LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2020

INSIDE SCOOP

BURNING QUESTION

More-ganic bottles SUSTAINABLE SPIRITS

What do they mean? Want to become a more eco-conscious shopper? Here are three symbols to look for.

ECOLOGO Found on everything from fur- niture to cosmetics, this symbol means the product meets strict environmental standards for its entire life cycle, from manufac- turing to disposal. FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL Whether you’re buying toilet pa- per or a book, the FSC symbol is an assurance that a paper prod- uct (including this magazine!) was made from responsible sources that follow rigorous environmen- tal and social standards. OCEANWISE This symbol means you are buy- ing seafood that was caught or farmed in a way that ensures the long-term health of that species and its ecosystem as a whole.

We’re talking about local, sustainable producers on page 36, but here are a few organic options on the spirit shelves from outside Ontario. Made in Minnesota from organic corn, smooth and silky Prairie Organic Vodka ( LCBO 638189, $39.95) is excellent in a Martini, and Leyenda Tlacuache Organic Mezcal ( LCBO 275420, $79.30) will give a smoky boost to agave-based cocktails.

Scrappy chef KITCHEN HACKS

coffee grinder and decided to save it up to make cof- fee-flavoured horchata for a tequila-based cocktail.    As for reducing food waste at home, Hynam-Smith says meal planning helps him use ingredients more efficiently. He also stresses the importance of including kids in the kitchen, which builds respect for food from a young age.    “Do a big cook-up on the weekend with the whole fam- ily and then you’re set for the week. Cooking shouldn’t be stressful; it should be fun.”

to flavour dressings. Squash trimmings are dehydrated, ground and worked into pasta dough. He even figured out a delicious way to use up brine from fermenting Brussels sprouts; it’s reduced by half, sweetened with caramel then finished with duck fat.    “What do we usually serve with Brussels sprouts?” he asks. “Bacon. And this sauce has the same salty, sweet, rich profile.”    The zero-waste mantra extends to the bar, where gen- eral manager Michael Kapusty works on equally clever ideas. He uses rice to clean out the

When he and his wife, Tamara Jensen, opened Dispatch in St. Catharines last year (dispatchrestaurant.com), min- imizing waste at the restau- rant became an obsession.    “I can’t relax knowing what our footprint is,” says Hynam-Smith. “It means being more thoughtful, doing things differently, and not being afraid to experiment.”    The Australian-born chef began to “question everything” and found innovative ideas to use every scrap of food. Brown papery onion skins are burnt, powderized and used

While most chefs avoid food waste as a cost-saving measure, for Adam Hynam-Smith the reasons run much deeper.

PORTRAIT BY BRILYNN FERGUSON

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SPRING 2020 FOOD & DRINK