Palattes of Africa: Brazilian Brunch Recap

We’re excited to be collaborating with the ROM‘s Kitchen Conversation series for our next Palattes Of Africa pop-up restaurant featuring Chef Pierre Thiam this Friday! Tickets are already sold out! More on what we have in store in a future post…But first a little trip down memory lane to last summer when we had a Brazilian Brunch in the midst of the world cup fever.

Our featured chef was Nigerian food blogger and epicurean extraordinaire Lohi who presented a menu that incorporated elements of a Brazilian breakfast, street food from Ghana and drinks from Senegal. We had #tamarind – tinged champagne, ginger-flavored bissap, sorrel, abacha and kale salad and stuffed plantains with suya-seasoned chicken. The biggest hit though was the crunchy Akara balls served with a delicious tomato sauce (Nigerian “stew”) followed by the sweet#tapioca pudding with mango and roasted peanuts.

Visual artist Komi Olaf lent us his Afro-futuristic artwork to transform the Edward Day Gallery and also surprised us with an impromptu spoken word performance. A mini supafrik pop-up was also open for shopping and all attendants received a property of africa tote bag containing complementary gifts from our sponsors #senseappeal coffee roasters and Mike and Mike’s organic food wholesalers.

This third installation of Palattes Of Africa was featured as the pop-up of the week in Toronto Life and received rave reviews from #GlobeandMail ’s Lucy Waverman, staff from#MonocleMagazine and Toronto food bloggers. All in all it was a great success! How in the world can we top that? See you on Friday!

Click here for more photos on our facebook page which has become infinitely more up to date than this blog

Team for Palattes 3

Concept and Branding: Chinedu Ukabam
Sponsorships and Outreach: Angelina Williams
Featured Chef: Lohi Ogolo
Featured Artist: Komi Olaf
Photography: Justin Morris
Chef Assistant: Rufaro
Event Planning Assistant: Aryanne Browne

Special shout out to Douglas Stewart and Imara Ajani-Rolston for their assistance as well. Thanks to our sponsors Mike and Mike’s organic food wholesalers and Sense Appeal Coffee Roasters.

Palattes of Africa returns with a Brazilian “Brunch”… from West Africa with Love

Now in its third installation after its sold-out debuts in Toronto(2012) and Paris(2013) , Palattes of Africa is a unique food meets art event spearheaded by fashion designer, curator and food lover, Chinedu Ukabam in collaboration with a rotating cast of burgeoning young chefs and artists. Palattes is presented in the form of a pop-up restaurant and explores West African cuisine by showcasing traditional African dishes as well as original “Afro-fusion” takes on the familiar (think Jollof Rice “Sushi” rolls stuffed with jerked catfish). Equal parts history and culinary art, Palattes aims to delight the senses while engaging the intellect. The proliferation of international cuisine in cosmopolitan cities means that the average food enthusiast has at least a passing familiarity with everything from Korean and Caribbean to Mediterranean and Latin American.  However with only a smattering of restaurants scattered outside the core, West African cuisine still remains the final food frontier in Toronto. There are a few deliciously original “discoveries” still left to be made in food and a good number of them are to be found in the cuisine of West Africa, as rich in flavor and texture as it is in symbolism. 

The third installment in the Palattes series intends to build on the same elements that made the first two successful, whilst honing in on the thematic focus of the event. Neatly dovetailing with the world cup fever thats taking over the city for the next month, Palattes will celebrate the West African roots of Brazilian cuisine and the Brazilian origins of  West African food! Presented in the form of a brunch, the menu developed in collaboration with up and coming chef Lohi Ogolo, will contain elements of a Brazillian breakfast, street food from Ghana and drinks from Senegal. The event will also feature the artwork and contribution of Komi Olaf as well as a SUPAFRIK pop-up shop that will allows visitors to purchase items from the online shop. Seating is with advance tickets only which can be purchased from palattesofafrica.eventbrite.ca 

Date: Sunday June 29th Time: 12noon to 3pm Venue: 952 Queen St West, Toronto (Enter through MOCCA courtyard)