Peterborough Blogs
Local Restaurateur to Launch 'Electric City Catering' This Spring
/Susan Tung, local restaurateur and Hanoi House owner, is officially launching ‘Electric City Catering’ this spring, announced on Tuesday.
Tung (left) and Bell (right) in front of Hanoi House, Tung’s first restaurant that she opened in Febuary of 2020. Photo courtesy of Susan Tung.
“The name ‘Electric City Catering’ pays homage to Peterborough’s heritage while reflecting our commitment to being a vibrant part of this community,” said Tung. “We aim to make every event unforgettable by combining incredible food with memorable experiences.”
The company would be available to service several occasions, such as weddings, corporate events and private celebrations. Tung says the company’s services can be used for either formal, casual or any atmosphere in between.
“We’ve loved hosting special moments within the four walls of our restaurants but this venture allows us to expand and be part of even more celebrations throughout the community,” she explained.
Morgan, Hanoi House’s general manager (and Tung’s former restaurant NAKA Japanese), will be the catering director for Electric City Catering. She graduated from George Brown’s Culinary Management program and has had prior experience working at Kettle Drums before moving to Hanoi House.
Tung opened Hanoi House on Valentine’s Day 2020, located at 213 Hunter St. W. After opening a second location of Hanoi House at 1040 Lansdowne St. W., Tung closed the Hunter Street location to consolidate the restaurant several months later.
She founded and opened NAKA Japanese in mid-February of 2023 at her former Hanoi House location on Hunter Street. W. Tung sold NAKA to Emily Tan on Nov. 1.
According to Tung, Electric City Catering is currently accepting bookings for the spring and summer. Inquiries or bookings can be made by emailing electriccitycater@gmail.com. A catering menu can be found at www.electriccitycatering.ca.
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Hometown PTBO: Jordan Leal Going FromCo-Owning The House of Scales to The Hub Sauce Co.
/This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with former House Of Scales owner and The Hub Sauce Co. founder Jordan Leal about his decision to leave the former to focus on the latter which launched last year.
Tim Hortons Launches Second Smile Cookie Holiday Campaign For Kawartha Food Share
/Tim Hortons is keeping Kawartha Food Share (KFS) happy this holiday season, as the latter has been selected as the recipient of the Holiday Smile Cookie Campaign.
Kawartha Food Share is a central collection and distribution warehouse that partners with 37-member agency food banks, food cupboards and other food action programs in the City and County of Peterborough. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The campaign launches next Monday and runs until Nov. 24 at all Tim Hortons locations in Peterborough, Lakefield, Bridgenorth, Curve Lake and Havelock. Cookies are $2 each and all proceeds will be split between KFS and Tim Hortons Foundation Camps.
Last year, the campaign raised $67,290.96.
“Supporting communities is at the heart of the Tim Hortons brand and there's no better time than the holiday season for us to rally with guests, Tims’ restaurant owners and team members to spread kindness right across Canada,” said Axel Schwan, Tim Hortons president.
This year’s Holiday Smile Cookie is a white chocolate chip sugar cookie infused with red and green sprinkles and finished with a hand-decorated smile.
“We are so thrilled to be partnering with Tim Hortons for this wonderful initiative,” said Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager. “The funds raised during this campaign will assist us in purchasing much-needed food items to keep our agencies shelves well stocked.”
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Don't Be Scared of 'Ghost Taco' As They Host Grand Opening Of New Peterborough Location
/Peterborough’s newest spot for one of Mexico’s most popular food, ‘Ghost Taco’ held its grand opening at its location at 110 Chandler Cres. on Friday morning.
(From left to right) Samantha Buckley, Ghost Taco co-founder and CEO, Addison Tomas and Chef Matt Basille doing the ‘Ghost Taco Challenge’, testing customers spicy limits with a ghost pepper consomme. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The grand opening opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Jeff Leal, Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP and the Peterborough and the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce.
The event featured merchandise giveaways, a social media photo contest, raffles, drink samples (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and live cooking demos from chef Matt Basille.
Guests could participate in the ‘Ghost Taco Challenge’ to test their spice tolerance with the restaurant’s latest creation, a consommé made from ghost peppers.
