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Steampunk: Yesterday’s Future, an ISES Toronto Gala

  • November 11, 2012
  • Events, gala
  • Comments Off on Steampunk: Yesterday’s Future, an ISES Toronto Gala

Steampunk: Yesterday's Future

As described in wikipedia, Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century, or a post apocalyptic environment. We really enjoy this pseudo-Victorian mechanical “steampunk” style because it makes for beautiful visuals that stand out from cookie-cutter events.

We were intrigued by the idea of a Steampunk-themed gala and also, who puts on better events than a community of professional event planners? This was definitely an event we didn’t want to miss! The ISES (International Special Events Society of Toronto) chapter annual gala gathered members and friends for a jam-packed evening full of entertainment from live performances, some magic, and great music.

The evening started with a reception of cocktails and hors d’oeurves, a set of violin renditions of popular music by Grenville Pinto.

Guests were then greeted into the dining area by the evening’s host, Michael Coombs, of Michael Coombs Entertainment, with ISES Toronto Annual Leadership Awards, mixed with a vast array of entertainment from aerial performances by A2D2, a great musical performance by Devah Quartet, a magic show by Mental Floss Sideshow, dancing by Dragonfly Belly Dance group, and Well Rounded Hoops. Our favourite performance was Devah Quartet, four young ladies who had great costumes and electrifying string music. They were like a refreshing version of Apocalyptica. Definitely check them out when you get the next chance!

The amazing Devah Quartet

The amazing Devah Quartet

Award recipients included:
Bryan Bell at Decor & More for the ISES Toronto Supplier of the Year Award
Larry Cuthbertson for the ISES Toronto Dedication Award

This annual event was planned and prepared by Eclectic Events International, who have been ISES Toronto members for years. We first met them at the recent Atlantis Pavilion open-house which was also a great event with many impressive attractions to enjoy.

The amazing DeVah Quartet

Mental Floss Sideshow

Mental Floss Sideshow

Julie Danaylov, President of ISES Toronto and Michael Coombs, MC and host of the evening

Photo: Eclectic Events International

Mental Floss Sideshow

DeVah Quartet

DeVah Quartet

Thanks very much to Eclectic Events for having us and putting on a great ISES Toronto gala for the special events community!

About ISES Toronto
ISES Toronto is a Chartered Chapter of ISES Canada, which is an Affiliate of ISES International.

The International Special Events Society was founded in 1987 to foster enlightened performance through education while promoting ethical conduct. ISES works to join professionals to focus on the “event as a whole” rather than its individual parts.

ISES’s worldwide membership has grown to involve over 5,000 members active in 35 countries throughout the world. Membership brings together professionals from a variety of special events disciplines including caterers, meeting planners, decorators, event planners, audio-visual technicians, party and convention coordinators, educators, journalists, hotel sales managers and many more professional disciplines.

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An evening of hands-on molecular cuisine

  • November 4, 2012
  • food
  • Comments Off on An evening of hands-on molecular cuisine

Photography by Flora Tran
There is a new craze in the culinary world, many call it molecular cuisine. It is experimental cooking that focuses on the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients. Fortunately, Flora and I had the privilege to experience this modern method of cooking with Chef John Placko on October 24 at one of Nella Cucina’s culinary workshop sessions.

Molecular cuisine is all about manipulating the senses. Familiar food is presented in an unfamiliar and unexpected way so that our senses do not know what to expect. For example, coconut water is usually enjoyed as refreshing beverage on a hot summer day. Another familiar food, caviar, basically salt-cured fish-eggs, is commonly served on sushi. So how do these two foods relate?

Molecular Cuisine with John Placko - Caviar
(Sources: http://clubspa.spafinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cocointro21.jpg, and http://pics.livejournal.com/world_blogger/pic/000b86gh)

That is when molecular cooking comes into play. Coconut caviar infuses the refreshing coconut water with delicate roe. Here are the ingredients:

Caviar mix

2 tbsp icing sugar
3 level spoons easy alginate
½ cup water
½ cup coconut milk

Setting Bath

2 heaped spoons calcium chloride
2 cups water

Add water and all of the ingredients into a blender on low speed and strain the mixture. Place the mix into a squeeze bottle. Then drip caviar mix into the setting bath mix. Rinse the caviar in cold water and it is ready to serve! Check out my video of this to see it in action!

Chef John Placko adds a teaspoon of the coconut pearls into a chilled glass of horchata paired with dried rice cracker and hummus. And a delightful snack is served.

The main event is a demonstration of how molecular cuisine works in the kitchen.

Starter: Walnut crusted salmon on sushi rice cakes with black rice salad and snowflakes.

Walnut crusted salmon on sushi rice cakes with black rice salad and snowflakes.

Starter: Walnut crusted salmon on sushi rice cakes with black rice salad and snowflakes.

The surprise factor of this dish is the white puffy snowflakes on the side. It plays an interesting spin on flavour. Snowflakes in my memory are tasteless just like water.  However, the aroma and flavour of the snowflakes here reminds me of nutty sesame seeds as it melts away in on my tongue. This is one form of manipulation that takes place in molecular cuisine.

