kingston

Black Dog Hospitality Houses Perfect Venue for Private Parties

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Black dog food Lab I am always looking for new ways to enjoy Kingston — new places to visit and new foods to try. Luckily, there is always a new spot opening up in our wonderful foodie city for me to explore!

I recently celebrated a birthday and wanted to try a new space that my friends and family wouldn’t have visited yet. I saw that Black Dog Hospitality Group — the umbrella company of popular restaurants Dianne’s, Chien Noir, Atomica and Harpers also offers catering. Initially I thought I would host everyone in my house and cater in but decided against that idea (boo clean up!) and settled on hosting a dinner in their catering space – Black Dog Food Lab. This hidden space downtown on Ontario steet is decorated beautifully and perfect for an intimate gathering! Continue reading →

Shop Local: Kingston’s Holiday Markets

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kari-shea-177412
Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

The countdown to Christmas is officially on and this is the perfect time to share all of the goodness that Kingston’s makers have to offer. Thanks to a few very festive markets
— you can easily support local and treat loved ones this season. Scroll down to see where you can find your locally sourced Christmas gifts.

Kingston Holiday Market – 274 Princess Street – Saturday, November 18th (Open for 6 weekends)
From locally made chocolate and jewelry to bath products, furniture and more! Some of my favourite Kingston makers will be here!
Keep up on Instagram: @kingstonholidaymarket
Continue reading →

Five Shows I Can’t Wait to See This Season at The Grand

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I am so excited to announce a fun sponsored collaboration with The Grand Theatre. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve grown up attending shows like The Nutcracker at The Grand but they offer so much more than a holiday ballet. Performers travel from around the world to share their talents with us Kingstonians and we are incredibly lucky to have this theatre that can house these performances in such an intimate and beautiful space.

I’ve picked a few of the shows I look forward to and I’ll have an opportunity to interview someone who is a part each of these shows ahead of each performance. Plus, I’ll be pairing each article with a contest! Continue reading →

Five Things I Learned from Four of Kingston’s Female Entrepreneurs

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Last night, The Claire Closet hosted a panel discussion about building a successful brick and mortar business with four of Kingston’s successful female entrepreneurs. It was so great to see a range of professional experience and life experience discuss the rewards and pitfalls of being business owners. The speakers were Cyndy Gibson owner of shops Agent 99 and Blueprint, Maria Cronk owner of Fancy That and Roundstone, Tiffany Brick owner of The Annex Spa and Melissa Eapen owner of Improbable Escapes and The Kingston Collective. Listening to these women speak reaffirmed why I started the Boss Ladies of the Limestone City series. They support each other and encourage healthy competition for the greater good of our beautiful city. I admire how they contribute to the awesome town we live in. They also offered amazing advice. If you’re considering launching a business of your own, below is a list of five things I learned from their talk. Continue reading →

Set Sail with a Cocktail on the Island Queen

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1000 Island Cruises is really soaking up these last summer nights with a sunset cocktail cruise that is typically offered to companies as a private event. They invited a bunch of avid Instagrammers and bloggers to set sail Wednesday night and take in the beautiful night sky aboard the Island Queen.

I have to admit that I’ve never been on the Island Queen, it seems like something reserved for true tourists of the limestone city but it’s a real treat identifying Kingston’s architectural gems from a fresh perspective on the water. Continue reading →

The Grocery Basket Kicks Off Cooking Classes

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thegrocerybasketclassrecipe
I’ve mentioned before how much I love The Grocery Basket. They do a fantastic job at supporting local farmers and businesses in Kingston and have a great selection of local produce, delicious baked goods and vegan-friendly products.

Recently, they posted about upcoming cooking classes they would be hosting with their chefs. Tacos, Salad and Eggs Benny would be their first themed workshops and I couldn’t wait to try one of them! I love a good week night adventure. My husbands go-to meal to cook is tacos so I thought that would be the most appropriate class to try for a fun date night!

We arrive at The Grocery Basket and make our way downstairs to the kitchen in the basement to find the tables neatly set up with aprons, stacked bowls and utensils. The class is a good size — five other people as well as my husband and myself.

Continue reading →

Bella Gets a Market!

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I’ve told you about how much I love burger nights at Bella Bistro. I don’t just love their delicious house made burgers but just about everything Bella has to offer. They do their best to support local farmers by using companies like Wendy’s Mobile Market and Enright Cattle Company to make their meals super fresh!

And believe it or not, visits to Bella just got even better because they’ve introduced a market. This is exactly what the west end needs. A space curated for the on-the-go food lover who needs to pick up a ready-made dinner on their way home among other great offerings. Continue reading →

Kingston’s Food Tour Captures Culinary Scene

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Atomica
When I initially moved to Kingston and started this blog my Toronto friends were introduced to our wonderful culinary scene through my Instagram feed. They would send me messages, “I had no idea Kingston had such incredible food?” We sure do. We have so many amazing restaurants, in fact, that I didn’t know which one to pick when they came to visit last month. I thought, “Oysters and cocktails at Le Chien Noir? Tapas at Tango? Pizza at Atomica? Burger night at Bella?” As many of you know. The list goes on and on. Enter, Kingston Food Tours. Continue reading →

Contest: Win Tickets to DJ Kid Koala at The Grand

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For the first time, award-winning Canadian DJ and music producer DJ Kid Koala will be scratching at The Grand Theatre, he’s toured with Tribe Called Quest, The Beastie Boys and Radiohead to name a few. He’s also composed for Sesame Street, Cartoon Network and The National Film Board of Canada. Kingston is lucky to have him! The Kick and Push Festival will kick off with this show that will be a unique experience. Continue reading →

Join the Next Full Moon Party with SimplyWell and Holistic Rain

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What makes Kingston such an incredible community to be a part of is the amount of synergy between businesses. Our local businesses are so great at collaborating and creating amazing opportunities for us Kingstonians!

I’ve mentioned how much I enjoy outdoor yoga and I’ve talked about how much I enjoy all of the efforts of Limestone City Boss Lady, Jehna Duncan with her holistic nutrition and healing shop, SimplyWell. So I am excited to share details about a project that has brought two of Kingston’s local holistic health businesses together. Continue reading →