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A culinary travel blog.

Sleeping in the open air is great, but sleeping in

Sleeping in the open air is great, but sleeping in a hammock at @tustnaladestasjon was an experience like none other. As our fantastic hosts Mona and Pol explained, we all charge so many things (namely, electronics) to keep them functioning, but we hardly ever find the time to charge our own bodies and minds. That’s why they created #tustnaladestasjon (ladestasjon literally means “charging station” in Norwegian). And yes, they have gotten their fair share of Teslas pulling up who were a little confused about what this place was!

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#ChuonNorway #Tustna #hammocklife #openair #ExploreNorway #UPNorway #norway #ChuonThis #NorwegianNature #NorwegianAdventure #unconventionaltravel #offthegrid #vesteland #travelblogger #exploreeverything #lifewelltravelled

You don’t often associate local, farm-fresh food

You don’t often associate local, farm-fresh food with 5-star hotels. However, the best in the business are starting to recognize how much their guests want a #tasteofplace, even if just for breakfast or room service. Our stay at @britanniahoteltrondheim really was a 5-star experience in every way. The room was impeccable, the spa (and the fact that it was open and had great clean protocols in place) was amazing, and the breakfast was filled with locally-sourced specialty foods like cheese, roast beef and cured deer sausage, all labelled accordingly. They even served honeycomb direct from their own hives! The hotel also surprised us with a beautiful welcome dessert tray which included fresh raspberries and strawberries that tasted just as good as those we have been enjoying from farms nearby.

Great overnight city break in @visittrondheim on Day 2/3 of our @upnorway itinerary!

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#ChuonNorway #UPNorway #EatLocal #ExploreLocal #britanniahotel #britanniatrondheim #ExploreNorway #VisitNorway #ChuonThis #RoomService #fivestarhotel #travelblogger #exploreeverything #farmtotable #Trondheim #visittrondheim #trøndelag #eatfresh

Lots of people have been joking that 2020 has been

Lots of people have been joking that 2020 has been the year for bread, but I think it could be said more generally that it has been the year for real food. How many of you took a crack at planting your own produce (even if just a pot of basil) this year? After some of my own failed balcony experiments, let’s just say that my appreciation for farmers has gone up even more.

I was so happy that @upnorway arranged for us to visit with Carl Erik at @skjolbergsondre on this trip, as it’s an experience I would’ve never been able to find on my own! Carl Erik and his wife Elin have a beautiful biodynamic organic farm that is leading Trøndelag County in new farming methodology and ideas. @vanhaarfagre and I both agreed that the veggies at lunch were some of the best we’ve ever eaten. But then again, looking around at the farm in which they came from, how could they not be?!

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#UPNorway #ChuonThis #ChuonNorway #organicfarming #trøndelag #eatlocal #supportlocal #farmtotable #NorwegianFood #NorwegianFarm #travelblogger #sustainablefarming #lifewelltravelled #exploreeverything #explorenorway

In the small country of Norway, you’d be hard pr

Think about the last time you ate a bulb of garlic

Think about the last time you ate a bulb of garlic. Was it hot? Sweet? Robust? Mild? For some produce, the taste and quality varies very little no matter where or how it’s grown. For garlic, the variety and quality of the product can change the taste (and health benefits) immensely! Seriously, once you’ve tried locally-grown organic garlic, you may never go back. Some of the best I’ve ever had can be found on @gabriolaisland. 🧄

To kick off the weekend, I’m sharing two companion posts on the blog: a guide on visiting @gabriolaisland, and a little look at @deeprootsfarms and the impressive couple (Jenn pictured!) behind it. You’ll be amazed at all that they do.

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#ChuonThis #DeepRootsFarms #GabriolaIsland #HelloGabriola #ExploreBC #sustainablefarming #garlicfarm #garlicfarmer #travelblogger #tourismnanaimo #eatbetter #howtoeatbetter #garliclovers

Even though I’m not in Toronto at the moment, I

Even though I’m not in Toronto at the moment, I felt the urge to share a photo of my one and only patio meal in the city this year because the mouthwatering branzino ceviche from @campechano_to is all I can think about right now!

For those of you who had your first “dine in” experience in awhile in the last few weeks, have you noticed anything different about the food you didn’t before? For me, I definitely noticed how much more of everything (salt, fat, acid, heat) restaurants add to food. My tastebuds were actually quite taken aback. Not that I’m complaining! But I really think this time has made us more conscious of what and how we are eating, and that is probably a good thing. #Campechano #CampechanoTO #ChuonToronto

#tacotuesday #TacoTime #Ceviche #branzinoceviche #campechanotaco #Toronto #TorontoLife #BlogTO #patiolife #fbcigers #torontorestaurants #torontobloggers #foodbloggers #ChuonThis #mindfuleating #fishtacos #torontofood #tacosarelife

Every summer for the last four summers, no matter

Every summer for the last four summers, no matter where we live, @helloimdennis, @mike.jay.927 and I have somehow managed to find a way to go camping together (with @brandon_af joining the crew this year!). Backcountry/canoe portage camping is not everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s also nothing else like it. I’m about three shades of red deeper and a couple dozen bug bites more covered than when I left Toronto, but it was all so worth it. Photo cred: @mike.jay.927

#ChuonThisCamp #Kawarthas #BackcountryCamping #CanoeCamping #KawarthaHighlands

Home-cooked Italian food, but better than you coul

Home-cooked Italian food, but better than you could (probably) make. This is what @cucinato_studio is bringing to the table these days, especially with their recently-launched Giovedì Mercato (Thursday Market). Last week, the Cucinato team surprised me with a few dishes that were all so fantastic, I seriously considered eating a meal for a family of four in one go (don’t worry, I didn’t).

