Tag Archives: Tourism Toronto

AHOY, MATEY….AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM TORONTO HARBOUR!

What a lovely way to spend Thanksgiving….cruising around Toronto’s stunning Lake Ontario harbour and islands, watching the planes come in and snapping away like a crazed tourist! I love taking quickee “stay-cations” or playing hookey mid-week and taking off for a calming boat cruise through the islands. Today is Thanksgiving Monday in Canada and everyone is busy roasting turkeys and shuffling between family homes with pumpkin pies and bottles of wine. Me? Well, I’m thankful to have access to simple pleasures like harbour boat cruises and the nice folks at Toronto Harbour Tours didn’t disappoint  www.harbourtourstoronto.ca20161010_132506Captain Dylan (pictured above) and Cruise Director Mike welcomed me aboard then cast off for a 1 hour tour – unlike Gilligan and his 3hr tour, there was little chance of getting shipwrecked. We cast off our boat, the Shipsands, and headed out into Lake Ontario, past all the condos and restaurants…..

What a beautiful city and waterfront we have. I sometimes forget the beauty that’s just minutes from my front door.20161010_12391920161010_123542 20161010_125024My sailing buddies were a fun bunch showing their out of town friends around the city.20161010_124201

20161010_13075920161010_131345As our boat was returning, we caught this scary plane landing…must have been Sully at the controls!

Whew, that was a close call. More picturesque photo opps….20161010_13211020161010_132012…then aloha and farewell to Capt. Dylan and Mike (who’s being dive-bombed here by a rogue seagull)20161010_132513The fun didn’t end there…I remembered there was an artisans’ market further along the harbourfront so I set forth to forage for food and oh boy…peameal bacon on a kaiser roll – my favourite!!20161010_135605And dessert courtesy of Carla’s Cookie Box! Yummmmm20161010_140814

So Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all my blog readers…wishing you lots of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pies…burp!

UKRAINIAN-CDN ARTIST JANNA KROUPKO LAUNCHES “TAPESTRY” SHOW OF WOVEN ART & PAINTINGS @ URBAN GALLERY

URBAN GALLERY, 400 Queen St East in Toronto, is presenting a unique show over the month of July – the stunning woven art and paintings by JANNA KROUPKO, a Ukrainian-Canadian artist now residing in Toronto. This is Janna’s second show at Urban Gallery and I spoke with curator, Allen Shugar, during yesterday’s launch party.

Bold and colourful, Janna‘s hand-woven textiles and paintings are imbued with the artist’s vibrant energy. She brings her forms to life with her intuitive sense of space, colour and design. Like her 2015 Dreamscapes exhibition at Urban Gallery (pictured below) , these current works show her immense talent and passion for art in nature and the world around us.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABorn in the Ukraine, Janna arrived in Canada in 1997; her artistic career had developed in Kazakhstan working in Fibre Art (Gobelin), oil and acrylic painting, and interior design. Her works range from miniatures to multi-panel installations, and can be found in public collections, museums, and institutions in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, and in private collections all over the world.20160709_142839 20160709_145123Janna welcomed a number of fellow artists to her opening, including painter Erik Chong and sculptor Olga Nabatova (pictured below)…20160709_143112 20160709_145341Apart from Janna’s large woven pieces, she is also showcasing a number of miniatures that are quite charming……20160709_142930(0) 20160709_142938Everyone seemed attracted to this stunning colourful vertical tapestry (below) so I took a close-up to show the intricacy of Janna’s work.20160709_143017 20160709_145111And here are some more close-ups of her hand-woven art….20160709_143054 20160709_143609For gallery hours, details on this show and other upcoming events, visit www.urbangallery.ca20160709_142901 20160709_142831

