Pescatarian Restaurant The Vine Takes Home the First-Ever Peterborough DBIA Caesar Fest Title

Less than a year into the restaurant’s opening, pescatarian restaurant The Vine has already claimed the title of Peterborough Downtown Business Area Improvement (DBIA) inaugural Caeser Fest crown announced on Thursday.

Tyrone Flowers, Co-owner of The Vine (left); Naomi Duvall, local performance artist and Chelsea Day-Ross, front of house manager at The Vine (right) receiving the award for the inaugural Caeser Fest. The Vine opened on May 30. Photo courtesy of the DBIA.

The DBIA launched the competition on July 13 and ran until Monday.

There were 11 restaurants, cafés and pubs competing for the title and featured a specialty Caesar creation on their menus for restaurant-goers to enjoy and vote for their favourite. Over 800 votes were cast and The Vine won the top prize with their Papa Tom’s Classic Virgin Caesar.

The The El P’s Kimchi Caesar took second place with The Dirty Burger taking third with their Dirty Muddy Caesar.

“Who knew that the new kids on the block would be taking home the trophy for the very first Caesar Fest,” says Tyrone Flowers, The Vine co-owner. “We’re so humbled and we want to say thank you to everyone who came out to try our Papa Tom’s Caesar.”

The Caesar Fest was heavily promoted by local performance artist, Naomi Duvall. She was hired by the DBIA to play ‘Julia Caes-her’ to act as a town crier for the festival. She generated interest on the streets and in participating restaurants engaging the unsuspecting public on the festival's iconic drink.  

"Congratulations to The Vine on championing Caesar Fest,” said Duvall. “I appreciate how the community has been so engaged with my character and this program. I had a lot of fun developing the persona.”

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Central Smith Creamery Celebrates Success Of 'Moon Mist' Ice Cream With Tie-Dye T-Shirt Community Event

To celebrate the high sales of their latest ice cream flavour, Central Smith Creamery put on a ‘Moon Mist Tie Dye Day’ community spirit event to mark the early success at their Selwyn facility on Friday afternoon.

Logan McGee, 7, eagerly awaits his tie-dye t-shirt as Christy Joy pulls the top from the pail. The tie-dye shirts are in the same colours as the Moon Mist ice cream that was released in March. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Central Smith sold out 65 tickets to their event that allowed children and adults to make and take home tie-dye t-shirts in the same colours as their ‘Moon Mist’ ice cream that debuted in March.

It consists of three flavours, banana, blue bubblegum and grape. The flavour is popular in Nova Scotia and Central Smith took a playful approach to introducing Moon Mist into their lineup with their community event.

“This was to have a bit of fun with the character that we created, the little alien,” said Jillian Scates, Central Smith project manager. “We just wanted to bring lots of people to the factory and have some fun.”

The little alien associated with the Moon Mist flavour, connected the space setting the creamery wanted to portray. Photo courtesy of Central Smith Creamery.

Central Smith often holds community events such as ‘Bigfoot Day’ and ice cream socials. They have engaged in philanthropy work, holding food drives for Kawartha Food Share every Christmas and supporting Five Counties Children’s Centre and Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation.

“We love working and hanging out with the community,” said Scates. “We love meeting with lots of people and we're always trying to be community-focused here at Central Smith so we thought a fun event would be good.”

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New Turkish Restaurant 'Class Istanbul Kebab House' To Host Its Grand Opening This Sunday

Peterborough’s newest restaurant brings a taste of Turkey to town as Class Istanbul Kebab House is set to make its grand opening this Sunday at 2 p.m.

Mert Baran, Class Istanbul Kebab House owner showcases his Iskender Doner: doner kebab meat with a hot tomato sauce over pita with yogurt. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The restaurant brings authentic Turkish cuisine with familiar dishes such as wraps, shawarma, baklava and a variety of shish kebabs. They also bring cheese pide (Turkish pizza), Turkish desserts and their national dish, doner kebab.

