Press Release Archives

Canada’s Best 100 Restaurants 2019

Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants announced this week the 2019 ranking of Canada’s best restaurants as voted by 98 food critics, leading chefs, top-notch restaurateurs, elite diners and food fanatics from coast-to-coast.

The definitive guide to Canada’s finest restaurants was released tonight at an awards gala held at The St. Regis Hotel in Toronto. Hosted by Jacob Richler, Editor-in-Chief, Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, and chef Ivana Raca – partner at all female-run Ufficio restaurant – the evening saw the nation’s most renowned and respected chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and food lovers gather to celebrate the country’s vibrant culinary scene. Setting a new record, Toronto’s Alo was named the best restaurant in Canada for the third year in a row. Alo’s chef and owner, Patrick Kriss – who also owns two other restaurants on this year’s list, Aloette (35) and Alobar (65), took home the title of Canada’s Most Outstanding Chef.

This year, 24 restaurants in the list were not part of the list last year, and 16 of those, are new restaurants. Toronto tops the ranking with 26 restaurants landing on the prestigious roundup, followed by Montréal and Vancouver, with 25 and 14 inclusions, respectively. East Coast restaurants saw a stronger-than-ever representation with eight restaurant inclusions.

“We are celebrating Canada’s 100 Best Restaurant’s fifth anniversary with a meatier and juicier list than ever,” said Jacob Richler, Editor-in-Chief, Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. “For the past five years we have promoted remarkable and incredibly talented chefs and restaurant teams from every corner of this country – and that’s evident with the number of new restaurants that have been included on the list. We look forward to continue recognizing the finest in food and drink for many years to come.”

Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants named the following Top 10 restaurants for 2019

Alo – Toronto

Joe Beef – Montreal

Toqué – Montreal

Langdon Hall – Cambridge

St. Lawrence – Vancouver

Le Mousso – Montreal

Buca Osteria & Bar – Toronto

Montreal Plaza – Montreal

Giulietta – Toronto

Edulis – Toronto

Other Awards

Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants also recognizes excellence in the industry:

Best Sommelier – Christopher Sealy; Alo

Best in Business Leadership – Nick DiDonato; Liberty Entertainment Group

Most Innovative Chef – Antonin Mousseau-Rivard; Le Mousso

Most Eco-Friendly Restaurant – Sal Howell of River Café; Calgary

Best Farm to Table Restaurant – Nightingale; Vancouver BC

Best Pastry Chef – Celeste Mah- Raymonds; St. John’s Nfld

One to Watch Young Chef – Massimo Piedimonte; Le Mousso

Best New Restaurant – Giulietta; Toronto

Outstanding Chef – Patrick Kriss; Alo

Best Restaurant Design – Partisans; Quetzal Restaurant

Lifetime Achievement Award – Normand Laprise; Toqué!

Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants will donate on behalf of Chef Ivana Ranca to Open Kitchen Toronto (OKTO) – a dinner series that puts female chefs front and centre – to raise funds for a scholarship for female-identified students at George Brown College’s Culinary Arts program.

Showcasing excellence in the industry, Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list is tabulated by professional services firm KPMG in Canada – the official adjudicator of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants – providing voting and data verification services to help ensure the ranking remains independent and accurate. The annual list is renowned for being an unbiased metric of restaurant quality in Canada and represents the consensus of the diverse, knowledgeable opinions of 98 judges including Canada’s top chefs, restaurateurs, journalists, and food industry insiders.

News Release: Cision® Partners with (Toronto-based) Top International Wine and Spirts journalist/Judge/Author and Influencer Liz Palmer

TORONTO, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 / PRNewswire/Toronto-based wine journalist

TORONTO, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 / PRNewswire/Toronto-based wine journalist/judge/Author and one of the world’s top wine and spirits social media influencers Liz Palmer and Cision, one of the industry’s largest content distribution networks, have partnered to distribute content across each other’s respective networks respective networks.

Liz Palmer said, “My team and I are very excited about sharing Cision’s real-time content with our audience.  Cision’s PR Newswire is one of the largest content distribution networks and will further expand our reach.”

About Liz Palmer

Liz Palmer is also a well-respected wine journalist since 2004 and has an international reputation as a critic and judge. Liz has had the pleasure of interviewing and tasting with some of the industry’s leading winemakers, professors, and personalities.

2017 Awards:
Liz Palmer’s first book, “The Ultimate Guide to Champagne” has received the National Award for the best French Wine Book at the Gourmand World Awards 2017. On April 7th, 2017 she was awarded the title of “Dame Chevalier” of the Ordre de Coteaux de Champagne at a ceremony in Paris.

2018 Achievements
Awarded a spot as one of the “Top 40 Global Wine Influencers by Social Vignerons.

Panel Member – George Brown Wine Symposium (Trends in Global Wine Communications).

