Reading Time: < 1 minute For those Little Mushroom lovers out there — and for anyone looking for an introduction to this innovative and dedicated […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute When you sip and toast with Ukrainian vodka, the jubilant shout-out is “Budmo!” It’s a tradition that John and Katherine […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Here’s a selection of snacks and munchies for this weekend. (Please check with individual venues for pandemic hours of opening, […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes After a brief hiatus, Big Jerk is open once again on Dumart Place in Kitchener: Thursday 11-4pm and Friday and […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute On sale from April 8-14, Mountainoak’s two-year-old Farmstead cheese is similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano in terms of texture — there’s those […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Queen of Hearts Coffee & Tea House1151 Victoria Street NorthKitchener, ON N2B 3C8(226) 647-8969 Pinky extended or not, a humble […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Visiting restaurants and even their patios is out. So, it’s delivery and curbside pickup as the only to support local […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes They’ve only been a part of the local food scene for about two months, but it’s time for Knife and […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes McMullan’s188 Highland Road WestKitchener, ON N2M 3C2(519) 744-5300 Consider a polarizing comestible: the pickle pizza. Yes, it is a thing […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes It is sad that we even have to talk about this. It’s awful that we are hearing anti-Asian comments and […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute [previously published]It’s just a few minutes after the store’s 9 a.m. opening on a chilly and grey Monday morning in […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes In South Africa, don’t call it barbecue: it’s “braai.” It’s also the name of a Stratford restaurant that’s a unique […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute I’ve never had this cheese before, which is a really stupid comment: there are hundreds and hundreds of cheeses. And […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute “Stone Soup: A Gleaner’s Story” will air on CKWR FM-98.5’s Promenade, hosted by Martin de Groot, on March 23 beginning […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes Sari-Sari Filipino Cuisine347 Lancaster Street West,Kitchener, ON N2H 4V4(226) 647-9005 [Previously published] Filipino food is making its culinary mark in […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute February 17 is #RandomActofKindness day, so starting today and running until March 17, if you purchase a Fat Sparrow Meal […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Jenn Pfenning, owner of Pfenning’s Farms in New Hamburg (their Facebook page is here), has distributed the following message [italics […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute [Previously published] An update to something I’ve written about previously — the iconic (and delicious) Jamaican patty. Kevin Thomas of […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes At Ambrosia Pastry Co.,324 Frederick Street, Kitchener, ON N2H 2N8www.clementinecateringkw.com [Previously published]A serendipitous moment? Whatever the applicable cliche and however […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Meet the cooks in your neighbourhood, the men and women who cook up great food that gives you both sustenance […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes I’ve been eating hot turkey sandwiches and so-called “hot hamburg plates” at area restaurants. (Now in the lockdown, that will […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute This is good! Finally, there’s a movement away from the restrictive and puritanical provincial liquor laws — especially timely during […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Sugar RunQueen Street SouthKitchener, ON N2G 1V8(226) 747-3847 Sugar Run has recently started a collaboration with Swine and Vine, the […]

Reading Time: 6 minutes I hadn’t been to Imperial Market and Eatery since the space it occupies was a pub called Eddly’s, and that […]

Reading Time: 1 minute With a “Black Friday” kick-off, THEMUSEUM is supporting local hospitality with its annual holiday membership promotion. That means that every […]

