Author: shawnawagman
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Pairs well with not taking life too seriously’: How an Ontario brewery is doing things differently
By Shawna Wagman Special to The Star Fri., Feb. 5, 2021 When Mallory Jones, Jessica Nettleton and Justin da Silva landed on the name Matron for their Bloomfield, Ont.-based brewery, it checked all the boxes. “We wanted to have a strong, feminine name,” says da Silva, “It’s also a shout-out to those who…
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Quebec baker hangs up his apron
SHAWNA WAGMAN Rigaud, Que. — Special to The Globe and Mail, Apr. 07, 2015 Jean-Guy Boucher never considered switching to a digital scale from the cast-iron double-pan balance scale he has always used. But after a lifetime of baking, the 87-year-old and his scale are preparing to retire for good. “This is it,” he says. “This is…
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Zen and the art of eating yak
This article appeared in Ottawa Magazine in February 2013. YAK TATAKI. Yak tataki. When I first spotted those two words on the menu at Oz Kafe four years ago, I couldn’t wait to say them out loud: yak tataki, yak tataki, yak tataki. They are the kinds of words that a food writer dreams about — playful,…
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Gastrodiplomacy: Culinary Marketing’s New Buzzword
A meal out can be an exercise in international relations. Pass the kimchi, por favor. Published in EnRoute Magazine, NOV 05, 2014 There was a sudden surge of Korean restaurants in Ottawa’s Chinatown, and so I convinced my friend to join me on a foray into the world of bulgogi and bibimbap. This was on…
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Why the world’s top female sommelier chose to come home to Gatineau
GATINEAU — Special to The Globe and Mail Published May. 20 2015 Véronique Rivest, the Quebec sommelier deemed to have one of the best palates on Earth, says she was one of those horrible children who put everything in her mouth – dirt, grass and discarded wads of gum. “There are photos of me on the beach…
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Citric acid: How sour is becoming a chef’s new weapon
BY SHAWNA WAGMAN Special to The Globe and Mail, Apr. 09 2014 As far as It ingredients go, citric acid is an unlikely one – it’s the stuff found at the bottom of the bag of sour gummy candies. But the grainy, white powder’s ability to heighten flavours and bring balance to a dish –…
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Three key ingredients to turn up the heat in your kitchen
BY SHAWNA WAGMAN Special to the Globe and Mail, Feb. 12 2014 Thanks to celebrity chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi and David Chang, the once exotic tastes of Morocco, Korea, Japan and others have infused our food world. Whether dining out or curling up at home with the hottest new cookbook, many of us are bumping up…
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How this University of Windsor prof became Saveur’s ultimate reader
SHAWNA WAGMAN Special to The Globe and Mail, Mar. 12 2014 University of Windsor professor Rob Nelson has been chopping, grinding and braising his way through sauce-splattered pages of Saveur ever since his wife gave him a subscription to the food magazine seven years ago. Cooking quickly became his principal hobby and a welcome distraction…
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What’s in a name? How cheese became a wedge issue in the free-trade era
BY SHAWNA WAGMAN Special to The Globe and Mail, Mar. 19 2014 Nothing like a little cheese controversy to nibble away at a nation’s notion of food culture. Americans are raising a stink in reaction to free-trade talks that led the European Union to push for the protection of popular names for cheeses with historical…
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Is Fine Dining Dead?
In 2007 Frenchman Yannick Anton took over the reigns as executive chef of Le Cordon Bleu’s restaurant, Signatures. That same year, it was recognized by the CAA/AAA as a Five Diamond restaurant—the highest and most coveted symbol of excellence for fine dining in North America. The following year, the Sandy Hill crown jewel shut down…
Shawna Wagman 