Chocolate Celeb Gawking

I enrolled in an outdoor boot camp class to counter balance my chocolate addiction. To my surprise the instructor is an exact replica of Brad Pitt. No Joke. Perhaps slightly taller and more muscular. (I know, right?) Needless to say, I have been an eager and enthusiastic participant since. I’ve done more push-ups and lunges than the rest of the sluggish ladies, but sadly my Brad look-a-like hasn’t noticed. I guess challenging my inner Laura Croft hasn’t quite done the trick. Well, who needs boot camp trainer doppelganger anyways when I can have a chance at spotting the real thing? Thank you TIFF.

The upcoming Toronto Film Festival and its extensive array of celeb gawking opportunities (*HI BRAD*) got me thinking…if I was new to the city and looking for a sweet treat to give to my uber famous director- how would I know where to go? Besides if I am a celeb I am probably on some crazy diet and can only eat vegan chocolate or if I am Angelina (hey, I girl can dream OK) I will only purchase fair trade. Don’t worry Angie, Choco-locate has got you covered. Download the Choco-locate app and volà, an entire listing of artisan, vegan and fair trade chocolate in Toronto. Sorry for the shameless plug but listen here…

We all know that celebs love the scene in Yorkville, right? They practically live there during TIFF. With our handy Choco-locate app you just might be able to track them down indulging at one of the many chocolate stores in the area. My bet is on a celeb sighting in MoRoCo. I would put money on Brad getting a sweet treat there to bring back for his ever expanding family (*sigh*) and then head to the toy store ‘Kidding Awound’ to pick up some more gifts for the fam. If fact, I would get your chocolate to go and mingle around this toy store that is a celeb hot spot. The shop is so popular among Hollywood stars that it keeps extended hours during the Toronto Film Festival.

So here is my ultimate list of the most notable stars in town and what chocolate shops you will find them at. (You can thank me later )

Our own born and bred Canadian cutie Ryan Gosling (goodbye Breaker High nerdy teen, hello Blue Valentine hottie) is in town for the crime thriller, Drive. It got big buzz at Cannes and landing tickets to this one might mean some major jumping through hoops. Fear not if you can’t snag a pair of tickets during TIFF though, it has wide release to the rest of the world Sept. 16. Butspotting Ryan is a necessity. He knows Toronto so my bet is an appearance at Ambience Chocolat in Queen East to satisfy his chocolate craving. Why? Because it is the prefect place to escape the crowds and is located right beside a pet shop. Star gawker professionals know that Ryan doesn’t go anywhere without his beloved pooch, George. [Insert girl hand on forehead fainting]. And now you love him more…

Ryan is also starring in another film with George Clooney, The Ides of March. It’s a political drama co-written and directed by Clooney. George (Clooney, not Ryan’s dog) is also leading man in The Descendants, a heart-wrenching family drama. Gorgeous George will probably stick to the Yorkville scene and a Diablotin chocolate from Simone Marie Belgian Chocolate is sure to suit his fancy. Dark chocolate, slightly flavored with brandy and a touch of caramel bliss. Wooing women is George’s fancy (both George’s in this case) so let’s just hope Simone Marie’s husband is around for this special visit. George back off we’d like to keep her in Toronto.

Canadian Director Deppa Medda is at it again, asking questions of her audience and starting the conversation about world issues at this years TIFF. This time she’s presenting a film adaptation of the award winning book, Midnight’s Children. If she’s hunting around Toronto for a chocolate indulgence chances are you will find her at SOMA- where fair trade and organic are a staple. My bet is she is dishing out the issues over a Mayan Hot Chocolate, Short Intense Shot. An intoxicating elixir made of thick dark Venezuelan chocolate and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, orange peel and chili peppers, all in an intense shot. The newly opened King Street location is much closer to the TIFF box office, but if she’s smart she will hide away at their store in the Distillery District undisturbed by the chaotic downtown.

I’m really excited about Elizabeth Olsen coming to town! She’s the younger sister of the fashionable twin celebrities Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Whom I heart equally! I would keep my eyes glued to this lovely lady. Her starring role in Sundance earlier this year has been turning heads, not only for her raw talent but stunning and natural looks.

With sisters in the spotlight since birth, you know she wouldn’t have even dared to venture into acting if it wasn’t for a strong love of the craft. Elizabeth Olsen stars in Martha Marcy May Marlene, a story about a young woman attempting to adjust to society as she deals with escaping a religious cult. My bet is she will be exploring Toronto somewhat under the radar and able to walk freely into most chocolate stores. I picture her checking out the AGO and walking across the street into Art Square Gallery and Café for a Black Pepper and Rosemary Truffle.

