Full Recap: Ottawa ComicCon 2024

My first-ever Ottawa ComicCon was everything I hoped it would be and more! From the moment I stepped into the EY Centre, I was surrounded by eager fans amazing dedicated cosplayers in costume and some impatient toddlers - ha! I left mine at home because as much as he’s begging me hourly to play his ‘special video game playlist’, I didn’t think it’d be a great place for him. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite photos of the creative costumes throughout this post, so keep scrolling!

Trying New & Unique Treats

Sometimes I go to events and I’m not sure if I’ll get interested in any of the food aspects of it. In fact, I wasn’t sure, beyond a custom craft beer dedicated to The 4 Hobbits from Lord of the Rings by Calabogie Brewing Co., whether there would be anything that would catch my foodie eye. I got to try some freeze-dried candies from @kokoscandycartel, a business started by a 14-year-old (how cool is that?!). I had seen a lot about how puffy and crispy chewy candy gets once it’s put in the freeze dryer so I was excited to try them in real life. I love supporting young entrepreneurs! The stand out was their mars bar and eating a freeze dried cheese curd followed by a freeze dried milk dud. Creamy, salty, crunchy!

There were plenty of vendors selling international, particularly Japanese, candies and drinks. Brought me back to my trip to Japan.

Meeting Dante Basco (aka Rufio from Hook)

I had the incredible opportunity to meet Dante Basco—a true childhood hero! I would often fantasize about having a sick goth costume like that and ripping through Never Never Land on a zip line. Not only was he gracious enough to chat while signing my Hook VHS tape, but he also gave me some of his @rufiomatcha to try. Again, you never know what’ll happen when you’re exploring the world through food. I’m still reeling from the fact that I got a gift from Rufio himself! BANGERANG.

The Lord of the Rings Panel: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Moment

My husband and I are huge Lord of the Rings fans, so we were thrilled when all four hobbits—Elijah Wood (Frodo), Sean Astin (Sam), Billy Boyd (Pippin), and Dominic Monaghan (Merry)—were on stage together. My husband even got to ask them a unique question (according to them!) that had the whole room laughing:

“What would the journey have been like if, instead of turning around and seeing Sam, Frodo saw Pippin instead?”

The hobbits, and the crowd, loved it! It was such a fun moment, and we even shared that we play the LOTR soundtrack as part of our son’s bedtime routine, which made the experience even more personal. Well, it was a good substitute for not being able to coordinate a photograph opportunity with them and our son.

Cosplayers & Community

I have a confession to make, for a large part of my life I’ve always found Cosplay a little cringe. If you’ve known me for a long time, that may come as a surprise. I’ve always loved theater and performing. Why? I wasn’t really sure I guess. Anyway, my mind has changed and I totally respect how much craftsmanship and thought goes into transforming into intricate anime characters to superheroes and movie icons. I’ll be including some of my favorite cosplayer photos in this post, so keep an eye out for them. If you see yourself, let me know in the comments!

Boy at the Cauldron: My Zelda-Inspired E-Cookbook

To top it all off, I’m celebrating ComicCon 2024 by offering a special one-week sale on my e-cookbook, Boy at the Cauldron. It's packed with Legend of Zelda-inspired recipes that I developed through my culinary experiences in Serbia and Ireland. Adventurous, allergen-friendly desserts and meals are perfect for gamers and families looking for something creative yet easy to make. You can grab your copy on https://chefevabee.etsy.com while the sale lasts!

Until next year, Ottawa ComicCon!

Oktinyfest - Return of Live Music & Events

Hello food & music lovers!

It’s been a minute since I’ve written a block post about an event. Well, here I am to talk about one of my favourite Canadian festivals - period - Beau’s Oktoberfest.

This year they called it Oktinyfest because they decided to pare the festival down. Also! This was the first year it was actually celebrated in October! All things considered, I thought it was great that they got this organized in light of ever changing restrictions in Ontario. Definitely better than cancelling it altogether.

I checked out their Saturday evening time slot. It was hard to choose which of the 4 slots to go to as they always curate really great Canadian music talent. I checked out Bambies and Grae. Thank goodness though they also featured their resident Polka band.

It was a damp chilly evening so the first thing we did was hit up the delicious food provided by Sticky Cow BBQ and, of course, German pretzels. I had the beef stew as well as the beans. The stew was definitely the star. So hearty, so flavourful and perfect for the weather.

Of course you can’t talk about Oktoberfest without talking BEER. Beau’s was the first brewery I ever visited in person. That was probably around 2007 that I first visited.. wow! They continue to grow and inspire me as a local sustainable food business.

If you’ve read this food blog, you know that I’ve struggled with dietary changes. I’ve been dabbling with drinking beer again this summer and have been feeling ok having some on occasion - YAY!

The beer staff were really patient and grateful to share little tastings of most of the beers that caught my eye. Maybe this was one benefit to having a pared down festival - beer samples! I started with the dark Halcyon Beer and finished with the Raspberry Sour.

Another benefit to the smaller version of Oktoberfest was the fact that I could sign up on time for the beer stein holding contest! During (and before) lockdown, I had been working with a personal trainer. I was hoping I would have superpowers and win but, alas, a woman VERY MUCH taller than me won! Better luck next year.

The live music was fun to enjoy although I would have rather been allowed to dance so that I could vibe (and stay warm) but I have to respect different business’s comfort levels whilst holing the event. It’s been a really really tough time, especially for food and event businesses but there have been several outdoor music events that have more open policies in the region. Let’s hope that the restrictions lift so that these businesses can run without fear of shutting down.

Overall it was awesome to discover new beers, new music and finally get a taste of real life again. Prost!