[thedrakeblog]

Our Drake Chefs’ recommendations on all the new fall menus + the perfect wine pairings from our in-house expert.

Jon Humphrey has been pioneering our Drake Hotel Properties’ drink program for almost ten years + is an industry veteran in Toronto. Jon’s deep knowledge of how spirits, beer, food + wine work in harmony is bar(tender) none.

What Ted’s eating this month: The brisket pie on Fridays at Drake Commissary is my fall go-to + my family lives off the larder these days.

Jon’s Wine Down pairing: Justin, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016, Paso Robles, California

Dry, ripe blackcurrant, black cherry + a touch of red fruit brightness, alongside notes of vanilla spice, oak + brioche all come together to complement the savoury Commissary brisket. The finish is moderately long and fresh, with sustained rounded fruit and lingering spice. Balanced nicely by firm, smooth tannins.

Favourite dish on the new menu: The braised boneless short rib. It comes with potato purée, onion dashi, seared onions, pickled onions + burnt onion powder. It’s a simple thing — meat + potatoes — but elevated.

Jon’s Wine Down pairing: Noble Tree, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2015, Sonoma, California

With aromas of lead pencil + spiced red fruits, and flavours of currant, blackberry, black pepper, this Cab Sauv with defined tannins is a beautiful pairing to Zach’s warming fall dish.

Favourite dish on the new Drake Mini Bar menu? Definitely the lobster spaghetti. It’s loaded with butter poached lobster claws, topped with white anchovies + a beautiful selection of olives from Piccholine, Kalamata + Cerignola.

Jon’s Wine Down pairing: Domaine Baud, Brut, Blanc de Blanc, Cremant de Jura, Chardonnay, N/V, Jura, France

Enjoy this dish with a Crémant – a sparkling wine in a traditional style made outside the region of Champagne. Mineral driven, high acid + subtle breadiness with a touch of funk.

Favourite dish on the new menu: White spaghetti bolognese with wild boar ragu + velvety oyster mushrooms.

Jon’s Wine Down pairing: Vietti, Tre Vigne, Barbera d’Asti, 2015, Piedmont, Italy

This ruby purple wine has hints of sweet spices + a ripe red cherry aroma. A dry, medium-bodied red wine with refreshing acidity, it’s well-balanced with an integration of oak, good complexity + a long finish that complements the spaghetti to create a perfect, cozy night in the County.

Favourite dish on the new menu: The lamb sandwich with mortadella — it’s unbelievable.

Jon’s Wine Down pairing: Pandolfa, Federico, Sangiovese, 2016, Emilia Romagna, Italy Highly aromatic, with notes of cherry, raspberry liquorice + subtle spice, this Sangiovese is a bright choice to pair with the lamb sandwich. Partly aged in stainless steel for a year, with the remainder aged in large oak casks, gives way to a softer character.

Favourite dish on the new menu: The whole chicken + gravy (served Family Style for sharing). I’m a sucker for large format food.

Jon’s Wine Down pairing: Flop House ‘Rosehall Vineyard’ Chardonnay, 2014, Prince Edward County, Ontario

The roast chicken pairs beautifully with this Drake Exclusive: a barrel-aged chardonnay with notes of ripe apples, citrus + nuts and solid acidity.

Try one of our new dishes with its perfect pairing on a Wine Down night, once a week at every Drake. 

Book a table here. 

[thedrakeblog]

Catching Up w/ Mia Nielsen, The Drake's Director of Art + Culture

Coffee: black or cream + sugar?

Black, always black.

Album/song you have on repeat this month?

Hard to pick just one, Jain’s Souldier is so much fun, can’t get enough of that. I keep coming back to 6lack’s new album, and love Jeremy Dutcher's Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa.

What artwork are you currently paying off?

Haha! I’m usually paying off a new artwork, I typically buy one piece a year. Most galleries offer installment plans ­— it’s a great way to manage buying great art, and won’t drive up your CC bill. I’m closing in on a beautiful Nadia Belerique piece from Daniel Faria Gallery (pictured below).

Tell us about the new art flips. 

We have a ton on the go. New works in The Drake Hotel lounge including Ness Lee, Nando-Alvarez Perez, Luke Siemans, Eric Mistretta and Alison Postma. New installations at Drake One Fifty explore repeating forms with George Little and Ludovica Gioscia as well as Dan Perkins. This month Drake Devonshire is getting a new exhibition from US artist Emily Noelle Lambert, and we have new works coming for the lobby of the Hotel including Roxana Azar, a long-time art crush of mine. Phew! 

Eric Mistretta, The Drake Hotel lounge. 

Top local artists to watch right now? 

Oh man, so many great people making amazing work. I’m really into what Whyishnave Suthagar is making right now. Also Esmaa Mohamoud, Nadia Belerique, Curtis Talwst Santiago...but this just scratches the surface.

What are you currently reading? 

Chimamanda Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun.

Favourite art piece in The Drake’s permanent collection + why? 

Wow, that’s a tough one. I love Gordon Monahan’s ‘Piano Listening to Itself’ at Drake Devonshire, it’s such a poetic piece in a stunning setting. It’s outside, so amazing thing to see a piano in the snow, playing ghostly music. Ken Lum’s ‘Jim and Susan’s Motel’ is wonderful, the tension of the ‘public message with a personal plea’ is heartbreaking. Alex McLeod’s piece at Drake Commissary is epic, I always see something new in it.   

Dan Perkins, Drake One Fifty. 

Best gift you’ve ever been given? 

My cousin makes beautiful furniture, and a couple of years ago he surprised me with leather covered end tables. I love them so much!

Two Drake favourites: charcuterie or sushi? 

Sushi!

[thedrakeblog]

Shaking Up an Industry

The Toronto Cocktail Conference is coming to The Drake and with it, a world of knowledge

Words by Vidal Wu | Photo by Sophie Margolian

Like most things in life, you kinda just fall into it. At least that’s how Josh Lindley and Jessica Blaine Smith, co-founders of Bartender Atlas, fell into running the Toronto Cocktail Conference, which takes over The Drake Hotel from August 13 to 15. “There was a thing called Bar Institute that took place at The Drake Hotel run by an American company called Lush Life which had some border issues so they ended up not being able to come,” Jessica explains. “So they called us the week before the conference saying, ‘We can’t make it, can you run the show for us?’”

With sponsors and programming in jeopardy, the partners were unexpectedly stuck with a programming portfolio and a suite of industry professionals flying in from around the world expecting a conference. Josh, who pours delicious things at Chantecler and was a brand ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin after working at Campagnolo and Bar Isabel, had no such experience, as did Jessica, a photographer who has worked with CBC, Ryerson and Tangerine. They reached out to The Drake Hotel, where Josh had previously worked for five years—“I was here on Jon [Humphrey]’s first day when he came in to see if he could be a manager and I used to be Gord [Hannah]’s barback on the Sky Yard”—and with their support organized a successful conference with seminars, tastings and competitions in record time.

This year, Jessica and Josh are again teaming up with Gord Hannah and Jon Humphrey, The Drake’s head bartender and corporate beverage manager, for this year’s edition of the Toronto Cocktail Conference, consisting of seminars, workshops, panels, tastings, competitions and happy hours on all three floors of The Drake Hotel. With eighteen seminars spread over three days, the conference is focused on education for all skill sets, from budding enthusiasts to seasoned pros. The seminars, many of which have a social justice component to them, are led by local, national and international experts on subjects beyond what goes into a glass.

