About Olive

I am a locally grown gal, passionate about really good food in the GTA west. I unearth the finest local flavours and showcase our talented artisans and farmers, proving that a refined food culture is rooted and growing in the ‘burbs. I don't receive payment from those I write about. My reward is to encourage the local food scene to reach the highest standards of quality possible, by celebrating those who do food well. I develop my recipes on my old electric range in my wee kitchen in the quaint village of Streetsville – and olive it! Love, Olive (a.k.a. Kelli Charky)

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Category Food Businesses, Products, & Recipes

Middle Eastern in Mississauga: Syrian Cuisine at Roman Zaman

February 26, 2017 Posted in  Mississauga, Restaurant, Syrian No comments

Finally, a middle eastern restaurant in Mississauga that matches the quality of middle eastern food we are accustomed to eating in our favourite Montreal restaurants. It’s been a long time coming, baby! Roman Zaman serves delicious Syrian food, in a pleasant atmosphere, with lovely staff. If you like middle eastern, I urge you to try Syrian cuisine: a more refined approach to an already delicious and healthy way of cooking.

When they serve the tea like this you know you are in for an experience #damascenetea #syriancuisine

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Holiday Cheer: Copper Kettle

December 18, 2016 Posted in  Georgetown, Restaurant One comment

Baby, it’s cold outside! Cozy up next to the Copper Kettle’s crackling fire and toast the holidays in this charming pub, decked in festive greenery.

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Photo thanks to Grace Cutmore https://www.instagram.com/thesylvanpath/

The authentically renovated Copper Kettle is situated in a historical building, nestled in the quaint, wee village of Glen Williams. In warmer months, sit on the outdoor patio. If it gets nippy, there’s a large, outdoor fireplace to warm you up.

untitled1 What’s even better? The Copper Kettle’s new ownership is serious about serving well-prepared, fresh food, using locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible. They even make their own honey and maple syrup on their farm. There are plenty of healthy or indulgent, classic pub food options to choose from on their menu, as well as daily specials. I’ve heard everything on the menu is delicious.

Margo, our lovely server, and my father.

Margo, our lovely server, and my father.

My dad and I enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Copper Kettle in the fall. His choice: Steak and Egg daily special with really flavourful, tender steak and grilled tomatoes.

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The open-faced Black Bean & Chickpea Burger is sumptuous: sliced baguette, layered with grilled vegetables and marinated tomatoes, slathered with mashed avocado, adorned with a generous pillow of black beans and chickpeas, topped with soft chèvre (fresh goat cheese), garnished with baby greens, and drizzled with balsamic reduction. Oh, happy Olive!

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Be sure to order a house made tart if there is one on the dessert menu: the crust is fantastic. The French Apple Tart has an almond filling and is garnished with a fan of thinly sliced apples and a light dusting of sugar that caramelizes into a very thin crust, a little like the crust on a crème brûlée. Oh…là…là!

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Come for a glass of local craft beer, cider or wine and a plate to share. The Charcuterie Board looked perfect for sharing: cured meats, daily cheese, honey roasted pecans, walnuts and house made pickled garnish with warm bread. If you are vegetarian, try the Bread Board with toasted breads, house made hummus, olive tapenade, and baba ghanoush.

Sunday night specials include Roast Dinner. There is live music on Saturdays from 9:00pm to 11:30pm and Sunday evenings from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.

I gathered up some friends one Sunday night in December and returned. The duo who were performing were delightfully entertaining. The Mushrooms platter is healthy yet heavenly: a warm salad of oven roasted mixed mushrooms and tomatoes, decadent dollops of soft chèvre, wilted spinach and basil, and balsamic drizzle. I asked for some grilled baguette on the side and called it dinner.

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My friends loved the Black Bean & Chickpea Burger and a daily special wrap sandwich.

It was such a cheerful night amongst the Christmas greenery, twinkling lights, and rich, spicy fragrance of the fire. When we opened the door to leave, big, white snowflakes danced down from the dark night sky – the first snowfall of the season. Fade in Charlie Brown Christmas music…♪♫♪♫.

Photo thanks to

Photo thanks to Grace Cutmore https://www.instagram.com/thesylvanpath/

Have yourself a merry little Christmas! Love, Olive xx.

Copper Kettle
517 Main Street
Glen Williams, Ontario
L7G 3S9
905-877-5551

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Spice up Your Holiday Potluck: Mississauga’s White Gold

October 27, 2016 Posted in  Bakery, Indian, Mississauga, Nibbles No comments

Spice up your holiday potluck party with exotic and inexpensive finger food that will please the palates of adventurous eaters and vegetarians. Easy peasy; no cooking required. Pick up an assortment of restaurant-quality, sweet and savory, vegetarian Indian baking from Mississauga’s White Gold Food.

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Dhokla is a moist, savory cake made from chickpea flour and yogurt – a healthy dose of fibre and protein. The regular “non-spicy” version has a garnish of tempered black mustard seeds, sesame seeds, hot green chiles, and fresh coriander leaves: gentle heat and fresh green flavour against the mellow nuttiness of the chickpeas and tang of the yogurt, all in one deeply satisfying bite. The “spicy” version is made with ginger and green chiles and is dusted with chile powder – take a walk on the wild side, this baby is hot. Serve with very spicy, hot green chutney (coriander, green chiles, and yogurt) but lovely just solo.

