Local Church Unveils Community Garden For Food Insecurity Awareness

All Saints' Anglican Church unveiled their community vegetable garden where their crops will be donated to several local communities and organizations to spread food insecurity awareness on Monday.

Reverend Suzanna McMillan (left) and Reverend Samantha Caravan (right) in front of one of five vegetable garden boxes that will continually grow crops for local communities. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Located at the south end of the church, the All Saints’ Peterborough Community Garden will supply vegetables to organizations such as Food Not Bombs, Kawartha Food Share, Prince of Wales School’s breakfast program and YWCA Nourish.

“We obviously love to distribute fresh foods to our member agencies so the fact that they’ve taken this to the next level and are willing to support their families with healthy nutritious food items, it’s so great,” said Ashlee Aitken, Kawartha Food Share general manager.

The garden was built not only as a way to help the community but inspire others to help fight against food insecurity and start their own initiative. Reverend Samantha Caravan said the church believes in food equity and that no one should have to worry about having food on their plate every day.

“We really want to engage with people to help them grow their own food in their own backyards,” she said. “It’s not about just filling empty bellies, it’s really building a relationship with people who live and work in this neighbourhood.”

McMillan helped plant, water, weed and caretake the garden since it was created in early June. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The garden was dedicated to Reverend Suzanne McMillan who serves as the church’s diaconate for over 15 years. The honour came as a surprise to McMillan when Caravan revealed the plaque to the public.

“The priest beside me (Caravan) is filled with wonderful surprises like this. Honouring the people for the work they do,” she said. “I was delighted but very surprised.”

“Suzanne has been the driving force around here for justice issues,” said Caravan. “With her energy and time, we wanted to honour that commitment to her fellow people with this.”

The five garden boxes are 6x25x3 inches in length. Rain barrels are used to help maintain the gardens to offset the cost of water. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The gardens were planted in the first week of June and contain crops such as onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, squash and lettuce. The church plans to grow enough tomatoes to hold canning sessions for community distribution.

The church plans to continually use the gardens to crops as long as possible for community distribution.

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East City Gets a Sweet Tooth From Entrepreneur's Dream and Perseverance

Entrepreneur Danielle McIver has made East City a little more colourful and sweeter with her new candy store, Flossophy that opened in mid-June.

Danelle McIver holding one of most popular items, the cotton candy. Some of several flavours include unicorn, green apple and even dill pickle. Photo Courtesy of Flossophy.

McIver’s business features hand-spun cotton candy, popcorn, tempered chocolate bars, sundaes and jarred candies. All except the last option are made from scratch in the store.

“I have always just kind of been obsessed with candy and sweets in general,” explained McIver. “I wanted a throwback with the candy jars. A ’50 or ‘60s style crossed with a downtown LA look.”

New cotton candy flavours are regularly added and often sell out from the first two weeks the business has been open. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Despite the store opening this past month, it operated on a smaller scale back in March last year at the beginning of the pandemic.

McIver’s idea of selling cotton candy came while she attempted to start a party company where cotton candy was part of the business.

After noticing that the fluffy candy’s sales were sky-high, McIver got the idea to pursue it on a larger scale. She was selling tons of cotton candy from her home as curbside pickup and had the idea of opening her own shop.

“The perseverance is having the idea and just wanting to see it succeed,” said McIver. “We started branching out. We started tempering chocolate so we need a shop and a full kitchen.”

All popcorn seasonings are made and created in-house. Ingredients such as coconut oil have made it into some popcorn flavours. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Flossophy’s selection is notorious for its outrageous and unique flavours. Cotton candy can range from original to fruity flavours like apple and banana to strange ones like dill pickle and “hot mama”. Popcorn can range from savoury flavours like sushi roll and pizza to sweet like Nanaimo and churro.

Tempered chocolate bars have toppings embedded such as popcorn or pretzels fitting the theme of a “movie night” flavour.

Sundaes feature a wide variety of toppings, all with their own theme and a number unique toppings such as crushed cereal and cotton candy bits.

“I love change, I love variety and I love a challenge,” said McIver. “You find a new pivot. This is what I love about Flossophy, I get to explore this creative outlet.”

Flossophy often stocks rarer candies such as crème brûlée and chili pepper gummies that are typically not found at any big chain stores. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Since opening the store, Flossophy’s business has boomed with several items often selling out. The store is adapting to the sudden growth and demand of the customer base but it is a good problem to have noted McIver.

“(Business is) overwhelming but in the best way possible,” she said. “It’s good to know that people know that they like your product. The shop should feel like an experience when you go so that’s really important to me and the response has been amazing.”

The store is located on 75 Hunter St. E. next to Revive Hair Lounge. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

McIver wanted to put candy jars in front of her storefront counter for customers to pick our their own but has to keep them behind the counter for COVID-19 safety protocols.

Sour candy has been a huge request among customers including being incorporated with the cotton candy according to McIver. She plans to release a sour line of flavours in the near future she tells PTBOCanada.

