Rethinking Food Banks: Parkdale Food Centre’s Innovative Approach

 Photos by Olivia Vanderwal Parkdale Food Centre, a community hub located in the Wellington West neighbourhood, is working to transform the way that food banks operate. “Food banking is wrong, and we’ve normalized it,” says manager Karen Secord. Originally created as temporary measures against hunger, food banks have now become permanent

A Newbie’s Guide to NYC Food

 Photos by Rewa Mourad / Feature image: Pixabay It’s no secret that New York City is one of the most fascinating cities in the world. We call it the Big Apple, the City of Dreams, and the City that Never Sleeps, and we think of its breathtaking sights, cultural centers, and

7 simple swaps to incorporate plant-based eating into your diet

 As one of the top food trends, everyone is talking about the power of plant-based eating—but putting it into practice can seem daunting. Choosing a plant-based diet isn't necessarily an overnight switch, nor does it have to mean a complete diet overhaul. We've simplified the pressures of doing the plant-based

A Waste Free Holiday: Grocery Shopping the NU Way

 Photos courtesy of NU Grocery Back in August, Ottawa opened its very first zero waste grocery store, NU, located in the heart of Hintonburg. NU offers a one-stop shopping experience for customers looking to reduce or eliminate their food packaging waste. Inside, you’ll find everything from bulk food items, fresh

Three-ingredient holiday potluck recipes

 One of the best parts about the holiday season is the food! If you’re running out of ideas for what to make for a cocktail party your hosting or perhaps a potluck dinner you’ve been invited to, look no further! Here are some quick and easy three-ingredient recipes that will

5 Tips to Avoid the Holiday Weight Gain…and Still Indulge in it All

 Welcome to Day 9 of the 25 Days of Ottawa Life Christmas Calendar. We’ll be updating with a new treat daily so be sure to keep checking under the OLM Tree to see what’s new. Ahhh the holidays. It’s a time when we come together to celebrate joy and family… and inevitably

Dress up fruit for fabulous fall desserts

 During fall and holiday entertaining, desserts often command the spotlight. For inspiration, use the beautiful, vibrant colours of autumn to inspire unique desserts. Few fruits can match the taste or vibrancy of green, red and black California grapes. Buy one or buy them all and turn on the creativity. Here

Connect with your community through a love of food

 Everyone loves friendly and welcoming communities. And there are many benefits of living in a connected neighbourhood ( like feeling safe and providing a good environment for children. But a recent survey from Whirlpool Canada shows that only a third of us actually feel connected to the people closest to

Tradition Meets Technology at IL VICOLO

 Photos by Andre Gagne Having spent a month recently in Italy, any local slice of pizza passing over my taste buds has a pretty big plate to fill. How do you replace the memory of such gooey goodness experienced in the land that fathered one of the most beloved foods

Baconpalooza Filled the Achin’ for Bacon

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals! Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life

Food is not medicine

 By Dylan MacKay Hippocrates supposedly said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." I disagree. Food is not medicine. I can hear people saying, "But Dylan, you have type 1 diabetes and a PhD in human nutritional sciences. Surely you of all people know that food has

Prinzo Fine Catering – part of the family

 Photos courtesy of Prinzo.ca With over 40 years of experience in fine catering and customer service, you will find you and your family calling Prinzo for all of your events. Manager of Prinzo Fine Catering, Irina Nachetaya tells Ottawa Life that Prinzo has seen many milestones throughout a family’s life.

Turn Meal Time Into HANG Time at Sky Lounge

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals and events! Like a good sunscreen,

Food for thought: Caroline Dumont on Three Ways to Eat Ottawa

 Mere minutes after meeting Caroline Dumont I was fascinated by both her outlook in life and how pursuant she is of one passion in particular – food. Caroline developed a passion for cooking and food in general at a young age. She says, “When I was younger I would watch

African Harvest: A celebration of Food, Farmers, Radio, and Resilience

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals! Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life

Turkish Delights

 Turkey has shared many gifts with Canada over the years. Distinctive ebru water marbling art, decorative Turkish carpets and Nazar Boncugu charms that fashionably protect against the evil eye all hail from that magical land. We are privileged to include Turkish culture as part of the Canadian mosaic. One of

Sweet Montreal

 Macaroons from Maison Christian Faure, photo courtesy of Maison Christian Faure. It’s a little known fact that Montreal is home to some of Canada’s best restaurants and chefs, including world-renowned chocolatiers and pastry makers. This is great news for anyone who, like me, has a giant sweet tooth. In the

Joyce Family Donates $2 Million to Help Alberta Fire Relief

 Photo by JasonWoodHead23, Creative Commons. On Friday, Tim Hortons co-founder Ron Joyce and other family members made the largest individual donation the Canadian Red Cross has seen in the wake of the Fort McMurray fire. “It is part of our Canadian culture to look after one another during times of

Tips for Planning Your Desitination Wedding

 It's the height of wedding season, so Paradisus Resorts – offering ideal settings for destination weddings – has tapped their Corporate Romance Manger, Marilyn Cairo, to compile the Top Ten Expert Tips on the “dos” and “don’ts” of planning the perfect destination wedding to ensure your big day is flawless and

Get Happening in Hintonburg

 All photos by Andre Gagne Hintonburg is a neighbourhood that always seems to be changing and accepting of new and fresh ideas. Case in point, did you know that in 1896 it was the first place in Canada to show a newfangled idea called moving pictures when a film was

Contest: Kick-Off Your Collection with Le pARTy 2016

 Photo by David Barbour. Looking for artwork by regional artists? We have two tickets to the Ottawa Art Gallery’s 20th Le pARTy Art Auction, the spring celebration that may be the best way to get inspiring artworks off the gallery walls and onto your own. Both tickets will go to one

Capital Catwalk Showcases Best of Local Fashion Designers

 All photos by Mireille Sylvester,   Ottawa’s fashion community dressed to the nines to raise money for cancer on January 30. The University of Ottawa branch of HerCampus, an online magazine for university students, hosted its 4th annual Capital Catwalk in support of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. The glitzy

The Best Restaurants in Ottawa

 A dish by Tomo. Photo by Lakyn Marie Felix Photography.  We all know that Ottawans are attracted to great food, and luckily for us, it seems like great food is drawn to us as well. This city is loaded with fantastic places to grab a snack on the go or

The Ottawa Art Gallery Celebrates Winterlude 2016

 It’s that time of the year, Ottawans. Winterlude is here again, beginning on January 29th! The Ottawa Art Gallery has announced a partnership with Winterlude and Chill Factor of the Downtown Rideau BIA. This partnership will bring a series of events that are sure to delight attendees of all ages.

Five Things You Might Not Know About Food Insecurity in Canada.

 For many Canadians, food plays a central role in the holiday festivities. But for those experiencing food insecurity, a bountiful feast will not be in the cards this year. Over 4 million Canadians, including 1.15 million children experience some level of food insecurity. Food insecurity, also known as ‘food poverty,’