Local Flavour

Nov 2021

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LOCAL FLAVOUR WINTER 2021 A M A N I T O B A F O O D I E ' S G U I D E T O D E L I C I O U S D I S H E S View online at winnipegfreepress.com/lifestyles Inquiries: 204-697-7390 At Kenaston Wine Market HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS ABOUND BY JENNIFER MCFEE Cheers! Santé! Salud! Prost! o ma er how you say it, let's tip a glass to Kenaston Wine Market where knowledgeable staff are always on hand to help find ideal options for all occasions. Wine-loving entrepreneur Jim Jaworski launched the local business in 1994. Since then, the dedicated team continues to take pride in its selection of worldwide wines that is continually updated. Kenaston Wine Market, conveniently located at the corner of Grant and Kenaston avenues, strives to be a destination for people to share their enthusiasm for wine. The atmosphere is casual, and friendly staff members make shopping easy — even when you're not sure what you're looking for. If you're planning ahead for holiday festivities, Kenaston Wine Market has got you covered with an assortment of gifts that are sure to please. "This holiday season, we are offering a variety of custom and pre-made gift baskets that will delight any wine enthusiast — for the foodie to the vintage collector and everyone in between," assistant general manager James Turowski says, "including the option to gift a personalized wine advent calendar." "We also have a wide selection of champagne and other sparkling wines for your end-of-year celebrations." If you're looking for something to sip, Turowski provides some crowd-pleasing suggestions. "Let our knowledgeable staff help you find the perfect wine pairing for your holiday dinner table," he says, "like the Avalon California Cabernet Sauvignon or the Domaine de Chalet Pouilly Mâcon-Solutré Chardonnay." Adding to the ease, Kenaston Wine Market will deliver your wine right to your door — whether it's to indulge yourself or someone else on your holiday list. Gift-wrapping and gift cards are also available. "We are continuing to offer free city-wide delivery into the holiday season," Turowski says. "We have an easy-to-use online shop so you can buy wine from the comfort of your home and have it delivered to you or to whoever is on your holiday gift list this year." In addition to offering great wines to unwind, Kenaston Wine Market remains active within the community by supporting local events and causes. Kenaston Wine Market is located at 1855A Grant Ave. and is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, or to place an online order, visit www.kenastonwine.com. Something to delight any wine enthusiast N Desserts BY JENNIFER MCFEE little indulgence has perhaps never seemed sweeter than during this tumultuous time. For anyone looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, an impressive array of local businesses offer delectable desserts to savour. At Decadence Chocolates, an artisan chocolate shop located at 70 Sherbrook St., owner Helen Staines specializes in creating small batches of treats. "We have a very wide range of chocolate bars with about 26 different flavours. We have over 20 bonbons in our case, and we make our own caramels too," she says. "We make anything we can from scratch and we don't use added preservatives. We crystalize all our own ginger, we candy our own oranges, and we also make our own ice cream, which we sell by the scoop or in containers. We use fresh fruits and fruit purees rather than just adding in flavouring." Since the onset of the pandemic, the business has been booming with more people seeking mouth-watering morsels. "We've been very fortunate. Our business has increased and we've increased our wholesale clientele as well, so we have more people retailing our products in the city," Staines says. "We sell into Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon sometimes — all over the country. People deserve a sweet treat, not just these days but every day." As a self-professed passion fruit fanatic, Staines stocks a range of treats flavoured with her fave fruit. "We make chocolates, ice cream, caramels — and all of those have some kind of passion fruit in them. It's one of my favourite flavours," she says. "I like playing around with flavours as well so I put herbs in my chocolate. I do a Manitoba honey and thyme. One of the caramels I make is strawberry basil. I like adding a little bit of weirdness. Sometimes people aren't sure about it until they taste it, and then they realize that it really works." While the flavours dazzle the taste buds, the esthetic appeal is also astounding. "I think you eat with your eyes first, so I want things to look pretty before you eat them, and then the flavour is important too," Staines says. "Once you try it, you'll realize there's a difference. Not all chocolates are made the same; there is a difference in quality. Yes, you're going to pay a little bit more but everything is handmade with love. We use only the best ingredients that we can find to put into our chocolates." At Sweet C Bakery, a Transcona- based business celebrating its fifth anniversary, owner Cori Poon has noticed an uptick in orders during the pandemic. "A lot of people were just looking for a pick-me-up. I was one of the very few food service businesses that grew during COVID. I had to double my team size just to accommodate everything from the custom cakes to the walk-in traffic," she says. "We create a whole experience from the moment you walk into our neighbourhood bakery. We talk to people and try to create a welcoming feel. Because of COVID, we found that a lot of people were actually missing that." A While the flavours dazzle the taste buds, the esthetic appeal is also astounding. Helen Staines, owner of Decadence Chocolates Photos by Darcy Finley Photo by Shel Zolkewich CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Decadence Chocolates offers an assortment of holiday goodies. Photo by Shel Zolkewich A SUPPLEMENT TO THE DELECTABLE

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