Seminars have an overt social justice slant, often touching on subjects that affect racialized and queer people in the industry. “Gatekeepers: The Necessity of Bartenders as Change Agents” facilitated by Chicago-based food and beverage activist Ashtin Berry, is a seminar and three-hour workshop discussing how bartenders can facilitate inclusive spaces for both patrons and workers, with actionable skill-building on bystander awareness and communication patterns.

Another, “Community: What It Means, Why We Want It and How to Have It” run by Tess Sawyer from Mahjong Bar, brings together Shane Beehan from Halifax, Kevin Demers from Montreal and Shawn Soole from Victoria for a discussion on visioning community both locally and internationally. “Is My Job Killing Me?” led by Jordan Stacey and Michael Fortier takes a hard look at industry lifestyle and consider the physical and mental well-being of bartenders and service staff.

Of course, there’s plenty of cocktail-centric discussion to go around, from making bitters and using apertivos to spirit distillation (facilitated by Dr. Don Livermoore, a master blender with a Ph. D in wood) and the history of rum in the North Atlantic. Sandy De Almeida, resident Drake bartender who “as far as Toronto concerned, is part of the reason why any of us know how to do anything,” Josh says, is running Cocktail 101, a great class for beginners and pros alike. Luxury brand mixologist Elayne Duff (who launched Ciroc with Diddy) and beer consultant Mirella Amato offer a seminar on the perfectly poured beer cocktail.

The seminars go even further than social issues and cocktail culture to address industry life itself. Seminars on pop-ups, managing money and running a business are also top-of-mind programming-wise. “Keeping your Sh*t Together: The Married Overseas Bartender Edition” takes a different approach to work-life balance, addressing the international component of being a bartender, as does “The Travel Menu: How a Culture of Curiosity Can Affect Both Cocktails & Community.” There’s a palpable sense that as important as skill-building and business management are, there’s an entire bartending culture—mental health, social justice, work-life balance—that often goes unaddressed.

Pulling together an event of this scale, while an immense task, is not unlike what Bartender Atlas already does. Launched two years ago, the online resource brings togethers industry professionals from around the world to share their knowledge on cocktails and local communities. “We have bartenders that pull pints in small towns and bartenders working at some of the best cocktail bars in the world,” Jess enthusiastically tells me. Realizing that leveraging the knowledge of the person behind the bar is crucial to experiencing a new place, Bartender Atlas fills in some of the gaps in what is already a tight-knit bartender community.

That community will also be met with a host of other activities. Brand-led tastings will occur periodically throughout the building, in addition to competitions, activations and an Anthony Bourdain tribute dedicated to self-care and loving yourself.

For Jess and Josh, bringing together industry thought-leaders at The Drake seemed like a natural choice. “We can have three seminars going at once which really makes it the ideal location, whether it be in the Underground, the Lounge or the Sky Yard. It’s really cool to offer a space that’s both big enough and small enough.”

The Toronto Cocktail Conference runs from August 13-15. Early bird tickets end on July 31. Check out the TOCC website and event listing for schedules and ticket information.

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Uncovering the Real With Jiri Ladocha

On now at The Modern Toronto, a solo exhibition of Jiri Ladocha’s work, collected by the painter Ben Woolfitt, draws fascinating parallels between form and function. 

Over his 35+ year career, Czech artist Jiri Ladocha has been creating abstracted pieces that leverage their materiality to explore themes of form, value, perception and art-making as a practice. Working primarily on surfaces—canvas, rock, aluminum and more—his work takes on otherworldly qualities that question not only their original context but the future they may survive to meet. From where do these forms emerge and what will they morph into next? 

Housed underneath a condominium, The Modern is a stark, concrete-forward space with exposed infrastructure snaking throughout, the ideal environment to contemplate the materials that form the foundation of everyday life. Set against a concrete backdrop, the pieces demonstrate a surprising materiality that not only draws one in, but questions the juxtapositions and comparisons we typically make between them. One example, “The Alchemist” comprises of three glass tubes filled with broken glass and ball bearings, an intriguing interplay between two divergent materials merged under impossible circumstances. 

Another, “The Four Directions” takes 24K gold leaf, white gold leaf, silver leaf, aluminum leaf and acrylic to abstract nature itself, whether it be the seasons, directions or the elements themselves. Together, they morph into an impressionist representation of the laws that govern Ladocha’s materials and practice. 

“Architectonics” debuts tonight with an opening reception at The Modern Toronto (68 Abell St) at 7 PM, just behind the Drake General Store flagship on Queen Street West. 

[thedrakeblog]

5 Questions with Gord Hannah

We’re taking it back – all the way back, with Drake Mixtape, beverages inspired by the retro cocktail classics of yesteryear.

To kick off the season of patio-ready libations, we sat down with Gord Hannah, our head bartender and cocktail ambassador, to talk more about the inspiration behind the cocktails and The Drake beverage program.

Tell us more about the inspiration behind the cocktails.

The 80s were an important time for politics, culture, sexuality and innovation. It was a generation that changed the way we look at art, music and movies. A generation that gave youth a voice and platform to stand against the status quo. Innovative subcultures took hold of the microphone and were given voices on a global stage. It was the era of punk, gay rights and rap. It was the first time youth had an effect on the mass media. It was a decade that saw no geological war but instead, saw a generation that waged war on “normal."  

But the cocktails stunk! They were really bad. They were overly sugary and usually neon. The bartenders of the 80s concocted elixirs with reckless abandon and no regard for rules or techniques. The names were littered with double entendres and the garnishes were as garish as the hairdos. That being said, these drinks have earned their place at the bar based on their popularity and most peoples' overall love for the 80s. We decided to tackle this problem by taking that devil-may-care attitude and combining it with 200 years of cocktail culture, peppered with some modern ingredients and techniques.

Hence, the Drake Mixtape, our little love letter to tell you that we still have a crush on you! The Grasshopper has earned its place in pop culture but the original is almost undrinkable. The introduction of fernet branca gives our "Baller Grasshopper" depth of flavour, structure and most importantly, balance. The San Dimas Margarita is our toast to the skinny margarita and the diet craze of the 80s. We use an excellent 100% tequila mixed with freshly pressed spinach, romaine, lime and cucumber juice with a hint of agave. A spicy rim adds some heat to an otherwise refreshing and bright drink.

Why has The Drake historically focused on cocktails? What are some of our smash hits?

The Drake has always tried to both honour the past and stay current with world trends. As a hotel bar, we have always had a strong affinity to the classic cocktails that form the basis of bar programs for 200 years. We are also a music venue, art gallery and restaurant, so our team always tries to stay current with global offerings and new cocktail trends. Stevie Wonder will always be on a playlist for a DJ, but to stay current, you also have to offer the newest undergound artist. Our bar team does the same – a well made old fashioned will always be a crowd pleaser, but our new version of the Tequila Sunrise will open up your eyes to new things.

The most important reason we focus on cocktails is customer demand. The general public has embraced cocktails in a way unseen since prohibition. Cocktail nerds and bartenders are thrilled to see such a global embracement of what we love, but don't kid your self, hospitality and safe environments always come first. As long as you’re having a great time, we’re happy to serve you whatever you like. The cocktail trend was started by bartenders but it was championed and carried by the public.