The restaurant is known for experimenting with traditional tacos. It offers more familiar styles, such as ‘Carnita’ (pulled pork) and Baja fish but also original concepts such as ‘Crispy Korean Tofu’ and ‘Charred Brussels.’
Bowls, sides and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), including their own brand of beer called ‘Ghost Taco Cerveza,’ are also available.
The grand opening showcased their new limited offer: ‘The Ghost Taco,’ a birria beef and cream cheese taco in a deep-fried tortilla with a ghost pepper consommé.
“We call ourselves 'unauthentic Mexican' largely because it gives us the chance to really experiment with different flavours and different concepts,” explained Samantha Buckley, Ghost Taco co-founder and CEO. “There really is something for every flavour profile and they're all chef-inspired gourmet creations so it's not your typical build-your-own taco place.”
Tomas (left) checks in on Liam O’Connor of the Peterborough and the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce (right) for social media during the ‘Ghost Taco Challenge’. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Ghost Taco was created after some creative pivoting from Buckley during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We own a couple full-service restaurants in Newmarket and a boutique event venue and in the middle of Covid, we were going into the second lockdown, we got shut down at our event venue and we just testing different take-out concepts,” she explained. “We figured, 'you know, what's really missing in the market?' and it's gourmet tacos in a quick-service setting.”
Through testing, social media and a pop-up, the restaurant started a hole in the wall before blowing up which started Ghost Taco.
The small franchise began in Newmarket and opened a second location in Vaughan. Peterborough has become home to its third restaurant and Whitby is planned to be the fourth in the winter next year.
“Jamie, one of our operators here in Peterborough, he really loved the brand and he inquired with us about what we could do to get one of these in Peterborough,” said Buckley. “It was always on our radar. We have ties to Peterborough through our family. You have such a family small-business feel so it really was the perfect fit for us.”
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Photos: AON Inc. Hosts 'Taste of the Gardens' In Food Vendor Showcase; Held Bake Sale To Benefit Kawartha Food Share
/AON Inc. held a double feature of events with a ‘Taste of the Gardens’ food showcase and a ‘Fall Bake Sale’ held at Princess Gardens and Empress Gardens respectively on Thursday afternoon.
The Taste of the Gardens is a food showcase with over 20 vendors at Princess Gardens. It allows residents to sample various foods and drinks served at AON Inc.’s long-term care homes.
“It's bringing a food show to our residents so they get a chance to sample different ideas for the menus,” said Dan Leal, AON Inc. director of dining services. “Our vendors have come to showcase some of their new products with feedback for their fall menu.”
The feedback allows AON Inc. to adjust its menus from the feedback to better suit the needs of the residents and mix up the food choices available throughout the year.
“A lot of the vendors have commented on how the residents are enjoying their products and it's nice to see that the products that they are promoting and selling are bringing smiles to someone's face,” explained Leal. “They're enjoying it and they're getting honest feedback.”
Simultaneously, Empress Gardens hosted a bake sale, with all proceeds benefitting Kawartha Food Share.
The baked goods included brownies, cookies, pies, haystacks, tarts and more, all made by AON Inc. staff.
Samples of baked goods, coffee, tea, and lemonade were also available to the public.
$1,575 was raised as a result of the bake sale fundraiser.
New Peterborough-Based Company Launches Alcoholic Maple Seltzer
/Locally-owned company Maple Light has launched its self-titled hard maple seltzer in various locations in Peterborough.
While the drink is produced elsewhere, Maple Light is owned and operated in Peterborough. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
According to a press release, the drink is a vodka-based seltzer and the first of its kind. It contains a hint of maple syrup (tapped by the founders in Ontario), citrus notes and sparkling water. It has a four-percent alcoholic content.
“Maple has a long heritage in Canada, and we're excited to share it in an innovative new format,” said Maple Light’s founders.
The drink’s inspiration came from the founders boiling down sap in their sugar shack in 2023. It created a maple cocktail that was a hit with their family and friends.