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Of course, samosas are always a big hit at a party and White Gold’s samosas are delicious. Choose regular; the spice level is just enough to give a golden warmth. Apparently, the spicy version is not for the faint of heart. Serve with tangy-sweet tamarind chutney….mmm!

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I’ve never been a pakora fan (those often greasy, tasteless globs of fried batter with a hint of vegetables). But White Gold has awoken the inner pakora lover in me. Their pakoras are not greasy and are packed with a flavourful combination of potatoes, onion, spinach, carrots, eggplant, and cauliflower in chickpea batter, fried to perfection.

Some Indian desserts are almost sickly sweet but there are a few that I like in small doses and White Gold makes them mouth-watering.

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Burfi means fudge. I adore White Gold’s mango burfi (middle right): tangy, pure mango pulp balances the rich sweetness of the fudgy evaporated milk. Anjeer burfi (top) is made with figs and almonds while Khajoor burfi (bottom) is made with dates and almonds. Elaichi peda (middle left) is like a cross between shortbread and fudge: sweetened evaporated milk dumplings made with the very best cardamom.

Owned and operated by a local family who use only top quality ingredients and prepare their authentic products with the utmost care. White Gold supplies their quality baking to restaurants and markets but thankfully, they have a storefront take-out counter, filled with all sorts of goodies, open to the general public. Google maps has pinned the address incorrectly on Laird. It is at the back of 3176 Ridgeway in unit #48.

At this time of year, I love seeing the Diwali lights and fireworks across our city. Happy Diwali!

White Gold Food
3176 Ridgeway Drive,
Unit 48, Mississauga,
ON L5L 5S6
Telephone: 906-607-6776

 

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The (third) Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Streetsville United Church Harvest of Crafts Sale

October 20, 2016 Posted in  Food Events & Food Trucks, Caterers, Streetsville No comments

Why do I love the Streetsville United Church Harvest of Crafts Sale so much? It’s the most wonderful time of the year, third to Christmas and the Bread & Honey Festival of course! After everyone’s out-of-town summer vacations and busy falls, it is so nice to gather the village of Streetsville under one roof and reconnect. The spirit of community weaves around the Streetsville United Church Women and their wonderful cooking, baking, and crafting and the villagers who attend, and binds us all together. It’s the old-fashioned Streetsville I have always known and loved.

What a great time to get some Christmas shopping done. I always find something unique and well-priced at every show, like handcrafted felt Christmas ornaments. Last year, I bought these Christmas pudding caps for the holiday table (to stick a chocolate in and put at each place setting). Aren’t they adorable?

I always make my first stop the baking table and stock my freezer with homemade shortbread and bars to pull out at Christmas.

There is usually some really fun Hallowe’en baking too but do be sure to get there first thing.

Read more about why I love the Harvest of Crafts Sale here. It is a lot of work for the church ladies and I am grateful they continue to pull it off year after year. It always falls on the last Saturday of October.

Here are this year’s details:
Date: Saturday Oct 29, 2016.
Time: 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Events: cafe, bake sale, craft sale, outside vendors with a large variety of crafts, face painting, book sale, Attic Treasures.
NO ADMISSION CHARGE

Streetsville United Church is located at 274 Queen Street South in Streetsville (Mississauga), Ontario. Click here for map.

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Olive Collingwood Farmers Market

September 25, 2016 Posted in  Artisanal / Small-batch, Farm, Farm Market, Farmers' Market, Orangeville, Collingwood, Barrie No comments

What a lovely morning Olive had on Saturday, visiting Collingwood Farmers’ Market with my Dad, sister, and her adorable grandchildren.

This vibrant market is brimming with fresh local produce,

flowers, and well-crafted, small batch, gourmet foods.


The organic produce from Mansfield Heritage Farm is gorgeous! We will be enjoying radishes and purslane salads all week.

I didn’t know that purslane is one of the most nutritious greens and because it is a succulent, it keeps well in your fridge. I haven’t tried it yet but I’ve heard it is delicious: a bit crunchy with notes of lemon.


Look at the flavourful, superfood combinations in these heart-healthy salads, from My Little Chickpea Gourmet. If you can’t make it to Collingwood, My Little Chickpea products (hummus, falafels, salads, and dressings made with fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients) are available in many fine stores across Ontario (click here to find one).


I swear they ate the whole thing themselves without any sacrifices like “Oh honey, it might be really hot. Let me try if first so you don’t burn yourself”. Cabin Bistro, you sure make good corn dogs.


Who doesn’t love dipping a chunk of freshly baked, artisanal bread into a steaming bowl of homemade soup on a crisp fall day? What a great menu from SoupHerb Soup. Darn, I wish I had brought my cooler.


Ooh, la la! My hubby’s favourite childhood treat, freshly baked pain au chocolat: buttery, flaky pastry hand-rolled around a big chunk of fine dark chocolate. You can find French-trained Executive Chef Patrick Bourachot’s delicious hand-rolled croissants (including butter and almond) at the market and a wide variety of his gourmet frozen foods on his website: Chef Patrick’s Gourmet Foods.


But the star of the market has to be Oliver. Be sure to visit his old-fashioned lemonade stand for a pucker-up-perfect glass of lemonade. This charming entrepreneur is raising money for The Hospital for Sick Children. Thank you, Oliver; you are a Sick Kids hero!

Summer may be over but our farmers’ markets are still going strong. Not for long though, most finish up in early October.

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