Tell us more about our resident bartender program and why we work with them.

We believe that education and innovation are the cornerstones of any beverage program. We give our bartenders the access to knowledge, new tools/ingredients and anything else they need to succeed. We have such a diverse crowd that come to our establishments and for that reason, diversity is reflected in our menus.

We have our key creators, like the legendary Sandy De Almeida and Jeremy Cheng, who lead by example. We try to provide our vets with the resources (new spirits, fresh ingredients) and inspiration (distillery trips, cocktail conferences) they need lead by example. We then have our younger staff, who we offer mentorship and training to in proper technique. It’s a glorious blend of old school and new school. We hire stars and raise champions on our bars. We are always actively trying to generate and influence the next best generation of bartender.  

What old-world methods are we retaining in the making of these cocktails?

We approach all of our cocktails with the same ideology: precise measurements, fresh ingredients and quality spirits. We produce as much in house as we can, unless someone else can do it better. Bartending is a profession and we approach it as such. Learn your basics and then innovate. All of our bartenders must have a firm understanding of the classics before they begin to create.

What are some of the innovative techniques and ingredients that The Drake is using in their cocktails?

Thanks to the internet, the world is a smaller place and the global bartending community is tighter than it has ever been in history. Innovations and trends happen on a monthly, not yearly, basis. I am always hesitant to talk about new innovations as they always seem dated when I look back at press. What I will always impress is our constant desire to provide inclusiveness to every customer at my bar. We now carry a vegan substitute for egg white, should a guest want a classic whisky sour. We carry a citric acid substitute for lemon/ lime juice should a guest be concerned about a carbon footprint. Should a guest not want to imbibe alcohol for any reason (pregnancy, temperance, religion or choice), we offer a real cocktail experience beyond the usual pop or juice.    

Speaking of, tell me a bit more about those non-alcoholic Temperance cocktails and the idea behind them.

People are making healthy and responsible choices these days. A lot of guests are choosing to reduce or abstain from alcohol consumption. It is very important to us that these people, should they choose, are still able to enjoy the expertise of our bar team. While enjoying our food, art, music, culture and atmosphere, we want to ensure that they have the opportunity to try something new. We are proud to be working with Seedlip, the world's first non-alcoholic distilled spirit. This is an impressive gluten-free, sugar-free and allergen-free product that uses fresh ingredients to produce a distillate from which the alcohol is removed, a very secret process. It is an expensive product shipped from the UK but it fills a gap in our offerings that has been missing. We use Seedlip to craft cocktails using the exact same methods that we use for traditional drinks. The Garden State, a blend of Seedlip, cucumber, lime, pineapple, cilantro and fennel, is a balanced flavourful cocktail that stands on its own as a great drink despite the fact that it contains no alcohol.  

What era, person or origin of cocktails inspires your cocktail practice today?

We will always honour the classic cocktails but we look for inspiration everywhere. Toronto is the most multicultural city on earth. We have access to every country and their flavours. The world is a smaller place and our choice of ingredients is growing every day. We will always embrace the past and enjoy the future.

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Talkin’ Coffee with Adam Pesce

This week on the Drake Blog, we’re revisiting our profile on Adam Pesce, the Director of Coffee at Reunion Coffee and our go-to coffee dude Drake-wide (including the new Mini Bar!) to kick off a month of free coffee from The Drake.

Adam Pesce is no rookie when it comes to coffee. His father has been in the business since 1978 and the family-owned business, Reunion Island Coffee, has been roasting in and around Toronto since 1995. When Pesce isn’t busy travelling the world to visit his farming partners or holding down the front lines of the business, he is busy winning or hosting trivia nights around the city. Pesce has been so successful at trivia night that he’s forged a friendship with the hosts and has co-hosted several trivia events. In fact, Pesce and his diverse squad of quizmasters are so accustomed to winning that they pool their winnings ($80 Drake Gift Cards) together for extravagant, self-congratulatory dinners (they currently have 6 cards on the go!).

Pesce has been involved with the coffee trade since he was a teenager, helping the business become certified as a social enterprise B-Corp company, bringing NGO values of sustainability and community engagement to the enterprise. In 2015, one of Pesce’s dreams came to life when he got a call about a piece of prime real estate on the widely-beloved Roncesvalles strip while on business in the Guatemalan jungle. The deal was signed while Pesce was in the Middle East and demolition on the site began in early March 2015.

Just a few months later, Pesce’s pièce de résistance, Reunion Island Coffee Bar, opened its doors on May 1st, 2015. After spending eleven years in coffee shops in Toronto and around the world, Pesce knew exactly the type of climate and ambiance he wanted to create in his shop, down to the light bulbs. Pesce's hope for the coffee bar is that it integrates itself into the community and hopefully, becomes a 3rd generation space. Pesce sensed that the neighbourhood could breathe a sense of community into the shop and he was right: the new MP for the area basically set up a quasi-office in the back of the coffee bar during his fall campaign. Pesce also sees the coffee bar as an opportunity to act as a brand ambassador where he can demonstrate the true quality of their roasts. “Only a masochist would open a coffee shop,” Pesce confesses, but the hard work pays off: the place is teeming with conversation and the busy tapping of keyboards.

For several years, Reunion has been providing The Drake their signature blend Bullet, a 100% single-origin direct trade coffee from Brazil with 25 cents per bag of Bullet going to support Grounds for Health. Direct Trade, sustainability practices, Bullfrog Power and supporting NGOs is nothing new to Reunion Island. Creating lasting relationships with farmers in over fifteen countries including Ethiopia, Columbia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Honduras, Nicaragua, Rwanda and more is simply ingrained in the business culture that makes Reunion Island distinctive and holistic in their bean-to-cup approach.

If you’d like to catch Pesce himself, head to Roncey + check out the charming Reunion Island Coffee Bar where you’ll see him behind the bar most Saturdays and Sundays — it’s still one of his favourite things to do.Follow Adam on Twitter here + Reunion Island here!

[thedrakeblog]

Jennifer Castle Sings Freely

Taking the stage for a sold out show tonight in the Drake Underground, singer-songwriter Jennifer Castle talks motherhood, discovering her sound and the recording her new album, Angels of Death with musician and composer Owen Pallett.

Owen Pallett and Jennifer Castle first met in the early 2000s when they were both performing regularly around Toronto, Owen with his former band Les Mouches and Jennifer with her former band Fox The Boombox. Jennifer Castle’s subsequent solo project — originally titled Castlemusic — began releasing albums in 2006. Owen contributed string arrangements to Jennifer’s 2014 album Pink City and the two musicians have also toured together.

OP: Where are you living these days? What’s your daily routine?

JC: When I'm at home and all is usual, I get up, have tea and coffee and breakfast, get my son to school via country roads, play music, attend to the day, pick him up, cook dinner, go to bed. Also: walk the dog!

OP: When I think about moments that truly moved me musically, I think of seeing Deep Dark United at Sneaky Dee’s in 2003, Barcelona Pavilion in a hallway, I think of Christine Fellowes singing “Vertebrae” in Dawson City, and I think of shows we’ve played together ourselves — in Ireland, at Lee’s Palace, in a church in Waterloo. What are some of the most truly moving moments you’ve experienced — especially in Toronto?

