KUDOS AND MEDIA MENTIONS

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2006

Toronto Hotspot
Jens Maier, Stern (Germany) magazine's online portal. Below you will find a link to his online article (Note: the text is in German as it is a German publication).
- http://www.stern.de/lifestyle/reise/fernreisen/:Toronto-Hotspot-
Design-S%FCchtige/577200.html

Toronto Food and Culture Tour: A Toronto weekend getaway package...
By Mary Luz Mejia
Toronto Food and Culture Tour. A Toronto weekend getaway package called Heaven, Earth & Enchantments of the Chinese Zodiac visits Chinatown, rests at the Sutton...
- cookingresources.suite101.com

Walk This Way
Shirley Lum of A Taste of the World neighbourhood tours considers herself both a guide and a foodie. Her walking tours allow visitors as well as residents of Toronto to explore our off-beat haunts and eateries. From ghostly encounters and Dickens-based literary tours to the ultimate foodie tour of local neighbourhoods, you will never see Yorkville, Chinatown or Kensington the same way again.
- The infoletter of Conservus, No.31. July 21-27, 2006 Toronto

Gourmet Getaways: Foodies' tour of Chinatown
It might seem strange that Shirley Lum kicks off her Taste of the World tour through Toronto's Chinatown with a quote from Proust. But after her fascinating Foodies Walking Tour, you will definitely be seeing the Dundas-Spadina neighbourhood "with new eyes."

The fascincating 31/2-hour route includes such previously unknown treasures as coconut buns and black tea eggs with cracked shell soaked in soy sauce from a Taiwanese bakery; white tea (known to soothe sore throats) at a Chinese herbalist's; an eye-opening exploration of ingredients (including Emperor's chicken feet...) at a bustling Chinese supermarket; and dim sum finale with such delicious dishes as boiled snow pea leaves and pan-fried turnip cake.

The Brad Sloovis Show on Natradio.com
Natradio.com is Toronto's original community internet radio station, broadcasting to Toronto and the world since the summer of 2004. The show reaches over 6,000 unique listeners monthly. Tune in to hear Shirley's chat on the following topics – Chinatown tours and the possible sightings of ghosts on her ghost walk series scheduled around May 1st. With host Brad Sloovis on Monday April 24, 2006.
- Brad Sloovis Show, Natradio.com , April 24, 2006

Heaven, Children and Chinatown
A Taste of the World is delighted to announce its partnership with The Bata Shoe Museum, The Sutton Place Hotel and Shop Dine Tour Toronto!

The Bata Shoe Museum and The Sutton Place Hotel have recently announced an exceptional package to highlight the kinship of culture and style in Toronto, one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. Beginning April 1 and continuing through to October 15, the innovative museum and hotel are offering a combination of experiences with a package entitled Heaven, Earth & Enchantments of the Chinese Zodiac.

Featuring Bata Shoe Museum’s newest exhibit Watched by Heaven. Tied to Earth: Summoning Animal Protection for Chinese Children, a value-added package has been developed to incorporate a museum experience, accommodations, a walking excursion and the sights, sounds and tastes of Toronto’s old and new Chinatowns.

This is what the package includes... Each morning, guests will be greeted by a Shop Dine Tour Toronto driver in the lobby of The Sutton Place Hotel. From there, guests will ride to Chinatown where they will be met by Shirley Lum of A Taste of the World, who will lead them on a walking tour exploring the exotic and diverse sights and sounds of Toronto’s old and new Chinatowns. At mid-day, Ms. Lum will escort the tour to the popular Bright Pearl Restaurant for an exceptional Dim Sum luncheon.

Following lunch, Ms. Lum will see the tour group off to the Bata Shoe Museum, where patrons will experience the Watched by Heaven Tied to Earth: Summoning Animal Protection for Chinese Children.

Featuring some 200 shoes and garments displayed in front of elaborate sets, the exhibit invites visitors into a charming world ruled by sewn, painted, appliquéd and embroidered animals. Augmenting the display of artifacts are photographs, paintings and graphics illustrating how these shoes and garments were, and are, worn.

As guests conclude their visit to the museum, they may elect to take a leisurely stroll back along Bloor Street and through Queen’s Park to The Sutton Place Hotel or take advantage of some of the special values available to them through the hotel’s Sutton Shopper program.

