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Don’t Miss FREE Riverside, Toronto Winefest EXPO April 2nd!

Wine-Tasting (1)

Riverside Winefest is coming March 29th to April 3rd  –  experience an Ontario Wine Tour in your own backyard when award-winning wineries and growers from Prince Edward County, Niagara Wine Region, and Lake Erie North Shore come to Toronto for Riverside’s 2ndAnnual WineFEST.  Sponsored by the Riverside Business Improvement Area (BIA), Ralph Thornton Center, Boxcar Social, and Chef Scott Savoie, Riverside WineFEST will showcase 10 wineries and dozens of wines for 20+ events at venues along Riverside – Queen St East from the DVP to Empire Avenue.

The Festival’s signature event is the FREE Community Riverside Wine Expo hosted at The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen St E, 2nd Fl) on April 2nd from 2-5pm:

Let us know you’re coming!!!

 

Uncovering Riverside Blog #5: Easter in Historic Riverside

–by Barry Slater, Guest Blogger and Historian of the Royal Canadian Curling Club

(Read all the Uncovering Series)

Time advances slowly with the turning of the planet and its path around the sun, day by day reported in the daily newspapers, then filed in the archives of various organizations. As is usual in this search for Riverside past, a question is asked or a request made that refers to the ongoing present, in this case the Easter season in Historic Riverside. What is remembered is most often a fragment, a word, an expression or an image that evokes an occasion. What is not remembered lies quietly awaiting the light of a new day, hoping for a sympathetic eye and an understanding heart. I went looking  for Easter, the changing dates in the changing seasons made this difficult, searches turned up hunts for coloured eggs and vestry meetings, but mostly hopes for spring’s warming.

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The WoodGreen Methodist Church, built in 1875 for 250 people, doubled in size in 1887. Then, incredibly, by 1890 this church was rebuilt four times as big as the original, located on the the west side of Strange Street at Queen Street East. The first picture was taken looking south from Boulton Ave with the sign for the library visible in the upper right. A search for Strange Street turned up this clip from The Toronto Star March 28, 1905.

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(G.T.R. stands for Grand Trunk Railway).

Baseball! Now that’s a spring thing in which I am always interested. Looking in the 1903 City directory for the address 58 Strange, I was tweaked by the name Robert Gard listed at that address. Where had I seen that unusual name before?

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Looking again at our 1901 photo of the Royal Canadian Base Ball Club, there he is:  George Gard, standing on the far right next to the 29 year old George Capps. When this photo was made, Lever Brothers were just building their Sunlight soap factory across Eastern Avenue from the Toronto Baseball Grounds, which would soon be called Sunlight Park as shown in this Dec. 4, 1902 clipping from The Globe.

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The interest the Royal Canadian had in a broad range of sporting endeavors is shown here, presaging the building in 1929 of the ice palace now known as the Royal Canadian Curling Club. At the time of this article the clubhouse was still at Dingman’s Hall, 4 years before the building of the Bicycle Clubhouse at 131 Broadview. Today it’s difficult to imagine the ballpark in the heart of this downtown neighborhood so here’s a bird’s eye view of both the stadium and the church, a bit of the open fields surrounding the little village of whose name, Riverside, was all but forgotten.

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(Read all the Uncovering Series)

Premiering at the Riverside Winefest Expo: ‘Riverside District’ Photography Collection by Robert Young

Experience the Premiere of ‘Riverside District’ a Breathtaking Fine Art Photography Exhibition of Riverside Neighbourhood

Riverside Exhibit

Riverside Winefest is coming March 29th to April 3rd  – get ready to experience an Ontario Wine Tour in your own backyard when award-winning wineries and growers from Prince Edward County, Niagara Wine Region, and Lake Erie North Shore come to Toronto for Riverside’s 2nd Annual WineFEST.  Sponsored by the Riverside Business Improvement Area (BIA), Ralph Thornton Center, Boxcar Social, and Chef Scott Savoie, Riverside WineFEST will showcase 10 wineries and dozens of wines for 20+ events at venues along Riverside – Queen St East from the DVP to Empire Avenue.  Nearly two dozen participating Riverside restaurants and retailers will host everything from exclusive prix fixe wine pairing dinners to FREE wine tasting extravaganzas.

