This is my liveblog for The Art of Cooking on November 18, 2010. Coverage officially begins at 6:30pm EST, although I may begin blogging before that.
5:45pm
gmartell: Exiting the subway at Union station I was tempted to follow the Maple Leafs crowd into the ACC… but stayed the course. First disappointment – Bob Blumer is hosting, yet his toastermobile is not parked out front of the Convention Centre.
5:55pm
gmartell: Holy cow. This line wraps around the entire building – Jamie Oliver is apparently a rock star in T.O.
6:29pm
gmartell: Crew are setting up. Te place is only 1/10th full and there’s a lineup 2 km long. Something tells me we aren’t starting at 6:30.
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6:42pm
gmartell: As the hall fills up it’s interesting to see the urban moms out number the males about 9-to-1.
7:00pm
gmartell: If I were having Jamie over for dinner and he was this late he would not be invited back. Just saying.
7:15pm
gmartell: Bob takes the stage to the applause of 3,000 happy fans.
7:30pm
Bob Blumer: I hold the world record for pancakes made in an hour.
gmartell: Bob Blumer may be my daughter Emily’s hero
7:35pm
gmartell: Bob is going to wow us by making a dinner in under 5 minutes. It would help if the gas stove would light.
7:40pm
gmartell: Glad to see even professional chefs have trouble finding counter space! Bob cooking up Parmesan, fresh pasta, tomato, onion, garlic, and pepper flakes In time audience member makes Spaghetti-O’s..
7:42pm
gmartell: Brilliant trick Bob – grate a whole tomato straight into the pan through the large holes of your grater for instant tomato sauce!
7:45pm
gmartell: 10 minute break before Jamie comes out. How does one get a team of people to set out their utensils, chop their vegetables and clean up after them? Must get on this stat!
8:00pm
gmartell: Jamie is in the house! I’m not sure Mick Jagger got this reception by Toronto at Sars-fest.
8:05pm
Jamie Oliver: For me, showing people how to cook healthy food quicker than they can go get take-out, is just brilliant!
8:10pm
gmartell: giggles erupt because Jamie is in the gutter talking about sturdy shafts. Honest.
8:20pm
gmartell: Pearls of wisdom – JO: Don’t eat any genitals and if someone offers you a dish of lamb’s asshole, kindly turn them down. It’s quite chewy.
8:30pm
gmartell: Jamie is whipping up a ceviche. I’ll try and get the recipe up this week. In the meantime you can check out mine over at Grill Interrupted.
8:50pm
Jamie Oliver: Good cooking starts with filling your pantry with good food. The exciting thing about cooking is getting some chicken or fish, going to your pantry and being inventive. Go to South America or Morocco through your wok or frying pan.
9:00pm
gmartell: Jamie is pan toasting peanuts, dried smoked chilis, and sesame seeds in preparation for a Mexican steak dish. Will be contrasted with some fresh herbs and citrus juices. I may have to rush the stage and grab me some.
9:15pm
gmartell: oh my g-d – Jamie Oliver is talking about ‘dressing the board’… I have a whole post I wrote this past weekend on that exact topic. Stay tuned… Also, in a massive hall that smells incredibly of pan fried steaks. Mmmm… Steaks with Peanut Chili Sauce and Fresh Salsa.
9:30pm
Jamie Oliver: Getting kids involved in buying, choosing, and preparing wholesome food, even once a week, is our responsibility as parents.
9:35pm:
gmartell: Girl behind me just took up some biscotti for Jamie from George Brown Culinary School – love the GBCS!
9:40pm
gmartell: Signing out folks – had a great time doing this and will definitely look to do again. Any thoughts or feedback for next time?
Cheers!
oh, i so wanted to be there! Jamie O.’s one of my fave celeb chefs b/c his dishes are so do-able! his use of spices and strong contrasting flavours appeals to me so much! thanks for sharing 🙂 what’s your fave jo recipe? mine is the spicy squash…
That was great, Gav!! Wish I could have been there… *snaps*
lamb’s asshole. snerk.
Well?? where is he? and agree with you, he is not invited back 🙂
has he shown up yet?
Doesn’t surprise me that the women outnumber the men 9-1…as you say, Jamie’s a rockstar! (actually he’s better than a rockstar because he can cook).
Good point. Just a wink’ll do 😉
Will try. But with this ‘stache he may cringe.
Do you mind giving Jamie a little smooch from me 😉