Maple Light is available at the following locations and is coming soon to grocery and convenience stores:
Local bars and restaurants, including (but not limited to) Maple Moose Pub, Jesse’s Tap and Grill, Night Kitchen and The Vine
Peterborough Memorial Centre
Liquor Convenience Outlets, including Sullivan’s General Store and Express Convenience (Fowlers Corners ESSO)
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Sixth Annual Peterborough VegFest Hits Millennium Park This Sunday
/The sixth annual Peterborough VegFest’s will delight vegetarians and vegans at Millennium Park this Sunday from 11 pa.m. to 4 p.m.
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The event will have 25 food vendors showcasing the local restaurant community and other fantastic small businesses across Ontario.
According to a press release, the event will include a full afternoon of live local music, a kid’s zone, and more.
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Elementary School's Breakfast Club Gets Cooking After Donation of Two Ovens From Rotary Club of Peterborough
/Prince of Wales’s Breakfast Club kicked off the school year on the right foot as they received two new ovens donated from the Rotary Club of Peterborough and unveiled on Tuesday morning.
Thea Chaput, Grade 6 (left); Camryn Chaput, Grade 5 (middle) and Sophie Bradley, Grade 7 (middle right) getting '“apple-loutely’ excited over the new overs with Colin Mackenzie, Rotary volunteer (Middle left) and Tommy Reburn of Leon’s Peterborough (right). Volunteers and Rotary Club members have been providing breakfast to the Prince of Wales students for nearly 30 years. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
An official ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorated the ovens and the Rotary’s work during breakfast hours at the school.
The program feeds roughly over 500 children according to Brad Conlin, Prince of Wales principal.
“The School Nutrition Program has a major impact on the safety, well-being and belongingness of our students,” he said. “Many students use the breakfast program not only as a place to fill their tummies for the start of their day, but it is a place that students can use as a soft-start transition from home to school.”
At the end of the last school year, the ovens began to malfunction, making it difficult to prepare meals promptly and efficiently.
“Faces of trusted adults and the impact of our volunteers goes beyond the needs of just the healthy breakfasts and lunches that are provided,” said Conlin. “The staff and volunteers always have a lens of inclusivity which fosters an environment of food for some, food for all.”
Peterborough Rotarian of the Year and volunteer Catherine Hanrahan contacted her fellow Realtor colleague at Century 21 United, Tom Reburn, who also owns Leon’s. His company supplied, delivered, and installed them free of charge during the last week of August.
“Leon’s is well known as a great community supporter so I didn’t hesitate to reach out to my friend Tom to see if he could hook us up two new stoves and a microwave.” says Hanrahan.
One Prince of Wales student highlighted the club's importance and how having breakfast can positively impact a child’s learning experience.
“This year, as soon as I saw the first person go in the Breakfast Club doors, I went in as well. I was hungry and I didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast. At my old school we had plain oatmeal everyday. At POW we have a variety of foods. A couple of days ago we had eggs, hash browns, and cereal. If we have eggs three days in a row, they are always cooked differently. The program is really important to me because in the morning sometimes I can make myself a hot chocolate but most of the days I don’t have time. After I eat breakfast, it helps me to focus better at school. There are a lot of community volunteers and they are always treating us nicely and coming to our tables to ask us if we want more. I would love to volunteer because I love to cook. Today I helped a little girl make her yogurt more tasty by squeezing an orange into her yogurt like the adult volunteer showed us how to do. Another day I helped that girl’s little sister when she spilled her drink all over herself and the floor. Children from every grade can eat breakfast together, whether they can’t afford it, or they didn’t have time that day. That is why Breakfast Club is important to me and the rest of the school.”
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Ontario Convenience Stores Able to Sell Beer, Wine, Cider and Ready-to-Drink Alcoholic Beverages
/The Ontario Government has permitted all licensed convenience stores in the province to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages effective immediately, announced on Thursday.
Doug Ford, Ontario Premier (left) and Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario Minister of Finance (right) making the announcement at a convenience store in Etobicoke. As of Sept. 5, 4,187 convenience stores across Ontario are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages, in addition to nearly 3,000 other licensed retail outlets as well as takeaway options from licensed bars and restaurants. Screenshot.
