NEW FOOD GROUP FOR THE YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART: MEATBALL IN A CONE!

ZAZZU Hot Cones by The Mad Italian
make their debut at The Baking and Sweets Show, Sept. 30 - Oct. 2
Savoury new treat makes pizza as portable as an ice cream cone

TORONTO: Sept. 26, 2011 . . . What looks like an ice cream cone, tastes like pizza and delivers a nutritional wallop in a fun, edible package? Move over ice cream cones, ZAZZU Hot Cones by The Mad Italian will be heating up The Baking and Sweets Show, September 30th to October 2nd at the International Centre.
Why didn't I think of that?!
ZAZZU Hot Cones are the FIRST of its kind for Toronto. Visualize the product as pizza inside a cone. Initially available in Pepperoni, Meatball and Margherita flavours, the customer can customize their Hot Cone with a variety of toppings. Along with traditional pizza favourites, a wider range of gourmet ingredients including goat cheese and herbs are planned for coming months.
In a year that has seen a trend toward decadent food product introductions, this product has staying power. At $4.00 to $6.00 a cone, ZAZZU Hot Cones are competitively priced against other lunch, snack and short order meals. Not only are the prices easy to digest, there is an added bonus of great gourmet flavour in a funky new cone style package.
Hot Food Convenience in a Cone
The brainchild of Eli Turkienicz, President of PineMount Food Services, ZAZZU Hot Cones have been more than a year in development. While the company's Mad Italian restaurants have become recognized for their sensational gelato and cones; for the ZAZZU product, special dough and sauce recipes had to be approved, and new baking equipment to bake the cones upright were acquired. "Then it was test, test, test," explains Mr. Turkienicz. "Now at last we're ready to introduce this exceptional new product to Torontonians."
"ZAZZU Hot Cones have evolved and improved upon the single serving pizza -- no more toppings sliding down the pie, plus it's a handy snack for growing kids and young adults," explains Mr. Turkienicz. "With all the nutritional components provided by its traditional Italian ingredients, they are a good choice for families and those craving a filling snack any time of the day."
ZAZZU Hot Cones will be available, along with their already popular gelato cones at The Mad Italian restaurants located in Leaside and Little Italy by mid-October. The product will roll out through GTA franchises over the coming year.
Will ZAZZU Hot Cones become a new Toronto snack food staple? Be the first to try it or enquire about a Mad Italian franchise at the Baking and Sweets Show, Hall 5, International Centre Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. Booth #331. Or drop by The Mad Italian restaurants at 1581 Bayview Avenue and 589 College Street after Thanksgiving.

BE THE FIRST IN TORONTO TO SAMPLE PIZZA IN A CONE!
Toronto's Mad Italian previews ZAZZU Hot Cones
at Canada's Baking and Sweets Show
opening FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 (Hall 5) International Centre

What looks like an ice cream cone, tastes like pizza and delivers a tasty and convenient wallop of fun in an edible package? Move over ice cream cones, ZAZZU Hot Cones by The Mad Italian will be heating up The Baking and Sweets Show with its savoury and convenient new snack. The event runs Friday, September 30th to Sunday, October 2nd at the International Centre's Hall 5.

Why didn't I think of that?!
ZAZZU Hot Cones are the FIRST of its kind for Toronto. Inspired by similar products made popular in Italy, Brazil and in New York City, this pizza is inside a cone. After its preview at the Baking and Sweets Show, the locally developed and freshly made, original recipe hot cones will be available for mass consumption after Thanksgiving at The Mad Italian Gelato Bar locations in Leaside at 1581 Bayview Avenue and in Little Italy at 589 College Street College Street.

Available in Pepperoni, Meatball and Margherita flavours, you can customize your Hot Cone with a variety of toppings. Along with traditional pizza favourites, a wider range of gourmet ingredients including goat cheese and herbs are planned for coming months.

