Sway: How did you learn to cook?
Wayne Passion: I started cooking with my grandma when I was about seven years old. By the time I was 13, I was cooking for the whole family. We have a huge family back home. I migrated to Canada when I was about 14 or so and, at that time, I was cooking for my mom and sister every day. I wasn’t shy about taking social studies and those things in school. I wanted to learn the simple pleasures of cooking. When I started the music group, I always had a large crew around me, everybody was always in my home so I cooked for them, too. They didn’t want no pizza! They wanted good cooked food!

Where did the idea for The Reggae Kitchen come from?
Seven years ago, the music industry was following closely behind my heels and people were always telling me to record and do something with what I was doing in the kitchen. I was always cooking and singing, and people enjoyed it. When YouTube was started, I really didn’t want to put it up there. I wanted the production to be perfect, but ultimately we just had to get it up there for the people to see because we had everything together.

What has been the response to The Reggae Kitchen?
We just put it up two months ago and we have over 50,000 views and counting. The stats are there to prove it. Right now, when you type in anything that has to do with food and reggae, we are the first ones to show up. I believe God will bless me and we are going somewhere.

What is the next step for the show?
We’ve interviewed great Jamaican and Canadian artists like George Nooks, Gramps from Morgan Heritage, Jimmy Reed, and Ron Nelson. I’m going to be interviewing Baby Sham soon. A lot of people are requesting to be in the kitchen to celebrate culture, heritage and food.

Chef Jean Rimple is passionate about barbecuing — so much so that his face lights up when he talks about the history of the cooking technique. RD’s Southern BBQ in Brampton, Ont. is an outlet for that passion.

Rimple and his wife, Petra Dean, opened the restaurant (the RD stands for Rimple and Dean) in January. RD’s is actually a family affair as the couple’s sons, Osei and Romer, also work alongside their parents serving up a mouth-watering array of Haitian creations and soul food.

Family is important to Rimple. His mother was a great motivator for his love of cooking. “My mom, she was a great cook,” he says. “She taught me lots and instilled the inspiration in my cooking.”

Born in Haiti, 49-year-old Rimple moved to Canada in 1973 and has been working in restaurants since he was 17. His first experiences included collaborating with very experienced chefs in established Montreal eateries.

Rimple’s own 1,600 square-foot restaurant — complete with atmosphere-setting touches such as black and white portraits of jazz greats like John Coltrane — is always filled with drool-worthy aromas from the slow cooker. RD’s offers delicacies such as baby back ribs, barbecue or jerk wings, pulled pork, beef brisket, a variety of burgers, and jerk pork, beef or chicken.

Rimple prides himself on using only the best quality chicken, beef and pork — all smoked slowly, southern style, and with love for scrumptious, fall-off-the-bone eats. Patrons can choose their own RD’s barbecue sauce for extra flavour, including mild, medium, hot, jerk or honey garlic.

“RD’s recipe is original and has been passed down from grandmother to mother, and then to myself,” says Rimple, whose great grandmother was born in Baton Rouge, La. “I have also developed, through the years, my own recipe. We stand out because everything is smoked and made from scratch. Nothing is processed.”

But it’s not just the meat that has customers coming back for more. RD’s side dishes are also infused with a little Southern comfort. Beside French or sweet potato fries, customers can sample corn bread, barbecue baked beans, coleslaw, Creole rice, and macaroni and cheese.

Online reviews of RD’s are quite positive with people raving about the flavour and the quality of the food and the service. With its success thus far, Rimple has big plans for RD’s. “Our desire is to build a name and reputation for our food and also to become a landmark for the city of Brampton.”

Chatterpaul’s
3500 Brock St. N. Whitby, Ont.
905-665-7575
chatterpauls.com

Chef James-Thomas Chatterpaul has taken over the Durham region with his signature blend of world fusion fare. One of our faves on the menu is the oven-roasted jerk chicken breast, served with macaroni and cheese. This flavourful combination always has us wanting more — and it’s a good thing for us that chef Chatterpaul is always willing to oblige!

The Real Jerk
709 Queen St. E. Toronto, Ont.
416-463-6055
therealjerk.com

The Real Jerk is well known for its chicken, but one of the best items on the menu is the succulent jerk ribs. Do yourself a favour and try them the next time you’re in Toronto hanging out on Queen Street East. Pair your ribs with a side of plantain and you’ll be instantly transported to jerk heaven.

Room Service
1006 Saint Clair Ave. W.
Toronto, Ont.
416-654-7666
roomservicetoronto.com

The next time you’re at Room Service, order up the Jerk Sarpong special. Yes, you read right. After approximately 1,000 plates of jerk chicken, Room Service has officially named its delicious jerk chicken dinner after Sway editor Jon Sarpong. Could Curry Sarpong be next?