TSE INTRODUCES MUZIK EVENT CENTRE’S INTERIOR RENO’S & POOLS WITH SEXY NETWORKING SOIREE

The folks at Toronto Special Events were kind enough to invite me to the industry networking event over at MUZIK ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE in Exhibition Grounds to unveil their multi-million dollar renovations, pool installations and their oh so delicious catering thanks to the tasty Food Dudes.20160608_17223620160608_174623 Accompanying me was hairstylist to the stars (and me!) Cathie D of “Cut, Do or Dye” in-home hair services and being kinda silly when we socialize, we spent a great deal of time playing with the Boomerang app on my phone posting silly videos on Instagram. How old am I? LOL20160608_173358The cavernous interior of Muzik was made very intimate and cosy thanks to some great drapery and huge table displays in the various seating areas (below)….20160608_173534…and the food service was non-stop, both pass around and buffet style. This lovely young lady (below) kept Cathie and me well-fed all night!20160608_192009 20160608_17461120160608_18273320160608_175816(0)20160608_172224DJ Tay James spun hot tunes all evening although they stuck him in the dark surrounded by giant potted palms. Trust me, he was cute! And he’s Justin Bieber’s official tour DJ. Wonder if he does weddings & bar mitzvahs, too?20160608_173856We were also treated to lots of lovely cocktails – I played it safe with my usual G&Ts (gin and tonic, for those non-Brits reading this). Think I was on my 3rd round when Cathie snapped this somewhat demented pic…20160608_17341720160608_173327I was thrilled to run into old friend Omar Leslie (below R), a charming young man who was one of my earliest blogging inspirations. He attended with friend Paul (L) who works in Special Events/PR industry.20160608_193217(0)Out back of the giant showroom (formerly the Horticultural Bldg at the CNE)  is a series of glamorous terraces and patios including turquoise pools for swimming, paddling or whatever people do in public in pools…oh my!!!!20160608_194602 20160608_194430 20160608_194530Also scattered around the Muzik terraces are a number of statues (above) that are part of Toronto’s public arts programme.
Back inside, we watched some great promo videos on the giant screens , then Cathie decided I needed “one more for the road” and hit up the bar for another G&T.20160608_18072420160608_180713Big thanks to everyone at Muzik, especially Amy Tomes who gave me the best directions and parking info earlier. Check out the website for their weekly entertainment and corporate events info. www.muzikclubs.com20160608_173356_001

A redhead and a blonde walk into a bar…..(add your own punchline here!)

KANGA AUSSIE MEAT PIES CELEBRATES 2nd ANNIVERSARY IN TORONTO…YUMMM

I was thrilled to celebrate KANGA AUSSIE MEAT PIE’s two years of feeding Toronto’s hungry tummies when I dropped in to enjoy a couple of meat pies and some Lamingtons, too!

I must admit to a twinge of homesick blues as I walked thru the balloon-bedecked doorway….growing up DownUnder, meat pies were a staple on every school kid’s menu. Our school tuckshop doled out thousands of them at lunchtimes over the course of a year and I can still remember the glorious fragrance of fresh baked pies coming from the kitchen wafting through the class windows. That memory came back the minute I walked into Kanga!20160516_11425320160516_114921(0) As I walked in, my salivary glands were working overtime and Erynn welcomed me with a big smile from the front window….20160516_114306I immediately made myself at home with a steaming “traditional” Aussie pie topped with ketchup, or as we call it in Oz, tomato sauce. 20160516_115854 20160516_121732 20160516_121847….and soon made short shrift of the whole thing. Believe me, if I wasn’t out in public I would have licked the plate, too!!! The crust was flakey and light, just the way they make ’em back home.  And of course, no Aussie meat pie is complete until you finish up with a Lamington…..yummmmmm.20160516_114942 20160516_115545Erynn and Megan had lots of Kanga fans dropping in to wish them a happy anniversary, including these two lovely ladies who tucked right in…apparently they’re frequent flyers here at Kanga!20160516_122511Thanks for the great DownUnder hospitality, Kanga, and I can’t wait to come back for more.Logo card

Kanga Aussie Meat Pies, 65 Duncan St (south off Queen St W, just W of University Ave), Toronto.
Check their website for all the different pie flavours they offer: www.eatkanga.com20160516_121425PS: Look what Megan gave me as a surprise treat to go…OMG, I’m in Lammie heaven!20160516_130115(0)