JC: (Ah! I loved our shows too!! Thanks for taking me on tour that time!! Singing Joni Mitchell with you in the back of a van in the middle of the night while speeding our way through great, green Ireland is a special memory!!!)

When I returned from living in Vancouver for a few years, I was 26, and came back with demos and loads of four track recordings I'd been making, playing lead guitar on my own stuff, doubling vocals – you know, all the stuff you learn to do with a four track for the first time. I made some weird, really whack stuff.  At the time, I didn't really know much about experimental music. I didn’t think I was making it either, I was too hard on myself at the time, I could only hear my doubts. My irreverent relationship to timing was more "bad timing,” you know? My loose singing, my weird mixes.  

The first night I got home, I walked into The Victory Cafe and The Silt were playing. I asked my friend, the bartender, “Who are these guys?” I was captivated. It was the first time I heard myself in music. It was loose and free, traditional and subversive. I truly felt like a musician for the first time when I heard them.   I realized I'd been making a type of music all along, I just didn't have the confidence or experience to realize the nature of the walls I was pushing back on. I didn't have the context — many of that crew went to school for experimental composition whereas I was deeply self-taught — and I hadn't found my community.  Once I tuned into them and their greater circle of people, I became a very comfortable improviser and began to include that whole-heartedly on my music journey.

OP: Walk me through the process of recording Angels Of Death. I assume it was made with Jeff [McMurrich, Castle’s longtime engineer and Pallett collaborator] again… how was it different? How was it the same?

JC: We recorded with a live band for a number of the tracks which was different for me. I sang as clearly as I could because I knew there would be no way to change it. There were all sorts of limitations put on us, which I think was ultimately a good thing.  We just had to give it our best and I feel like we did. We made the rest at Sonology in Toronto.

OP: I’ve personally associated your songwriting voice with one that sings of independence— from “Sailor’s Blessing” to “Sailing Away.” The topics you’re singing about on Angels Of Death suggest interdependency— connectivity to people you’ve loved. Was this a conscious choice? Do you feel as if your feelings are changing? (I sometimes have wondered, in retrospect, if the sentiment of past songs like “Sailing Away” were more aspirational than true — that you were wishing for this capacity for independence rather than actually feeling it.)

JC: Oh yes, my songs are my personal utopias, where the narrator understands everything and can communicate under life’s given circumstances. In my real life, there is only struggle in this arena. I would say I feel very unfree, and that my songs are often free in feeling. I must need the medicine of freedom, whether singing free, writing free or performing free. Music is a refuge from the things that bind me.

OP: Do you have any recent tour anecdotes you could tell me?

JC: I haven't been touring much unfortunately, Owen! Quite the opposite!

But I can tell you that when I played Massey last fall, it was so funny because I hadn't been touring and here I was, getting ready to play the stage of my dreams. I was just being my quiet ass hermit self at home, doing dishes and telling myself, "You'll be on the big stage tomorrow night.” And then that night, I told myself, "Remember to enjoy yourself and look up!" The song "Rose Waterfalls" was my inspiration for that gig as I told myself to channel an inner rose and "Dance yourself onto that stage and sing free!"  One minute absorbed in the dailiness of life (especially life with a youngin’), the next minute sharing a dream with musical friends on the most special stage. That was a golden time for me.

Photo by Cash Honey. This interview has been edited for clarity.

[thedrakeblog]

Hoodlem Grows Up

With her upcoming EP, the Australian duo-turned-solo act finds her voice

Words by Lindsey Cepek | Photo by Maddison CT

Hoodlem is an Australian soul and future R&B artist who recently relocated to Toronto after the success of her acclaimed first single, “Old Friend.” She has received praise from The FADER and Nylon for her moody, captivating vocals. This year, her latest single “Teenager” premiered on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Who is Hoodlem?

Hoodlem was a project I started in my hometown, Melbourne. It begun as a duo with my friend and co-producer, Yeo. I decided to relocate in 2016 and bought this project with me to Toronto. Hoodlem has kind of become my musical identity for now and has evolved so much over the last couple of years in particular. I feel like I have the freedom within this title to create and do what I want.

You’re originally from Australia – is there anything specific about your music that you feel distinctly reflects “home” to you?

I don’t feel that the music has a direct relationship to where I am from, maybe because I’ve lived and travelled overseas. I do love hearing background sounds and samples that were taken from Melbourne or leaked through from outside the studio — there’s a few train horns, some leaves rustling and Yeo and I laughing or talking that I kept in the tracks to make them feel more real and a bit more alive.

How is Hoodlem being embraced in Toronto?

When I moved here, I had to essentially start over. I lost my bandmate and was playing and making music on my own. I had to reinstate myself as a newcomer in a new community and go out and introduce myself to people. It was really tough and for a while, quite lonely and isolating. I think the cold climate naturally puts you in artist lock-down, so it’s also been really productive.

You did a lot of touring last year – Montreal, Berlin and the UK. Are there any cities that you love performing in?

I did a Majestic Casual x Lekker Collective show in Berlin last year and met some wonderful people. It was challenging but so great! I love going back to NYC to perform to, I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years and it always feel great to perform for my friends. I can’t wait to go back.

Your newest single “Last Night” is so sexy, so R&B and an obvious transition from the much more innocent “Teenager.” What’s easier for you to relate to?

When I wrote Last Night, I was trying to harness a feeling I was experiencing and wanted it to be fun and playful but you know, putting the heat on a bit. I relate to both but I love hearing how others connect to the songs. It always feel surreal, like “I did that?”

I also love a good cheesy hook that throws me back to ’90s and 2000s R&B. I like  to make the production as wonky and different as possible, hiding bits in there for people to hear when they listen through headphones, or on repeat.

What’s next for Hoodlem?

I’m releasing an EP next week in the Drake Underground, which I’m very happy about. I am in the writing and recording phase for my debut album which is taking up most of my time right now. I’m looking forward to playing a few more shows and doing some writing sessions with my newfound Toronto family.

Hoodlem joins us in the Drake Underground on Wednesday for the release of her new EP, Teenager. Show begins at 8 PM. Tickets are available here. 

See Facebook event for more details. 

[thedrakeblog]

Take a WORLD TOUR with New Currency

Listen to the show here: https://soundcloud.com/newcurrency/new-currency-radio-002-ft-grey93-ace-dillinger-and-young-teesh

This Thursday, May 17th New Currency is taking over Drake Underground as part of their WORLD TOUR event, a global-minded showcase of some of the most forward-thinking and danceable sounds from clubs across the world.

Started in 2015 by Kazeem Kuteyi alongside friends Kahlil and Nefertiti Hernandez as a platform to showcase conversation between creatives, New Currency has expanded its perspective across formats — from a podcast, to regularly programming music and discussion -based events throughout Toronto. Championing diverse voices while continuing to push for creative, emerging culture is at the core of New Currency’s mantra, while constantly showcasing and championing “Toronto to the world,” which was fully realized in their one-hour all-Toronto mix on Hotel Radio Paris.

Thursday, New Currency’s Kazeem Kuteyi will be spinning alongside a multitude of emerging voices across Toronto’s musical landscape, which pitched in to episode 002 of New Currency Radio, which you can stream below. In the meantime, get to know GREY93, Ace Dillinger, Nevin The Dude and Young Teesh.

GREY93

GREY93 for S.P. Badu.