By Duane Watson

When the University of New Brunswick’s MBA program in entrepreneurship recruited Naz Ali from Trinidad and offered him a scholarship that would see him picking up and taking classes in Fredericton, you can understand his hesitation.

At the time, he wasn’t aware that he would eventually open an award winning, casual fine dining Caribbean restaurant in the Maritimes. Six strong years later, Caribbean Flavas has served countless Frederictonians and notable celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Russell Peters, opera singer Measha Brueggergosman and Canadian icon Leonard Cohen.

Easy it wasn’t. Part of Ali’s school project for his business degree was to develop a product or service for New Brunswick. After cooking for his study groups, working in the mess halls on campus and developing a reputation for his culinary skills, his proposal was to offer Fredericton a Caribbean dining experience.

“My professors didn’t really think the idea was great and I got a C+,” says Ali. “Their experiences with Caribbean restaurants were what they saw in Trinidad. While it’s somewhat shoddy, that’s our culture and they thought that’s what I was bringing to Fredericton.”

With a grade bringing down his GPA, he turned to the government officials and business development organizations that were encouraging international students to stay in Fredericton. While they were more than happy to invest in a Tim Horton’s, they weren’t interested, either.

Undeterred, Ali picked up the phone and called his family in Trinidad. “I told my folks I had a thorough business plan on how to open a Caribbean restaurant in Fredericton and asked them to help me start it up.” Ali’s mother asked how the weather was in September. “It’s sunny,” he responded.

His business forecast was also bright. Contrary to initial beliefs, Caribbean Flavas was met with instant success. “There was nothing like it in Fredericton,” Ali says. “People here are more open to culture and are very accepting of it. We have a lot of regulars.”

Voted New Brunswick’s Best Restaurant, Top 10 in eastern Canada and nominated for a Tourism Excellence Award, Caribbean Flavas’ hospitality, service and food are its keys to success. While popular dishes include curry chicken, jerk chicken and sorrel salmon, Ali emphasizes its uniqueness. “It’s a Caribbean fusion restaurant, but you still have those Caribbean flavours,” he says. “You don’t feel out of place as a West Indian coming to a fine dining restaurant. And you don’t feel out of place as a Frederictonian coming into a Caribbean restaurant.”

Now, in addition to the family-owned restaurant, Caribbean Flavas has extensive catering contracts that see Ali providing his takeout sandwiches and mini wraps to Irving, Petro-Canada and Ultramar gas stations.
While Ali travelled a challenging road to open Caribbean Flavas, it’s one journey that he admits without hesitation he would gladly take all over again.

By Ryan B. Patrick

With a name like A Mother’s Touch Catering & Specialty Cakes, the sense that her business is a deeply personal venture isn’t lost on the customers of catering entrepreneur Nicole Clarke.

After her scrumptious custom cakes and cookies were a tasty hit during potlucks at the telecommunications firm where she worked, Clarke was emboldened to form a company based on her knack for creating culinary delights.

It hasn’t been easy, but today the single mother runs a successful catering company out of her Ajax, Ont. home that offers delicacies that range from elegant appetizers to exclusive full-course meals. You name it, Clarke can create it—all with exquisite flair and painstaking attention to detail.

In between juggling work, culinary school courses and motherhood, Clarke recently spoke with Sway about her passion for running a catering company and why 2011 will be her biggest year yet.

What’s the meaning behind the name A Mother’s Touch?
The company started in 2000, but I’ve been cooking and baking since I was nine. For me, if you don’t take time to do things right or with love, they’re not going to taste right. I was going through photos and found one of me and my mom touching lips. It reminded me of home-style cooking and I thought of the concept of mother’s touch. When you taste the food, you get that home taste. I’m not going to take any shortcuts.

What are your biggest challenges?
It’s a lot of work because it is only myself in this small business. One of the biggest challenges is that I take on all the stress and responsibility. In the midst of having a personal life, I always have to worry about keeping my clients happy. If I have a wedding for 300, I have to worry about it running into my overhead and costs. I work from home in a small space and I have to worry about inventory and storage space. I’m looking into having my own storefront or storage space so if I do get last minute orders, I don’t have to turn them away.

What are your specialties?
I would say my gourmet cookies and cheesecakes. Those are the ones that got the most attention for my business. Right now, I’m also launching four different flavours of cookies: Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip. I grew up being taught the basis of West Indian cuisine—Trinidadian and Jamaican. When I go out to eat, I like things that are very elegant. I incorporate all of this into my food.

