Typically timed to coincide with the start of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (now underway at Toronto's Exhibition Place), organizers of the Canadian Culinary Book Awards have announced the winners of the 13th annual edition.

Expectation and tradition can play a big part of special occasion eating -- one might expect a slice of cake (or perhaps a cupcake or equivalent) on one's birthday, for instance. For me, holidays definitely inspire food expectations, like roast turkey or spiced pumpkin pie.

Buying local is a popular trend that's grown across North America in recent years, but it has taken on special importance in the post-Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans.

 

In a recent trip to New Orleans for the fifth anniversary of Katrina, I spoke to celebrity chef John Besh about how the community came together in the wake of the storm.

Chef, author and TV personality Anthony Bourdain is brash, opinionated and a straight talker unafraid to broadcast his warts-and-all perceptions - all qualities that have made him a bestselling author, a popular blogger and a brilliant guest judge for the TV hit Top Chef.

While both farmer's markets and grocery stores are in the business of selling food, the atmosphere and purpose are infinitely different.

But Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is hoping to meld the convenience of the grocery store with the charm of the market.

When Anthony Bourdain visited San Francisco for an episode of No Reservations, he admitted he's a "reverse sushi discriminator." "Guys like me, deep down we believe you gotta be Japanese to make truly excellent sushi," he said.

This spring, honeybees have been all the buzz, it seems, with a host of articles published and news features broadcast about urban hives and local honey as well as continued documentary reports about the troubling and mysterious colony collapse disorder. Heck, even one of my suburban friends suddenly decided to take an intro to beekeeping course.

So, when I got an invite to get up close and person with a few hundred honeybees, I happily accepted.

Easter is my favourite holiday. Halloween may have the fantastical costumes and Christmas the gifts, but Easter has the best celebration of them all: the Easter egg hunt.

Olympic medal ceremonies may tug at my tear ducts, but it never occurred to me to consider forking over a pretty penny to see the Vancouver Games in person.

Not until I read the New York Times' saliva-inducing spread on Vancouver's culinary landscape, that is.

Citing a need to recharge and reinvent, world renowned chef Ferran Adria announced this week his plan to temporarily close his famed el Bulli restaurant in 2012.