Mert Baran, Class Istanbul Kebab House owner said that every time he’s been in Peterborough, he’s never seen any Turkish restaurants in town. He wanted to bring his heritage cuisine to share with the city.

“We want to bring our food up here,” he explained. “I really want people to try it. I trust our kitchen, I trust our food and it’s really tasty.”

The restaurant is located at the former Nicholas Oval restaurant on 116 Parkhill Rd. E. They have soft-opened since Monday and have already been met with several customers leaving positive feedback according to Baran.

“People have come by, tasted our food and they really love it,” he said. “I always have had good comments since we opened the restaurant.”

Class Istanbul Kebab House is the first restaurant Baran has ever owned. He owns a construction company and has done a lot of business near Peterborough since 2009. He always enjoyed his time spent in the City when he visited.

He has a house in Woodbridge and in Bridgenorth. He thought about opening his restaurant in Toronto but opted for Peterborough as he moved his family to his Bridgenorth property to focus on Class Istanbul Kebab House.

“I really love Peterborough,” said Baran. “That's why I opened my business up here.”

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Local Pet Store Owner Get Spicy By Launching New Brand Of Hot Sauce

Reptile pet store owner Jordan Leal is going from selling geckos and iguanas to selling small-batch hot sauce by launching his brand ‘The Hub Sauce Co.’

Jordan Leal with his Otafukumami (Chili Crisp oil) and ghost pepper honey mustard with a Nigerian uromastyx from his House of Scales Business. Leal is celebrating the sixth-year anniversary of his House of Scales Business this Saturday. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Leal is the owner of ‘House of Scales’ in Brookdale Plaza which has been operating for the last six years.

He had the idea of getting into the hot sauce business after his oldest son crafted a barbecue sauce in school for Father’s Day. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it opened up free time for Leal to explore a new business venture since it slowed down his business and had more downtime.

“We were basically made to pre-order everybody's orders,” explained Leal. “We'd come in the morning, pack everything and then it was sitting around waiting for people to pick up their order.”

He learned more about small-batch hot sauce businesses over social media groups during COVID-19 lockdowns which sparked his interest in starting his own business. He grows several of his own ingredients used in his product and sources locally for everything else.

He eventually launched his brand in February with his first product being his ‘Gold Medal Mustard,’ a ghost pepper honey mustard.

“It's probably one of the most rewarding things when you make that first sale,” explained Leal. “The first person I made my first sale to in the hot sauce company was the same person that was my first sale in this pet store.”

In addition to his mustard, he released a chilli crisp oil containing garlic crips called ‘Otafukumami’ with Asian-inspired flavours. He is nearing the development of a spicy peanut sauce and spicy barbecue sauce.

His hot sauce has already garnered international attention, selling his products in the United States, Europe and South Africa.

“Selling something that I've made start-to-finish is unbelievable,” said Leal. “It's a great feeling to have people happy about what they are eating.”

His products are available to order online at his website. They can be shipped or picked up at House of Scales on Fridays. Leal plans to make his product more widely available by having mom-and-pop shops carry it. Snack Attack Supermarket is scheduled to open a Lindsay location in the near future and Leal says they will carry it there.

He is also promoting his brand at upcoming farmers’ markets and festivals. He is attending the Hastings Waterfront Festival on Aug. 19 and Heating Up the Captial 3 in Ottawa on Sept. 16. for his hot sauce brand.

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'The Chill Desire' Keeps Downtown Peterborough Cool As Brothers Open New Ice Cream Parlour

Brothers Sarthak Juneja and Nitish are Peterborough’s newest business owners and keeping downtown cool as they held the grand opening of their new ice cream parlour, The Chill Desire on Saturday.