Last but not least of my top celebs to watch out for around town is Woody Harrelson. He will be in TO promoting his film, Rampart. He plays a dirty cop in this crime drama. Woody might not be the hip and hot new star this year but I love that Woody has been caught doing sun salutations in a group yoga class at U of T from time to time.

This longtime environmentalist is sure to be found cycling Toronto’s bike lanes. Maybe even protesting the removal of the Jarvis bikes lines with fellow Torontonians. Hang out at the Carrot Common on the Danforth and you will catch him stocking up on his adored ‘More Than a Feeling’ chocolate bars from Living Libations. Woody has been an advocate of the raw chocolate bars sold by Living Libations and is even quoted on their site saying so.

All in all, once armed with the Choco-locate app you’re bound to run into a celeb or two. And if you’re hosting a TIFF party be sure to give the chocolate martini recipe below a shot.

TIFF Chocolate Martini

1 part vodka

1 part triple sec

3 parts mango juice

Serve in edible chocolate cups

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 8-18. For information, visit tiff.net.

Chocolate and Beer Pairing

When most folks think about the perfect pairing to chocolate, the plain Jane’s or traditionalists head straight to the fridge for a tall glass of milk. Boring! And then we have our connoisseurs, who start thinking red- wine that is. But what about beer? That’s right, its not just salted peanuts that go nicely with beer anymore but chocolate too! I headed down to a local pub, Highway 61 to learn the science of ‘Beerology’ at a chocolate and beer tasting workshop.

To my surprise, it’s wasn’t just men sporting beer bellies at this bar but I found myself at a classy women’s only event. Yes, women drink beer too. On each table was a plate of mouth watering truffles, yet all eyes were on Mirella- the groups leading lady into chocolate and beer 101. Mirella regularly conducts fun and informative beer tasting sessions through her company, Beerology and has joined ranks with the sweet and sassy ‘Barley’s Angels’ beer enthusiasts. Barley’s Angels is not just a social, beer-drinking club for women but local gals that have a respect for beer and a thirst for education. They have gathered here together to debunk the myth that chocolate only goes well with wine. Besides what lady doesn’t love chocolate?

Mirella’s the first to admit that beer and chocolate isn’t exactly mainstream, but when you start exploring the flavour profiles there are so many similarities. It’s almost absurd that someone didn’t think of this sooner! You see both chocolate and beer are very complex foods. Yet, they often have flavours that mirror each other. Beers have nutty flavours, chocolate, coffee notes or sweetness to them. Mirella explains, “With beer you get a sweetness and a bitterness. The malted beers will give you a nice sweetness that will pair up nicely with chocolate. And then the bitterness and the carbonation will come in at the end and cleanse the pallet.” Beer goes well with chocolate because of its carbonation. These tiny bubbles not only lift the oils off the palate but it also rinses away any rich food left behind. Essentially, it freshens the palate between every bite.

There are a few simple rules to follow (in case you want to try this at home):

1. The beverage should be sweet or as sweet as your pairing.
2. Use complimenting flavours
3. It’s all about a contrast of textures
4. Wipe the slate clean and cleanse baby cleanse

O.K. so hurry along will ya! What chocolate goes well with what beer? With milk chocolate, you want to find something that will cut through the richness. Mirella paired it with a pale ale, the Hoptical Illusion by Flying Monkey’s brewed in Barrie, ON. This beer is described as a deep caramel with a toffee aroma and some nice piney notes. Already you can see with a description like ‘toffee aroma’ we already have a winner. Yup, it was a perfect match to a milky and creamy chocolate ganache.

The Maple Porter by Nickel Brook came around next. A dark, ruby porter, brewed in Burlington, ON. Infused with pure, dark maple syrup and with a smooth creamy finish made it a beer we were proud to call Canadian. With this coupling it was almost like a new buttery chocolate essence appeared. Some people said the milk chocolate actually highlighted the citrus flavour in the beer. For others, the beer started tasting like hazelnuts with the milk chocolate ganache. As you can tell the crowd was really warming up to this new pairing experiment. Little sip of a beer here, little nibble of a chocolate there.