Main: Seafood Stir-fry on Texmati Rice

Main: Seafood Stir-fry on Texmati Rice

This stir-fry tastes as delicious as it looks. Though I do not believe molecular cooking is used in this dish.

Dessert: White Chocolate Arancini with Puffed Rice Rocher and Raspberry Butter Sauce

White Chocolate Arancini with Puffed Rice Rocher and Raspberry Butter Sauce

Dessert: White Chocolate Arancini with Puffed Rice Rocher and Raspberry Butter Sauce

See the strawberries on the plate? They are frozen strawberries that fizzle in your mouth, much like drinking soda! The secret is carbonation; a recognizable technique in molecular cooking. Take a cream whipper and add strawberries. Then charge it twice with and leave it in the fridge to cool for two hours. After the cooling the fruits are ready to serve. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4HDfTJjzhU)

As the evening went on, I concluded that molecular cooking is all about creating unfamiliar sensation to the palate. The modern cuisine redesigns the texture, flavour, smell, and colour of food in ways that we have never experienced before. The element of surprise in molecular cuisine is key for entertaining an audience. Surly it does not disappoint, this food in science fiction is setting a brand new stage for modern cooking.

A special thanks goes to Jessica from FayeClack Communications Inc., Chef John Placko, Chef Brianne Nash, and the wonderful staff at Nella Cucina for such an amazing event!

About Chef John Placko
Chef John Placko has worked in Canada over the past 17 years in corporate food and restaurant organizations. Prior to Canada, he worked in Australia and Mexico, mainly in hotels and restaurants.

John’s culinary competition activity spans multiple countries; Australia, Germany, Canada and France, where he competed in the Bocuse d’Or competition. His passion lies in the culinary evolution most commonly known as molecular cuisine or molecular gastronomy. Over the past 6 years he has been invited to present, demonstrate and teach this modern cuisine to numerous culinary groups at GFTC, Humber College, George Brown College, The Cookbook Store and Nella Cucina.

You can register for molecular cuisine workshops at Nella Cucina by clicking here.

Chef John Placko showing the puffed long grain rice rice rocher

Chef John Placko showing the puffed long grain rice rice rocher on a baking sheet to be used for the dessert

Chef John Placko

Chef John Placko

Chef John Placko

Chef John Placko

Chef John Placko

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Panda Ball for the World Wildlife Fund

  • October 29, 2012
  • charity, gala
  • Comments Off on Panda Ball for the World Wildlife Fund
Panda Ball at the Aria room at the Four Seasons Hotel

Panda Ball at the Aria room at the Four Seasons Hotel

The Panda Ball is an evening of celebrating the place that connects us all, Earth. This 2nd annual fundraising gala for the World Wildlife Fund brought together key philanthropists and business visionaries who want to make positive changes in the conservation of the universe’s only known living planet. The work that the WWF does is so vital, dealing with issues that impact everyone on a global scale in a changing climate, melting Arctic, health of our oceans, rivers and the preservation of wildlife and endangered species.

It was our first time at the new luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville. We had the pleasure of meeting The Bachelor Canada’s one and only Brad C. Smith who had heaps of fun facial expressions to share with us. Thanks for the photo ops!

Following the reception, guests were gathered into the thoughtfully decorated Aria banquet room with elegant dining table settings. The gold panda pins at each seat were a nice touch. The charismatic Ziya Tong, co-host of Daily Planet, did a great job as Master of Ceremonies for the evening and she made inspirational speeches about the importance of environmental issues and our planet Earth.

Environmental Leader Awards were given out to Greg Kiessling, co-founder of Bullfrog Power, for “Leader for Conservation”, followed by the award for “Partner in Conservation”, accepted by Coca-Cola Canada President, Nicola Kettlitz, and the “Living Planet Legacy” was awarded to Annette Verschuren who highlighted her work as President of Home Depot Canada.

Feist rounded out the evening with unique renditions of her hits such as “My Moon My Man”.

At the end of the evening everyone enjoyed choosing their own WWF stuffed animal species to take home and adopt. So many great ones to choose from! Check out all these great stuffed animals you can choose from that would make great Christmas gifts. You’ll also be eligible to receive a tax receipt while also supporting WWF’s conservation efforts.

We wish the best success to the WWF in it’s fundraising efforts.

