If you listen to the persistent folks tempting you to take a second look at our capital – some argue underrated – city, I am willing to hear them out. We don’t have the same sprawling entertainment districts as other cities, and sometimes our alcoves work on banker’s hours too. But every once in a while, you come across a hidden gem, a gathering of fellow lovers of fine food and wine, and you realize there’s a whole untapped world beyond.
As a resident foodie and relatively new resident of Ottawa, I’ve been slowly chipping away at my bucket list. When I came across the Literary Feast, a cookbook showcase with samples from said cookbooks planned and hosted as part of a suite of events to celebrate Ottawa’s bicentennial includes, well, I was sold.
During the event, each of the cookbook authors had a booth preparing a signature recipe from their cookbook or recipe arsenal. The crowd swelled throughout the night, flowing between the booths with glasses in hand, and getting a chance to speak with some of the finest chefs in Canada and other prominent figures in the world of food and wine.
I am a sucker for food-hall style events. Give me an opportunity to walk around, say hi, grab a little sample, I’m there. Then you tell me each dish was produced by renowned Canadian chefs and voices in the industry who want to share the food of their hearts and homes with you? Yes, chef.
For the Literary Feast’s host Chef Joe Thottungal, the event was a source of immense pride: “food has the power to bring people together.” As a reviewer, walking independently and rather anonymously about the event hall, I was struck by the warmth of strangers. At nearly every table I paused at to try the next sample, I was entreated to impromptu conversations with fellow guests and recommendations for samples worth standing in winding lines for.
I had a chance to speak with many of the presenting chefs to hear about who they are, what motivates them, and the trials and triumphs of undertaking the immensely creative and taxing process of preparing unique recipes to print with compelling stories to accompany them.
When I asked Chef Thottungal what words he lives by as a creative, he cited Mahatma Ghandi’s familiar refrain: “in a gentle way you can shake the world.” As one of our neighbours in Ottawa, Chef Thottungal lives this mantra too: each week, he prepares food for the women visiting the St. Joe’s Women’s Shelter, and for every ticket sold to the Literary Feast, a portion went to the shelter at a time when staff are witnessing a higher volume of vulnerable women seeking assistance with food, clothing, shelter, and other supportive services. It was a rewarding evening all around.
Here’s a rundown of the books, cookbooks, and authors on showcase along with a peek at the samples I had the chance to try:
*Some quotes have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity*
Vineyard Melody by Namratha Stanley
Escaping an abusive marriage, Namratha fled India to start anew in Bordeaux, France. Wine and winemaking became a source of courage as much as curiosity for Namratha, and she slowly began rediscovering and reimagining herself.
“It meant a great deal to me to be part of the Literary Feast,” Namratha said. “It gave me the opportunity to connect with a wonderful audience — people who love food, wine, storytelling, and life itself. Being surrounded by such talented chefs and authors, each with their own journeys and books, was truly a privilege. There was such warmth, creativity, and passion in the room, which made the experience very special.”
At the Literary Feast, I had the opportunity to try Namratha’s own Grand vin de bordeaux from her line Solicantus Melodie du Sol paired with buttery cheese curds. A great way to kick off the night.
To purchase a copy of Vineyard Melody, visit Simon & Schuster, Renaud-Bray, and Amazon. To learn more about Namratha’s story and wine selection visit namrathastanley.com, or follow her on socials at @namratha_stanley_author on Instagram and Namratha Stanley on LinkedIn.
Coconut Lagoon & My Thali by Joe Thottungal
Those in-the-know in the Ottawa food scene will recognize the name Joe Thottungal, the award-winning creative and industrious Kerala-born chef behind the beloved national capital restaurants Coconut Lagoon and Thali. Ottawa Chef of the Year in 2008, winner of regional and national levels of the Canadian Culinary Championships, and mentor to new and renowned chefs alike, Chef Thottungal is known for his inventive yet soulful takes on Kerala cuisine – the food traditions of his homeland – and fellow Ottawa residents are certainly grateful for it.
