto for the Mr's birthday celebration kick off }


one has to be careful about vacationing this hard, because dang, a girl could get used to this! 
i think i've got this staycation thing down pat.

See more pics on my Instagram @Oomphlove

The Pantry Fine Cheese

Located on the at the intersection of Gerrard and Coxwell in Toronto, you will find a new little shop that just opened it’s doors called THE PANTRY.

While this boutique store may appear tiny in size, we all know that good things come in small packages, and in terms of some of great Canadian artisan cheeses, this statement could not be more true in the case of this shop. Owner and operator Jeremy Lago is a Sommelier, now turned Fromager who has hit the nail on the head when it comes to filling Toronto’s needs for all things cheesy goodness.

Focused on solid relationships with local farmers, Jeremy has brought to Toronto a celebration of some of the best assortments of Ontario artisan cheeses that we should all feel extremely proud of. From the creamy Crossroads Sheep Gouda, to the handcrafted Five Brother’s cheese with traits of Gouda and Swiss; or an aged variation of an Oxford harvest cheese called Tipsy that has soaked for 6 days in a Merlot Cabernet. Last but not least, my personal favourite, The Aged Five Brothers, with its the creamy, mouthwatering, nutty and caramel like flavouring. Walking into the shop, there is no way your taste buds can even accurately anticipated what you will experience.

In fact, anything you find at The Pantry is nothing short of spectacular. The shop also specializes in offering locally sourced accompaniments (for exceptional pairings), and an olive and pate bar to help you put together a perfect afternoon or evening plate to enjoy alone or along with friends and family. Being a Sommelier too, it goes without saying that Jeremy is the best at making exceptional recommendations for wine and cheese unions.

It should also be mentioned that he even does cheese wheel wedding cakes. Yes, you read that correctly.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending The Pantry’s first wine and cheese pairing party hosted at The Lazy Daisy’s Café. Organized along with the fine folks from Fielding Estate Winery, a large group of us sat down to a well-informed lesson on the art of the paired tasting. Leading with explanations on textures, colours and tastings notes the group of us were in inseparable cheesy heaven.

I cannot say enough about not only buying local goods, but also the benefits on shopping from local small businesses – which The Pantry is quickly topping that list. There is not a chance you will leave this shop feeling unsatisfied. It is quickly becoming one of the hot new shops in the east end of town. 

Thank you Jeremy for celebrating some Canadian food talents and for teaching us the pleasure of fine food feasting. www.thepantryfinecheese.com. @pantrycheese 

Rebels Refinery - Gifts for Guys

images are from here, here, here. owners portraits from here, by Jamie Morren.  products shown are –  "Wealth of a Man" Black Soap Bar, Clear Skin Cleanswer & Moisturizer, Rehab Roller Under Eye Treatment, Skull Lip Balm. 

i initially wasn't going to post yet another gift guide for the upcoming father's day, since the whole world seems to be doing it already, but what i am going to do is promote a kick-a** company, selling some kick-a** products for men ... oh and did i mention they are Canadian? yup. because they are, eh.  Rebels Refinery is a company created by three best buds born out of an interest on how to take better care of themselves and their skin. men and women alike can appreciate the horror of waking up to a new laugh line. but what these boys couldn't find was a manly line of natural skin care products that actually appealed to ... men. something our guys could leave out on the counters and not feel ashamed of when their pals came over. something for men, by men. makes sense to us ladies! so hence came some serious research, creative design, exceptionally creative low-budget online marketing and voila - Rebels Refinery is born. as they state "most of our products are 97% natural/ 90% organic and pure gold." and for those who love the show, they also appeared in an episode of Dragon's Den!  

these guys have created decently priced products for any man, that smell great and look good. so much so that even the ladies will love it. simple genius. you can shop in store, or shop online, just visit  http://rebelsrefinery.com

oh. and did we mention that they give just over 2% of sales to Prostate Cancer Canada? these guys are just dang awesome.
so, let's hear it for the boys. 

                                  you can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram too.

La Societe - Toronto

two images via here and here

on my birthday my husband surprised me with a wonderful evening out. he cleverly knew where to find my notepad with scribbles of "restaurants i want to try" and arranged to picked me up after work and whisk us off to dinner at a placed called La Societe on Bloor Street. when we try a new restaurant (especially when celebrating) we allow ourselves to be a little more self indulgent than normal by testing a few different options on the menu. on first impression La Societe is a place that transports you to Paris and back for an evening. designed to look like a parisian style bistro this place is very unique. the cuisine is exactly as you could find in France and is by far some of the best food we have ever tasted. mouth watering heaven.

here is my best advice on how to enjoy an evening here:

head over before your reservation time and gracefully start your evening at the bar and order a Negroni, or Lillet cocktail. once you are settled on the bar stool with your drink sit back, sip and take in the scenery. allow yourself to start to feel relaxed. 

then while you are begin walked to your seat in the dining room, look up. take in that breathtaking art that is a stainglass ceiling 

start out by ordering the a charcuterie platter to share. one with a mix of duck and pork pate, terrines and pickled vegetables all arranged on a wooden board with the very best in dijon mustard pairings.

next order a glass of white wine like a Pinot Gris and a bowl of their french onion soup. for an entree you cannot go wrong with the classic duck confit. the aroma and fall off the bone meat are really outstanding. i don't just want to go back for it again, i need to go back.

end off this perfect evening with a latte and a macaron.

what a birthday! it was the best day, with the best scenery and the very best date. I feel so grateful for all the wonderful things that happened last year and can't wait to see what is coming around the bend for this one.

Pop it Like It's Hot

nothing beats a heatwave like a gourmet ice pop, really. while doing some fruit shopping at the Nathan Phillips Square Farmers Market, held on Wednesday's in downtown Toronto from 8am-3pm, a friend and i happened across this peddling seller called The Pop Stand. the pop's claim to fame (aside from the owner's fantastically fun and friendly personality) are their Ontario market fresh ingredients and unique combination of flavours. your selection options range from things like Peach-Bourbon-Vanilla Ice-Tea to Ginger-Thyme-Basil, Strawberry-Mint and Caramalized Banana's with Cream. these guilt free pops are seriously to die for. i highly suggest a trip to the market to try them, or keep your eyes peeled at your own local farmer's market because this pop stand is starting to pop up all over the city.

Snow and Six Other Things

 After a seriously (thank heaven for wool socks and warm fires... brrrrrr) cold winter week that just past, we are finally able to enjoy a snow storm! The city and suburbs are so pretty when they are covered all in white. Everything around just seems so peaceful – and yes, I do drive in the snow so I know it's not always "peaceful". For as much as I adore the soft fluffy white stuff, and I do like love winter,  I must admit it has been a hard and grey one for the most part this year. Making it even harder to, get up, get moving, and get my butt to the office most days. So, when it's this yucky, gross, sloppy and grey out, that can only mean six things to help get me through the season:  1) hearts on mugs and David's "Forever Nuts" tea 2) keep up the vitamins, and I do so with these gummies totally made for adults! 3) my very favourite pokadot rubber boots (thanks to the Mr. this Christmas) 4) Markers and pens for meetings in all colours 5) colourful hats with pom poms 6) jelly beans.  

What helps you with your winter blues?

50 Creative Minds

Design & Photo credit goes to Piccsy Blog - http://blog.piccsy.com

Living in a major city hub like Toronto, there is so much great art and culture to take in that surrounds you. Recently, Piccsy blog shared an exciting new post on the 50 Toronto designers that everyone should know about. The post provides an excellent list and is a definite read for anyone looking to stay on top of what is trending in the creative design world.