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Local Entrepreneurs' Hot Sauce Ignites Peterborough's Taste Buds

Too hot? Too bad! No Refund Hot Sauce has made its way into Peterborough made by Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews and Chemong Lodge co-owner Adam Brown.

Addison James “A.J'“ Brown (pictured) and brother of Adam, co-owns Dr. J’s and Chemong Lodge. The Brown family purchased the latter two weeks ago. Photo Courtesy of Adam Brown.

After being developed during Adam’s restauranteur career in Toronto, the hot sauce has found its way into Peterborough retailers such as One Fine Foods, Primal Cuts, Sweet Beast Butcher Shop, Flannigan’s and Brown’s businesses.

The brand features seven different hot sauces and three mayos, featuring their suicide sauces called “Adam’s” and “4-Alarm”.

The sauce was developed 10 years ago when Adam’s original restaurant, “The Fox and the Fiddle” in Toronto for their chicken wings; a food Adam is a huge fan of. That spawned the idea of having a suicide sauce.

“If you’re going to have great wings, you got to have a great ‘sui’ sauce,” said Adam.

The “No Refund” name was inspired by a questionable customer experience with the sauce.”

“We had some customer send it back saying it was too hot,” said Adam. “We asked ourselves, ‘Can you send back suicide wings?’”

No Refund currently has three variants of spicy mayonnaise and seven hot sauces available for purchase. Photo Courtesy of Adam Brown.

Brown’s friends suggested bottling the suicide sauce and selling it to local distributors. He opted to take that advice after customers who were strangers gave him the same feedback.

“We had friends saying we should bottle the sauce,” said Adam. “Once we kept hearing customers who were outside of our friendship circle saying the same thing, we heard it enough times and said why don’t we explore this a bit?”

With how flexible hot sauce recipes can be, the possibilities are endless for new products in the future.

“We played with it a lot. We’re always experimenting with peppers and flavours,” “All of our sauces are inspired regionally from all over the world. Diverse in heat and flavour.”

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Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews Owners Take Over Chemong Lodge

Adam and Addison Brown, owners of Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews, have purchased Chemong Lodge in Bridgenorth from the Northey Family on Friday.

Both Brown families outside their newly purchased property after the Northey’s owned Chemong Lodge for 59 years. Photo Courtesy of Sara Brown.

The Northey’s purchased the property back in 1962 and the Brown’s become the fifth family to purchase the Lodge since it was built in 1895.

“They’ve (the Northey’s) have done a phenomenal job with it,” said Adam Brown. “We’re really excited to take over that legacy and build on it.”

The three-acre property overlooks Chemong Lake and was a restored luxury cottage repurposed as a restaurant. It has been closed since last year due to the pandemic.

The Chemong Lodge website has been updated to reflect the hours, new ownership and online ordering of their menu of freshly-cooked or vacuum-packed food.

The Brown family will bring the smokers from Dr. J’s for the Lodge’s reopening on Victoria Day weekend starting Friday to provide curbside take-out orders of their food. Pulled pork, ribs and brisket among other things will be available for purchase as their way of introducing themselves to the community. They will operate at the following times and dates:

• Friday, May 21: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. or until sold out

• Saturday, May 22: Noon to 8:00 p.m. or until sold out

• Sunday, May 23: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. or until sold out

“Chemong Lodge has been to us, as it’s been to so many, a great place of celebration (birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, engagements) and we would like to thank the Northey’s for all of the special moments they’ve created for us and the local community.” said The Brown family in a press release. So many families have shared in the great food, love and laughter that you have provided.”

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Local Restaurant Celebrates Anniversary of Over Four Decades of Business in Peterborough

Maybe it is their famous Caesar dressing but The Pizza Factory is celebrating their 41st anniversary in business.

The restaurant has takeout and delivery available during the lockdowns Peterborough has been under. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The local eatery made the announcement during a heartfelt thank-you post on Facebook, showing gratitude to those who had supported the business during their tenure either as a customer or staff member, past or present.

“We’d like to take the time to thank the city of Peterborough and the surrounding communities for providing us with 41 years of support,” according to the post. “We could not have done any of this without you, and words can’t describe how thankful we are for each and every one of you. We will always strive to give you our best efforts.”

Their Caesar dressing is sold in jars and is available either at the restaurant or select grocery stores in Peterborough and the surrounding area. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The restaurant has remained in the same location during its 41-year tenure on the corner of Lansdowne Street and The Parkway.

Founded in April of 1980, owner Peter Bouzinelo opened the restaurant five years after arriving in Peterborough in 1975. He felt welcomed by the community and wanted to give back as much he could according to the post.

Bouzinelo’s brand of olive oil available at his restaurant came from his home village of Koutsi, Greece. He planted some of the trees 50 years ago that made the oil. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Pizza Factory specializes in Greek and Italian food and offers specialties such as pizza, ribs, chicken, panzerotti and souvlaki.

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Local Chef Celebrates Restaurant Grand Opening With Free Burger Promotion

A dream come true for local chef and entrepreneur Om Patel as he opens “The Dirty Burger Company” with 50 free burgers on Thursday before its grand opening on Friday.