URBANSOURCE CREATIVE CATERING SPONSORS TORONTO UNITED CHURCH’S HEART & VISION AWARDS CONCERT

Boy, what a busy time UrbanSource Creative Catering is having…last week they catered a number of high profile events and last night, Monday May 9, they kicked off the week by providing the post-concert reception for attendees, VIPs, the entertainers and the esteemed winners of the annual Toronto United Church Council’s Heart & Vision Awards.20160509_220232The 8th annual concert honoured Roberta L. Jamieson, President of Indspire, Canada’s premiere Indigenous-led charity, and the first First Nations woman to earn a law degree in Canada, and Marie Wilson, one of the three commissioners on Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Musical entertainment was provided by: Alana Bridgewater, star of We Will Rock You, Christa Couture, Canadian Aboriginal Music Award winner, Brenda MacIntyre, Medicine Song Woman, Billy Newton Davis, Juno Award winner, Nukariik, Inuit throat singers, and Jackie Richardson, Gospel, Jazz, and Blues sensation
The evening was hosted by Hon. Bob Rae, lawyer, mediator, speaker, writer, and Ontario’s 21st Premier.
Proceeds from the concert and gifts to the Community Relief Fund support the Council’s partnership programs through which local congregations rebuild and equip their church facilities to enhance community social services.20160509_205741The hors d’oeuvre menu included Angus mini beef burgers, Cajun salmon cakes, Moroccan chicken rouelles (below)20160509_205639Also making an appearance: Urban’s famous Arancini risotto balls filled with luscious gooey buffalo mozzarella cheese and served with roasted chipotle pepper sauce (below)…20160509_211300….as well as Pear and Stilton Tartlets (my new favourite), and a Crostini Duo consisting of roasted grape with burrata, basil and balsamic drizzle, and fresh Bosc pear poached with port and cinnamon, with ricotta and candied walnut both served on toasted honey crostini.20160509_205617 20160509_211318As usual, Urban’s friendly staff (hear, resting up prior to service) kept everyone well fed and watered….20160509_210348…and here’s Sales & Events Coordinator Jean-Marc (below R) with bartender Yaz (below L)20160509_210011Chef Lyndon (below R) kept his kitchen staff hopping…preparing so many plates of treats that they could rival that legendary loaves-and-fishes event…20160509_20570520160509_205852The most popular treats of the night where the mini-burgers….they disappeared quickly off each tray as soon as they came out of the kitchen!20160509_220414And the dainty dessert trays were also a huge hit.20160509_205556 20160509_210259Compliments were freely offered by all attendees who were rarely seen without some yummy treat in their hands (and mouths)! 20160509_215435And the modest understated decor, also provided by Urban, was perfectly suited to the occasion.20160509_211531 20160509_210157Thanks to all involved and if you’d like to learn more about the Toronto United Church Council, please visit them here: www.tucc.ca/

And for all your catering needs…and then some! …..please contact UrbanSource Creative Catering here: www.urbancatering.com/20160509_221735

 

TORONTO’S URBAN GALLERY HOSTS CENTENNIAL COLLEGE’S 1ST YR. ART STUDENTS’ EXHIBITION

This afternoon (Sat.Mar.19) Toronto’s URBAN GALLERY launched a new exhibition – twenty five emerging artists strut their stuff as adventurers in the realm of lures, traps, and transcendence in this year’s Centennial College Studio Arts Program 1st year student exhibition entitled TEMPT: an exploration of tainted grace in the contemporary world.

Urban’s curator, Allen Shugar did an inspiring job presenting each work – here he is greeting gallery guests (below)….20160319_144556File 2016-03-19, 6 49 58 PM…and above with business partner Calvin (R) and Centennial’s arts program coordinator David McClyment(C) .

Lots of family and friends came out to support the young painters (below)File 2016-03-19, 6 48 29 PM 20160319_144037 20160319_144112 20160319_144436 20160319_144134The artists were all excited and pleased to see their works hung on a professional gallery wall….promises of things to come!File 2016-03-19, 6 50 47 PM File 2016-03-19, 6 47 05 PM DSC08445My fab assistant, Gabriella, was busy posting pics to Instagram but I managed to snap her quickly (bottom left of picture, below)20160319_144501The show runs until Saturday March 26th so I encourage you to drop by and support these young artists. Gallery hours and directions: http://www.urbangallery.ca/ but if you can’t make it down in person, enjoy this brief virtual walk thru the gallery.  THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CANADIAN ARTISTS!

