Food + Drink Spring 2025: What to Indulge in This Season

In the Spotlight: Bucatini sporca

Forget everything you think you know about pasta with meat sauce because you’ve probably never had it the way it’s prepared at The Craft Pizza Bar & Italian Kitchen. At this Orangeville hotspot, bucatini sporca – the literal translation meaning “dirty” bucatini – combines regional sausages with spicy Italian salami, guanciale (salt­ cured pork jowl), peppers, and onion, served on house­made bucatini, a hollow thick spaghetti­ like noodle.

The Craft’s bucatini is made with sausage, salami and guanciale.

“It’s one of those dishes you either love or hate eating. It’s delicious, it’s messy, but it’s become crazy popular here,” says owner and chef Paul Fuda, who is passionate about ensuring all of his dishes are fatta in casa or made in­ house. “We take all the different meats, combine it with fennel and add select seasonings to make this rich sauce that uses the oils and fats rendered from the meats. It’s bolognese elevated to the next level.”

Bucatini sporca is emblematic of Fuda’s interest in multiple regions in Italy – including the southern Calabria region, where his grandparents came from. With the bucatini he says he hopes to shine a spotlight on old­world traditions. “It is an experience that’s new to people, so we always hear our customers ask, ‘Is this what pasta is supposed to taste like? Is this what real Italian food is?’ because they’ve never tasted the real thing.”

As for what to drink with this delectably “dirty” dish, Fuda believes it’s best to whet your appetite with the 111 Craft Negroni, then pair with either an Italian red – or even a nice crisp pinot grigio “to cleanse the palate between bites.”

Kitchen Creative

This May get your kids cooking with a weekly Summer Flavours: Seasonal Cooking & Culinary Skills class at the Woolen Mill Kitchen in Erin where foodie, teacher and nutritionist Claire Bell teaches kids how to make bread, salads, tangy marinades and flavourful sauces using seasonal produce.

“This series is all about building your confidence in the kitchen while having fun with food that’s fresh, healthy, and packed with flavour!” says Bell. But kids don’t get to have all the fun – check the website for teen and adult classes too.

Fierce Flavours

Flaky, juicy Jamaican patties stuffed with lettuce, tomato and cheese are flying out the door these days at LyvePatty, the grab’n’go Jamaican patty shop opened by Phil DeWar of Soulyve Catering in Orangeville. Try all the classics plus new creations like the Vytal Veggie patty, filled with arugula, hummus, cucumbers and plantain, or the Reuben Remix featuring corned beef, coleslaw, pickles and Swiss cheese. For a bigger, heartier meal order a Jerk Bowl, in which jerk chicken, coleslaw, fresh greens, tomato and onion top a bed of rice.

Meanwhile you may have smelled incredible new aromas at Orangeville’s Old Mill Hub thanks to the Jamaican patties, jerk chicken and curry goat ready to go at Lioness Jerk. Don’t miss their fusion dishes like jerk chicken poutine and jerk chicken alfredo wrap.

Mark Your Culinary Calendar

The mineral-heavy, nutrient-rich soils of volcanic regions is the focus of Peter Cellars Pub’s Wine Education Dinner on March 28. Sommelier Brittany Pierson will share tastings of volcanic wines with a paired four-course meal. Then on April 25, she’ll dive into the topic of natural wines made with organic or biodynamically farmed grapes. For a less serious sip, order the Grogu-inspired cocktail at a Star Wars trivia night on May 4 (as in, may the 4th be with you).

Adamo Estate Winery woos oenophiles with a Wine Maker’s Dinner and Dance on March 21, with a reception, a five-course meal paired with Adamo Estate wines, and a DJ and dance. If beer is more your thing, Two Brothers in Caledon launches its Brewmaster Dinner Series March 21 with Toronto’s Lost Craft – expect pairings such as greens with duck confit paired with Rings of Saturn Hazy IPA. 

Boost your local food system — and enjoy a meal in one of the best dining rooms in Headwaters — by snagging tickets to a fundraising spring dinner on April 10 at Mrs. Mitchell’s in Mulmur in support of Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance. Go to hffa.ca for more information.

Gooey goodness rules at the For the Love of Buttertarts Festival on May 3 at Orangeville’s Alder Arena. Try Shelburne’s The Ten of Tarts — they use pure organic maple syrup. “I love what I do and try very hard to spread that love to all the people who try my tarts!” says baker Tracey Spencer. You can also catch The Ten of Tarts at the Orangeville Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, and at the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival from May 30 to June 1.  

Say Yes to Tacos

Slow­cooked lamb barbacoa wrapped in banana leaves, tender and juicy pork carnitas, and chorizo with potato cubes are a few of the authentic Mexican taco dishes at Yes Tacos in Melancthon. Sample starters like pork tamales, dig into hearty huevos del patrón – skirt steak and eggs served on a corn tortilla with beans and avocado – or choose a juicy meat dish like roast lamb or Monterrey ­style veal.

Magic Meals

For a fun and affordable meal out with the kids, catch Magic Wednesdays at Deja Vu Diner in Orangeville where magician Tyler Fergus entertains the crowds and the kids meal costs just $2.99.