The Festival’s signature event is the FREE Community Riverside Wine Expo hosted at The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen St E, 2nd Fl) on April 2nd from 2-5pm.

Expo-goers will experience the premiere of ‘Riverside District’ an intimate look at Riverside neighbourhood businesses and urban landscape by Robert Young, sponsored by The Printing House. Robert, the photographer of YOUNG World Faces of Pan Am, has a mission of “Curating Life Through The Language Of Design“.  Come see for yourself how he makes the intimate details and cracks of Riverside’s fabric as a business district and as a community come alive with his dynamic photographs on metal print. Get a sneak preview via Robert’s website: http://robertyoungiam.com/riversidedistrict

Other exciting highlights of the Riverside Winefest Expo include:

PRE-REGISTER for THE EXPO!!

Meet the Wineries of Riverside Winefest!

Wine-Tasting (1)

From March 29th to April 3rd, get ready to experience an Ontario Wine Tour in your own backyard when award-winning wineries and growers from Prince Edward County, Niagara Wine Region, and Lake Erie North Shore come to Toronto for Riverside’s 2nd Annual WineFEST.

Sponsored by the Riverside Business Improvement Area (BIA), Ralph Thornton Center, Boxcar Social, and Chef Scott Savoie, Riverside Winefest will showcase 10 wineries, and dozens of wines for 20+ events at venues along Riverside – Queen St East from the DVP to Empire Avenue. Nearly two dozen participating Riverside restaurants and retailers will host everything from exclusive prix fixe wine pairing dinners to FREE wine tasting extravaganzas.

Without further adieu, introducing the Wineries of Riverside Winefest 2016:

13TH STREET WINERY – NIAGARA WINE REGION

Owners, partners and friends Doug and Karen Whitty and John and June Mann share a common love of wine, food and art and a genuine heart for hospitality. Their boutique winery, set amongst 25 acres of family estate vineyards, is just minutes west of St. Catharines. They specialize in hand-crafted sparkling wines, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. Their winemaker, Jean Pierre Colas, is one of the most talented French trained winemakers in the business.

Wines Available to ‘Try & Order’ at Riverside Winefest:

  • Cuvee Rose (Non-vintage), White Palette 2013, June’s Vineyard Riesling 2013, Burger Blend Gamay Pinot Noir 2014, Gamay Noir 2014

Try their wines by pre-registering at these Riverside Winefest Events:

  • Spring Fashion & FREE Wine Tasting at Bergstrom Originals (781 Queen St E) – March 31, 4-6pm
  • Jazz, Wine & Hair at Untitled Hair Salon (792 Queen E) – April 1, 6-8pm
  • FREE Riverside Wine Expo at The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen E, 2nd Fl) – April 2, 2-5pm

KACABA WINERY – NIAGARA WINE REGION

In 1995, Michael Kacaba launched into the wine industry, preserving a piece of prime vineyard bench land from a developer’s bulldozer. Today Kacaba Vineyard Winery boasts multiple-award-winning wines and environmentally sustainable winemaking practices. Winemaker John Tummon oversees a range of small batch whites and ripe, elegant red wines. Kacaba proudly hosts one of the oldest plantings of Syrah in Canada and totes the first Ontario red wine to be named Red Wine of the Year at the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards.

Wines Available to ‘Try & Order’ at Riverside Winefest:

  • Riesling Reserve 2014, Rebecca Rose 2015 (New Release), Jennifer’s Pinot Gris 2015 (New Release), Pinot Noir 2011, Terraced Vineyard Syrah 2011, Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (New Release)

Try their wines by pre-registering at these Riverside Winefest Events:

  • Riverside Arts Market Uncorked FREE Wine Tasting (790 Queen E) – March 31, 4-6pm
  • Wine Down & Celebrate our 16th with FREE Wine Tasting at Dimensions Framing (733 Queen E) – April 1, 4-6pm
  • FREE Riverside Wine Expo @ The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen E, 2nd Fl) – April 2, 2-5pm
  • FREE WOGA = Wine & Yoga The Chi Junky Studio (70 McGee St) – April 3, 2-5:30pm

BROKEN STONE WINERY – PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

Tim and Micheline Kuepfer purchased three hayfields on a Prince Edward County backroad in 2009, they threw their first harvest party in 2010 and harvested two tonnes of quality Pinot Noir wine grapes. By 2012 they built a small building, got a license and Broken Stone Winery was born. They adopt minimal winemaking approaches and allow nature to express itself.