In a year that has seen a trend toward decadent food product introductions, this product has staying power. At $4.00 to $6.00 a cone, ZAZZU Hot Cones are competitively priced against other lunch, snack and short order meals. Not only are the prices easy to digest, there is an added bonus of great gourmet flavour in a funky new cone style package.

Hot Food Convenience in a Cone
Eli Turkienicz, President of PineMount Food Services, ZAZZU Hot Cones explains that while the company's Mad Italian restaurants have become recognized for their sensational gelato and gelato cones, "This new product needed special dough, an exceptional and authentic sauce recipe as well as new equipment to bake the unique cones upright."
"This is a big improvement upon the single serving pizza -- no more toppings sliding down the pie, plus it's a handy snack for growing kids and young adults," explains Mr. Turkienicz. "With all the fresh nutritional components of traditional Italian ingredients, ZAZZU Hot Cones are a good choice for families and those craving a filling snack any time of the day."
Will ZAZZU Hot Cones become a new Toronto snack food staple? Be the first to try it or enquire about a Mad Italian franchise at the Baking and Sweets Show, Hall 5, International Centre Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. Booth #331. (Show opens at 12 noon Friday, Sept. 30 and 9 am on the weekend. (For show info see www.canadasbakingandsweetshow.com)
And be sure to drop by The Mad Italian restaurants after Thanksgiving. For more information visit: www.themaditalian.ca

CUTLINES: Top: Three different tasting Zazzu Hot Cones. Bottom: Making Zazzu Hot Cones at the Baking and Sweets Show this afternoon (October 1) in Toronto. Photos by Linda Crane

UPDATE DECEMBER 2012

Fall 2012, The Mad Italian opened a store on the 500 block of Danforth Avenue

We Don't Need No Stinking Video Cameras

Have you seen the Cannon Camera ads that brag they were shot using just a Cannon still camera? Well it works. Three guys from Biz Media produced a piece on the Scotibank Caribbean Carnival using just two Cannon SLR cameras. You can see it at
http://mycitylives.com/#!/video/toronto/scotiabank-caribbean-carnival--mcl-original-content-/4e70cf1cf472ab490c0085b3
I took the above picture of them while they were shooting me - you can download the pix on my Flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15648554@N05/6026151642/in/photostream
Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival is a film documenting the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival 2011 that took place in Toronto. The film was created by My City Lives and BizMedia.

Hamilton's Telling Tales All Part of Westfield Village Life

Media Alert:
Attention: Assignment Desks and Photo Desks -- Cameras welcome!

TELLING TALES RETURNS TO WESTFIELD HERITAGE VILLAGE THIS SUNDAY
What: Free Festival for Children and their families – Rain or Shine
When: Sunday, September 18 from 10:00 – 4:00
Who: 25+ Performers
Where: Westfield Heritage Village: Kirkwall Road off Hwy 8 –
Free Parking and Free Shuttle Service from Rockton Fairgrounds

Event Highlights:

· Award-winning Hamilton musician Paul Langille sings Gordon Lightfoot’s Canadian Railroad Trilogy at authentic TH&B Steam Engine
· 25 favourite children’s authors, illustrators, including three TD Children’s Literature Award nominees
· Workshops on getting your own book published
· Two activity centres – Face painting, storytime, etc.
· Food for purchase
· Westfield historic buildings open, interpreters onsite
· Fun for everyone!

Media Contact: Please confirm your attendance in advance:

June Dickenson
junedickenson@cogeco.ca
T: 647.477.6000
Full details at www.tellingtales.org – Follow us on Twitter – Find us on Facebook

CUTLINE: Pictures from previouw Westfield Village Telling Tale Festivals
Issued By:

Stephen Weir
Stephen Weir & Associates | stephen@stephenweir.com
or sweir5492@rogers.com
2482 Yonge Street, Unit 45032, Toronto, ONT.
CANADA. M4P 3E3

My own 20-minutes of fame - soon to be viewed by millions and millions of people

I HAVE APPEARED ON CAMERA TWICE, COUNTING TODAY (SEPT. 8)

