TORONTO — A Scarborough, Ont. restaurateur has pleaded guilty and was heavily fined for illegally possessing spiny softshell turtles and listing them for sale on his menu.

The case, which was recently held in a Scarborough courtroom, heard  Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) officials give evidence they found 31 at-risk turtles in a freezer at a Cantonese restaurant.

GUELPH, Ont. – With the aim to make local food more accessible at Ontario’s restaurants, markets, grocery stores and institutions, the Ontario government recently introduced a new Local Food Act.

The act intends to create a system that supports farmers, increase awareness of the importance of eating local and set quotas for public sector organizations, holding them accountable to the public.

TORONTO — After only seven months on the job, Chef Ryan Gallagher has announced via Twitter that he is leaving his post as executive chef of Reds Wine Tavern.

“Hey people of the twitter world. No longer at Reds. Going in different directions... keep you all posted on what’s next for me,” tweeted Gallagher last week.

TORONTO — It was an evening of celebration last night at Toronto’s Delta Chelsea where the Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals (CAFP), awarded 35 bursaries to Ontario students working toward a career in the industry.

After reading through 60 applications, the six judges, who make up the Student Awards Judging Committee, choose students from four Ontario colleges and universities to win seven bursaries worth $1,000, two bursaries worth $400 and 26 bursaries worth $500. In the end, $20,000 was raised for the program, courtesy of CAFP member sponsors.