Why is 2011 going to be your best year yet?
Right now, it’s really been about marketing my business. For example, I’ve changed my personal Facebook page into a business page. The way I see it, everyone has to eat. And I know that what I make is homemade, and also elegant and gourmet styled. I’m a perfectionist and I would never sell anything that I didn’t think was perfect.

This relaxed restaurant has become a favourite among the staff at Sway. In fact, you’re likely to bump into editor Jon Sarpong sitting at his favourite table on any given night.

But he’s not the only one who has taken a liking to this hidden gem. The flavourful fusion menu has grabbed the attention of patrons throughout the Greater Toronto Area with regular customers coming in from as far as Hamilton, Ont. Room Service is also gaining an international reputation, recently claiming the Number 1 Toronto restaurant ranking on tripadviser.com.

Our recommendation:  On a cold day, start with the stuffed plantain, which is filled with savoury ackee, salt fish, onions and bell peppers. It will have you warmed up in no time.

Chatterpaul’s
3500 Brock St. N, Whitby, Ont.
905-665-7575
chatterpauls.com

The suburban Durham Region may not instantly come to mind as the home of diverse culinary fare. But since 2008, Chatterpaul’s has been serving up some of the finest food in the GTA.

The restaurant’s ultra-cool interior balances perfectly with the progressive menu, which features ingredients from the four corners of the world. Reservations are a must, as the joint is jumping every night of the week.

Our recommendation: Try the jerk rubbed breast of chicken with basmati rice. It will definitely have you planning a return trip.

Ellington’s Music & Cafe
805 St. Clair Ave. W., Toronto
416-652-9111
ellingtonsmusicandcafe.com

These days, you can pretty much find a coffee shop at every corner. But if you’re looking for more than coffee, visit Ellington’s Music & Café.

It’s a relaxed, jazz-filled hangout spot that is popular with St. Clair’s arts community. International coffees from Guatemala, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Peru, Tanzania and Costa Rica paired flawlessly with a sumptuous dessert are the perfect cure for cold winter nights.

Our recommendation: Get a steaming cup of Ethiopian java along with a slice of freshly baked cake or cookies or… on second thought, just try it all!

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EAST AFRICAN CHEFS across the city are becoming a hot commodity to Toronto’s prized multicultural bevy of restaurateurs.

From west-end watering holes (there are a slew of great spots on the Ossington Avenue strip) to a number of downtown gems, Ethiopian chefs and their share-plate style of dining are getting noticed.

Having opened her spot more than a year ago, Zeni Ashine, owner of Parkdale’s M&B Yummy Restaurant, may be a new kid on the block, but she has already acquired quite a roster of regulars and has found a way to survive amongst the hundreds of new restaurants.

Their cuisine is not the only thing getting urbanites to chow down; their ability to adapt to their changing customers is also a draw. Ethiopian chefs are shifting and shaping their menus to appeal to Toronto foodies, and arguably some of the countries most discriminating palates.

Come summer 2008, Ashine will be offering all-vegan fare. Yes, vegan.

Traditionally, Ethiopian fare is packed with slowcooked meats like chicken and beef, cottage cheeses on the side for ample dipping and lots of other vegan nonos, but Ashine and her from-scratch menu has vegan customers salivating. Her affordable prices — $8 to $10 for platter-sized entrees; $15 for really large dinners and $1 for fried dumplings and brick-sized spring rolls — also help to rack up points with her health-conscious neighbours who want a change from always making their own dinners with pricey organics.

It’s all because of a little ingredient called teff.

The crepe-style sourdough flat bread she offers — the bed for mounds of bold flavoured vegan-approved wats like slow-cooked pureed chick peas, red lentils and collard greens — has also evidently become all the rage for west-enders. She also replaced traditional seasoned stewed meats (called tebs) with a surprisingly sumptuous “vegetarian chicken” made out of soy flour.

“Most of my customers are vegan and many people are allergic or just want to be healthy,” Ashine says. “I even noticed that once I cooked more vegan food, I also started to lose weight, and I was happy,” she laughs.

And so are her customers.

It’s really not hard to warm up to Ashine, her cuisine and homey hospitality. She floats daintily around customer tables with a bright smile and inquires sweetly to first-timers and regulars alike: “You like it?”

Almost everyone does.

Satisfied, but muffled responses follow, customers approve through big mouthfuls, messy fingers give hearty thumbs up.

“Good. Eat, eat,” she encourages, beaming.

Adding to the ceremonious comfort is her Ethiopian coffee ($10 for six people) –– a real treat.