The Sutton Shopper program is a specially designed catalogue for guests of The Sutton Place Hotel that features discounts and offers at numerous retailers throughout the upscale Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood.

The Enchantments of the Chinese Zodiac package is an opportunity for couples and families alike to experience a unique segment of Toronto’s diverse multicultural beauty.

Tour days are available Thursdays through Sundays from April 1 to October 15, and can be organized when making your reservations with The Sutton Place Hotel.

Package pricing starts from $319.00 Cdn / $285.00 US per adult couple. Rates do not include applicable taxes and fees. For further information and guestroom reservations, you can call 1 866 378 8866 or 416 324 5621. suttonplace.com

Popular walking tour is equal parts discovery
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes", said Marcel Proust. "And new palate and senses," adds Shirley Lum, by way of introduction to her popular Kensington Foodies Roots Walk, which serves up equal portions of food, fact and anecdote about one of Toronto’s most eclectic neighbourhoods.

Armed with archival photos and interesting historical tidbits, Lum traces Kensington’s multicultural evolution as she leads small groups on a progressive brunch through the market.

The Toronto-born, fourth generation Chinese-Canadian who founded her company A Taste of the World in 1993, is continually seeking out nooks and crannies to share with her guests.

A culinary voyage through Kensington dishes up much food for thought, in addition to delicious discoveries along the way. You’ll learn how the streets got their names, and why piecrusts were regarded as edible containers long before the invention of Tupperware. In between noshes you’ll hear some delightful stories about the successive waves of immigrants that settled within the market.

The first stop on the Foodies tour is the Moonbean Coffee Company, a micro-roastery that specializes in freshly roasted coffees from around the world. You can try an exotic flavour like banana or chocolate chip cookie dough, or a fair trade organic brew to wash down the samples of sweet and savoury baked goods.

Akram's Shoppe is hailed as the king of falafel by aficionados of Middle Eastern cuisine. Akram's special blend of mung beans, soybeans and chick peas make these falafel taste light instead of heavy. The sample platter here includes babaganoush made from dry roasted eggplant, which gives it a unique smoky flavour. A cup of aromatic tea will hold you until the next stop.

The empanadas at Jumbo Empanadas are indeed jumbo. The best seller here is the beef empanada, made with a mixture of beef, black olives, hard-boiled egg, onion, and raisins. Originally sold on a street corner, these Chilean staples are now turned out for hungry customers in a cozy, second floor restaurant.

The tour ends with a truffle (try the saffron or wasabi ganache for something different) and a cup of chili-infused hot chocolate at the Chocolate Addict, but not before getting some sound advice on where to purchase the freshest nuts and spices, Latin American or Japanese products.

Just as Kensington is not just about food – it is also a mecca for vintage and “Japanese cool” clothing -- A Taste of the World offers a variety of foodie, literary detective and ghost walks.

A Taste of the World , along with The Sutton Place Hotel, the Bata Shoe Museum and Dine Shop Tour Toronto, will be offering an opportunity to experience a unique segment of Toronto’s diverse multicultural beauty. A value-added package has been developed to incorporate a museum experience, accommodations, walking excursions and the exquisite sights, sounds and tastes of Toronto’s old and new Chinatowns. For a calendar of walks see http://www.torontowalksbikes.com
- The Great Toronto Getaway, April, 2006

Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations
Listeners were invited to call-in and share on-air how they would be celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year - the Year of the Dog. Shirley Lum, owner and guide of A Taste of the World called in and did just that. She announced that she's coming out of her sabbatical and will be sharing with folks eager to follow and shadow her while she shops for necessary ingredients to prepare for her New Year meals, plus decorate her home with appropriate symbols, and gifts observing customs and superstitions during the 15-days celebration period.
- Geoff Goodes, CBC Radio, Toronto, Saturday, January 28, 2006

New Year feast of fortune
The foods eaten during Chinese New Year are much more than nourishment for the body - they embody future good fortune. Each of the wide array of dishes families prepare to celebrate the Chinese lunar New Year, which this year falls on Sunday, symbolizes prosperity and luck.

Shirley Lum, who leads walking (and tasting) tours of Chinatown west during the New Year celebrations, says an ingredient's good luck value is rooted to the very sound of its name. During her tours, she explains Chinese New Year food customs, traditions and the superstitions of the celebrations, which spans a 15-day period...
- Elvira Cordileone, Toronto Star, Thursday, January 26, 2006