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w ww.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, March 1 7 , 2 0 1 7 11 6 C hopped C a n a d a ch am p io n s e rv e s up w in n in g p la te s ByVanessa Lupton As one of the hottest restaurants in the Oakville dining scene, Fuego Tapas Bar is serving up a new way of eating. The recently opened, Spanish-themed Tapas Bar was created by owner and chef Stephanie Brewster. After being named the winner on the first episode of the Food Network's hit show Chopped Canada, Brew ster began to cultivate her dream of owning her own restaurant, but her love for Spanish cuisine started years before. "I actually spent four years travelling around Eu rope when I was younger," said Brewster. " I was al ready cooking but I think it gave me a sense of world view and a passion for flavours. I was in Madrid when I was 18 and have very defined food memories of my experiences in Spain" But it wasn't until a number of years later that she earned her Red Seal certification and dove into the industry. In fact, it was her position as an educator in Fanshawe College's Culinary Food and Beverage Management program that led her to applying to compete on the television cooking challenge. "I actually had no intention of entering" said Brew ster. " I put the casting call out to my students and graduates encouraging them to try out, and they all said `Chef, you should apply!' I thought about it and figured you only live once, so I entered the casting call, went on the show and ended up winning" After securing the title of Canada's first Chopped Champion, Brewster went on to work in the indus try at a corporate level, before realizing that she was spending more of her time crunching numbers in front of a computer than she was in the kitchen cooking. After taking a trip to Spain with her husband, it was there that she fell in love with the Tapas experience. The concept of a Tapas-style meal is that food is served on small plates that are ideal for sharing, alongside a drink. Meaning `to cover', the term origi nated in Spanish cuisine as a small piece of bread that was used to cover the wine glass to prevent bugs from flying into it. According to Brewster, if you order a drink in Spain, a few small plates with a few mor sels is served alongside your beverage. "The dining experience isn't about eating a big three-course meal. It's about ordering multiple plates, putting them in the middle of the table, and spending time grazing, sipping and socializing. It's a very fun and social experience" said Brewster. With a diverse menu, Fuego offers a selection of perfectly prepared plates, of which, the most popu lar is the seared scallops in orange butter that are topped with a sprinkling of vanilla salt, and the or ange glazed duck served with cauliflower puree. Other guest favourites include the roasted Medjool dates stuffed with Manchego cheese and wrapped in bacon, and the cinnamon dusted churros with Span ish hot chocolate. Located at 151 Lakeshore Rd. E in Oakville, Fuego Tapas Bar is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Week end brunches are offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat urday and Sunday. For more information visit www. fuegotapasbar.com, or call 289-837-3473. S te p h a n ie B re w ste r, th e fir s t w in n e r o f C h o p p e d C anada a n d o w n e r o f Fuego Tapas B a r o ffe rs a n e w ta k e on d in in g . Photos by Nikki Wesley, Metroland Media Group F ren ch L un ch o ffe rs a ta s te o f F ra n c e in O a k v ille ByVanessa Lupton Taking the stress out of dinner preparation, Oakville's newest specialty grocer, French Lunch, offers a variety of fresh and prepared meals ready to delight the diners in your family. Providing delicious French and European cuisine, the store offers take-home dinners and lunches, as well as fresh breakfast and lunch items that are perfect to grab and go. "We offer a wide selection of healthy, homestyle cooking," said French Lunch owner Nina Zaitseva. "Some of the food we make in-house and the rest we bring in from high-end European suppliers" Having spent a year living in France with her children, Zaitseva noted that the relationship that people have with food is very different in North America than it is in France, or in her birthplace Rusf : TM ile of i ces and schoo!s Promote quick lunch breaks, often consisting of a bagged lunch or fast food, in France, it is common to have a designated break that lasts from an hour-and-ahalf to two hours and features healthy food. Chil dren and professionals either go home to eat, or purchase a balanced hot meal from their work or school. Offering mouth-watering items, the store cap tures the taste buds of its customers with hearty braised meat and vegetables dishes like Coq au Vin and Beef Provencal, and the ever popu lar Tartiflette, a potato and mushroom dish that features a wheel of Brie cheese that melts to perfection over the potatoes when heated. Other favourite dishes include the Cordon Bleu with Mashed Potatoes and a savoury crepe. All dishes are made with low sodium and unprocessed in gredients like olive oil and when needed, real but ter rather than a substitution. Meals can be purchased in the dinner size, which comfortably feeds two to three people, or for something slightly smaller, the lunch size is perfectly suited for one to two. All prepared foods are already cooked and simply need to be re heated. All containers are microwave safe and allow for a healthy, hot meal to be ready within just a few minutes. "With families being so busy, it's nice to be able to take a healthy, home style cooked meal out of the freezer" said Zaitseva. There's no worry about meal preparation or cooking food before the expi ration date. You just get good, healthy meals" Located at 187 Cross Ave. in unit five, French Lunch is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Delivery is avail able for orders greater than $99 and catering can be arranged for small groups of people. Until March 31 enjoy the Bienvenue promotion, 10 per cent off in-store purchases of $50 or more. For more details visit frenchlunch.ca, call 905-338 9988, or stop by the store for a taste of France. F re n c h L u n c h p ro v id e s h e a lth y, fro z e n m e a ls a n d s p e c ia lty g ro c e ry ite m s fro m E u rope. Photo by Graham Paine, Metroland Media Group