#CanolaConnect Workshop Series: Fusing Flavours with Chef Nick Liu

Last week I had the opportunity to join a few of my fellow Toronto foodies and bloggers at Luxe Appliance Studio for an evening learning all about canola oil and cooking with it! Organized by Canola Eat Well, Chef Nick Liu of DaiLo inspired us with his stories in the kitchen as a kid to one of Toronto's top chefs. He shared with us a family-inspired Crispy Hakka Wonton recipe and got our hands dirty—more like oily!—by making our own dumplings.

Wine courtesy of our friends at Trail Estate Winery 
(Photo Credit Jeffrey Chan, Courtesy of Canola Eat Well)

Fellow Filipino Joey Salmingo hosting the workshop!

@melsays and @meghanyuriyoung filling the studio with excitement!

"Think outside of the box; build recipes on top of recipes." - Chef Nick Liu

@meghanyuriyoung volunteering as tribute to mix our wonton filling

Mise en place for Crispy Hakka Wontons  (Find the recipe here.)

Look, ma! It's me! I'm folding wontons! 
(Photo Credit Jeffrey Chan, Courtesy of Canola Eat Well)

#CookFamous before you @eatfamous

Our Crispy Hakka Wontons cooked in canola oil!

SUCCESS! And what a collaborative effort!

After the interactive culinary workshop, we got to meet some of the people working behind Canada's canola. They taught us how the seed is harvested, differentiating the good from the bad, and then processed. Through this workshop, we not only got to connect where our food comes from but who produces it. Did you know that only 2% of Canadians are farmers? They plant on average 20 million acres of canola each spring.  Many of our farmers come from multi-generational farms and continually educate themselves on the best farm practices.

@joeysalmingo giving @paychen some love for her amazing job in taking over @CanolaEatWell's social media :)

Chef Nick Liu prepping our family dinner!

Money shot of that deep fried trout about to happen!

(Photo Credit Jeffrey Chan, Courtesy of Canola Eat Well)

The night ended at the long table with a delicious spread cooked by Chef Nick Liu and wine from Trail Estate Winery. Food has the ability to bring people together but most importantly, it has the power to start a conversation. And it's simple: great ingredients make great food. By choosing canola oil, we are also choosing local, health and flavour.  

SQUAD GOALS
 (Photo Credit Jeffrey Chan, Courtesy of Canola Eat Well)

For more information about canola oil and ways to cook with it, please visit Canola Eat Well.

All photos are mine unless otherwise stated.