Ranked Top 1% Industry SSI – Linkedin

2018 Partnerships
Partnership with the Consulat Général de France à Toronto in the French Wine & Spirits Discovery Series [which includes Champagne and Cognac].

Media Partnership with CISION/CNW GROUP Ltd.

Follow Liz Palmer:

Twitter @LizPalmer_Wine and @LizPalmer_ ;

Instagram @lizpalmer_

About Cision

Cision Ltd. (NYSE:  CISN) is a leading global provider of earned media software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals. Cision’s software allows users to identify key influencers, craft and distribute strategic content, and measure meaningful impact. Cision has over 3,000 employees with offices in 15 countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. For more information about its award-winning products and services, including the Cision® Communications Cloud®, visit www.cision.com and follow Cision on Twitter @Cision.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Liz Palmer

Robert Roland
Director of Marketing and Sales
+1 (647) 281-3633
rob@liz-palmer.com

Press Release: Liz Palmer’s website ranks as one of the top Champagne sites

Toronto, November 29, 2017/PRNewswire/ — Industry professionals have ranked Liz Palmer’s website (www.liz-palmer.com) as one of the “Top Forty Champagne Websites” on the web. Chosen from thousands of top Champagne websites and blogs Feedspot used analytics, indexing and social metrics, with data being refreshed once a week.

The awards were announced Friday, November 24^th. Websites and blogs were reviewed based on following criteria:

Google reputation and Google search ranking;
Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites;
Quality and consistency of posts; and
Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review.

Liz Palmer states:

“This award offers evidence of my focus on delivering outstanding experiences for my readers and followers. I’m extremely pleased to receive this recognition and continue to work every day to make the online experience better.”

Anuj Agarwal, Founder of Feedspot states:

“I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 40 Champagne Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!”

About Feedspot

Feedspot is an online RSS feed reader with straightforward implementation and design, and a number of ways to share content that shows up in your feeds. Tools for reorganizing feeds and lets you keep track what’s going on in your industry. Feedspot allows you to “pull” articles into a central place for your easy reading. Along with its desktop reader, there is also a mobile version that allows you to read articles on your smart phone.

About Liz Palmer

Liz Palmer is a well-respected wine journalist since 2004 and has an international reputation as a critic and judge. Liz has had the pleasure of interviewing and tasting with some of the industry’s leading winemakers, professors and personalities.

Liz Palmer’s articles have appeared in national and international magazines. She is one of four founding international hosts for #ChampagneDay 2011-2017; she has served as a judge for the 2013-2017 Global Traveler’s Wines on the Wing airline wine competition (New York); 2014-2017 Michelangelo International Wine Awards (South Africa) 2014-2017; and for the The Stevie Awards for Women in Business (New York) (2014-2017).

Her Memberships include: Wine Writers’ Circle of Canada, Circle of Wine Writers (UK), International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists and Writers (FIJEV); Wine Century Club (NYC), The Fine Wine Reserve, and Les Dames d’Escoffier (President – Toronto Chapter).

2017 Awards:
Liz Palmer’s first book, “The Ultimate Guide To Champagne” has received the National Award for the best French Wine Book at the Gourmand World Awards. Most recently at the 2017 Best Book Awards – USA, “The Ultimate Guide To Champagne” won three awards – overall “Winner” in the “Best Interior Design” category; “finalist” in the “Travel: Guides & Essays” category; and “Finalist” in the International” category.

On April 7th, 2017 she was awarded the title of “Dame Chevalier” of the Ordre de Coteaux de Champagne at an official ceremony in Paris.

News Release: Liz Palmer’s The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is now being recognized as the “The Champagne Bible for ALL wine lovers.”

For Immediate Release 09/12/2016

Liz Palmer’s The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is now being recognized as the “The Champagne Bible for ALL wine lovers.”

Toronto, Canada: One of North America’s leading experts on Champagne, Liz Palmer wrote The Ultimate Guide To Champagne with a strong personal passion for Champagne and the region

This ground-breaking book has received critical acclaim by the industry and promises to wow the reader.

There is much more to champagne than the drink – Champagne is named after the region where it is grown, fermented and bottled. This essential guide takes you to this region, explores its culture and honors its history.

The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is highly recommended for everyone, from beginners to experts. It’s a remarkable point of reference into which any wine lover or professional can dip in and browse.

“The Champagne Bible for ALL wine lovers.”

Unlike any other book about Champagne, The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is the most comprehensive and visually stunning guide you’ll ever come across – in these pages you’ll discover: 316 pages including over 220 Engaging Photos, Maps, Detailed Charts, and Historical Anecdotes.

Liz Palmer’s The Ultimate Guide To Champagne has garnered praise from numerous influential wine journalists, and other industry peers:

“Liz, What a beautiful book!”

