From her office in Toronto, Catherine Tadros, Chief Representative of Quebec, spearheads the province’s mission to foster robust inter-provincial trade and solidify political ties, with a special emphasis on the agri-food sector. Her team is dedicated to the lofty ambition of catapulting Quebec’s companies onto the Canadian, ensuring they are export-ready and poised to penetrate new markets in Ontario and Western Canada. Martin Vèzina, as the Vice-President of Public and Government Affairs at the Association Restauration Québec (ARQ), aligns with Restaurants Canada in advocating for and suppo ..read more

How early adoption of AI can accelerate the restaurant industry. By: Jay Ashton In the restaurant and foodservice industry, we’ve only just begun seriously talking about artificial intelligence applications, but functional AI has actually been around for more than a quarter century. Maybe even longer. Artificial intelligence or “AI” has been integrated into an incredible array of different programs and applications used the world over, every day. Traditionally, we reserved the “idea of AI” for focused professions like coders, developers and the like, but today, we no longer need to be a coder ..read more

Proprietors: Tyler & Nicole Gable | Groupex member since: before 2007 | Penticton, British Columbia When Tyler & Nicole Gable received notice that townhomes were going to replace the stretch of land where their old restaurant, Villa Rosa Ristorante, had stood for more than 26 years, they decided that they better have a plan in place. “We owned and operated Villa Rosa for 16 of the 26 years it was in business,” Tyler says. “We live in Penticton, we’re part of the community and understand how seasonality affects business. We saw an opportunity for a new place that was related to what ..read more

The fastest-growing entree on Canadian menus in the last year is the build-your-own bowl. Not only are bowls trendy, but this option also provides the opportunity for customization. These bowls often have global inspirations, with Mexican and Mediterranean being two of the top flavours with build-your-own bowls. Other global entrees on the rise in the past year include burrito and quesadilla value meals. These types of meals can appeal to the price-minded consumer, although both burrito and quesadilla value meals have risen in price over the past year, with even value meals not immune to the ..read more

Arlene Stein is the founder and Executive Director of the Terroir Symposium, a catalyst for creative collaboration and social and environmental responsibility in the hospitality industry. Since 2006, Terroir has convened international and Canadian industry leaders annually at a two-day event, first in Toronto, Ontario and now in Calgary, Alberta. From her current home base in Berlin, Germany, Arlene travels globally to research responsible food systems and gastronomic innovations. MENU connected with Arlene to talk about Terroir, the Calgary restaurant scene, the future of hospitality and P ..read more

Women hospitality leaders illuminate some of the key decisions and skills that shaped their careers, and share their picks to lead the next generation. Women make up 58 per cent of the foodservice workforce in Canada. Their entrepreneurialism and creativity have kept the industry growing and evolving, particularly during the tumultuous pandemic years. MENU recently had a chance to chat with some of the far-sighted women whose drive, engagement and leadership is currently stretching the boundaries of the sector. ANNA LAZARE Owner, Messy Kitchen Kahnawà:ke, Quebec. Instagram: @messykitchenkahn ..read more

Chef Tawnya Brant is a Canadian culinary rising star, an entrepreneur, a devoted mom and the plainspoken, straight-up cool sister you always wished you had. Even as she balances motherhood, Yawékon, her Haudenosaunee fusion restaurant in Ontario’s Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, and a hectic travel shooting and post-production schedule for her upcoming series on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), she finds time to chat about life, love and a few of the most important topics on her radar: restaurants, kids’ nutrition and Canadian food. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Hoove ..read more

By: Carl Heinrich It may have taken a pandemic, but local food has come of age and is proving to be good business. Chef Carl Heinrich stands out as an early advocate of the growing farm-to-table movement. Richmond Station, his acclaimed restaurant in Toronto’s downtown financial district, was designed around Carl’s unwavering belief that local food was not only the “right” way to do things, but possibly the most long-sighted, prescient approach to a successful restaurant. Dining room guests are delighted daily with tableside stories of locally sourced and raised ingredients and inspired integ ..read more

As we head into the depths of winter, the heady, relaxed nature of patio season feels like it’s receding into the misty depths of memory. But the feeling of warmth and convivial connection doesn’t have to end. Summer may be short, but today, restaurant patios have a longer life than ever before. Innovative operators may have turned to patios when on-premise dining restrictions were in place, but even as those restrictions eased, the advantages of patios remained. Recognizing the need to shore up local businesses and give communities a safe place to gather, many municipalities have implemented ..read more

Angela Lawrence is the dynamic Chief Culture Officer at Gusto 54, renowned for her tenacious spirit, creativity and visionary leadership. With roots in magazine publishing and a penchant for storytelling, Lawrence’s career took a serendipitous turn from editor to the epicurean world as a natural extension of her long friendship with Gusto 54 Founder and CEO Janet Zuccarini. Lawrence blends her creative flair with an entrepreneurial edge, fostering a vibrant workplace and championing accountability, not only across Gusto 54’s restaurant portfolio, but across the Canadian hospitality industry ..read more