Ashine takes greencoloured beans and roasts them in a small pot that she brings to the table and shakes for customers to see. Wafting the browning beans over, she also brings an incense burner with intensely fragrant frankincense rocks and a giant serving of sugarsweetened popcorn to munch on.

Ashine also attributes her success to that authentic yeasty teff grain bread, injera.

In fact, it’s the only thing she says she doesn’t make herself. Not to say that she hasn’t tried. Many Ethiopian chefs don’t make their injera in-house. Chefs say the temperamental teff and barley grains make it difficult to create: the injera is usually cooked with a close eye and an exacting recipe on non-stick ceramic cookware.

Instead, Ashine buys it from a local Ethiopian health food grocer at $3.75 per package of five teff injeras, a steep price she says she’s willing to pay if her customers are happy. But she’s not the only one.

“It’s so tricky to make it, but it’s the most important part of the meal,” says Mohammed Haddis, operator and main chef of the popular African restaurant Ethiopian House (located at 4 Irwin Ave). “Sometimes, it’s the mood of the chef, maybe sometimes even the mood of the teff for you to get the recipe just right,” he says jokingly.

He has also struggled to make the tricky flat bread to appease his regulars at the Wellesley and Yonge Street resto, but just couldn’t get the recipe right. He also buys it from a local Ethiopian grocer, who has managed to get a hold of imported wheat and barley injeras without the teff for less of a sourdough taste.

“Most people associate sourness with spoiling, even though that’s the traditional taste,” Haddis says. “So, we use the more neutral ingredients instead. We also cut down the spice a little bit. Some people find it overpowering.”

And it’s what his customers prefer.

A healthy menu and great prices keep them coming back for more — veggie and meat dinner entrees are about $10 to $12; lunches are about $8 — but not without adjusting their menu to suit to the tastes of sensitive customers.

“We listen to what our customers want and change the recipes to suit them, but we try to keep it as authentic as possible too. If they want something extra, we’ll bring it for them. If they don’t like it, we’ll change it,” says Haddis.

Ethiopia House has been lauded for years since opening in 1999, and has been attracting general downtowners and students who like the communal aspect to eating Ethiopian- style. It’s also blocks away from the University of Toronto and Ryerson University, and perfect for feasters who want an international nook to call their very own. What customers also love, Haddis says, is the ambiance — art and traditional Ethiopian knick-knacks and wall coverings that shout out to patrons in beautiful, bright rainbow colours. The aroma of roasted coffee beans and frankincense waft through the two-storey restaurant. A great after-meal delight, customers love the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony ($12 for six people).

“People are very comfortable. They come with their friends; it’s a place where they can relax,” Haddis says. “I feel like I’m bringing a little piece of Ethiopia to people here.”

African restaurants across the city

ADDIS ABABA RESTAURANT
1184 Queen St. W.
416-538-0059

QUEEN OF SHEBA
1198 Bloor St. W. (near Dufferin Rd.)
416-536-4162

LALIBELA
869 Bloor St. W.
416-535-6615

MANYATA/ SPICE ROOM & CHUTNEY BAR
55 Avenue Rd.
416-935-0000

TERANGA AFRICAN BAR & RESTAURANT
159 Augusta Ave. (at Dundas St. W)
416-849-9777

Originally published in Sway Magazine, Spring 2008

It’s early evening and you’re ready to settle in for a night of Grey’s Anatomy. There’s nothing left to do but dig into the freezer and find a rock-hard, sodium-filled frozen entree to call dinner, right? Wrong. Stop the insanity! Cut through the mushy mashed potatoes and dried-out peas and create a healthy upgrade to the traditional TV dinner.

Add colour to your meal
Instead of sticking with a typical meat ‘n’ potatoes meal, taste the rainbow and dive into fresh leafy greens, rapturous red fruits and earthy brown mushrooms, veggies and rice.

“Many foods that are white in colour have been processed and stripped of natural vitamins and fibre,” says nutritionist Dr. Kayla Brager. “Additionally, diets containing red peppers, whole grains, brown rice, etc., may help to lower the risk of sickness and gastrointestinal cancers.”

Think lean
Cut out the Salisbury hambur — uh, “steak” and other high-fat meat options that clog arteries and settle in the stomach. “Many of the meats in frozen dinners are packed with sodium and chemical preservatives, including BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene). Fresh options include fish, chicken and lean cuts of pork and beef,” says Dr. Brager. “A George Foreman grill is almost as fast as the microwave. A fresh, lean meat option will be better tasting and better for you.”