The elusive Nigerian-Canadian art collective known as GREY93 tend to stay behind the scenes, letting their utopian, sci-fi, 90’s-influenced perspective do most of the talking on their aspirational moodboard instagram account. The group of five all moved from Nigeria seven years ago and live throughout the GTA, sharing their ideas and perspective across mediums, with the result being GREY93. Vudu, their graphic designer, presented a 30-minute mix for New Currency as a precursor to their headlining set Thursday.

Nevin The Dude

Another elusive personality, Nevin has quietly amassed a repertoire of curating incredible raves around Toronto and the world, for his Hyperwine label as well as his work for the incredible industrial night club Cakeshop Seoul. A forward-thinking creative, Nevin’s quiet perspective sits at the pulse of the very latest of what’s popping, thanks to his career that takes him all over the work helping to curate vibes — wherever they’re needed.

Ace Dillinger

The Toronto-born, self-taught DJ Ace Dillinger has made a name for herself playing consistently danceable sets across some of the best parties in the city, and she kindly shared her perspective on DJing and music on New Currency Radio. Give her B2B set alongside Vaughan, from Istolethesoul FM’s International Women’s Day event a listen.

Young Teesh

Teesh’s amazing and eclectic sets truly challenge listeners with her incredible ability as a DJ to move from the recognizable to the unknown with finesse and understanding. The kind of selector you make sure Shazam is loaded for, her incredible, low-key Ruffles party, usually thrown in D.I.Y. spaces across the city, are the kind of parties your favourite DJ loves to attend. Check her three selects on New Currency Radio episode 002.

New Currency: WORLD TOUR featuring GREY93, Nevin The Dude, Ace Dillinger and Young Teesh goes down Thursday, May 17 at Drake Underground.

[thedrakeblog]

Chef Alex’s Mother’s Day Butter Tarts

Chef Alex’s Mother’s Day Butter Tarts 

Moms know best, always. Whether it’s that life advice that rings true or your favourite home cooked meal, sometimes all you need is a little taste of home. This much is true for Alexandra Feswick, our Executive Chef at Drake Devonshire. In preparation for this year’s Mom’s Day, Alex took a trip home to cook her family’s famous butter tarts with 4 generations present. Read on to learn more about how her mother + grandmother influenced her and of course, the perfect butter tart recipe. 

Did you and your mom start cooking together from a young age? Did she inspire your career path at all?

Cooking with my family didn’t necessarily inspire me to the be a Chef, but it certainly helped to build the foundation that I centre my culinary philosophy around today.  My mom and my grandmother taught me to keep a garden, save food from the summer to get you through the winter and to use food to share a story.  My family shows their love for one another with food – that was instilled in me as early as I can remember having to stand up on my tippy toes to see over the edge of the kitchen table.

What’s the significance of this recipe?

In our household the butter tarts are a significant recipe because it was one passed down from my great grandmother and we all fight over them when we get together.   I have memories as a child of going to her house at Christmas and she would have cleared out her pantry and hall way closet and filled it with Christmas cake, butter tarts, Belgium cookies and short bread for our entire family.  In hind sight she must have been cooking nonstop for weeks to prepare for us all.  (there’s a lot of us, my family is bigger then most… extended from my great-grandmother I have 63 aunts, uncles, cousins and great cousins – not including their spouses)

It’s very special to me to that my grandmother is still alive and that my mom and Reed have such an amazing relationship – it reminds me of the love between me and my grandma growing up, I spent every weekend at her house.  To be around all 3 of them is one of the best, most comforting and heart warming feelings in the entire world.

How have you approached cooking/ a relationship with food with your son?

I have been cooking with my mom and my grandmothers so long I don’t remember when it started.  I think that if you ask Reed the same question 30 years from now he’ll say the same thing – it’s something we’ve introduced since the he was a tiny baby and I would cook with him wrapped up in a baby carrier.  At the tender age of 2 he loves “cookin” - he can crack an egg, identify different foods by taste, loves to make cookies, go to farms and tastings at The Cheese Boutique.  I am very adamant that food be part of Reed’s life and that he grows up and knows how to cook and fend for himself – any other alternative is boring.

Momma Feswick’s Butter Tarts

Butter Tart filling:

1 egg beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 ½ brown sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 cup raisins

 Instructions:

beat all ingredients until frothy

put into unbaked tart shells

bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes – or until golden brown

Join us at all Drake locations for a Mother’s Day brunch fit for your queen. See the menu + pricing here. 

[thedrakeblog]

Tell Me What It’s Called at The Theatre Centre

Tell Me What It’s Called at The Theatre Centre

For those in the know, The Drake Hotel is central to a vibrant and expanding cultural hub on West Queen West that includes galleries, design studios, and community-based program spaces. For those from out of town, be sure to check out our neighbours at The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen St. West). The Theatre Centre houses the BMO Incubator for Live Arts and builds their programming on a mandate that encourages non-traditional approaches to theatre and the growth of emerging talent.

Tell Me What It’s Called is an experimental group performance that evolves and unfolds in front of an audience. Performers Joella Crichton, Andrew Gaboury, Robin Luckwaldt Ross, Ahmed Moneka, Joseph Recinos, Rashida Shaw, Elizabeth Staples, and Jessica Zepeda work collaboratively under the direction of Ximena Huizi to execute an innovative and playful production that investigates inter-personal relationships and human connection in a way that’s spontaneous and loosely improvisational.

The performance itself is an organic mix of dialogue, games, song and music, in a series of scenes that move from one to the other as directed by Huizi. Scenes build off one another and influence the continued direction of the play, making each iteration fluid and unique.

Tell Me What It’s Called is produced with the assistance of the RISER Project, a model that supports emerging artists and theatrical talent in Toronto through community building with the aide of senior leadership partners and additional support from the Government of Canada.

Tell Me What It’s Called runs April 17th to April 24th 2018. The Riser Project also features speaking of sneaking, May 2-11, and Everything I Couldn’t Tell You, May 4-12.

[thedrakeblog]

Sulafa Silim: Founder of Dawa Apothecary + Wellness Advocate

Sulafa Silim: Founder of Dawa Apothecary + Wellness Advocate

Dawa Apothecary is a community-driven cultural programming initiative carefully and thoughtfully curated by Founder Sulafa Silim to encourage personal growth, wellness, and connection among women of colour. We asked Sulafa five quick questions about herself, her mandate, and upcoming Dawa Apothecary programs at Drake Commissary. We guarantee you’ll be won over by her charisma, and encouraged by her drive.

How and why did you come to found Dawa Apothecary? The simple answer was that it was out of necessity and a need to feel that I was reflected in health and wellness spaces. I wanted to create a safe place for myself but through conversations with fellow women of color, I started to become aware that this was a far reaching issue.  My hope was that I could create a brick-mortar space that would allow women of color to receive services & treatments for their health and wellness needs however access to capital is challenging and I realized that I could create a virtual space that effectively did that same thing.

What is your mandate and how does it inform your approach to cultural programming and building community events? Dawa Apothecary's mandate is to provide women of color with practical empathic life solutions to support their health and wellness challenges. I work with organisations, practitioners and partners who are aligned with providing solutions in connecting the intersectional dots -race, gender and culture.  It is truly about warmth, heart and thoughtfulness - I want everyone to walk away thinking "Yes that was fun, I felt heard or I learnt something new today". That also means using therapeutic art tools such as free writing and movement to connect what is happening externally to your internal thinking & framing.

