The 17^th Annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre this past weekend was an incredible event for foodies and wino’s alike to indulge in the very best the city has to offer.  With over 38,000 show attendees and over 1,500 wines, beers and spirits, everyone had the pick of the litter to try whatever they pleased.  For me, it was an opportunity to see The Food Network’s Chef Chuck Hughes of Chuck’s Day Off in the flesh… and of course try some amazingly satisfying teaser dishes and vintage wines.  I brought my food loving friend Bram Llewellyn along with me for the journey into the depths of foodie heaven and had an incredible time.

Some show highlights…

We indulged ourselves at the Rodney’s Oyster House booth where an oyster-shucking showdown took place between the proficient Christos & Wanda… By the way, Wanda won.

I sampled some delicious Modern Mexican pulled pork carnitas cooked up by a brand new restaurant called Pachuco located at the corner of Broadview & Danforth.

A suave fellow named Clinton at the Mott’s Clamato station whipped up 14 Caesars in a matter of moments for a crowd of people salivating for their signature spicy and savoury cocktail.

We saw the BIGGEST pan of paella in the world accompanied by the festive musical talents of the boys at El Rey de La Paella. No kidding, they could have fed half of Toronto in one fell swoop.

We were serenaded by Charles, a talented singer from a concept restaurant called The 3 S’s in Oakville.  He dished out the most delicious seafood gumbo, then proceeded to get behind the mic and belt out some opera!

And finally, I got within 5 bodies of Chuck Hughes as he was signing autographs when his publicist cut off the line because he had a plane to catch.  Luckily, I managed to get some footage of this handsome, bacon and arugula tattooed chef as he struck a pose on camera behind me.

To sum it all up, it really was the foodie event of the year!  If you missed it, just watch our video, mark your calendar for next year’s show and be sure to come eat, drink and have fun with us next time.

www.FoodandWineExpo.ca

My Night at the Gourmet Food & Wine Show from View the Vibe on Vimeo.