Reading Time: 6 minutes You may not know Clifton Fadiman for his intellectual career as an editor, critic and television personality, but you may […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Bao Sandwich Bar#B-106 62 Balsam Street,Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3H2(519) 226-1226 [Previously published] It’s a hidden gem, if there ever were […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes I had the good fortune to know Anita Stewart. She passed away yesterday too early. I got the chance to […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes Red Eye Cafe and Donuts has new hours: Monday to Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sunday: 10 a.m. – 4 […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Owner Paulo Neves says that it is pretty much business as usual at Torreense Store at Stirling and Mill in […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Pepi’s Pizza87 Water Street NorthKitchener, ON  N2H 5A6(519) 578-6640pepispizza.ca Pepi’s is still a late-night haunt: if you’re hungry for a […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes I do enjoy a bowl of congee in cooler weather, and I enjoy as much exploring the different textures and […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes After the pandemic closure, TWH Social Bar & Bistro at the Walper Hotel is open and back at work with […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute This time of the year, I dive into Concord grapes … but wait! There’s a variety called the Coronation grape […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes Sugar Run Rum Bar, while it has night club hours, is more like a relaxed lounge, according to co-owner Kypp […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Slices Restaurant is open for business, pretty much as per usual. At the corner of King and Water, the diner-style, […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ken Sushi HouseBlair House256 Phillip StreetWaterloo, ON N2L 6B6(519) 883-7272kensushihouse.ca My first visit to Ken Sushi House, ensconced in “Blair […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Tempeh [TEHM-pay]As interest in vegetarian and vegan diets has grown significantly over the past decade or so, it’s interesting to […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Located in the heart of Stratford, Stratford Chefs School has just announced a new scholarship it will be offering. The […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Juniper Dining Co. 3 Elm Street   Paris, ON   N3L 2L6  (519) 302-2200  juniperdiningco.ca   Self-described as a bouchon, a Lyonnaise-style bistro, Juniper […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Grand Trunk Saloon30 Ontario Street SouthKitchener, ON N2G 1X2519-578-8282info@grandtrunksaloon.com I’m sure it has been a very long time – if […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Walper Hotel closed during the pandemic, but it recently announced that it has a target of August 14 as […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Pho Vietnam K & W in downtown Kitchener has recently re-opened. That’s good to see, given our current circumstances. The […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes The plums we get in Ontario are, for the most part, either European or Japanese types, the latter actually Chinese […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Poke is a delicious treat to eat — and it can be a cool one too, in this hot weather. […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute A less familiar Mediterranean fruit — and one that has had a certain historical prominence as an export in Sicily […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes We should be seeing some nice plump Ontario raspberries soon. More than even fresh local strawberies, I favour raspberries. The […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Chopan Kabob has been in business for five or six years or so. It’s solidly a family-run operation that has […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes If you didn’t know, this is “Plastic Free July.” But no matter the date, it’s important to eliminate needless single-use […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Gol’s Lanzhou Noodle is celebrating two years at their Waterloo location — and what a difficult time it is to […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Given the fact that restaurants have started to re-open — at least their patios — I thought I would revisit […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes Kypp Saunders’ name is a familiar one to those in the food and beverage industry in Waterloo Region. A few […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes The store has been around since 1981, in different locations and with other owners, but Sam Nabi and Julia Gogoleva […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Do you hear it? May 20 is “World Bee Day” and Friends of the Earth wants us to create a […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes Carly Blasutti and Ryan Murphy operated Mama and Papa Catering for a few years before opening the charming and delicious […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Local food businesses and chefs are finding that online demonstrations and virtual classes — usually via Zoom — are a […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes A nip or two of cheese and a crisp, cold glass of wine go well together despite wine connoisseurs who […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes The restaurant and food and beverage industry is slowly being dismantled. Moving forward, we have no idea what’s in store […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Sign the petition! #SaveYourLocal … If you are an employee impacted by layoffs or someone who values local restaurants and […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes Like you, I’m weary of what I call the “Covid Enclosure Movement.” I’ve anointed it with an historical name in […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes Operating since February, 2016, Together We’re Bitter Co-operative Brewing (TWB) calls itself a “multi-stakeholder cooperative” in which workers and community […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes The popular Crazy Canuck Restaurant’eh has two locations — one in downtown Kitchener, tucked inside the Corporation Square building at […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes I feel awful. And I know a lot of people feel that way. I’m watching — from a distance — […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Masala [mah-SAH-lah]Masala is a tricky character to get to know. Not a specific spice like, say, cinnamon, masala is hard […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes University Club 20908 Road Ring University of Waterloo Waterloo, ON   N2L 3G1 (519) 888-4567, ext. 33801  https://uwaterloo.ca/university-club/   Two local chefs with connections to […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes You can tell while observing him during class that instructor Tim Simpson loves sharing his knowledge of the fundamentals of […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes A bit of time behind a desk at a computer was enough for Reeghan Peister to make a change. The […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute This Saturday is both Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day — but it’s also the Uptown Waterloo BIA’s inaugural […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Nothing against parsley, sage and thyme. But I love rosemary. The woody, shrubby herb that has a crisp, slightly astringent […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes B at The MUSEUM 10 King Street West Kitchener, ON   N2H 2G8 http://bhere.ca/themuseum/ I love sandwiches. The balance of carb […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Izna Japanese Donburi House 137 King Street East Kitchener, ON (519) 570-1304 www.iznadonburi.com Imagine you’re outdoors: a busy street corner […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Graffiti MarketCatalyst137137 Glasgow StreetKitchener, ON N2G 4X8(519) 514-1820graffitimarket.ca Both in the culinary world and here in Waterloo Region, Detroit-style pizza […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute I always snicker slightly (but silently) when ordering fettuccine or spaghetti “alla puttanesca” at a restaurant: it translates as “prostitute’s […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes At one time, the website of Kitchener’s Downtown Business Improvement Area listed 20 coffee outlets in the city’s central business […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Hey! Ya gotta book today! Me, Relish Cooking Studio and MP Tours are headin’ out into the wilds of Oxford […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Thanks to local baker and food entrepreneur, Aura Hertzog, I discovered the kouign-amann a few years ago. It’s simply a […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes The cool month of October, and K-W Oktoberfest, bring the annual feting of our German heritage in Waterloo Region, but […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes There are a couple of good bakers – and locally based businesses – making a decent bagel in Waterloo Region. […]