Brothers Sarthak Juneja (left) and Nitish (right) showcasing their Urban Desi waffle topped with gulab jamun, rajbhog ice cream (typically made of dry fruits/nuts and made with milk, cream, almonds, pistachio, cashew, cardamom powder and saffron) and white sauce. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The parlour is at 366 George St. N., located roughly at the former Tango clothing boutique. The business’s ice cream mostly comes from Central Smith Creamery with some from Kawartha Dairy.

The Chill Desire sells traditional ice cream in cones or cups, sundaes, smoothies and milkshakes. A unique selling point of the parlour for Peterborough is that they offer waffle varieties such as Belgian and bubble to go with their ice cream. They also do ice cream on their waffles, ‘waff-wiches’ and ‘waff-sticks’ as variations.

“We wanted to bring some uniqueness nobody has so that's why we sell waffles with ice cream,” said Nitish, The Chill Desire co-owner.

The idea stemmed from Nitish visiting his home country of India which had his friends introduce him to waffles with ice cream during an outing.

“That was the first time I had a waffle with ice cream and I loved it, explained Nitish. “The idea just stuck in my mind so when we decided to do ice cream, the flashback of the memory just got there. It was so great that I had to bring that here.”

The brothers add extra uniqueness to their parlour by bringing their Indian heritage into some of their menu items. They offer falooda (a cold dessert with noodles made from mixing rose syrup, vermicelli, and sweet basil seeds with milk and often served with ice cream), kulfi (traditional Indian ice cream that’s typically denser and creamier), gulab jamun (Indian reduced milk solids soaked in syrup), badam milk (milk blended with almonds, saffron and cardamom) and a few Indian ice cream flavours. They include rajbhog (nut bonanza) and kesar pista (saffron pistachio).

Nitish and Juneja are Fleming graduates and came to Canada as international students from India. In addition to offering Downtown Peterborough a new food option, they opened the parlour to help combat the homesickness for the entire Indian community and introduce a new option for anyone unfamiliar with their heritage’s dessert.

“We came here four years ago, we couldn't find a specific place for Indian desserts,” explained Nitish. “We missed our home and missed that part. We felt that was the same for the Indian community we have here so we thought we could bring Indian dessert and fusion here.”

The Chill Desire’s operating hours are unlike any other ice cream parlour in town according to the brothers. They are open from 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. on Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Sundays. Nitish says he wants to have another late-night food option available to Peterborough.

“Nobody in Peterborough is open until two as a dessert place so they can get freshly scooped ice cream,” he explained. “Usually, people order from a convenience store or the gas station; they sell the pre-packs but not freshly scooped so we're here to fulfill their late-night cravings.”

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Quaker Canada Day Breakfast Nourishes At Quaker Foods City Square

Quaker Canada hosted a complimentary breakfast at Quaker Foods City Square to help kick off Canada Day in Peterborough on Saturday.

All photos by Samantha Bianco.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Free Quaker product samples were distributed to Canada Day attendees such as a smoothie, a fruit parfait and bran muffins. Quaker Borough apparel was also available for purchase at the Square.

“Thank you to Quaker Foods for hosting a community breakfast on Canada Day,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “Quaker is one of the City’s key longstanding employers and we’re thrilled that they are celebrating their anniversary by bringing our community together.”

The breakfast ran alongside the Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market.

This was the first Canada Day Quaker Square has operated at full capacity. The park was still under construction but was temporarily open last year for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the UN Peacekeepers Monument. It cost roughly $100,000 to build.

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Pete Dalliday Hits the Kitchen For An Episode Taping of Cooking Show 'Questionable Taste'

Media personality, sports broadcaster and PTBOCanada’s own Pete Dalliday put on the chef’s apron for his guest appearance at the local cooking show ‘Questionable Taste’ with host Ray Galletti to air this week on Bell Fibe TV1 and the Bell Fibe TV app.

Ray Galletti (left) with Pete Dalliday (right) cooking pallottes. Galletti has made appearences in shows such as Murdoch Mysteries, Workin’ Moms and Pretty Hard Cases. Photo courtesy of Michael Hurcomb.