Frédéric Mairesse — Managing Director, Champagne Barons de Rothschild

“Liz, What a huge and fantastic work! Your book is a perfect achievement. Very complete, beautifully designed, clear and well written. It will be a “must have” for wine lovers but not only them. Sure it will have the biggest success. My warmest congratulations for this remarkable contribution to Champagne prestige.”
Representative of Comité Champagne
“Amongst well-known champagne authors like Michael Edwards and Tom Stevenson from the UK we can now add Liz Palmer from Canada. The ‘Ultimate Guide to Champagne’ is so comprehensive that Liz must has lived and worked like a monk the past years when she wrote it.

The ‘Ultimate Guide to Champagne’ has 22 chapters and three appendices. Nothing has been taken for granted – All facts have been checked and double checked. The book has topics on sustainability, economics, wine tourism, harvest, women in champagne, etiquette and style – whatever you are looking for, you will find it in this book!

It is well-written and is perfect for your nightstand! If it’s not on your nightstand, put it somewhere so you have easy access! I really loved it!”
Dr. Charlotte van Zummeren WA – winebusiness.nl,
International Wine Judge – Netherlands

“You can judge this book by its cover. The title might be considered a hostage to fortune but it is not an idle boast, this really is a thorough and complete guide to Champagne the region and champagne the wine. You can ‘cover-judge’ it further by the simple, stylish design, which heralds similar style in the layout and presentation of every page that follows. It’s classy and elegant, easy on the eye and easy to navigate too.

Liz Palmer is clearly an enthusiast whose love for all things champagne shines through on every page. That enthusiasm has served her well, for the task of researching and collating such a massive compendium of facts and figures, tales and anecdotes must have been daunting. To then present it in such a user-friendly fashion is another achievement. The Ultimate Guide is never weighty or intimidating, you can open it at any page, dip in for five minutes – which will turn into an hour – and each time you will come up with another nugget: a fun fact, a historical anecdote, the name of a favoured restaurant, a good place to stay a few nights.

This is not an in-depth treatise weighed down with tinder dry statistics and the like, but rather an impressive assemblage of information and detail that is particularly suited to anybody planning to visit the region. It is commendably thorough and in time it will surely find a place on the bookshelves of all champagne enthusiasts. Liz Palmer’s Ultimate Guide to Champagne does exactly what it says on the tin. And then some.”
Raymond Blake — Wine Editor, Food & Wine Magazine, Ireland & Author, Breakfast in Burgundy.

“Your book is really impressive – Through this book Liz shows us that the economic success of Champagne is based on passionate people, a long history, landscapes and cities, a real and special “art de vivre!”
After reading this book you will never taste a glass of Champagne the same way”
Thierry Sabon
Président de la Fédération des Syndicats de Producteurs de l’AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape

“This is an invaluable reference for the serious student as well as the everyday wine lover, filled as it is with vital statistics and fun facts. Liz has put an enormous amount of work into this book and has striven to include all sorts of information such as places to stay and eat which makes this a one-stop shop, a must-carry for anyone travelling to the region. There is a wealth of information on the region, and the problems it faces, as well as advice on buying, storing and serving and much, much more besides.

I have to confess that I reviewed the soft-copy of this so I don’t know how much it actually weighs but it must be close to being worth its weight in gold in terms of the information contained therein. Well done, Liz – now take a well-earned rest with a glass of some of the finest bubbles you have in your cellar!”
Dermot Nolan MW (Master of Wine) – Dublin

“What a titanic work you’ve done putting this book together! Everything and more that one needs to know about Champagne!”

“The Ultimate Guide to Champagne is exhilarating like ten million Champagne bubbles in your glass. Unlike many books of its genre, the guide urges for action, be it opening a bottle or planning a journey to the world’s most fabulous wine region. Liz Palmer’s fact-packed pages feature plenty of practical tips, curiosities and even style advice ensuring that the book will be a Champagne lover’s best companion on many different occasions.”
Eleonora Scholes, spaziovino.com, Publisher
Member of The Grand Jury Européen – Russia

“That’s what I called The Ultimate Guide! This book must inspire both amateurs and professionals. One could start reading any page and end up by the whole book. From history, science facts and health benefits through tourism and collecting to christening boats, corporate functions, weddings… Vinously good buy!”
Dr. Martin Kristek – Czech Republic

Critics and wine lovers hailed the first book by Liz Palmer, as one of the best Champagne books on the market.

The Ultimate Guide To Champagne is available on Amazon, Kindle, and select book stores.

Ends For further information, images, electronic or hard copy, please contact Liz Palmer at liz@liz-palmer.com or visit www.liz-palmer.com.

Note to editors:

The Ultimate Guide To Champagne was published by Liz Palmer Media Group October 2016 Paris, New York and Toronto, Canada.

The book designer is Paris-based agency Hachetag Co. www.hachetag.com