At the Literary Feast, Chef Thottungal served two earthy and aromatic dishes: Salmon Curry with Yucca and a Duck Biryani and Pomegranate Raita served in a mini clay pot – a thoughtful nod to tradition.
You can find Chef Thottungal’s cookbooks online or by visiting his restaurants with (almost) the same names: Coconut Lagoon at 853 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa and Thali at 136 O’Connor St, Ottawa. To stay in touch with Chef Thottungal, be sure to follow him on Instagram at @Coconutlagoon_joe.
Gather, Savor, Share: Beloved Staff Meals from the Aiāna Kitchen by Raghav Chaudhary
It’s rare to find a “from our family to yours” style cookbook written by a chef with Michelin-starred kitchens on their resume. That’s Gather, Savor, Share from Raghav Chaudhary, the Head Chef of Ottawa’s Aiāna Restaurant, a compilation of recipes the Aiāna staff make “in a hurry and in a pinch” for team meals. It’s this down-to-earth approach that encapsulates Chef Chaudhary’s persona as a chef and leader who embraces the fusion of a “multicultural soul” with “Canadian terroir.”
“It was an honour to be a part of the Literary Feast to represent our community. It was a bridge to communicate with our guests and launch our identity into the next state of its development,” said Chef Chaudhary. “Hopefully it inspires younger generation to move forward.”
At the end of a long, snaking line were Lamb and Cheese Birria Tacos of lore with rich shredded lamb balanced with spicy radishes and bright alliums.
To see the restaurant where it all began, visit Aiāna Restaurant at 50 O’Connor St, Ottawa, a couple blocks down from Parliament Hill. To stay in touch with the Aiāna team, don’t forget to follow @dineaiana on Instagram.
My New Indian Kitchen by Vikram Vij and Jennifer Muttoo
“Food and storytelling are deeply intertwined in Indian culture,” said Chef Vikram Vij and Jennifer Muttoo, the dynamic duo behind My New Indian Kitchen. “To share our culinary journey in a literary setting allows us to connect with people beyond the plate. It’s about culture, memory, and identity just as much as it is about flavour.”
Their co-written cookbook, My New Indian Kitchen, follows a similar thread: personal, traditional recipes written with “real kitchens and real lives” in mind.
If you ask me, all shrimp shall henceforth be compared to the Gunpowder Prawns with Coconut Masala Jennifer Muttoo and her team served at the Literary Feast – crustaceans that now live rent-free in my head.
You can find My New Indian Kitchen at major retailers and Canadian bookstores including Indigo, Amazon, and independent bookstores across Canada. You can visit Chef Vikram’s restaurant, “Vij’s Restaurant” at 3106 Cambie St., Vancouver, and stay connected to Chef Vij on Instagram by following @vijsrestaurant and @chefvikramvij.
Chop Chop by Ozoz Sokoh
“I’d always wanted to see photographs of Nigerian food and food culture in print,” said Nigerian-Canadian geologist and home cook Ozoz Sokoh whose cookbook Chop Chop invites fellow home cooks on a journey of homeland flavours, ingredients, and dishes written to become treasured meals for you and me.
For Ozoz, attending the Literary Feast was “a chance to grow community … celebrate with the city, and to meet a different audience.” She served tapioca with mango, lime, and coconut – but forget any memory of gluey tapioca you might have consumed as an antidote to the bitter cold; this tapioca was so light and refreshing – and we were pleased to here that it can be both a dessert and breakfast. That’s all the license we need to take our AM nosh to the next level.
Head over to Ozoz’s website to get your hands on a copy of her debut cookbook. You can also follow along via OzozSokoh.com, Feast Afrique, and Kitchen Butterfly and even subscribe to her newsletter Weekend Wednesdays promising “musings and explorations on food, life, and writing.” Don’t forget to give @kitchenbutterfly a follow on Instagram.