Wines Available to ‘Try & Order’ at Riverside Winefest:

  • Pinot Noir 2014, Cab Franc 2015, Riesling 2015, Simplicity 2015 (Vidal/Gris Blend)

Try their wines by pre-registering at these Riverside Winefest Events:

  • FREE Wine Tasting & Wellness Seminar @ Oma Chiropractic (1 Munro St) – March 29, 7:30-9pm
  • Buy, Sell, Trade & FREE Wine Tasting @ Common Sort (804 Queen St E) – March 31, 4-6pm
  • FREE Riverside Wine Expo @ The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen E, 2nd Fl) – April 2, 2-5pm

VINELAND ESTATES WINERY– NIAGARA WINE REGION

For over thirty years, Vineland Estates Winery has continually elevated the wine and culinary experience in Niagara. Open all year, they are not only the home of fine wine and cuisine, but an unmatched touring facility and wine country destination. The result is a legacy of great Riesling, exceptional dining, and memorable wine adventure.

Try their wines by pre-registering at this Riverside Winefest Events:

  • FREE Riverside Wine Expo @ The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen E, 2nd Fl) – April 2, 2-5pm

THREE DOG WINERY – PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

John and Sacha Squair started Three Dog Winery in 2000 with 500 vines. Today Three Dog Winery’s estate covers 100 acres in beautiful Prince Edward County. They started off with a focus on Pinot Noir, soon followed by Pinot Gris, and since then have been slowly adding more Pinot clones and some French hybrids, a little Baco, a little Foch, a little Vidal and lots of love. Three Dog Winery was named for their three Golden Retrievers, rescues from their friends at Golden Rescue Canada – needless to say the winery is a very dog-friendly place!

Try their wines by pre-registering at this Riverside Winefest Events:

  • FREE Riverside Wine Expo @ The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen E, 2nd Fl) – April 2, 2-5pm

TRAIL ESTATE WINERY – PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

Situated in the heart of Prince Edward County, where Benway Road meets the Millennium Trail, is Trail Estate Winery. They focus solely on small-batch wines – some as few as only 10 cases at a time – using exceptional hand-picked grapes. This creates superb wines which reflect a particular vintage, with strong varietal character, structure and individuality. As they tend to let the season and terroir speak for themselves, their wines have character and complex flavours that generally finish dry — essentially perfect food-pairing wines!

Wines Available to ‘Try & Order’ at Riverside Winefest:

  • 2014 Pinot Noir Rosé (New Release), 2014 Gamay (New Release), 2013 Cabernet, 2014 Riesling, 2014 Unoaked Chardonnay, 2013 Barrel-Aged Chardonnay

Try their wines by pre-registering  at these Riverside Winefest Events:

  • Vintage Finds and FREE White Wine Tastings @ Guff Furniture (1 Davies Ave) – March 30, 4-6pm
  • Trail Estate Wine Pairing Dinner ($85pp) By Reservation @ The Peasant Table (786 Queen E) – April 1, 8pm
  • FREE Riverside Wine Expo @ The Ralph Thornton Centre (765 Queen E, 2nd Fl) – April 2, 2-5pm

BLACK BEAR WINERY – LAKE ERIE NORTH SHORE

Located in Essex County on the western edge of Kingsville, Black Bear is a family estate winery which specializes in fruit wines made from their own berries and fruit on the family farm of Jerome and Madeline Rondelez. William Rondelez, the family’s winemaker, has captured the essence of the fruit and has put it in a bottle for all to enjoy year-long. With over 30 varieties of fruit wine, their flavours range from Strawberry and Muskmelon to Purple Raspberry and Black Currant.