And then we entered the dark side. Out came the dark chocolate. I was most excited to see a dark chocolate with a beer and I wasn’t alone. Dark chocolate is also Mirella’s favourite. “I love my dark chocolate. And with dark chocolate you need a higher alcohol beer. Dark chocolate is more dry and direct, so I like to contrast that with the voluptuous and fullness of a higher alcohol beer,” says Mirella. I also heard a rumour that if you take a fruit beer with dark chocolate, you get a black forest cake effect. Count me in. Mirella choose an Imperial Stout from Wellington Brewery in Guelph. A stout is along the lines of a Guinness. Think beer milkshake. And paired with chocolate, it’s a match made in heaven. Someone in the room felt that a sip of the wellington mixed with a bite of the dark chocolate tasted like smoked meat or bacon and another tasted salt and whiskey. There are worse fates in life.

Mirella also brought out a sample of the ominous ‘Pan-Ontario’ beer. This special little beer is the result of a little provincial experiment. Mix four Ontario beers together, pour it in an aged bourbon barrel and what do you get? A concoction of Ontario goodies and a whole lot of flavours to go around. It’s a party in your mouth and chocolates invited. This special treat was just released for Ontario Craft Beer Week and for beer connoisseurs was quite a surprise! The beer itself was full of flavour- dates, vanilla, kinda fruity, almost like a black cherry note, all the while remaining a surprisingly light beer. With a little bit of chocolate on your tongue there was suddenly a mango taste and even a hint of coconut. I think this is where the black forest cake flavour Mirella was talking about took full effect. After a show of hands most ladies preferred the Wellington with the dark chocolate and about a third of gals went for the Pan-Ontario.

Last but not least came the white chocolate. Now, I am of the crowd who believes white chocolate is not real chocolate. It contains no cacao beans, so sorry it’s not chocolate. Mirella sort of agrees, but it is sugary and delicious. So it’s on the menu. Mirella recommends white chocolate with beers with a nutty character or a caramel sweet note. She chose the Cameron, King Vienna Lager. Put the two together and what do you get? Almost like a butterscotch sundae or a caramel macchiato. White chocolate, you might have just won we over. With the help of beer, of course.

Mirella wants people to get excited about beers and adventurous about exploring new brands and flavour combinations. And with chocolate as her aid, let’s just say it was a smashing success.

Chocolate Cheese? Yes, Please!

The Renaissance, a cultural movement of literature, science, art, religion, politics and cheese? That’s right you heard me, cheese. At least that’s the term being thrown around by Ruth Klahsen of Monforte Dairy. This is her year and so she declared a cheese renaissance.

Ruth is paving the way for a new generation of cheese producers and artisan cheese lovers in Canada. You could say she’s the BIG cheese. Her focus is on horizontal trade and sustainable agriculture. “I think the shorter the chain of distribution and buying is, the better the world is. The more you can have a relationship with producers, the better the planet will be,” says Ruth. She is a woman in pursuit of the bigger picture and what she is doing is pretty admirable.

But I must admit that isn’t why we love her. We heart this famer in the dell because she is charting new terrain and venturing into new flavor profiles. Expanding palates with pairing cheese and you guessed it, chocolate! Ruth explains just how fresh the concept is. “It’s brand new. I don’t think people historically ever ate chocolate and cheese. You would have never even thought about it five years ago. That’s what is so interesting about it.”

Ruth is the type of entrepreneur who loves to experiment. Give her a challenge and she is ready and ripe for the picking. “The world has become so sophisticated, so small and diverse that the flavors are endless that we get to play with. So, why not?” So how does she do it, you ask? It’s not just about grabbing any old stinky cheese off the shelf and opening up your chocolate stash. There is a science to it. “I think you want creamy textures with chocolate,” says Ruth. Monforte uses a quality cream cheese flavored with fresh lemon and ChocoSol chocolate. “We find the acid in the cheese with the richness of the chocolate really, really works.” Ruth’s experiments have led her to swear by pairing a crunchy chocolate (that melts in your mouth), partnered with a cheese that’s soft. Not the other way around- a hard cheese and a soft chocolate. And if you want to take all the guesswork out of it, she also sells a chocolate cheese. It’s called, ‘Formidable’, a chevre with chocolate and cayenne. I am not going to even try to describe it. But let me just say it will blow your mind.

It may sound cheesy, but for Ruth her cheese is a labor of love. She even has three ripening rooms to accommodate the different types of cheeses coming out of her dairy. Some experimental and others producing impeccable quality cheeses. But there really is ‘more going on here than just cheese.’ Monforte is developing and nurturing a community based on the model of sustainable farming and the local food movement. Ruth says it best, “Life is about relationships, my relationship with people is through cheese.”

You can find Ruth’s cheese at Farmer’s Markets across Toronto including: Evergreen Brickworks, St Lawrence Market and Scadding Court Marketplace- just to name a few. And if you are in the Stratford area drop by the Monforte Dairy. When you bump into Ruth just say cheese, please.