Perch by Justin Champagne-Lagarde
Ethical, complex, rooted is how Chef Justin Champagne-Lagarde, the head and heart behind Ottawa’s celebrated Perch restaurant, defines his philosophy – one renowned for embracing local and Canadian ingredients, and in doing so, redefining luxury for the discerning palate.
At the Literary Feast, Chef Champagne-Lagarde served a sweet macaron topped with a light-as-air scallop whip – an unexpected combo testifying to his boundary pushing vision.
Visit Perch restaurant at 300 Preston St., Ottawa, and pick up a copy of Perch by visiting the Perch restaurant website. Stay in touch with Chef Champagne-Lagarde by following @perchottawa and @champagne.chef on Instagram.
My Cypriot Table by Irene Matys
As a refugee who settled in Canada in 1976, Irene Matys’ story resonated with me. She lives and breathes Cyprus, which is what makes her cookbook My Cypriot Table so special: a love letter to home that beckons weary travellers like you and me into rootedness. It also reaffirmed to me that old recipes and warm meals are truly the humble, yet unapologetic currency and constellation of memory.
For Irene, presenting at the Literary Feast was “an opportunity to connect with readers, fellow creatives, and the community in a more personal way, not just through recipes, but through the memories, traditions, and conversations that food inspires. It was also a chance to share the beauty of my birthplace, Cyprus, and bring greater awareness to its culture, people, and cuisine.”
At the Literary Feast, Irene served Krinis Halloumi, tahini dip, and elies tsakistes (Cypriot cracked green olives) with pita. I enjoyed the balance between the bright, briny flavours with the silky tahini dip.
My Cypriot Table is available through major Canadian bookstores online through Indigo, Indie Bookstores Canada, and at local bookstores throughout Canada. To learn more about Irene and to stay in touch, visit irenematys.com, or follow her on Instagram at @irenematys and on Facebook at @irene_matys. To inquire about Irene’s Cyprus Food and Wine Tour this September, you can contact her directly at imatys@icloud.com.
Sourdough Everything by Rachel Pardoe
If sourdough envy is possible, I caught it while perusing Rachel Pardoe’s (aka Sourdough Enzo) Instagram. As if I needed another excuse to finally make and name a sourdough starter, Rachel’s beautifully scored sourdough loaves, sourdough carrot cake, and sourdough crepe recipes and those within the pages of her cookbook Sourdough Everything are about all I need.
Presenting at the Literary Feast was somewhat of a full circle experience for Rachel: “what makes this so special is that it is the culmination of all my time and labour, celebrated in the city in which I live, with the people that helped support me through this whole journey. It’s so important for me to feel a connection to what I’m doing. Being in a space, with other likeminded individuals, bringing together their knowledge and experience and celebrating their work, is such a perfect fit.
At the Literary Feast, Rachel served a tomato and rosemary sourdough focaccia – yeast-free but equal parts of the best parts of focaccia and sourdough. I can only imagine how incredible it’d be bookending an Italian sandwich…
Whether you are looking to start your sourdough journey or surprise guests (or even yourself!) with the versatility of your starter, get your hands on a copy of Sourdough Everything which you can find at Indigo and on other major bookshelves across Canada. Once you start following Rachel on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, you’ll be dreaming of sourdough for a long while.
The Artistic Creativity of Pulled Sugar by Abdelmalek Lebbal
To see is to believe in Chef and Algonquin College Instructor Abdelmalek Lebbal’s sugar artwork, an intertwining (in all senses) of “emotion, precision, beauty, and storytelling.”
With more than 30 years in the industry, now was the time for Chef Lebbal to put his knowledge together into a two-volume series he describes as “complete education tools filled with knowledge, technique, artistic vision, and step-by-step guidance” so you can learn the art of working with pulled sugar. As the son and grandson of classical pastry artisans (some of his greatest inspirations for his craft) posterity was a factor too.
Creative blocks are real for Chef Lebbal, too, who looks to architecture, nature, art, and fashion to break free: “inspiration often comes when you allow creativity to breathe. As I always say: the only barrier you have is your imagination.”