Reading Time: 7 minutes [Previously posted] Inside, it looks a bit like something you might see on a Bourdain episode as the cook-turned-culinary-celebrity traipses […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Because it doesn’t use a bacterial culture or rennet (an enzyme), ricotta cheese is technically a “dairy product,” but it’s […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Apostrophes: I’ve been collecting them from local markets and produce sections. Of course, I kid. A versatile and popular piece […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes Executive chef Scott Hergott attended Waterloo Collegiate and Conestoga College for food and beverage management — elevation about 390 metres […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes With all due respect to New York, I prefer Montreal bagels. I like their slightly sweet, less fluffy and more […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Stroll the streets and discover the rich and varied food scene of downtown Kitchener! Those of you reading and continuing […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s early in the afternoon on a very bright, clear day on Metcalfe Street in the heart of Elora. The […]

Reading Time: 4 minutes Of her brief time at Arabella Park Beer Bar in Kitchener’s busy neighbourhood enclave, Belmont Village, Emily Schlieper says loves […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes You see them everywhere as you drive through Waterloo Region’s countryside – road side stands known as Farm Gates offering […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes [This article appeared previously in The Kitchener Post] There are two types of people in the world: those who like […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Pho Tran Viet-Thai Restaurant 809 Victoria Street North Kitchener, ON  N2B 3C3 (519) 744-6066 www.photran.ca Open daily [This article appeared […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Please check in here for news and information about walking tours in Waterloo Region and Perth County. A downtown Kitchener […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Join me at the Stratford Writers’ Festival and “Appetite For Words” on October 26.

Reading Time: < 1 minute I will be at the authors’ table at Taste Real Wellington County on Sunday, June 23.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chic Pea Middle Eastern Kitchen91 University Avenue EastWaterloo, ON N2J 3Y6(519) 747-4700www.chicpea.ca [Previously published]Nedal Alhares was part of the group […]