14 joyous January food events to check out in Toronto
New decade, same love for good food.
If your new year’s resolution is something along the lines of “stop kidding yourself with unsustainable diet plans and instead, embracing the joy of food and the experiences that go along with it,” then these events are right for you.
Here’s what’s up in Toronto’s food and drink scene this month:
Savour: Food Culture in the Age of Enlightenment
Start the new year with some food and culture education. What we eat and how we eat it continues to be influenced by radical changes that occurred in France from 1650 until the French Revolution in 1789. If you want to make the connection between the past and the present, now is the time to begin.
When: October 18 from 6 pm to 10 pm
Where: Gardiner Museum – 111 Queens Park
Tickets: Available online; $106.25 for Gardiner Friends, $125 General
Jack Astor’s Front Street Dive Bar Pop-Up
Jack Astor’s
Ensure the Christmas party goes on long after the holiday’s over with this downtown pop-up! Featuring kitschy decor and a festive environment for boozin’, it’s the ideal spot to hang if you’re not ready for Christmas to be done quite yet.
When: December 20 to Mid January, 5 pm to 1 am
Where: Jack Astor’s –144 Front Street 360
20/20 Vision
Start the decade on a different kind of high. This cacao ceremony will feature rich drinking chocolate crafted with the intention of opening your heart and mind to all of the potential the new year brings. Enjoy a slow flow, kundalini yoga, reiki energy work, and chocolately magic to begin 2020 right.
When: January 1 from 2 pm to 5 pm
Where: Good Space TO – 360 Dufferin Street
Tickets: Available online
Aurora Winter Festival Presented by the CNE
Aurora Winter Festival
From the Toronto Christmas Market in the Distillery District to the Holiday Fair at Nathan Phillips Square, the city comes to life over the winter months. And now, the family-friendly Aurora Winter Festival presented by the CNE is returning to Ontario Place, bringing six weeks of festive fun — and food — to the city. Over the course of the festival, you’ll get to indulge in classic, warming holiday drinks like mulled wine and fresh apple cider. And if you’re into the sweet stuff, you can opt for a gingerbread or rum and eggnog flavoured hot chocolate.
When: November 22 to January 5
Where: Ontario Place, West Island
Tickets: Available online
Chocolate and Caramel Workshop
Learn how to combine these two delightful delicacies at this chocolate-making workshop. Create caramels enrobed in chocolate, truffle bites, dulce de leche truffles and caramel lollypops. Yum.
When: Friday, January 18 from 8 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: The Mad Bean Cafe – 519 Eglinton Avenue West
Tickets: Available online
Henderson Brewing Tour
Get ready for a guided tour of the brewery that includes a history of the neighbourhood and brewing in Toronto, samples of the beers currently on tap and a souvenir tasting glass. Make sure you RSVP your attendance for this weekly offering!
When: January 7 from 7 pm to 8 pm
Where: Henderson Brewing – 128a Sterling Road
Healthy Chocolate Making Workshop
Chocolate/Shutterstock
Chocolate is indulgent, romantic and sweet. And now, it can also be healthy. Learn how to put a healthful twist on your favourite treat at this workshop and take home a bag full of nut-free, vegan and delicious goodies.
When: Wednesday, January 9 from 6:30 pm to 8 pm
Where: The Mad Bean Cafe – 519 Eglinton Avenue West
Tickets: Available online
Whiskey and Wine Tasting Dinner
Get ready to sip, savour and learn while enjoying an indulgent feast, made to pair perfectly with the beverages you’ll be tasting on this culinary adventure.
When: January 14 from 7 pm to 9 pm
Where: The Beverley Hotel – 335 Queen Street West
Tickets: Available online
Wine Tasting
Learn about wine, explore unique regions, pair wine with food, and meet other wine enthusiasts. This event aims to shed light on lesser-known wine regions that have top-quality wine at a fraction of the price as some of their more famous neighbours.
When: January 18 from 6 pm to 8 pm
Where: Sapori – 1588 Dundas Street West
Tickets: Available online
Great Gatsby Cocktail Class
Raising a glass to Jay and Daisy, you’re about to know a lot more about navigating the prohibition-era bar scene. Explore spirits and cocktail styles, and learn some history along the way.
When: Sunday, January 19 from 4:30 to 6 pm
Where: Famous Last Words — 392 Pacific Avenue
Tickets: Available online
Pizza Making Class
Now that’s what we’re talkin’ about. Learn how to stretch your dough, sauce up that gluten, load on that cheese and bring out all the flavours of your other delicious toppings in this class. *Kisses fingers*
When: January 18 from 11:30 am to 2 pm
Where: Cucinato Italian Culinary Studio — 1338 Lansdowne Avenue
Tickets: Available online
Whiskey Tasting
Let yourself be guided through four rare expressions from the Northern Border Rare Range, only available in select LCBOs. The tasting will include a welcome cocktail and a selection of hors d’oeuvres.
When: January 20 from 8 pm to 10 pm
Where: Coffee, Oysters, Champagne — 214 King Street West
Tickets: Available online
Vegan Cooking Class
Learn how to make comforting food that is both nourishing and delicious, and then indulge in the finished product! You can have your health foods and eat them, too.
When: January 28 from noon to 3 pm
Where: 555 Dundas Street East
Tickets: Available online
Winterlicious 2020
There will be more than 200 restaurants offering prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus for the duration of this event, including Bar Buca, East Thirty-Six, Pukka, Wish and more. Lunch menus will be priced at $23, $28, and $33 and dinner menus at $33, $43, and $53.
When: January 31 to February 13
Where: Restaurants across Toronto
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