The show is based in Peterborough and has Galletti —despite not being a chef — cook with his celebrity friends. They create the guest’s favourite dish using local ingredients while chatting and perhaps a few laughs along the way.

“I was an absolute blast to work with Ray and be asked to take part,” explained Dalliday. “I’ve never done a cooking show before so that was a first and a ton of fun. Ray and I hit it off and have become friends. I may have even converted him into a Halifax Thunderbirds lacrosse fan after he came to one of our games this year.”

Dalliday and Galletti created Italian bread and cheese balls known as ‘pallottes’ which the former traditionally eats on Good Friday.

“It’s an old Giardino family recipe that I was proud to bring to the kitchen that day,” said Dalliday.

The show is co-directed by Peterborough’s Chad Maker and Kirk Comrie. Michael Hurcomb — who also is a Peterborough native — filmed the show.

Dalliday’s episode is listed as the second of season two of five listed tapings. The Peterborough Petes/Lakers play-by-play announcer shares sports stories, his father Gary Dalliday and growing up in Peterborough throughout the episode.

The show's first season had six episodes that had features such as Shantilly’s Place owner Shantelle Bisson on Chandos Lake and Sweet Beast Butcher Shop’s Grant Slavin.

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Lakefield Farmers’ Market Canada Day Celebration To Be Held June 29

The Lakefield Farmers’ Market, located behind the Lakefield-Smith Community Centre, is celebrating Canada Day on Thursday, June 29.

photo courtesy of the lakefield farmers’ market.

Market staff will be handing out small Canadian flags, temporary maple leaf tattoos, and Canadian themed colouring sheets. Lakefield Youth Unlimited will also be on hand with children activities.

Market vendors will have everything needed for Canada Day celebrations; fresh produce for salads, local meat for the BBQ, delicious baking, local craft beer, VQA wines and much more.

The Lakefield Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine from Victoria Day until Thanksgiving. The Farmers’ Market is located behind the Lakefield-Smith Community Centre, next to Isabel Morris Park along the Otonabee River, and just steps from the Lakefield Marina and the Lakefield Trail.

For more information, check out the website.

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Photos: Opa! Greek Festival Booms After Three-Year Hiatus With Dance and Traditional Cuisine

Pork or chicken souvlaki, gyros, Greek salad, fries, pita and rice were the savoury food options available at the 2023 Greek Festival. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Over 2,000 people came and went at the return of the Greek Festival from a three-year hiatus, held at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday. Traditional Greek favourite meals such as souvlaki, gyros, baklava and Greek salad were served at the event. Dancing, a kids’ fun zone and live entertainment were the amenities offered during the festival.

Get a Taste of Greece at the Greek Festival This Sunday After a Three-Year Hiatus

Souvlaki, baklava and gyro wraps are going to be at this year’s Greek Festival to raise money for the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church for this Sunday running from noon to 7 p.m.

Natalie DeCarlo of Taso’s Restaurant and Pizzeria (left) and and Greek festival organizer Sophie Spiridis (right) give a sneak peek of baklava and souvlaki pitas that will be featured at this year’s Greek Festival at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church this Sunday. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Souvlaki —both pork and chicken —, tzatziki sauce, Greek salad, rice, gyros and pita will be some of the foods featured and available for the event. Greek music will be played throughout the event and Greek dancers from the Toronto-area will provide free, live entertainment around 2 p.m. Several Greeks in the restaurant business in Peterborough are involved in running the festival according to Sophie Spiridis, festival organizer.

“It's showing the people from Peterborough our culture and what we have to offer,” she said. “I know people love Greece, love Greek people and Greek food so it's (the festival) a way of doing that.”

The proceeds for the church will aid in paying off their well water system that was recently upgraded. It will also cover any renovations for the church that it will want to undergo in the near future.

“Next year, we will be celebrating 30 years of the building of our church so there are upgrades like any other church or any household,” explained Spiridis.

The event has not run since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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