#DYK October marks 10 years of Instagram!
So far gone are the days of our square-only insta-polaroids, topped with what was a very limited range of filters, complete with the ongoing inner debate of “X-Pro II or Valencia?”
From the allowance of full frame photos to the additions of IG Stories, Reels and TV to the (brief) removal of Likes (remember that?), Instagram has come a long way in the past decade – and so have we!
From chefs bringing the culinary heat in Miami to uncovering the origins of cocoa in the Dominican to spreading food love right here at home in Toronto, here are 10 staff-picked memories from our Insta-ten years.
2010 – Yorkshire Valley Farms #ChickenRun
During the summertime, Yorkshire Valley Farms hit the road for their #ChickenRun, collaborating with food trucks across Canada in a flavourful blended content partnership.
Trucks featuring Yorkshire-enhanced dishes included Gastrónomo Vagabundo, Fidel Gastro’s, Gorilla Cheese by Graeme Smith and The Feisty Jack.
2011 – Toronto Festival of Beer & The Social Lounge
A quiet, beer-filled getaway on festival grounds, Toronto Festival of Beer’s Social Lounge allowed media members to be treated like VIP guests in a comfortable, social media-driven atmosphere.
Features included designer furniture by Andrew Richard Designs, Neal Brothers Foods gourmet chips, Goose Island vintage beer tickets and a red carpet photo-op, complete with Oscar-worthy backdrops; all helmed by our own Aimee Cook!
2012 – Making Food Magic with Chef Mark McEwan
A Toronto food scene dream team moment, we were pleased to begin working with Chef Mark McEwan and his venture, The McEwan Group.
From blogs to tweets to the popular, interactive #McEwanAllAccess sessions, our initiatives not only boosted Chef McEwan and his brand, but they also brought hungry Torontonians closer to the dishes, the flavours and the epic creator himself.
2013 – The 2nd Annual AwesTRUCK Awards at Fort York Garrison Common
With our client Samuel Adams in tow, our crew hit up the AwesTRUCK Awards, an event celebrating amazing food trucks across the city of Toronto.
There, our Samuel Adams Pavilion offered guests not only Samuel Adams Boston Lager but also food from Big E’s Hawaiian Grinds, Babi & Co, FeasTO and La Brea Food Co.
2014 – A Refreshing Evening with Fresita Canada
“Made with love, bubbles and fresh strawberries,” many evenings of 2014 were happily spent creating bubbly new cocktails and tasty sweets across Toronto with Fresita Canada.
Partners included Petite & Sweet, HAILO, SPiN Toronto and Smoque ’n’ Bones.
Want to make a Fresita-rita for yourself? Try the recipe here.
2015 – Cooking Up Fun with Canola Eat Well
A now annual occurrence, we were proud to team with the team at Canola Eat Well for interactive in-person workshops.
These workshops consist of canola crush demonstrations, talks from Western Canada canola farmers plus lessons in creating delicious new recipes from local chefs, all while using Canadian canola oil.
2016 – B&B Takes the Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress
In September of 2016, our Sean, Marian and Aimee headed south to Miami Florida for the 2nd Annual Estrella Damm Gastronomy Congress.
Featuring all-star chefs like Spanish Celebrity Chef Ferran Adrià, the Congress also played host to private demonstrations by Miami Culinary Institute students, explorations of contemporary gastronomy and countless restaurants who shared new creations made with Estrella Damm beer.
2017: Discovering Cacao in the Dominican
Alongside 11 North American pastry chefs, our Marian visited the Dominican Republic for an intimate and interactive look at the physical origins of cocoa, courtesy of our client Cacao Barry.
Hosted at Hacienda La Esmeralda, the group wandered the cocoa trees, learning the farming and fermenting process while feeling and tasting the pods and pulps of the fresh cocoa beans.
They also participated in a food challenge with local chefs, creating unique dishes using cocoa and other farmed terroir. All chefs were declared winners that day.
2018: Eating through the Winter Cold in Winnipeg
As bundled as bundled can be, our Sean and Shanley headed to Winnipeg, Manitoba (or should we say WINTERpeg) with Club House for Chefs as part of the client’s Coast to Coast Tour.
Exploring the city’s culinary community, they visited top Winnipeg chefs like Mandel Hitzer (deer + almond), Jesse Friesen (The Merchant Kitchen), Christina Bruneau-Guenther (Feast Cafe Bistro) and Sean Bernard, witnessing and sampling the creations of new Club House-inspired recipes.
Of course, no winter trip to the ‘peg is complete without an on-ice excursion of the gorgeous Lake Winnipeg!
2019 – Give Us Liberty (Village)
2019 was our first, and last, full year in our large Liberty Village office. There we saw our team expand and our client roster reach its best performance metrics, events and engagement to date.
Plus, we had many special guests come through our open doors for ideation sessions, events, tastings and friendly travelling-through hellos (including, pictured above, Chef Robert Belcham!).
We may be remote (for now) but we’re still bringing more buzz than ever to businesses across Toronto and North America.