Discovery Innovation Conference 2013

Are you a tech buff? Discovery is the leading innovation-to-commercialization conference, showcasing leading-edge technologies, best practices and research in Ontario.

Taking place May 27-28 in the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, OCE’s Discovery is Canada’s premier innovation to commercialization event, you're talking chocolate printers, a flexible paper-thin tablet, intelligent homes and cars, and robots. Robots. 

These and many more made-in-Ontario innovations will be on display as part of Ontario Centres of Excellence’s annual Discovery conference and trade show.

“Each year, Discovery brings together the best and brightest in industry, academia, investors and entrepreneurs to showcase leading-edge technologies, best practices and research,” said Dr. Tom Corr, president and CEO of OCE. “We are proud to be able to gather these groups together under one roof to help them make the kinds of connections that will lead to long-term and prosperous collaborations.”

Now in its eighth year, Discovery highlights ground-breaking work in sectors like cleantech, advanced health, digital media, information and communications technologies, and advanced manufacturing. Each year, thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors make deals and find export opportunities at Discovery.

The Stop's Night Market

Get a handle on this neat night market concept by The Stop, going on June 18 and 19. A pop-up event hosted at the famous back alley of Honest Ed's, it's a party/fundraiser/all-nighter-do-gooder. Besides having one of the best event websites we've seen so far, the night features performances, artists and designers, and an all-you-can-eat-and-drink deal.

The market will raise funds for The Stop's community food centre, which distributed food to 19,090 people in 2012, while their drop-in served 61,376 meals. They promote healthy eating, social consciousness and are in fact, good-natured people doing good deeds. Check them out here.

Bier is Beautiful

Summer is finally around the corner. It’s time to enjoy a cold one on a nice sunny patio and what better place to tease your senses with a wide selection of beer than the Bier Markt. Toronto's patio season is something we’re all looking forward to. With that, Bier Markt launched their summer beer and food menus as part of their Bier is Beautiful showcase to (hopefully) encourage more of this warm weather.

We were met at the door with a sample of their Hop Mason IPA - one of the beers being showcased that night - which in my opinion is one of the best ways to be greeted. It was quite hoppy but flavourful enough to be enjoyed on its own or paired with a meal – a valid introduction to what the evening had in store for us. We were also given 2 tokens to sample their other new beers, as well as 2 additional drink tickets to enjoy a full pint of whichever sample we liked best. With our drink tickets in hand, we ventured onto the patio to sample some more of their summer-time beers. They offered three types of beer to sample from - Hop Mason IPA which we had already sampled walking in, Houblon Chouffe IPA, and Hasseröder Pilsner. The IPAs were both very hoppy with long finishes and paired nicely with each food, however my favourite became the lighter and simpler Pilsner. The IPAs could have been a meal in itself, and not as easy to drink as the Hasseröder, which I found could be enjoyed on it's own. I knew exactly where I'd be spending my drink tickets.

Executive Chef Michael Cipollo created an elaborate tasting menu showcasing his varying skills. His station dubbed “Not All Beer Are Created Equal” presented his Poulet au Bier or Beer Can Chicken; roasted chicken with different cans of beers in each. The chicken was juicy and flavourful, however it would have been nice to have been able to sample each type of chicken to see the contrast in flavours. He also had a barbeque going with 3 different flavours of sausage: Ontario pork & orange zest, lamb Merguez, and Breton pork with fennel & chili. I know it’s hard to time when people are going to eat at a casual barbeque and although the sausages were quite flavourful, they were fairly dry and over cooked. Chef Cipollo regained himself, however, with the food collection being passed around. King Prawns with a simple potato salad, Beef Brisquet burger (which looked delicious although never made it to our table), a giant Markt pretzel bite, and a Rösti Croquette full of cheesy potato-y goodness left me craving more.

By the end of the evening, the tables were covered in mini beer glasses and empty dishes signalling a successful night. Bier Markt clearly knows what to do as soon as the nice weather hits and proves that bier is in fact, a beautiful thing.

Cheers to a beautiful summer!

Article by Celia Schepp

A New Wave of Thirsty Thursdays

It’s no secret that the Art Gallery of Ontario is pulling out all the stops for their highly anticipated 1^st Thursdays events. With Torontonians advertising they’ll buy someone’s tickets for double the price, it makes going to one of these ensemble art exhibits a unique and sought after experience.

May 2nd brought a slew of visual, verbal, and musically artistic talent to the venue and attendees swarmed around with smiles, pointing fingers in every direction as there was something new to feast their eyes on.

Performance piece by Nicole Collins and two co-performers started off the night as Collins used her arm as a compass to draw perfect circles on a wall (inspired by Buddhist monks!) in the Irina Moore Gallery. Life of Craphead, a duet in short comedy sketches performed in the Reuben Wells Leonard Memorial Gallery hosted a small space surrounded by European art that echoed with laughter at the duos quirky jokes.

Pop-up bars and affordable and tasty appetizers (porchetta, arancini balls and zeppole – yum!) provided by the AGO paired nicely with the art on the first floor.  DJ Iris Fraser-Gudrunas and her crew outfitted in Renaissance-inspired attire by Adrienne Kammerer echoed the space while you browsed the equally as Renaissance rooms of work from the AGO vault and a welcomed peak at the Patti Smith exhibit.

Upstairs you could paint-by-numbers or practice your printmaking with local artists alike while listening to DJ Mama Knows spin some of her favourite records.  Attendees also had the choice between a scoop of gelato or a cocktail (or both!).  With so much more going on at the gallery, one really needs a game plan upon entrance and, at least for me, I know that practice makes perfect and we'll try to catch more on the next Thursday.

Zeus performed in Walker Court – the center of the AGO – that had fans staking out their spot since the doors opened. Their soothing and soft alt-rock melodies filled the space beautifully and sent supporters away satisfied. At first it seems like a strange place to see a band play, but euphoric and fitting when you’re surrounded by such a mix of ancient and contemporary exhibitions of emotion.

Brought to you by Andrea Wrobel

Oh Daughter

An array of Torontonians filled the Great Hall on Tuesday night to listen to Daughter. From hipsters and hippies, to your average joe and a few parents - the indie folk band hailing from the UK brought them all out and had them singing along. Daughter is made up of Elena Tonra (vocals/guitar), Igor Haefeli (guitar), and Remi Aguilella (drums), who came together in 2010. Getting their start humbly through word-of-mouth, they are now signed to prestigious UK label 4AD (who represent the likes of Bon Iver and Iron & Wine).

It's no wonder that in the trio's short time together, they've already caught the eye of David Letterman and Rolling Stone Magazine. If you think they sound familiar, they probably do - they're songs have been featured in some fairly popular TV shows including Grey's Anatomy and Vampire Diaries. 

The Great Hall loved every second of the performance by Daughter - despite some lighting issues, which Tonra handled gracefully and adorably, smiling and giggling that they had been having some technical difficulties that day. Tonra's hauntingly beautiful voice sounds effortless, almost floating out over the crowd and captivating every ear (even when in near pitch black). 

Their debut album, If You Leave, was recently released and the band is currently on tour. One thing is for certain, keep an eye on Daughter, they're a band we can expect to see around in the coming years. Check them out here.