I look forward to the RC Show every year, and stroll through the aisles with the same professional curiosity as an art aficionado attending a gallery opening. Tasting, sipping, asking questions, and being amazed at cutting-edge technology and sustainable solutions, innovative culinary tools and locally sourced ingredients—exhibitors showcasing the latest advancements shaping the food-service, hospitality, and beverage sectors. What will they think of next?
RC Show 2025, themed FUEL: Your potential, people, prosperity & passion, focused on empowering individuals and fuelling business success through innovation. Restaurants Canada is a 100,000-and-growing community of restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions, and suppliers. Canada’s food-service sector is a $114 billion industry. As Canada’s number one source of first jobs, it directly employs more than one million people. This three-day event brings more than 25,000 industry professionals, journalists, manufacturers of food related appliances and providers of new and exciting foods that we’ll see in restaurants in the coming year, to the Enercare Centre to taste, shmooze, listen, learn and walk away with a positive attitude about our totally Canadian industry.
“This year, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of RC Show. A milestone that highlights the sheer size, strength, resilience, and collaboration of our industry,” said Kelly Higginson, President and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “Together, we’ve built tremendous momentum, and it’s being recognized. We were honored to have Premier Ford and many Cabinet Ministers join us at the opening, emphasizing the sector’s importance to the economy and the communities we serve. “
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy cut the ribbon and delivered remarks at the Opening Ceremony. The Premier took the opportunity to reiterate the Ontario government’s commitment to increase the LCBO wholesale discount from 10% to 15% to support food-service businesses and the nearly 500,000 Ontarians they employ. This move is expected to save the average full-service restaurant $8,000 to $10,000 annually, allowing them to protect jobs, invest in their employees and innovation, and drive local economies across the province. Understandably, his remarks drew much appreciative applause.
Highlights from this year’s pavilions included the return of the Black Experience, which won the Best First-Year Booth award in 2024; the Ontario pavilion that grew to feature over 40 local businesses; and the Indigenous Pavilion which proudly spotlighted remarkable Indigenous companies from across the country. With nearly 1,300 exhibitors, 7 live competitions, and 9 stages of programming, the event not only showcased global and local brands but also celebrated industry trailblazers while offering a dynamic platform for the latest innovations.
Will I fulfill my goal to visit every single exhibitor, to watch every single competition, and to attend the exceptional line-up of speakers in the sprawling 350,000 sq. ft. of the Enercare Centre during this three-day period? No, I did not see everything, but I did give it my best efforts.
There was an exceptional lineup of speakers, and four exceptional keynotes who embody innovation, vision, passion and a deep commitment to the industry we all love. Chef José Andrés, renowned chef, humanitarian, and founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), joined the show for an intimate fireside chat where he discussed the resilience of the foodservice industry and how to inspire professionals to lead with purpose and thrive in an era of rapid transformation. Chef Tuệ Nguyễn, better known as @TwayDaBae, culinary keynote, took the stage alongside knife-skills expert Chef Wallace Wong, followed by a fireside chat with Trevor Lui. Shingo Gokan, bar & beverage keynote, bartender and founder of Fivesenses FZCO, shared industry insights and tidbits on branding, adapting to new markets, and balancing artistry with high-volume service. Michèle Boudria, leadership keynote, spoke to her role in building up McDonald’s Canada to make the right, bold decisions while navigating the complexities of leading a large-scale business in a dynamic industry.
The show’s seven live competitions shone a spotlight on Canada’s best and brightest chefs, pizza-makers, mixologists, baristas and shuckers. This year’s competition winners are listed below. You will be hearing much more in the future from these young people.
- Bocuse d’Or National Finalist: Chef Keith Pears
- Beyond the Rail Cocktail Competition: 1st Place – Jae Han, 2nd Place – Nick Benyamen, 3rd Place – Hannah Kivlin
- Breakfast Sandwich Competition: 1st Place – Aleem Syed, 2nd Place – Prathamesh Patil, 3rd Place – Rishika Bhansali
- Creative Pizza Competition: 1st Place – Kyle Mackay, 2nd Place – Anne Turic, 3rd Place – Jie Yan
- Garland Canada Culinary Competition: 1st Place – Maya Petten, 2nd Place – Tia Huszczo, 3rd Place – Cleo Mariz Valerio, Runner Up – Alijah Casellas, Fan Favourite – Kiran Ruhela
- John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition: 1st Place – Eamon Clark, 2nd Place – Chris Manocchio, 3rd Place – Brooke Kotak, Cleanest Plate – Tristan McConnell
- Latte Art Competition: 1st Place – Kevin Yip, 2nd Place – Wanying Wang, 3rd Place – Ehsen Khatib
- The World Pastry Cup National Finalists: Chef Christophe Sportellini and Chef Nicolas Belorgey
- Traditional Pizza Competition: 1st Place – Bart Nadherny, 2nd Place – Katelynn Dingwell, 3rd Place – Jordan Chin-Ting
As if I’m a guest at a giant cocktail reception, I enjoy conversations and tastings with exhibitors.
