As comedian Ronny Chieng says, "Gong Hay Fat Choy" isn't "Happy New Year"...it's "Hope you get rich!"

Whether it's Miroki's Cantonese Lunar New Year celebrations, Vietnamese Tết, or Korean Seollal, festivities are in full swing during this period. As a first generation Chinese-Canadian, it's wonderful that Baker Joe of Wai Tack Kee is keeping Miroki's shelves full of delicious traditional Cantonese snacks. His daughter Audrey Tam joins us on Tasting Together to speak about Joe's journey from Hong Kong to Canada, and how their family business brings prosperity into homes all across the GTA through nut filled dumpling pastries, pineapple cakes and lotus flower cookies.

André and friends join Miroki's celebrations at Jumbo Lobster in Markham, partaking in a banquet that included sweet, succulent king crab and a lobster tower stir fried with a salted egg yolk. Corkage at this famed seafood spot only starts at $15, but Andre did ogle at their insanely high end wine list presented on a deceptively humble laminated menu. The question to always ask is...order more dim sum or try their dry aged steaks?

It has been nearly 7 years since Miroki has enjoyed a family style New Year dinner. Towards the end of Lunar New Year, she will finally have the opportunity to enjoy whole steamed fish (symbolizing wealth), noodles (prosperity) and barbecue pork (riches and strength) through delicious homecooking. Will this finally inspire her to take to the kitchen and learn to cook up some dishes that connect with her roots?

Wai Tack Kee: https://www.waitackkee.com/

Jumbo Lobster: https://jumbolobster.ca/

You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncesplease

You can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Temperatures are frigid, but the month is hot with events and activities galore. Miroki and André give you a rundown of what’s exciting in February in Toronto and the surrounding region. Winterlicious will be just wrapping up, so now is the time to enjoy a great prix fixe in Toronto. André has found a new appreciation for spending a night out with Anja for Valentine’s Day, though he isn’t dining at the local institution in Hamilton. Why is that? Meanwhile, Miroki has found a way to stay warm in Waterdown. Less than an hour from Toronto, Terra Greenhouses is making the most of their slow season by hosting a bustling market of local vendors, welcoming visitors to spend a day shopping for plants, food, and crafts. At the end of the month, the smashing event Black Grapes returns to Toronto at Waterworks Food Hall. Will you get an elusive ticket before it’s sold out?

Winterlicious: https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/winterlicious/restaurants-menus/

Terra Greenhouses Winter Market: https://terragreenhouses.com/waterdown-winter-market/

West Avenue Cider House: https://www.westavenue.ca/

Black Grapes: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-history-month-black-grapes-wine-tasting-tickets-1978391844263

You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncesplease

You can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

January is generally a pretty blue kind of month, especially when the bombshell is dropped that 4000 restaurants will close by the end of the year. Emotions run high as customers and industry workers alike debate the reasons, trying to find one major factor to point the finger at. But sometimes the reasons lie in places we never consider. This is why we wanted to ask the best expert in the field. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, aka The Food Professor, brings his research based expertise to this episode to help us answer some burning questions, and peel back some layers to reveal just what is cutting into the deep web of the food industry.

https://agrifoodanalyticslab.substack.com/p/canada-is-poised-to-lose-4000-restaurants

Sylvain Charlebois - Faculty of Management - Dalhousie University

The Food Professor

You can follow Miroki on Instagram @9ouncesplease

You can follow André on Instagram @andrewinereview

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.