It happened during the summer while I was standing with the police at a road closure baricade. It happened again today. I was in my car stopped on the road with my face hanging out the open window looking at the oncoming traffic. I know that I am soon to be seen by millions and millions and millions of people!
Google Map is in town and their green and white vehicle with its multi-directional cameras on the roof, is shooting street-by-street video images of the Greater Toronto Area to be used online on the popular Google Map web service.
For a number of years Google Maps has posted and shown video footage of most streets in downtown Toronto. This summer and fall they are expanding their coverage zone to include the burbs.
My Story
One warm Saturday morning in July I was standing near a police roadblock across the east end of Shoreham Drive near York University. The roadway was being used as a staging area for the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival / Yorkgate Mall Junior Carnival Parade. I was with the police helping them politely tell motorists that they had to turn around and go back the way they came.
My stardom took place when I was standing at the side of the road taking a break when the Google Map vehicle came by. I was front and centre when it made a U-Turn and I was also on the street when it drove by at the end of the parade. The cameras got me many times. I waved. I smiled. I danced on the spot. I am marked for on-line fame!
Today, while pulling into the driveway of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, I stopped to allow a group of school kids to cross. My window was rolled down. Just as I was looking out the window the Google truck came by cameras firing. I winked at the camera For the second time fame stared me in the face!
Andy Warhol says we all get 15-minutes of fame. This website gives insight into stretching your own personal fame an extra five minutes (or so). Want fame and fortune? Stalk the Google Map Truck. Never mind that they will pixilate yout face and car plates ... it is all about being famous isn't it? E-mail me for your free unpixilated publicity picture and autograph!

Cutline: Google Map Truck Photo From Flickr

Glenbow tours two historic photography exhibitions to the McMichael

Listing Information/New Exhibition
Two Photography Exhibitions Open This Weekend at the McMichael

Kleinburg, ON, September 13, 2011 … Two historical photography exhibitions about the Arctic and the early days of Montana and Alberta will be opening at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection on September 17. Both exhibitions are organized and circulated by Calgary, Alberta’s Glenbow Museum and will be on display at the McMichael until January 8, 2012.

The two exhibitions are: Arctic Life: Lomen Brothers Photography and In Focus: Photographing the Alberta and Montana Frontier, 1870-1930.

Arctic Life: Lomen Brothers Photography

Drawn to the North by tales of the gold rush and the untouched riches of Alaska, the Lomen family moved from Minnesota to Nome, Alaska, in 1903. In 1908, the brothers—Carl, Harry, Alfred, and Ralph—purchased a photography studio, quickly learning how to keep cameras in working order at Arctic temperatures.

Through a vast number of historic photographs, the Lomens documented Arctic life of the first few decades of the twentieth century. Thirty-three photographs from the Glenbow Museum collection are featured in the exhibition that includes unique images of the Inuit people of Alaska, reindeer herding (another component of the Lomen family business), and the city of Nome.

In Focus: Photographing the Alberta and Montana Frontier 1870–1930

This exhibition contains historic views of the American and Canadian Western frontiers through the eyes of the camera lens. Although the West provided photographers with new subject matter of sweeping landscapes, impressive wildlife, and adventuresome lifestyles, it also presented challenges to the photographers who were fighting the elements of gusty winds and cold temperatures.

A variety of photographers, from military forces and government/private company personnel to survey teams and scientists, all with diverse interests, contributed to numerous documentary visual records of the “Wild West.” Through their efforts, photographers recorded historical details, promoted businesses, reported events, and helped create a romantic vision of the disappearing Western frontier. Difficult as it was, photography from this historical period was often informative and artistic.

In Focus: Photographing the Alberta and Montana Frontier, 1870–1930 is composed of thirty-two photographs from the Glenbow Museum collection that focus on images of Aboriginal portraits and lifestyles, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, cowboys, and ranching.

About the McMichael

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery, visit www.mcmichael.com.

CUTLINE: Lomen Brothers, Inuit Woman, Nowadluk, from Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, 1903, Glenbow Archives

For further information or to receive images, contact:

Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com