Wines Available to ‘Try & Order’ at Riverside Winefest:

  • Red Raspberry, Strawberry, Peach, Red Raspberry, Black Current

Try their wines by pre-registering at these Riverside Winefest Events:

  • FREE Wine Tasting & Discover Bouquets Sensory Event @ Quince Flowers (660 Queen St E) – March 29, 4-6pm
  • FREE Sweets & Dessert Wine Tasting @ Sugar Loaf Bakery & Cafe (729 Queen E) – March 29, 4-6pm

More participating Riverside Winefest wineries and where you can enjoy their wines:

  • STRATUS VINEYARDS (NIAGARA WINE REGION) – enjoy Stratus wines with an exquisite dinner at the Stratus Wine Pairing Dinner ($55pp) By Reservation @ Tabule Middle Eastern Cuisine (810 Queen E) – March 30, 7pm
  • HENRY OF PELHAM (NIAGARA WINE REGION) – taste their wines at I’ll Be Seeing You drinking wine on a Wednesday @ I’ll be Seeing You Bar (747 Queen E) – March 30, 6pm
  • TAWSE WINERY (NIAGARA WINE REGION) – free wine tastings at Wine Trivia Night By Reservation @ The County Riverside (798 Queen E) – March 29, 8pm
  • CAVE SPRING CELLARS (NIAGARA WINE REGION) – enjoy their wines with an excellent five-course dinner Ontario Wine with an Italian Flair ($75pp) By Reservation @ il ponte cucina italiana (630 Queen E) – March 31, 6:30pm. Also, check out ‘The Guilty Pair’ Special @ Darkhorse Espresso (630 Queen E) which pairs Cave Spring wine with shortbread (available all week)!

So why not come out and enjoy this Ontario wine tour – in your own backyard!

Just pre-register to let us know your coming!

Mary Macleod’s Shortbread is 35 this year!

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Mary Macleod started baking her famous shortbread in a small shop by the old Capitol Theater on March 24, 1981. Thirty-five years later, the business has grown into a Canadian gem, offering a variety of flavours and packages of gourmet, artisan shortbread cookies.

scan0049 copyToronto Sun image of Mary Macleod when she first opened her doors

When Mary first opened Mary Macleod’s Shortbread, she was the first bakery in Canada that was exclusively devoted to shortbread, and there would be line-ups outside before she even opened her doors, and she would typically be sold out quite early in the morning! Shortly after she opened her first shop, Mary is quoted to having said, “I’ll toddle off quite happily to retirement when I know that I have left people in every country in the world with a good taste in their mouth.” Although Mary’s hardly toddling off (she still sometimes gets into the bakery), she certainly has left a lasting impression around the world, from Mick Jagger and Elton John to the Queen of England singing her praise!

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Royal letter thanking Mary Macleod for her shortbread

In 1997. Mary Macleod’s moved to Riverside. She had the bakery on the street level, and lives in the apartment above. At that time the neighbourhood was not the hub it is today, so she was only open Tuesday to Thursdays from January to October and Tuesdays to Saturday from November to December for the holiday season. In 2009 She opened the shop 7 days a week.

Many flavours have been created over the years, though Mary’s signature flavour is Chocolate Crunch shortbread – a traditional shortbread cookie made with Belgian chocolate pieces to give it that added sweetness and crunch. When it first came out, this flavor was considered scandalous, and The Scottish Society of Canada sent Mary a strongly worded letter stating that she could not put chocolate in a cookie and call shortbread! Mary responded to this note, by mailing them a sample, and they replied with an apology and readily agreeing that her Chocolate crunch was in fact an exceptionally delicious shortbread cookie. Other fan-favourites include Cranberry Almond, Dark Chocolate Espresso, Hazelnut Crunch and of course, Traditional shortbread.

The cookies are all baked by experts, in small batches and using the finest ingredients, to ensure customers get the same great quality they’ve come to expect from Mary Macleod’s Shortbread. While Mary Macleod’s Shortbread still runs a retail store of its own, these buttery shortbread cookies can now be found in stores throughout Canada.

The business is now run by Mary’s daughter-in-law, Sharon Macleod, though Mary can often be found in the shop visiting customers or in the kitchen sharing her wisdom. Mary Macleod’s Shortbread has evolved over the years from a small bakery in downtown Toronto to a wholesale and retail business bringing tasty traditional shortbread to people all over the world.

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Handwritten notes from Mary Macleod 

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