ABOUT WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is Canada’s largest international conservation organization with the active support of more than 150,000 Canadians. We connect the power of a strong global network to on-the-ground conservation efforts across Canada, with offices in Vancouver, Prince Rupert,Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, St. John’s, and a growing presence in the Arctic. For more information visit wwf.ca

Brad C Smith, Bachelor Canada, and Arlene Dickinson of Dragon’s Den at the VIP reception

Auctioneer, Jay Mandarino with guests at the VIP reception

Dinner setting for Panda Ball at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville, Toronto

Dinner setting for Panda Ball at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville, Toronto

Ziya Tong, co-host of Daily Planet and MC of Panda Ball 2012

Ziya Tong, co-host of Daily Planet and Master of Ceremonies at Panda Ball 2012

Annette Verschuren, O.C. accepting an Environmental Leader Award: Living Planet Legacy

Feist performing at Panda Ball 2012

Feist performing at Panda Ball 2012

Feist performing at Panda Ball 2012

Dessert at Panda Ball

Dessert at Panda Ball: Caramelized pear Pavlova, vanilla brulee with Cointreau Chantilly

Wonderful WWF ladies giving out stuffed animals to each guest

Lindt chocolate teddy bears for a sweet ending to the evening

Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style

Making it’s North American debut right here in Toronto, TIFF Bell Lightbox’s exciting exhibition just opened to the public! What’s not to love about the world’s most famous secret agent exuding British flair, martinis, fast cars, gadgets, action and the Bond girls.

To celebrate 50 years of Bond style, TIFF rolled out the red carpet for an evening of adventure and intrigue at the James Bond opening night party. Passports were given out to each guest with the mission of reaching each checkpoint. Live performances included the one and only Sheena Easton singing “For Your Eyes Only” followed by a great live band, “The Big Sound”, that captivated the crowd on the ground floor and rang through the rest of the floors with classic James Bond theme songs. There was also a casino room, martinis (of course), and the various James Bond exhibits available for viewing.

Our favourite feature was the Kobo Ice lounge giving out snow cones with your personal choice of liquor. We tried a similar gin-flavoured ice in a cup at the recent Eat to the Beat, but now this is in snow-cone form! There was so much to enjoy with so little time. For the latter part of the night, the party happened to be at the TIFF Bell Lightbox’s loading dock where there was a bar, DJ and a Parts and Labour catering truck allowing you to hop on board and enjoy oysters. Different but great!

This new must-see exhibition now at TIFF Bell Lightbox, “Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style” at TIFF Bell Lightbox features a treasure trove of James Bond memorabilia from Dr. No to the latest upcoming film, Skyfall. For more information visit tiff.net/bond and also CBC’s detailed article about the exhibition here.

Art installation from the new James Bond Exhibition, Designing 007

Art installation from the new James Bond Exhibition, Designing 007

Well played, Spiro!

Here are some of our favourite tweets from the night

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Eat to the Beat

For the 17th year, Eat to the Beat held their annual women-helping-women culinary fundraiser, where guests get to indulge in a vast variety of delectable Ontario culinary delights from 60 female chefs.

The event is a great cause where the Willow Breast Cancer Support, a national non-profit organization that not only supports women in surviving breast cancer but also to thrive.

The evening features sweet and savoury food and drinks, live music, a silent auction, raffle draw for great prizes. It’s a delicious event not to miss.

A tower of white macarons

We indulged in some Devils on Horseback – roasted, port stewed prunes wrapped in bacon by Alexandra Feswick, Samuel J. Moore. We loved how the prunes sweetness counterbalanced the bacon.

Devils on Horseback – Roasted, Port Stewed Prunes wrapped in Bacon by Alexandra Feswick, Samuel J. Moore

Scarlet Gaffney, Westin Harbour Castle menu included caramelized pear and woolwich goat cheese crostini, pecan onion butter, which was a tasty blend of goat cheese and pear that looks and tastes elegant.

Scarlet Gaffney, Westin Harbour Castle – Caramelized pear and woolwich goat cheese crostini, pecan onion butter

Tobey Nemeth from Edulis restaurant provided a colorful selection of morsels of: Fresh Sheep’s Milk Cheese with Piquillo Pappers and White Anchovies, Smoked Silver Bass with Herbed and Pickled Red Onion.

Toby Nemeth, Edulis Restaurant: Fresh Sheep’s Milk Cheese with Piquillo Pappers and White Anchovies, Smoked Silver Bass with Herbed and Pickled Red Onion.

We also loved the Pulled BBQ veal slider – mushroom confit, tomato herb aioli by Joan Monfaredi, Park Hyatt Hotel, where the pulled BBQ veal was soft and juicy.

Joan Monfaredi, Park Hyatt Hotel: Pulled BBQ veal slider, mushroom confit, tomato herb aioli

Along with wines, spirits, and premium beer, we found Tipicular Fixin’s Sno Ball refreshing and hits the spot!

Tipicular Fixin’s Sno Ball, despite it’s light pink colouring, was deceptively strong. Loved it!

Nuit Regular of Khao San Road with Mar Hor – Savoury pork and peanut on a sweet slice of fresh pineapple, garnished with spicy thai chili and cilantro

Trista Sheen of Crush Wine Bar – Jerk chicken wings with jalapeno corn cream

Chef Joanne Lusted, Clean Eating Magazine, making homemade ricotta rapini pesto with fall vegetable chips

Dulce de Leche Brownie Lollipops

You can stay in the loop about Eat to the Beat in 2013 by subscribing to updates at eattothebeat.ca. You can help ensure that no one has to face breast cancer alone!

ABOUT WILLOW BREAST CANCER SUPPORT CANADA

Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that provides free support and information today for those who cannot wait for tomorrow’s cure.

For more information visit www.willow.org

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