I paused at Olitalia, a family-run Italian company, simply because olive oil is such an important part of our daily life. Here, I discovered a treasure trove of pure EVO as well as olive oils with added flavours the likes of which I have never seen before. Oils flavoured with truffles, garlic, chili peppers, oregano and many more, too numerous to name. My favorite is the 500 ml. Olitalia EVO Cold Pressed in a squeeze bottle with a dropper top, so that I can drizzle and make droplets at will. Where have these beautiful products been hiding? Alas, they are not available at retail, but are sold for commercial use. However, check their website, and you can order online. It is no surprise that Olitalia is once again confirmed as the ‘Favourite Brand of Italian Chefs’ among the most used oil brands both in the kitchens and on the tables of restaurants and other businesses in the catering industry.
It’s a pleasure to visit Rowe Beef, the Wellington County purveyors of really great steaks, and chat with owner, Rod Rowe. It is all produced in partnership with Ontario Beef. I was introduced to Rowe Farms products in the 90s when a new steakhouse invited me to taste their menu. The different cuts were all fabulous, and it prompted me to suggest that Rowe Farms should be printed on the menu as a guarantee of quality. Some might say, a steak is a steak, until they partake of the Rowe Farms Cowboy Steak, the fantasy in every beef-lovers dreams.
Proudly Canadian and family owned, fifty-year-old Flanagan Food Service distributor delivers more than 10,000 food items to 7,000 customers. They explain how they have streamline the complex all-in-one food-service ordering platform, to make sure the country’s restaurant kitchens run efficiently.
It is not easy to tear myself away from the delectable maple-smoked fish and meats on display by Gosselin Smokehouses. This third-generation grocer family in Frelighsburg, Quebec started to smoke their own salmon a mere twenty years ago. Good news travels fast, and people came from far and wide to purchase their Maple-Smoked Salmon. One taste tells the story. Hot smoked or cold smoked, marinated by hand with natural, gluten-free ingredients, the subtle favours of maple and wood smoke take us right back into the Canadian forest.
A favorite in my family is Thomas Farms of Newmarket, Ont. ground lamb, free range, pasture raised and lean – just like it says on the package. I was pleased to stop by, , share recipes, learn about their goat products and taste the most succulent lamb chops.
I made a beeline to Lactalis Food Service to try their new plant-based brand, Enjoy! an 8G of protein Almond, Oat, and Hazelnut milk. It’s made with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. I chose Hazelnut milk out of curiosity, and it gives a buttery luscious flavour to the drink. And just to show off its amazing foamy capabilities of Enjoy! they made a cappuccino for me with my own photograph on the foam!!
“Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he,” goes the nursery rhyme. Never tried King Cole Duck? You are in for a taste thrill. Smoked duck breast is a staple in my kitchen for everything from an elegant pizza topping to a Cobb salad, on a cracker with cocktails, or as an entree–there is never a crumb of leftovers. Roasted half duck in packages with orange sauce or a whole raw duck, King Cole does the entire process, from R&D, breeding, hatching, growing, production, cooking product development and transportation. Natural, sustainable farming for over 70 years and 4 generations right in Stouffville.
Kara handcrafted specialty teas began when owners Rishi and Chavi met and bonded over their shared passion for tea. Wellness Teas, Microground Lattes include my favourite, Turmeric Spice golden latte, and Lavender blends. Based in Kitchener, and committed to purity, even their tea bags are plant-based and biodegradable.
I’ve been searching for Nuts to You Nut and Seed Butters, proudly Canadian since 1989, to see what spreadable delights they’ve concocted this year. No added salt, sugar or hydrogenated oil, the pure, organic and natural flavour of high-quality ingredients comes through, and really, it puts a smile on my face. Cashew Butter, Hazelnut Butter, Macadamia Butter, Pistachio and Pecan Crunch are a few of my favorites on my home-made bread. Of course, there are the classics, Peanut, Almond crunchy or smooth Butters. And some that are interesting for cooking, like Sesame Tahini or Sunflower Seed Butter. But what is most important for my family is that when I look at the ingredients, it’s very simple. The only ingredient is peanut butter is peanuts; the only ingredients in Almond Hazelnut Butter, are almonds and hazelnuts; and each nut butter shares that honest to goodness quality.
Time to wind down and try some dessert and coffee. How do restaurants make those amazing Gelato flavours, like Irish Coffee or Salted Caramel Gelato, they have probably purchased their base product from PreGel. I never would have guessed that my scoop of Dark Chocolate Fudge Ripple was a vegan product. It was the smoothest, creamiest ending to a delicious day.
If you love the coffee that your favorite restaurant serves, it’s highly likely it comes from Morala Coffee, based in Ottawa. One of their many brands is the renowned Blasercafe from Switzerland which I enjoy. And they offer an eye-boggling array of coffee makers.
I agree with Kelly Higginson that the “RC Show fuels our industry forward with innovative ideas, technologies, and trends, while supporting our advocacy efforts at Restaurants Canada to create vibrant, thriving food-service communities.”
I look forward to attending next year, to keep up with what is new and delicious in our restaurants. See you there!
