More and more food and wine-savvy Torontonians want interesting and innovative environments to sample urban culture. One of these spaces is the highly successful Coupe Space (998 Queen St. East), a hybrid project launched by the husband-wife team of mixed media graphic artist Bill Douglas and chef Sacha Douglas.
The Tasting Club is a unique series of culinary and wine-themed evenings guided by top Toronto chefs and sommeliers to explore unexpected and delicious ingredients: topics include Stinky Cheese (with The Cheese Boutique’s Afrim Pristine), Exotic Game Meats (with Cumbrae Farm’s Stephen Alexander), and Battle Cheese: Canada vs. The World (with Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar’s Tobey Nemeth and Niagara Street Cafe’s Michael Caballo).
Wine-related topics All About Bubbly (with sommelier Zoltan Szabo), Beer to the Extreme (with beer expert Stephen Beaumont), and Absinthe & Tequila (with cocktail expert Christine Sismondo), just to name a few. They try to highlight as much local product as possible.
Spanning 2000+ square feet, it’s split across two levels and perfect for parties, corporate events, etc. “Do with it what you will is our unofficial tagline,” says Sacha, who also stages Coupe’s events, like their hugely popular Tasting Club, and Salon nights.
Tasting events are open to the public and on a pay-per-event basis. Cost includes expert instruction, light dinner, discussion of topic, drinks, service and tasting notes. Everyone gets to mingle before sitting at a communal table for the guided tastings.
On January 22, 2008, is the 100-Kilometre Class with Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo – a culinary tasting tour of the absolute best and most unique artisanal ingredients from within a 100-km radius of Toronto.