 

BEACH WEATHER IN PORT HOPE!!

Is that Waikiki? Bora Bora? How about world famous Bondi beach in Sydney? No, believe it or not, this is the lovely little beach on the shores of Lake Ontario at Port Hope, a charming historic town just 50 mins. east of Toronto. And with our unusually warm weather in the middle of what should be winter, my fabulous intern and photographer Gabriella Luchetta and I decided to take a little road trip yesterday so we could have some fun as well as getting work stuff done! Come run your toes thru the sand with us on this virtual beachcombing stroll…..File 2016-02-04, 7 30 14 PMI grabbed my Samsung Note 4 and started shooting video and snapshots…stand still please, seagulls!20160204_145223 20160204_145703

Here’s Gabriella in action…20160204_145047

and this is the shot she just took…File 2016-02-04, 7 25 56 PMWe took some cool “boomerang” videos, too, and I’ll upload those later. I’ll also take you for another walk along the streets of my favourite town and intro you to my PH friends who welcome visitors year-round to their stores and restaurants in another blog that should be published by the end of today. Until that’s uploaded, enjoy the beauty and peace of Port Hope’s lovely little beach….where’s my sunscreen???File 2016-02-04, 7 30 49 PMwww.porthope.ca

 

 

URBAN GALLERY hosts new show ‘HUMANIMAL” featuring soft sculptures & paintings by ZOE CHANGEUN SON

I’d like to intro you to exciting Korean-Canadian artist ZOE CHANGEUN SON (below), whose show of mythical beasts portrayed in soft sculptures as well as paintings, is now on exhibition at URBAN GALLERY, 400 Queen St East, Toronto, running until Feb 13/16.20160116_142609(0)HUMANIMAL showcases the wee creatures that are 3D portraits of the beasts in her imagination. Scary, weird, humourous and bizarre, the felt and cloth critters are displayed flying across the gallery wall and some mini beasties are on a central table – I just had to say hello (bottom picture).20160116_144929 20160116_144939

20160116_142155 20160116_142404Nancy from Snapd Newspaper dropped in to cover the artist’s reception and was busy snapping away (below)20160116_142030 20160116_142313Zoe’s paintings show the same imaginative spirit, featuring all manner of whimsical humans with “special” powers and appearances. I was intrigued by the snowy bunny-like androgynous being below, titled “Someone’s Portrait #1″….IMG_7210…as well as “Someone’s Portrait #2”, featuring this moose/boy belowIMG_7211Also shown are a series of mandalas and imaginary beasts, painted in acrylics on canvas or wood. Aren’t these extraordinary?20160116_142011 20160116_142451 20160116_14245720160116_145004The fabulous Kaspara Albertsen (below, right) ably assisted with gallery hospitality – a photographic artist herself, she knows how to motivate the staff as well as her fellow artists.20160116_142821The rest of the gallery staff and management were in attendance and joined Zoe for photo opps, below. L-R: Calvin Hambrook (gallery director), Kaspara, Zoe & Allen Sugar (curator)20160116_142946I encourage you all to go see where the wild things are over the next 4 weeks…check out the gallery’s website for hours and directions:  www.urbangallery.ca

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MORE EXCITING POP-ART….THIS TIME BY TORONTO’S OWN STEPHEN TRICANICO

Another fabulous artist’s reception at Urban Gallery tonight – the launch of their August show “Left Brain, Right Brain” by 24yr old Toronto abstract expressionist/pop artist Stephen Tricanico (below)

20150806_172054Stephen spent the last year allowing himself to have a heightened focus on waking up and creating every day which resulted in the works shown in this new exhibition.

Artist statement:   With the pop works, I was trying to create a visual reinterpretation of plays on words and poetry, having pieces based on thoughts I once had. The abstracts result from wanting to do something based on a feeling, allowing the work to satisfy my left and right brain, and hopefully the viewers as well.

