Panago Pizza Party #PanagoChallenge

When given an opportunity to host a pizza party, you take it. It’s one of those universal cuisines that is enjoyed all around the world by all age groups and cultures, so as you could imagine trying to find friends to come indulge in my pizza party was a fairly easy task.

The pizza of the hour came courtesy of Panago. Panago is a Canadian pizza company originating from Abbotsford, British Columbia with now over 180 locations spread across 6 provinces. With their 6 featured fall pizzas, my 13 friends and I had the luxury of getting to try each one of them which is all part of their #PanagoChallenge.

So what is this #PanagoChallenge you ask? Well it’s basically an opportunity for you to win free pizza from Panago for an entire year! All you have to do is use the hashtag #PanagoChallenge on your social media and tell them which of the 6 featured fall pizzas is your favourite. It’s that easy!

All my friends, myself included casted our vote after the pizza party to see which pizza came out on top as the favourite. We tallied all the votes up at the end and It turned out that the winning pizza was my favourite as well. You may not have had a chance to taste these pizzas for yourself yet and vote, but hopefully you may get a better picture of what your favourite may be just by looking at them and seeing their description. Check them out!

#BBQCHICKEN

Tomato - based barbecue sauce, topped with grilled chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, red peppers, mozzarella, cheddar

VOTES: 3

#VEGGIEMED

Fresh passata tomato sauce, topped with fire-roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives, red peppers, baby spinach leaves, red onions, feta, mozzarella

VOTES: 1

#CHIPOTLECHICKEN

Creamy chipotle cilantro sauce, grilled chicken, roasted corn medley, seasoned with onion, red & green peppers, mozarella, cheddar

VOTES: 5 *** FAVOURITE ***

#CHICKENCLUB

Creamy ranch style sauce with a jalapeno pepper kick, grilled chicken, Canadian ham, bacon, tomatoes, mozzarella

VOTES: 0

#DLXTROPIVALHAWAIIAN

Smooth, tangy sweet barbecue sauce with notes of clove and oregano, bacon, Canadian ham, pineapple, mozzarella, cheddar

VOTES: 2

#STEAKMUSHROOMMELT

Cheesy cheddar sauce, steak, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella, cheddar

VOTES: 3

And our favourite is as you can see, Chipotle Chicken! For some I think roasted corn may seem like an odd choice to put on a pizza as an ingredient, but that was the very reason why I liked it so much actually.

But don’t take my word for it. Go out and try it for yourself and see if you agree with us.

For more details, feel free to visit their website but here is a quick reminder again on how to win free pizza for a year from Panago! You have 3 ways on social media to enter:

1) Posting the name of your favourite featured pizza on our Facebook wall with the hashtag #PanagoChallenge, OR;

2) Following us on Twitter and tweeting the name of your favourite featured pizza with the hashtag #PanagoChallenge, OR;

3) Sharing a pic of your favourite featured pizza on Instagram with the hashtag #PanagoChallenge.

Panago will also be giving away cool prizes throughout the challenge so just more incentive to enter! Contest ends on November 25th, 2015 at 10AM PST. Good luck!

Disclaimer -  sponsored by Panago Pizza, compensated monetarily and with product.

Toronto Food & Wine Festival 2015

Amidst food and wine enthusiasts alike, I found myself soaking up the ambience that radiated at the world-renowned Evergreen Brick Works during the 2015 Toronto Food and Wine Festival. Setting afoot this venue for the first time, I was in awe of my surroundings – traces of rustic-industrial, country-chic and Mother Nature enveloped the entire vicinity.  As someone who is fascinated by both street art and food, I found that this Don Valley gem was the perfect location in marrying these two. Already recognized as the first organization to start building gardens across Canada, the Evergreen Brick Works also champions the coming together of community and food.  At this inaugural event, I witnessed first-hand how this was showcased – just as their motto advocates – with “good food, happy people, and a healthy city”.

Atop the media preview tour that I was there to participate in, we were greeted by our hosts, who gave us the general overview of the then forthcoming event. Spotted in the crowd were celebrity figures Roger Mooking (Everyday Exotic), Brad Long (Restaurant Makeover) and Gail Simmons (Top Chef).  I saw glimpses of how the three-day long event was planned to unfold.  Different sections of the Brick Works devoted to various special mini events, such as cooking classes and demonstrations, and Chef’s Talks, were primed and well-equipped. Lights strewn across in rooms, picnic tables and benches scattered throughout, and food and wine vendors abound, the place seemed ready for the throngs of people waiting to be entertained.