You can find both volumes one and two of The Artistic Creativity of Blown Sugar on Amazon. As for new frontiers? Chocolate art might just be on the map…
Ottawa Cooks by Anne DesBrisay
Those in the know will also recognize award-winning former Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Magazine food writer Anne DesBrisay, a household name in the “glory-days” of the Ottawa food scene. She’s co-written and contributed to numerous cookbooks including My Thali, Great Scoops, and Coconut Lagoon, that were also on showcase at the Literary Feast.
Her raison d’être is simple: “I write to instruct. I write to amuse … leaning toward playful, because food is meant to be enjoyed and relished.” For Anne, working alongside chefs is to translate one art form to another. She’s an observer, a conduit, a negotiator, and a messenger of a chef’s vision and voice. It’s an iterative process reflected in the “dog-eared and spattered upon pages of cookbooks that you tend to turn to over and over” – any cookbook author’s dream.
While Ottawa Cooks is no longer in print, it stands as a record of the enduring creativity and resilience of those in Ottawa’s dining scene, ones she’s witness undergo “an amazing evolution.” Opening a restaurant is not for the faint of heart, nor is staying open during the pandemic: when it comes to legacy, Anne proudly notes that 30 out of the 40 restaurants featured in the pages of Ottawa Cooks are still hosting and creating – against all odds.
For the Literary Feast, Anne partnered with Ottawa’s Thyme & Again catering, and their booth was so popular that I didn’t have a chance to try out their sample, unfortunately. I’ve added their Kitchen and Food Shop at 1845 Carling Ave to my Ottawa dining bucket list and look forward to popping by soon.
Great Scoops: Recipes from a Neighbourhood Ice Cream Shop by Marlene Haley and Amelia Ryan
It’s not every day that your beloved neighbourhood ice cream shop puts pen to paper the way The Merry Dairy owner Marlene Haley and her co-author Amelia Ryan have with Great Scoops.
What started with a single batch machine and frozen custard has transformed into a rotation of over 200 flavours with vegan, kosher, and nut and tree-nut free selections. That spirit of experimentation is the invitation Marlene and Amelia extend in Great Scoops: “once you know how to make a base it’s a blank canvas, and you can make anything. Infuse it and have fun.” Ginger, salted caramel, and maple have Marlene’s heart, and they might just steal yours too.
At the Literary Feast, Marlene served a tropical Hibiscus and Passionfruit Vegan Ice Cream that was sweet, subtle, and peak summer vacay vibes. Temperatures are already pushing 40 degrees this summer, so why not pair a cone with a side of A/C?
For the scoop on the scoops, give @themerrydairy a follow on Instagram. Or better yet, get some ice cream asap by visiting The Merry Dairy at 102 Fairmont Ave, Ottawa. You can even grab a copy of Great Scoops there too. Online purchasing options are available at a local bookstore, Indigo, Amazon, and more.
Hunter Chef in the Wild by Michael Hunter
Wild, foraged, and Michelin Guide aren’t often in the same sentence, but hunter, angler and chef Michael Hunter has made it so, merging his love of nature with decades spent in kitchens and culinary festivals across the Middle East, Australia, and the Americas.
Hunter Chef in the Wild is the culmination of over 80 better-with-campfire recipes featuring fresh and saltwater fish, seafood, small and large game, desserts, vegetables, and drinks along with instructions to help long-time apartment dwellers go wild for wild food.
At the Literary Feast, Chef Hunter served a sweet and savoury Duck Pâté on Baguette with Wild Blueberry Compote.
You can purchase Hunter Chef in the Wild on Amazon, Indigo, and at local bookshop near you. To stay in touch with Chef Hunter, follow @thehunterchef. Then head over to his restaurant Antler Kitchen & Bar at 1454 Dundas St W, Toronto where you can try his wild, foraged, and chef-forward dishes every day but Monday.