What is the “Speed Date Brunch” and what can participants anticipate?

A “Speed Date Brunch” is a unique and immersive experience that allows a couple (of varying relationships re: partners, colleagues, family, peers) to be separated and get paired with another person. Through food and a warm atmosphere, begin to explore different topics with a stranger, in this case someone who represents a “nurturer”.  It allows woman to understands the journey of another woman who is either older or from another perspective.  I want participants to be open to answering intimate questions and realize that through authentic vulnerability that you can forge connections with someone else’s mother.

Again - this is really plays on the idea we are more likely to share with strangers about our vulnerabilities then our closest connections.  So think warmth, being well - fed, and authentic environment…

Can you tell us more about “Hadithi: A Storytelling Series” and the kind of stories you hope to hear? Hadithi ( the word for 'story or tale' in Swahili) really plays on the traditional oral traditions where you get the opportunity to hear about a person’s perspective, a tale or even something that is on the brain. Usually we would hear cries and reactions in response to the tales so I encourage the attendees to get involved vocally. However this first storytelling event is centered around the theme of ‘nurture’ - we want people to pull from that word and stretch the stories any which way that it can go. I want people to hear themselves in each story whether it is about perceptions of being groomed to be ‘feminine’ to how motherhood defines a woman’s journey… limitless stories to tell.

What is your vision for Dawa Apothecary in the next few years?

What I hope comes into fruition are three things: one is to expand the reach of Dawa Apothecary internationally - so we are running virtual retreats at the end of 2018, with an in person retreat in 2019 in Zanzibar.  I want to expand that and travel to hear and document voices of women of color and their relationship with health and wellness - how that manifests ,  I am not quite sure. Lastly - I want to create a permanent home for Dawa Apothecary where it allows health and wellness practitioners who can’t afford a space to find a home surrounded with a community hub that allows programming and opportunities for people in the community but with a focus on marginalized people.

Speed Date Brunch runs May 6, 2018. Tickets available here.

Hadithi: Storytelling Series runs May 29, 2018. RSVP here.

For more from Sulafa + Dawa Apothecary follow on Instagram @dawa.apothecary

[thedrakeblog]

THE DRAKE x CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK

THE DRAKE x CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK

Canadian Music Week is finally upon us, and we’ve got some crazy exciting things planned! 

For one, we are OPEN UNTIL 4AM on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12, so come party into the wee hours of the morning with us. We’re also giving away a pair of ALL-ACCESS CMW WRISTBANDS to 2 lucky people, so check out our instagram page to see the rules for entry. The winner(s) will be announced tomorrow, May 4!

The Drake has hosted countless acts during CMW who have since BLOWN UP, (such as Leon Bridges, Lapsley and BROODS, to name a few). You won’t want to miss the amazing talents coming through The Drake Hotel properties for CMW this year. We listed a few of our faves below ---->

1. Lolo Zouaï

When: Monday, May 7th @ 8PM

Where: The Drake Underground (1150 Queen St. W.)

The Paris-born, San Francisco-raised singer-songwriter released her breakout single, High Highs to Low Lows, at the end of 2017, which received millions of plays across streaming platforms, and was selected as the number one track of Spotify's Fresh Finds Best of 2017 playlist. 

She followed up the success of ‘High Highs to Low Lows’ with her latest single, Blue, released Jan. 17th, 2018. In its first week, “Blue” has over 200,000 streams across all streaming platforms. Since then, she landed a spot as a featured guest on H.E.R’s latest album H.E.R Vol. 2 on the song Still Down. She is 100% independent, and is working on her first EP, out later this year. 

Catch her at The Drake Underground on Monday, May 7 @ 8PM! Get your tix here.

2. Hailey Blais

When: Wednesday, May 9th @ 5:45

Where: The Parkette outside Drake One Fifty (150 York St.)

Hailing from Vancouver, BC, Haley Blais began her musical career as a solo folk artist. After her debut EP Late Bloomer (2016) was released independently online by demand of her YouTube subscribers, she upgraded to a five-piece band. Let Yourself Go, a 5 track EP released in April, features a more mature sound of folk rock, and alternative pop. The EP lyrically stays true to Haley’s comedic side, while showcasing the evolution of her musicality. While Late Bloomer focused on the grief of a former self, Let Yourself Go is a commentary on where Blais is going after she’s bloomed.

Catch her set at 5:45PM at the Parkette outside of Drake One Fifty! (PS- there will be a drink tent and more FREE music programming in the Parkette May 9-12!)

3. ABAKOS

When: Wednesday, May 9 @ 6:30

Where: The Drake Underground (1150 Queen St. W.)

Together, Congolese-Canadian artists Pierre Kwenders and Ngabonziza Kiroko make ABAKOS, folding layered vocals in with lush synths, rousing beats, and low-key rock influences. Kiroko and Kwenders have nearly identical voices that intertwine and double each other on the record, and the effect is unique. The influence of Congolese rumba creeps in as well, in the progression and unconventional formatting of some of the songs.

Outside of ABAKOS, Kiroko is best known as the frontman of the acclaimed electronic indie-folk band Dear Denizen, while Kwenders is a boundary-pushing Afro-electric singer and DJ. Both artists approached ABAKOS with the intention of expanding their range and exploring new ideas. For Kwenders, this meant singing in one language instead of four.

Catch ABAKOS in the Moonshine x Lighter Than Air Showcase for Canadian Music Week, coming through the Drake Underground on Wednesday, May 9th! Doors open at 6:30. Get your tickets here.

4. TiKA

When: Thursday, May 10th

Where: Drake Underground (1150 Queen St. W.)

TiKA is an artist, DJ, creator, cultural producer, TV/Online personality, activist, and advocate for the empowerment of female artists and creators. TiKA makes an impression on everyone she encounters and her joy is infectious.

With features in Complex, Noisey, MILK, Afropunk, Saint Heron, The Fader, CBC, The Source, among others, TiKA is receiving critical acclaim for her voice, her energy, her love. Her music. She has opened for major R&B heavyweights like John Legend + NAO and is being coined as an incredible performance artist + visual hypnotist. In late 2015, TiKA spoke openly about her struggles with trauma & depression and created a body of work to encourage others going through the same. The “Carry On” EP was released in late 2016. "Carry On" serves as a spiritual soundscape for anyone going through a healing process. The unexpected offering garnered TiKA an amass of critical accolades from all over the world. 

TiKA will be headlining our May 10th showcase at The Drake Underground! Grab your tix here. 

5. Amber Mark

When: Saturday, May 12 @ 8PM

Where: The Drake Underground (1150 Queen St. W.)

After a childhood of globetrotting between continents she tragically lost her mother to illness in 2013. Amber turned to art as a method of coping and poured her grief into the music. When she uploaded her first track ‘S p a c e’ to Soundcloud in 2016, the song was picked up by Zane Lowe, landing on the iTunes homepage alongside Rihanna and Justin Bieber, pushing a shocked and unsigned Amber Mark up to 35 in Spotify’s ‘Global Viral Chart’. 

Mark’s wildly unique pop/r&b sound is grabbing the attention of music lovers around the globe, as she incorporates Tropical, South Asian, Middle Eastern and North American musical influences to create masterpieces. 