After the tour, with my plus one by my side, we hopped from one area of the Brick Works to the next. Our first stop was a Tutored Tastings session.  For that particular hour, author and wine connoisseur Ana Fabiano presented the history and offerings of Rioja.  Sipping on the five Rioja samples prepared for the audience, the wanderlust in me perked up at the vision of Spain and its vineyards on a screen across of me. Imagine being in the presence of the real deal – how majestic would that be?  Meanwhile, my friend immediately favoured the Faustino V Tempranillo Rosado 2014.  Had she been able to, she would have bought a bottle of this red wine then and there.  I can tell you that the greater part of our wine consumption for the day involved this brand (which continued on to the next part of the agenda).

Heading onward with our food adventure, we proceeded to the central hub of all things food and wine that weekend.  Dubbed as the Grand Tasting Pavilion, it acted as the epicenter of the main event, where the space was abundantly occupied with food and wine stations endorsing the vendors’ respective products.  Following is a sample of this vending population.

Appealing to those craving exotic and unique flavours:

Bombay Street Food

Of Indian origin, this Sev Puri is “a delicious, savoury staple of Mumbai street food.”  Akin to a tostada, crispy puris are topped with potatoes, tamarind and coriander chutneys and fried noodles.

Little Sister

Serving Indonesian fare with this Babi Guling – Balinese roast pork, pickles, peanuts on an ice berg wedge, my palette recognized a celebration of spices.

Black Angus

If you are hunting for some game meat, cupped within is their game toast featuring elk, water buffalo, caribou, and venison.

Dirty Bird

Popularized at the Kensington Market location, this chicken and waffle had a sweet and spicy sauce accompaniment that tickled the tongue.

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El Catrin

Chorizo, potatoes, caramelized onions, and a special green sauce all fit in this one bite-sized mouthful.

Rasa

Easily one of my favourites, this simple but hearty piece of shawarma slider with hummus, tabouleh, feta, tzatziki, and pickled things left me both satisfied, but gluttonously wanting more.

Tori’s Bakeshop

Niche to organic and vegan eaters, this seemingly innocent baguette crostini layered with cashew chevre and smoked beets with Maldon Salt packed a delicious punch to my taste buds.

Pulse Restaurant

Quack Taco - this Singaporean duck ensemble, adorned with bamboo intestines, pickled beets, and Pulse’s special samba sauce, deservedly claimed its RSVP’d spot in my belly.

For some seafood fare:

President’s Choice

Bringing a taste of the ocean, a Nova Scotia scallop was atop a bed of butternut squash risotto, topped with pumpkin seed oil.

Reds Midtown Tavern

Scallops, shrimp, cucumber, tomato, sweet onion, and Serrano chili were served with chips

Mata

This swordfish ceviche with corn, cucumber, tomato, passion fruit dressing, and taro chips mirrored in taste the vibrancy of its colours.

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For the sweets-inclined:

Green and Black

This UK-based chocolatier serves organic and fair trade chocolates – my plus one particularly fancied their dark chocolate with peppermint oil.

Holy Cannoli

Holy cannoli, it’s chocolate praline cannoli!

Tito Ron’s

Biting into this deep-fried coconut bae lumpia oozed with an explosion of coconut-caramel fusion.

Cluny

Mimicking the daintiness of its name is this rosewood wildflower honey & Riesling Savarine.

More than just wine was represented at the event to quench that thirst:

Just Craft Soda

Flavour combinations include Lemon & Lemongrass, Apple & Ginger, Pear & Vanilla, Cherry & Cinnamon, and Peach & Habanero.

El Catrin

Make no mistake – this tiny glass of margarita was a potent one.

Fire in the Rye

This rye in a can is best served chilled.

Lemon Lily

A Night in Paris tea with a floral aroma

Leaving Evergreen Brick Works with our stomachs full, that day of celebrating food was indeed a great and memorable one worth replicating.

- Pedestrian Pat

*All pictures taken by Pedestrian Pat