Being an accomplished cookbook author, newspaper columnist and recipe developer gave Elizabeth Baird serious street cred when she became the food editor at Canadian Living in 1987, a position she held for almost 23 years. “It was my dream job,” she says. Now she’s being honoured with the Junior League of Toronto’s inaugural Trailblazer Award at the organization’s annual culinary fundraiser, Chef’s Showcase. 

The JLT Chef’s Showcase is being held on April 27th in Toronto. Join us for an evening of culinary delight, featuring 12 exceptional chefs, including Daphna Rabinovitch and Emily Richards, and tantalizing tasting tables, all in support the George Brown Foundation. For tickets, click here.

We caught up with Elizabeth for a quick Q&A.

CL: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE CANADIAN LIVING MEMORIES?

EB: Meeting Canadians from all over the country at rodeos, on lobster boats, in bakeries and butcher shops, at fairs and pie contests, pubs and diners, at cooking schools and culinary colleges, and at all kinds of celebrations.

CL: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?

EB: Anything with lemon. There’s a piquant two-layer Lemon Sponge Pudding that I love.

CL: WHAT’S YOUR BEST TIP FOR COOKING NEWBIES?

EB: Buy the best knife you can afford and learn to use it—it’s your most important investment. A knife that’s always sharp is a great time-saver and makes prepping so much easier.

CL: WHAT’S ONE EVENT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET?

EB: Years ago, Julia Child came to Toronto and was invited to a lunch celebrating a small group of Canadian chefs. We were warned by the publicists that she would only be sampling the food, but she ate everything—in generous amounts! Her warmth, curiosity and good appetite is something we all think of fondly.

 

For more information on the Junior League of Toronto - Women Building Better Communities, click here.