In particular, eating a bite of @massimo_bruno_studio’s famous focaccia barese almost brought tears to my eyes, as it took me back to the memory of sharing one of his supper club dinners together with friends and strangers over bottles of wine and laughter. Still one of the best dinners ever.

This is how it works: Set yourself a reminder for Tuesday morning (all orders need to be placed by 6 PM on the Tuesday of the week you’re ordering). Go to www.cucinato.ca. Click on “This Week’s Menu”. Pick out a few dishes you want to eat on Thursday evening, and maybe a few items (like fresh pasta and sauce) to make later. Select pick up (Corso Italia area) or delivery in Toronto, Oakville, Mississauga or Vaughan) between 3-7 PM. That’s it! Menu changes slightly week to week, and they have a mailing list if you want it sent to your inbox! Please message me if you want any suggestions, or want to invite me over to share your food because you “accidentally” ordered too much. 😏

#Gifted #CucinatoStudio #TorontoFood #torontodelivery #fbcigers #italianfood #italiantoronto #ChuonThis #ChuonItalian #ChuonToronto #italianfoodtoronto #cucinato #foccacia #blogTO #TorontoLife #foodstagram #TrueItalianTaste #FoodMemories #italiandinner #tasteslikehome #torontoblogger #eatbetter

In case you missed it on Facebook Live, here are m

In case you missed it on Facebook Live, here are my notes from today’s Masterclass on Italian Bread from @alma_scuola_cucina and @italchambers! I’ve been loving this series (pasta last week and gelato next week) and can honestly admit that there’s so much I thought I knew about these core food products, but actually didn’t.

For example, there’s a whole world of Italian sourdough baking in both the culinary and pastry worlds that hardly resembles American sourdough taste and methods.

Or for example, there are huge regional environmental factors that have led to differences in the use of butter/lard vs olive oil and salt in bread, and a lot of regional speciality breads I’ve never even tried, or even heard of for that matter. Just added a ton to my “have to try” list.

If you have some free time, I highly recommend checking out the video recordings on @italchambers’ Facebook page, and you can also join in for the gelato class next Tuesday!

Missing and wishing I was hanging out at @alma_scuola_cucina even more after today!💛

#AlmaSchool #ItalianBread #TrueItalianTaste #extraordinaryitaliantaste #iffoodcouldtalk #italchambers #foodnotes #recipenotes #breadmasterclass #ChuonThis #ChuonItaly #ChuonItalian #almascuoladicucinaitaliana #eataly #culinaryculture

Check out my fresh fruit and veg bounty this week!

Check out my fresh fruit and veg bounty this week! @foodshareto has been an organization I’ve been really happy to support lately, even if just in a small way from buying their #GoodFoodBox (not to be confused with @goodfoodca, which is a meal kit company I’m also exploring!). I’ve said this before, but I still can’t believe how much fresh quality produce they deliver for only $16.

But they actually do so much more than just food boxes. Whether it’s through a lens of poverty, systemic racism, COVID-19 or just lack of access to or education about about healthy food in general, this organization is tackling food insecurity in huge ways. I can’t even cover all of the things they do in an Instagram post, but you should really check them out!

#FoodShareTO #foodsharetoronto #NotSponsored #Eatlocal #SupportLocal #ChuonThis #EatFresh #TorontoCSA #CSA #CSABox #TorontoFood #TorontoLife #BlogTO #goodthingsgrowinontario #stripedzucchini #foodinsecurity

There’s so much to be nostalgic about these days

There’s so much to be nostalgic about these days, and I’ve been reminiscing hard about my last trip to Italy with @trueitaliantaste (especially since @bravotopchef decided to film their finale in Parma!).

So imagine my delight to hear that @alma_scuola_cucina, the renowned Italian culinary school I “trained at” for a day, announced that they would be doing a series of (free) classes with @italchambers! Learning how to make Tortelli di Erbetta with Chef @befoodish is still one of my favourite food memories of all time (I’ve linked the blog post in my bio).

You can visit @italchambers’ Facebook Page for all the info you need, but the upcoming classes (all from 11AM-12PM ET) are as follows:

July 14 - The Secrets of Pasta
July 21 - Bread, Italian style
July 28 - Authentic Italian Gelato

It certainly won’t be the same experience as cooking at ALMA, but it’s about as close as we can get for now! Photo by @eatandbefull

#TrueItalianTaste #ItalChambers #almaschool #ChuonItaly #almascuoladicucinaitaliana #ChuonItalian #italianfood #italianchef #italianfood #parma #colorno #ChuonThis

It has been an exhilarating and unpredictable bird

It has been an exhilarating and unpredictable birds vs. humans race every morning this cherry season. Good thing @31anc4 likes climbing trees. 🍒

#cherryseason #cherrypicking #cherrytree #cherryseason🍒 #chuonthis #fbcigers #freshfood #backyardgarden #backyardorchard #lifeandthyme #eatfresh #plantbased #ChuonBC #beautifulbritishcolumbia

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