Wonder women
In honour of International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating a few of the many women makers who are leaving their mark on the bottles, growlers and cans of Ontario beverages. Raise a glass while you enjoy perfectly paired dishes created by local women chefs.
Jessica Chester
Co-founder of Laneway Distillers, Toronto
Jessica Chester found herself bonding with neighbour Reagan Soucie, who she met in the laneway behind their houses in west-end Toronto. Before long, the dynamic duo went on, in September 2020, to launch Laneway Distillers. Chester, born in England, says she and partnering in Soucie, who hails from Northern Ontario, challenge each other in all the right ways—including dreaming big, which is part of the reason their portfolio is so ambitious: two gins, a vodka and a gin-based liqueur, so far. “I’ve been called aggressive, something I’ve started to think of as a compliment.... If I’d been a man, I would have been called ‘passionate,’” she says. “I think Ontario has amazing opportunities, but you have to be fearless to make the most of them.”
Eva Chin
Executive chef, Avling Kitchen and Brewery, Toronto
Hawaiian-born Eva Chin has cooked her way around the world, but at the heart of her cuisine is the farm in Oahu where she grew up. There, her grandmother taught her about the land and how to communicate through food, something that Chester heard loud and clear when she first dined at Momofuku’s Ko¯jin (Chin’s previous restaurant) and immediately became her biggest fan.
Chester suggests serving Laneway No 33 Gin on the rocks and Chin recommends pairing it with her Juniper-Cured Salmon to coax out the spirit's complexity.
Heidi Fielding
Co-owner, Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville
Fielding says there are so many more women working in wine now than there were when she started out 20 years ago, as part of the opening team for Jackson-Triggs. Still, there were some others back then, too, and she started to develop close friendships with women in the industry. “We would taste wines from all over,” says Fielding, “but we often also talked about industry issues and politics, so I’ve been fortunate to have a really solid group of women friends in wine around me. We’re all here to help each other, a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ sort of thing.”
Selma Lopes
Chef, Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville
A recent graduate of Niagara College Culinary school, Selma Lopes started studying to be a chef soon after she moved to Canada from Brazil, where she worked in communications. Now, she works with Heidi at the winery, designing perfect snacks and meals to serve with the wines.
The winemaker's alltime favourite Fielding Oaked Chardonnay VQA VINTAGES matches expertly with this wine-enhanced cheese fondue that chef Lopes recommends.
Robyn Weeks
Brewer, Wellington Brewery, Guelph
When Robyn Weeks started working as a keg-washer at Wellington Brewery more than a decade ago, becoming a brewer wasn’t even on her radar. She became fascinated with the “magic” of the process, and it quickly became apparent that she was destined to become an important part of the “Welly Family.”
When she’s not having fun making deep, rich malts, one of her favourite parts of the job is taking part in Queen of Craft, a women-centred tasting and education series founded by Wellington’s own Karyn Boscariol. Through these workshops, Weeks has expanded her understanding of the history of beer, including the role women played in the art of fermentation. “Brewing was basically started by women back in the day, since women were making the beer for the household,” she says.
Vita Saelzer
Chef de cuisine, Miijidaa, Guelph
Miijidaa is Ojibway for “let’s eat,” something that everybody wants to do once they start reading chef Vita Saelzer’s mouthwatering locavor-ish menu at this Certified B Corp restaurant. Saelzer has worked closely with Wellington Brewery, coming up with innovative recipes that use its craft beers as an ingredient.
Robyn Weeks's favourite Wellington brew is the Upside IPA, which chef Saelzer has paired with Piri Piri Sweet Potatoes wtih Vegan Blue Cheese Dip, a vegan snack that plays off the beer's notable hops.