We are so excited to have her in The Drake Underground on Saturday, May 12 with Demo Taped!

6. Lovers Touch

When: Friday, May 11 @ 6PM

Where: The Drake Underground (1150 Queen St. W.)

Lovers Touch has got the moves and the grooves to have you dancing out of your denim. This four-piece Toronto band will wrap you in a blanket of ecstasy so sweaty you’ll have no choice but to shake like a soggy dog. Inspired by dad music, they rock your favourite styles into jams you’ve never heard before. Bring all your sad and lonely friends; everybody needs Lovers Touch.

With the release of their slinky, polyester-draped “This Is an Arrangement” single and video, the dynamic quintet boldly unveils its self-described “dad rock.” That’s Lovers Touch shorthand for their thrilling synthesis of ultra-groovy retro and new-school rock. And they’re poised to deliver it to marquee concert stages and playlists nationwide. 

They’ll be at The Drake Underground on Friday, May 11! Doors at 6PM-- Get your tix here. 

[thedrakeblog]

5 Questions with Chef Zach

5 Questions with Chef Zach

We’ve welcomed Chef Zach Albertsen to the team at The Drake Hotel as Chef de Cuisine, and we need to get to know him a little better. We grilled him (pardon the pun) on what drew him to The Drake, his cooking style, and which food trends he thinks have to go. 

Why The Drake?

The Drake is such a staple in Toronto! It’s constantly moving forward, which as a chef and a person I strive for as well! And getting to work with people who believe in that is something I couldn’t turn down!

Do you have a distinct cooking style + how do you plan to bring your own spin to The Drake Hotel kitchen?

I’m a big fan of a dish evolving as you continue to eat it. I also like to make deceivingly simple looking dishes -- there might not be a lot going on the plate but once you start to eat it, you realize there is a TON of complex flavours and strong technique that went into that dish!

Who or what is inspiring you in the culinary world right now?

Chef Sean Brock, Chef Paul Kahan and Chef Gabriella Hamilton have continued to inspire me over the years, everything they cook I just crave to eat! The amount of diversity in the culinary world right now is also extremely inspiring, so many different restaurants, concepts and ingredients, there has never been a better time to be a person who loves food.

What’s your favourite food-focussed Instagram to follow?

I find @brothers_toronto has not only the food I want to eat but love their sense of humor on there Instagram page, also @alain_passard how can you not get inspired just by looking at his account!

Which food trend do you wish would go away?

Over complicated plates of food and stop putting micro greens on eveeeerything!

[thedrakeblog]

Kae Sun: On Making Music That Feels Natural

Photo by Neil Mota 

Kae Sun: On Making Music That Feels Natural

Kae Sun is the musical moniker of Kwaku Darko-Mensah Jr. A Ghanaian-born, Montreal-based artist Kae Sun is the next artist to watch in the Canadian R&B + hip-hop landscape. Kae Sun is set to release his 3rd EP entitled Whoever Comes Knocking via Moonshine. With 2 EPs under his belt and a couple of smaller ones as well, Kae Sun has a well-rounded eclectic sound. His songs and lyrics are well-defined in musicality and lyricism channeling a fresh perspective to indie R&B soul funk with a blend of little folk and hip hop. We spoke to Kae Sun about his musical influences and transition from Ghana to Canada as he gears up for his upcoming tour and album release.

What is your earliest memory of what sparked your love for music? My first instrument was a talking drum. That's my earliest memory of being really excited about music. I guess. I must've been 6 years old. Being born in Ghana, Africa in what way has African-style music affected the way you write songs and produce? I don't think about it that way. I don't analyze what influences my music in that way. I just approach making music the way that feels most natural. A lot of trial and error. I suppose I can't really escape the influence of the environment I spent my formative years in. It's in there - it's in the moods, the textures, the writing.

Is there a particular song of yours you have that is more deeply rooted in African music traditions? I'm actually gonna claim that all of modern pop music is in an African mode or tradition, it's just what it is. I think you mean traditional in terms of techniques. Instrumentation and language or something of that sort. I have a song or two in Pidgin but they have heavy samples and MPC drums so does that make it African? I don't know. It's all African really at the root of it. What drove you to come to North America to settle down and build your career in Canada? I came to Canada as a student. I didn't think I'd end up pursuing music as a career. It didn't seem like a possibility at the time. What would you say is the biggest challenge you had to overcome as an aspiring artist in a new environment? I don't know if there were any challenges specific to becoming an artist. To state the obvious, as a black individual it wasn't really just a matter of having talent or having certain ideas, there is also the whole draining thing of having to constantly guard the validity of those ideas and why you choose to express yourself in certain ways and not others. It's like me having to fight off easy genre categories and actually saying that what I'm doing is more expansive than the way it's being relayed to the public, stuff like that.

You just released your new single “Treehouse” that has very introspecticve-driven lyrics, are you able to give us the inspiration behind this track and what was going through your mind when writing it? Sure. To be honest a lot of what I write does not really come from an intellectual headspace, it's just a lot of instinct and mood and repetition. If anything, this song is really inspired by dawn which is my favorite time of day. I mean dawn also in both the literal and figurative sense. It's a sort of feeling of doing over, justifying the past, trying to reconcile the ways in which we fail ourselves and other people. How was the writing and recording process different from your past EPs? This record was made in span of 2 years or something so it just took longer to finish and I was working on other things in between. With the release of your new album Whoever Comes Knocking, what do you hope listeners take away from the album? Not sure. I don't think it's for me to say. I don't even know if they should be taking anything away. I hope they just live with it, let it unfold. I think that's what it's about. I don't make the kind of music that's like a lifestyle accessory or something. If you approach it with the mentality of burning through it and moving on then perhaps it's not for you.

This is the second time you’ve worked with director Epher Heilland, first time was for your single "Stalk", and now for your recent track “Treehouse”. How is it working with him and how did the working relationship come about? I saw some videos he'd directed and I thought he'd be perfect for what I had in mind. It worked out twice. The whole process was really open and easy. Who are you listening to right now? Let's see... Brenda Fassie, Tay Iwar, Petite Noir, Pierre Kwenders. For those seeing you live for the first time, what can they expect from your live show? It'll be a great night, even magical if we're lucky and the Spirit walks through. We'll see. As far as line up: got some amazing musicians with me.

What’s up next for you? I got a few more shows lined up. Another video, then I'm headed home to Accra for a bit then back for some more shows.

[thedrakeblog]

#WEARESHARED

#WEARESHARED

Here at the Drake, we’re all about collaboration. When it comes to art, food, or fashion, two heads are always better than one, which is why we teamed up with three local artists on our 2018 Shared Collection. We’re bringing you made-in-Canada basics with our unique Drake energy, in partnership with Tallulah Fontaine, Josh Pong and Guy Anderson. Read on to hear from the artists about what inspires them and why....

Tallulah Fontaine

How would you describe your personal style + your personal brand’s aesthetic? 

Lately, I've been describing my style as a 90's era casting director. Mostly because I wear this black leather blazer a lot. With my artwork, I want it to always feel personal and handmade which is why I like to use watercolours and soft pencils. A lot of the themes are based on my own experiences and as a woman artist sometimes the aesthetics are viewed as quite feminine. Even so, I hope that everyone can find something to related to in my work.

