Highlights & Takeaways from our Spanish Tapas Feast event with Chef Rene Rodriguez
On October 7th, we hosted an #EatWellCanolaOil workshop at the inspiring Canada Agriculture and Food Museum in Ottawa. Guest host for the evening was Don Chow of FoodiePrints.com and our guest chef for the evening was none other than Top Chef Canada Season 4 winner, Chef René Rodriguez who owns and operates the popular Navarra restaurant in Ottawa. What a treat to have his roots guide us through the Spanish Tapas Feast we were about to indulge in!
Online, we thought we’d have a little fun with followers from coast to coast during a simultaneous Twitter Party. The “Black Box” theme played off of Chef René’s reality TV experience, but with a home cook twist. Home cooks are faced with “Black Box” situations every day. For example, when you have two main ingredients left in the fridge, plus your pantry basics, what do you make? Or, when there are only leftovers in the fridge, how do you re-invent them the next day?
Q2: What's your best left-over makeover? ie. Take X and turn it into something new the next day #EatWellCanolaOil pic.twitter.com/UOSEyjBwte
— Canola Eat Well (@CanolaEatWell) October 7, 2015
@CanolaEatWell #EatWellCanolaOil #i am having soo much fun & learning lots of ways 2 cook & bake @CanolaEatWell https://t.co/tVT4Fc9Osg
— Christina (@Christi40955030) October 8, 2015
With celebrity Chef status, Chef René knows how to tackle a Black Box competition.
Chef Rene’s Black Box advice: Think “outside the box”. Give them something they wouldn’t expect #EatWellCanolaOil @Navarrarest
— Canola Eat Well (@CanolaEatWell) October 7, 2015
He did not disappoint our event guests, delivering tasty Spanish tapas creations!
Let's dig in! I'm sitting next to Chef Rene of @Navarrarest chatting about food. Pinch me. #EatWellCanolaOil pic.twitter.com/OThb7zWNtH
— Amy in 613 (@amyin613) October 8, 2015
Just a taste of the incredible canola oil dishes served by @navarrarest for #EatWellCanolaOil. #FarmersFeedCities pic.twitter.com/AGC2NbykRS
— Michael Karlin (@supergovernance) October 8, 2015
Chef @Navarrarest 's Catalan Tomato Bread with Anchovies #EatWellCanolaOil pic.twitter.com/Cjl1pjTTKa
— foodiePrints (@foodiePrints) October 8, 2015
What are tapas anyway?
“Grab friends pre-dinner for small bites to open palate and enjoy good food w/o getting too full” – @Navarrarest on tapas #EatWellCanolaOil
— Canola Eat Well (@CanolaEatWell) October 8, 2015
We shared a few of our own tapas-style recipes throughout the night as well:
Meatballs are always a hit! #EatWellCanolaOil http://t.co/bIsfRPPqX0 pic.twitter.com/4VAQJwbfdp
— Canola Eat Well (@CanolaEatWell) October 8, 2015
Here's a tapas-style idea for the steak, since we're on the tapas topic #EatWellCanolaOil http://t.co/mszOCbHTaQ pic.twitter.com/DMAXiJi6iC
— Canola Eat Well (@CanolaEatWell) October 7, 2015
The Agriculture and Food Museum was the special location for this month’s event. We were joined by Alberta farmer, Tanya, who presented the group with what it takes to run a 4,000 acre Canadian farm. She shared her passion of being a farmer, how they plant and harvest the grains, shared their farm’s environmental planning and why canola oil is good for you.
Wow! Canadian Farming 101 tonight with @canolaeatwell @AgMuseum #humbled #eatWellCanolaOil pic.twitter.com/GVLBaW5CRk
— Jenny Ryan (@JRyanCS) October 8, 2015
Successful farming is a very high- tech biz today! #EatWellCanolaOil @CanolaEatWell #farmersfeedus
— Paula "Constantly Cooking" Roy (@paulajroy) October 8, 2015
Even a medium sized farm makes an enormous contribution to Canada's food supply. #EatWellCanolaOil @CanolaEatWell #Farmingisaprofession
— Paula "Constantly Cooking" Roy (@paulajroy) October 8, 2015
This is an Alberta farmer. She grows enough canola to produce 929k 1L bottles of oil #eatWellCanolaOil #canadasOil pic.twitter.com/KpeFthii0W
— foodiePrints (@foodiePrints) October 8, 2015
The history of canola oil is actually pretty cool. And so Canadian. WHO KNEW. #EatWellCanolaOil
— andrea tomkins (@missfish) October 7, 2015
(..we think so too!)
This Thanksgiving, when you take a moment to give thanks, #ThankaFarmer who grows our food. The next time you are faced with a “Black Box” challenge in your kitchen, take a moment and reflect on where that food came from in the first place.
Farmers put food on our tables and for that, we are thankful! #thankafarmer #Thanksgiving Photo cred: @farmlifemb pic.twitter.com/DyWhBq3H9e
— Canola Eat Well (@CanolaEatWell) October 9, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Eat Well… Ellen