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20150806_171959The growing crowd of art aficionados that filled the gallery seemed to agree – these were exciting and provocative works. Congrats to Urban Gallery for introducing this talented artist.

20150806_172305 20150806_172232I met up with two of the charming gallery assistants from the Andy Warhol exhibit at Revolver Gallery’s Bloor St pop-up (see previous blog story). Meet Valeria (below L) and Lily (below R) who came out to see Stephen’s work.

20150806_175741Below, the fabulous Paddy Reagan (left) enjoyed schmoozing with Urban Source Catering’s Wayne Abell (right)

20150806_172602And the oh so sassy ladies below are KJ Mullins, Publisher of Newz4U.net (left) and Urban’s own gallery goddess Kaspara Albertsen (right)

20150806_172749Even “her Maj” put in an appearance….“you want fries with that, Liz?”

20150806_172132There were lots more cutie pies…..

20150806_172202 20150806_172359…and I really liked Stephen’s abstracts, esp. this real dope piece!

Stephen’s show “Left Brain, Right Brain” runs until August 29th and you can check out more details on Urban Gallery’s website: www.urbangallery.ca  

Gallery hours:
Noon to 5pm Monday through Saturday
Noon to 8pm Thursdays
Closed Sundays & Holidays
Viewings outside gallery hours by appointment

URBANSOURCE CATERING/URBAN GALLERY HOSTS TOURISM TORONTO MEMBERS!

As the song says…”oh what a night”! We had an absolute blast last night at Urban Gallery (400 Queen St East, Toronto) when UrbanSource Catering hosted a special members’ social for Tourism Toronto event planners and corporate buyers.  Thanks to the hard work of TT’s Christopher Barry and Denise Belgrove, Urban had a full house despite the rain soaked tornado-like weather conditions (no flying monkeys or witches were harmed during the making of this event!).

20150610_153809 20150610_153801Before the guests arrived, the bar was set-up with wines from Pelee Island wineries (above), and Chef Lyndon laid out the sumptuous charcuterie table, complete with condiments courtesy of Whisky & Spice (booze-infused premium mustards made locally by Dan Gordon) – below.

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20150610_154929Urban Gallery’s current art show featuring Khat Karim‘s colourful paintings, looked awesome (below)

20150610_153852And the team gathered for a quick pic prior to the doors opening (below: Urban’s Kaspara, Calvin, and Wayne with Christopher from TT in white shirt sleeves)

20150610_154909Let the games being! Toronto’s best event planners and buyers poured in and what a fantastic group of industry professionals they were. Everyone was eager to taste UrbanSource Catering’s menu and view the gallery space for potential events, meetings, parties and social gatherings….and the concensus was a big thumbs-up!

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20150610_164953 20150610_174434(0) 20150610_175307We had a couple of prize draws and Urban partner Calvin got busy gathering everyone’s biz cards (below)

20150610_175010One of our fun interactive activities was an art board where guests were asked to draw their company logo and take selfies for social media sharing. Below, here are some of the guests having fun with the marker pens creating their own masterpieces!

20150610_175931 20150610_175123 20150610_175924 20150610_190625Below, Kaspara was finally able to lure Chef Lyndon out from the kitchen to enjoy the accolades and kudos for his yummy hors d’oeuvres….

20150610_183247…..and the team got together one more time to celebrate a fun and successful soiree, this time joined by Urban’s catering & events consultant Jean-Marc (below, far right)

20150610_154958Apart from showcasing the venue and catering to Tourism Toronto members, the party also marked the 30th business anniversary for UrbanSource Catering so bravo to partners Calvin Hambrook and Wayne Abell for weathering 3 decades of storms, recessions, ever-changing food trends and some of the strangest client requests (and that’s a whole other blog story!!).

20150610_153816If you’d like to learn more about the superb menus offered by UrbanSource Catering for corporate or private events, weddings, galas, fundraisers, etc., or the Urban Gallery space for rentals, please check out their weblinks below, as well as visiting the official Tourism Toronto website:

http://www.urbancatering.com/

http://www.urbangallery.ca/

http://www.seetorontonow.com/

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