What does The Drake mean to you? How do you feel connected to it? What is your favourite memory you share with The Drake?

On the first proper trip I ever took to Toronto, I tagged along with some friends who were coming down for the Polaris Prize. We were staying down the street and it was very cold and I was sick so I would only wander as far at the Drake’s restaurant for one or two meals a day. I spent all week there, drinking coffee and reading books and it was a really good time! When I moved to Toronto, it became a kind of landmark for navigating around the few areas of the city I was familiar with. Since then, I have come for back on several occasions including some memorable dance parties!

What does it mean to be Canadian to you? How has being Canadian or from / living in Toronto influenced your work?

I think of my experiences being a Canadian artist are tied to the closeness of my community and the other artists around me. I’m originally from Edmonton which has a relatively small population so the arts and music scene there is really tight knit.You just a handful of amazing people escaping the cold to make art together. It's a really nice feeling that I haven’t always found living in other cities.

What’s your favourite way to style a t-shirt?

I like to crop an oversized t-shirt so that the fit it super boxy and wear it with trousers, a black leather belt and boots.

Josh Pong

How would you describe your personal style + your personal brand’s aesthetic? 

I’m an easy to wear dude. If it fits and I’m comfortable - we’re good to go. Being a 80’s - 90’s kid I’m still drawn to styles of past mixed with present. 

What does The Drake mean to you? How do you feel connected to it? 

The Drake feels like a brand and company that’s investing in Toronto. The strip by Parkdale near the original hotel kinda rooted around The Drake when it comes to small business. My brother Jonathan is the head chef at The Drake 150, so I’m partial to his food and work with the restaurants.

What does it mean to be Canadian to you? How has being Canadian or from/living in Toronto influenced your work?

I love being Canadian, and I’m very lucky to be born and raised here. Living in Toronto gives you a certain lens to view whats going on in the world and it feels special to me. Some of it’s negative, and the city has a hater vibe at times until heads prove themselves - but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Guy Anderson

How would you describe your personal style + your personal brand’s aesthetic?

My design is inspired by something I found in an old book for teaching kids how to spell. There's an awkwardness to the way the letters are laid out but also a simplicity – a combination I love.

What does The Drake mean to you? How do you feel connected to it?

For me, The Drake has always been a part of what it means to live in Toronto. When I was in University I thought of it as a place to go dancing and see shows but as I've grown up it's become so much more and I've enjoyed all of it.

Who is the Canadian that inspires you + why?

I'm inspired every day by my partner Micah Lexier. He is the most creative, kind and supportive person I know.

Shop the new Shared collection at our flagship location at 1151 Queen St W or find your perfect fit online. 

[thedrakeblog]

Steak Revolution: Rob Firing

Steak Revolution: Rob Firing

Rob Firing is Canada's first cookbook agent. He has put together deals for cookbooks by an impressive roster of great chefs, and this spring he will launch his very own. A book devoted to steak, (which includes a recipe by the Drake's own Ben Bergeron), the appropriately titled Steak Revolution will be published by HarperCollins this month. Join us at the launch party on April 30th. 

Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

Like many steak enthusiasts, the memory of my first steak goes way back to childhood. A lot has happened since then: various stints working at steak restaurants, many subsequent years of continuing to enjoy steak immensely, more years working with amazing chefs and cookbook authors (like the wonderful Jamie Oliver, the charming Ricardo L'Arrivee, the intrepid Anthony Bourdain, the magical Laura Calder and the unstoppable Jamie Kennedy) who had books with steak in them. Then as many steak dinners as I could fit in at Les Halles (R.I.P.) when I lived in Manhattan, even more in my amazing hometown Toronto, and onward to many different steaks cooked many different ways in many different places. Eventually, I got married (to a beguiling vegetarian), and now I'm a food-oriented author and a literary agent specializing in food and cookery.

What made you decide to spend two years of your life writing and researching a book about steak?

Besides the clear obsession, I came to understand that steak is sometimes profoundly misunderstood. Some are anxious about screwing up a nice steak, others are hung up on weird steak myths, and then there is politics. I thought it might be a good idea to try to set the record straight, and end up with a nice cookbook at the same time. You don't see too many cookery books out there just about beef steak, and this is certainly the first one HarperCollins has published. The germ of the idea came to me two years ago, while I was walking along Bloor Street, wondering if I would ever write another cookbook. I passed by a butcher shop and looked in the window at a nicely aged rack of prime and I heard a voice. A strange muse, to be sure, but I listened, and here I am.

What is the number one misconception that people have about red meat?

Just one? Here are three! (and this is by no means a compete list): 

1. Red meat is bad for you. --- It's actually incredibly nutritious, as most meat is, and the red stuff itself is merely extra iron bonded to myoglobin (with oxygen), a protein that lets the muscle work harder in the live animal.

2. Red meat is harder on the environment than other meats (and fish). --- This is only sometimes true, when cattle farming practices are industrialized or badly managed. Managed properly, cows provide environmental services--more than most of us realize--and are a potentially a much lower-input, lighter-footprint farm animal than pigs or chickens. 

3. There are too many cows on the planet.  --- Are there? They number about 1.3 billion, which seems like a lot. But this is a mere flicker of the number of enormous grazers that roamed the grasslands -- that helped create, maintain and co-evolved with the grassland biome for 50 million years -- before we humans killed them all in just the last 15,000 years or so. Before humans hunted in earnest, the earth was home to many more billions of large animals. In a way, the cow is their only living proxy in terms of numbers. All the more reason to try to better understand them, and to raise them in a way that mimics how they used to live, before we came along, as closely as possible (which a growing number of enlightened ranchers do).

You've included a recipe from a Drake chef in the book, specifically the grainy mustard developed by Drake commissary's Ben Bergeron. How did that come about?

One afternoon at lunch at the Drake Commissary with my friend and frequent co-conspirator Ivy Knight, I tucked into a sublime brisket. I coated my second bite with a fair amount of this wonderfully textured grainy mustard, served on the side. Full disclosure: I already love mustard, and appreciate it when special care is paid to this emperor of condiments. But this was something altogether different. Ivy seemed startled, then laughed as my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as the reality of a dozen perceptible yet perfectly balanced flavours competed for (and received) my appreciation. I said only: "I need to get this," and Chef Ben, at Ivy's behest, very kindly donated his recipe for my book. He uses Henderson's beer from the brewery next door, and it takes a full 60 days for the mustard to ripen. Another full disclosure: I snuck off to my fridge and had a spoonful of the stuff between typing the last sentence and this one. Impossible not to.

How many recipes can a cookbook about steak have - how many ways can one cook a steak?

 The thing about steak is there are many different sorts, with different kinds of meat that behave differently and take better to one sort of cooking approach or another. Some steaks are tender while others are tasty, and less tender, and then there are so many textures and other qualities. Each cut benefits from specific cooking (and carving and serving) strategies that take advantage of their good qualities while taking care of their trickier aspects. Do I cook over fire or coal or gas flame? Should I fry this particular steak or should I reverse-sear this other? Since I focus on the butchers' cuts as much as the better-known cuts, this becomes even more important (and more fun!), and there is much to be said about how and why a steak turns out just right. Besides this, I've included some terrific, steak-friendly sides and salads, and even desserts and highly appropriate cocktails, so that your dinner guests will not only praise you for your super powers, but will remember you for the rest of their lives.