Say yes to dessert
That little square brownie in the corner of your TV dinner has more sugar and calories than you can imagine. Say yes to a sweet and nutritious alternative that you can whip together in seconds.

“Blending together a smoothie or dishing out some low-fat frozen yogurt is a satisfying healthy option that you can have anywhere,” says Dr. Brager. “Anytime you can substitute for high-calorie, chemically heavy dessert portions with fresh, low-fat alternatives, you’re on the path to health and the sweet taste of success.”

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Mother and Daughter team

A hospitality endeavour brings new challenges and rewards for one mother-daughter team.

By Stephanie Pollard

Rozz Entertainment Complex Centre has a restaurant, a banquet hall and a performance venue all under one roof. The brand new business on 200 Advance Blvd. in Brampton, Ontario is the brainchild of mother-daughter team Rosalind Blake-Sutherland and Tanika Blake.

And with the help of partners Lloyd Blake and Leo Sinclair, the pair aims to make its dream of offering affordable luxury a long-lasting reality. “For a long time, I wanted to get into the entertainment field,” says Blake-Sutherland. “I was always having little things going on like fashion shows or dinners.

I had this dream that I would have a place that offers up nice Caribbean fusion in an entertainment complex where we could have R&B, reggae and jazz artists.” With her business partners, Blake-Sutherland created the concept for Rozz in 2008, but it didn’t materialize until this past summer, when the doors finally swung open.

A versatile concept isn’t the only part of this hospitality equation. As Blake-Sutherland and Blake work to balance the mother-daughter and employer-employee bond, both are finding that their relationship has become deeper as well as more complicated. “I find it really hard separating employer from mother,” Blake says of the arrangement.

“Sometimes it doesn’t matter what she’s telling me, even when I’m in the workplace and it’s related to work, it’s almost like, ‘Mom is not happy with what I’ve done.’” For her part, Blake-Sutherland admits that because she depends on Blake for so much, her expectations tend to be extremely high.

“Sometimes I think she tries too hard to please me, I really do,” she says. Grievances aside, this mother-daughter team is constantly working to ensure that Rozz upholds its reputation of providing quality entertainment while giving back to the community through scholarships and other endeavours.

With business starting to boom, Blake-Sutherland and her daughter are confident this entertainment haven will be offering the royal treatment for years to come. “I see Rozz having about 10 different locations,” Blake-Sutherland says. Blake finishes her mom’s thoughts: “Also, what we have here are different components of business in one area so it would be great to see a Rozz banquet hall by itself or a Rozz restaurant by itself. That would be really great.”

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Lincoln Lawson and son

Entrepreneur Lincoln Lawson creates healthy alternative children’s drink

BY: Austin Maxwell

Lincoln Lawson, a Los Angeles–based business executive and entrepreneur had been working in corporate finance and trading commodities such as gold when he grew tired of the Midas touch lining every pocket but his own. So he decided to turn his attention to another commodity, one that he could control: water.

Working with a veterinarian, Lawson created a nutrient-filled water product for small pet that he called Pet-H2O.

“We actually saved a litter of Mastiff puppies with it, too, because several of them would not eat, were losing weight and becoming sick. The vet mixed some Pet-H2O into the gruel he’d been feeding them and… they began to eat!”

Then, on a visit to a mall one day, he saw a toy store promoting “Superman”-flavoured water. He felt this gave children the impression that the product was, in some way, special, when it obviously was not.

Given his recent experience with Pet-H2O — and further inspired as a new father himself — he decided to try creating a formula for children that he could be sure will provide his son and others with a healthy, nutritious and delicious product that would avoid the ills of existing offerings on the market.

His goals were to avoid high-fructose corn sugars, use all-natural flavours, avoid artificial colouring and include fibre and vitamins. In short, he wanted something he’d be happy offering to his own son.

“I came up with the formula, took it and gave it to a bottler, saying, ‘Here’s my formula — let’s bottle it!’

Unfortunately, it wasn’t as simple as that, because he couldn’t touch my product until after it was federally approved. “Once that was done, I was able to move ahead with production,” says Lawson.

Shortly after unfruitful discussions with McDonald’s restaurants about distributing his product under the name “Happy Meal Water,” Lawson felt he needed a more marketable label for his invention. Soon after, his Gabonese-born wife, Rania, suggested calling it Waterlicious.

“I ran to the phone and called the lawyers… they checked it out and no one else had it. So now… we did!”

Today, Waterlicious Inc. is a prospering, 100 per cent black-owned company with more than 100 multicultural investors. The product is currently only available in the US, but coming to Canada soon.

- For more information visit waterlicious.com.