Om Patel during his tenure at Moj Foods. The Dirty Burger Company plans to have a patio and liquor license in the summer. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

The free food is to celebrate the grand opening of Patel’s first brick-and-mortar business. The burger joint is located at 211 Hunter St. W., the former location of the Hunter Street Tavern.

Customers can get a free burger through a link on their Facebook or Instagram in an online sign-up form starting at 5:00 p.m. in five or ten-minute intervals. This format will allow customers to get their burgers quickly and safely with the pandemic restrictions in place.

The three-ounce all-beef burger is paired automatically paired with onions, pickles and special sauce atop a potato bun. All other toppings are available upon request. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

Patel was a Fleming College graduate in culinary and previously operated Moj Foods located on The Queensway. His family has been in Peterborough for over 40 years and is of Indian descent. Patel uses flavours from his heritage to bring an added twist to the food.

“We’re really excited to offer Peterborough a fresh take on the classic hamburger,” said Will Trebbne, General Manager. “Om wants to bring good food back to Peterborough with an East Indian influence.”

A fried potato patty is one of two vegetarian options the restaurant offers. Avocado tacos with pico de gallo and refried beans is the other vegetarian main. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

The joint will serve three-ounce smash burgers with pickles, onions, Patel’s special sauce and a choice of other toppings. Trebbne would not disclose what specifically is in the special sauce but noted that it is a mayo base with a unique mild pepper.

Patel’s restaurant will offer authentic Indian-inspired veggie dishes and a variety of unique sides in addition to his burgers.

The toppings of onions, pickles and special sauce that come with the burger are Patel’s favourite according to the media press release. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Lu.

Many businesses have closed from the pandemic but Trebbne said Patel saw the opening to run a restaurant and fulfill his dream.

“Not a lot of people are opening restaurants, it’s a risky endeavour but it’s really exciting,” he said. “He’s been looking for a place to lease ever since last fall and we just had this opportunity.”

The Dirty Burger Company is offering takeout or delivery while orders can be done online — on their direct website or food delivery apps — or via phone at 705-400-7335.

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Pandemic Creates Innovation and Creativity for Fleming College Culinary

It is no secret that COVID-19 has caused problems in health and economics but Fleming College’s culinary program found positivity with creative thinking.

Fleming developed a system to allow students to pick up a food box containing ingredients and tools for them to cook and do assignments in their own kitchen.

Students not in Peterborough had their supplies delivered to their homes while international students were given a stipend and a list to buy their food boxes.

“That was really innovative. It took some of the stress off students, they didn’t have to relocate to Peterborough and could prepare for the winter semester,” said Pam Stoneham, Dean of Trades and Technology. “We have to do everything so far in advance.”

Tamara Tavner makes a breakfast sandwich as part of an at-home assignment. Students had to detail their preparation, production, presentation and sanitary guidelines with step-by-step photos. Photo courtesy Tamara Tavner via Fleming College.

A side benefit from this at-home learning was that students developed social media skills and presentation through photographing their home-cooked meals.

Fleming would reach out to small-business retailers for supplies such as Kawartha Dairy and Windmill Farms to supply the ingredients.

Komal Kakkar submits his breakfast sandwich as part of a winter semester assignment. Photo courtesy Komal Kakkar via Fleming College.

With these new lessons introduced from Fleming’s creativity, Stoneham believes this could be part of the curriculum moving forward.

“We’ll be looking at what we’ve done and continue to do that as we go back to normal,” she said. “I’d also like to point out the resiliency in the students because they have to adapt and embrace these new ways of doing things.”

Efren Munquia Siqueiros prepares several meals in-house while practicing health and safety guidelines from the pandemic. Photo courtesy of Natalie Wood via Fleming College

Fleming typically had online classes in the fall semester with in-person classes for the winter. With several programs requiring hands-on training such as culinary, carpentry and electrical engineering, it gets difficult to properly teach their students.

Classes were done via Zoom or Webex but students needed hands-on experience according to Stoneham.

“The trades and technology programs are very hands-on,” she said. “We had to figure out if we could still deliver in a fashion that meets the learning outcomes and create a learning experience.”

Fleming culinary students showcasing chocolate truffles Jason Martin (left) and Jada Calhoun (right) during the 2020-2021 winter semester. Photo credit Amanda Benns via Fleming College

Several courses have started to pre-record lessons and demonstrations. Students can watch the videos at their own pace to fit their schedules in case they have other priorities or if they missed a class.

This method has made students better prepared for classes according to Stoneham.

“Pre-recording something so they study when they arrive, this is what I saw in the demonstration,” she said. “There’s a better level of preparedness when they do come on campus.”

Rohan Bhardqaj (left) and Aman Dankhra (right) pouring soup while socially distancing. Photo credit Amanda Benns via Fleming College

When asked if this helps with accessibility issues, Stoneham agreed that it created a platform for students who can only be taught online and could segue into the curriculum in the future.

“I really am proud of the faculty and the students,” said Stoneham, “Fleming has worked as a team to keep educating our students.”

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