(TORONTO, ON) September 3, 2020 – Today, Toronto Life is partnering with Stella Artois Canada to launch CHEF ARTOIS, an eight-part cooking series showcasing renowned chefs, their restaurants and their inspiring trademark dishes. Hosted by acclaimed Canadian television and radio host, Pay Chen, the culinary competition is in continuation of Rally for Restaurants – an online gift card program that provides restaurants and bars across Canada with immediate financial relief as a result of the global pandemic.

With the tremendous impact of Covid-19 on the restaurant industry, the goal of this new series is to reinvigorate and support Canada’s restaurant scene. Each 10-minute episode of CHEF ARTOIS, filmed in a Toronto restaurant with a live audience, features two dinner guests who are randomly selected to recreate a restaurant’s iconic dish, from Madrina Bar y Tapas’ infamous Spanish Paella to Marben’s exquisite modern take on a Scotch Egg.

In a heated battle, the contestants get less than an hour to cook up the delicious entrée, putting their skills to the test. Each signature dish is judged by the restaurant’s head chef and a victor is crowned, earning them a prize pack from Toronto Life and Stella Artois Canada valued at over $1,000, including a gift card to the featured restaurant and gift cards for Rally for Restaurants.

“Toronto is home to some of the best restaurants and has such a vibrant and multicultural food scene,” says Mike Bascom, Senior Director of Marketing, Stella Artois Canada. “We’re delighted to partner with Toronto Life to bring a new and exciting series to Canadians through CHEF ARTOIS. Our local restaurants are the heart of our communities and need our support now more than ever.”

As Canadians begin to adjust to the “new” way of dining, CHEF ARTOIS reminds guests of their favourite local restaurants and dishes and encourages them to return where they can once again enjoy meals inside safely. The series also brings light to the incredible culinary talent Toronto has to offer.

The first episode of CHEF ARTOIS launches on Wednesday, September 9 at 12:00 p.m. EST through Toronto Life‘s Facebook and Instagram channels and Stella Artois Canada’s YouTube channel. Episode and series promo spots will run across Chatelaine, Maclean’s, FASHION and FLARE. After its debut, a new episode will be released at the same time every Wednesday and run until October 28, 2020.

Get a sneak peek here:

CHEF ARTOIS’ exciting, innovative video format is created and produced by St. Joseph Communications (SJC)’s Content division and the award-winning production studio, the Bokeh Collective.

The Stella Artois Rally for Restaurants program was launched as a result of the devastating impact caused by Covid-19 to the hospitality industry. The online gift card program supports all restaurants, bars and pubs across Canada in an effort to stimulate the industry. The program encourages Canadians to purchase a gift card valued at $25 or $50. Stella Artois adds an additional $10 to the value of every gift card purchased, which goes directly to restaurants, bars and pubs. To date, Rally for Restaurants has sold over 14,000 gift cards and has injected over $600,000 into the restaurant industry. For more information about the program and to learn how you can support local restaurants in your community, visit, www.rallyforrestaurants.ca.

About Toronto Life
Toronto Life is a brand for people who care about Toronto, the country’s most vibrant city, and want to get the most out of it. It provides insight into the personalities and events that shape the landscape, and helps readers make smart choices about everything from restaurants and shopping to real estate and culture. Through in-depth reporting, intelligent analysis and quality writing, Toronto Life offers an exciting, essential and entertaining guide to life in Toronto. For more information visit torontolife.com and join the conversation on Twitter (@torontolife), Facebook (facebook.com/TorontoLife) and Instagram (@torontolife).

About SJC Media
St. Joseph Communications (SJC)’ Media division is Canada’s largest privately held media company. SJC Media publishes some of Canada’s most iconic and celebrated media brands including Chatelaine, FASHION Magazine, FLARE, HELLO! Canada, Maclean’s, MARIAGE Québec, Ottawa Magazine, Quill & Quire, Toronto Life, Weddingbells and the Where Group of Magazines in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto. SJC Media also operates Strategic Content Labs, which creates custom content, websites, apps and content management solutions for some of Canada’s leading brands and institutions. For more information, visit stjoseph.com.

About SJC Content
Experts in high-volume content for retail, St. Joseph Communications’ Content division create it all under one roof – from marketing strategy to execution. Whether it’s product e-commerce, automotive, on-figure lifestyle, customized room set-ups or food, SJC Content captures photo and video in its full-service, multi-studio facility. The company creates compelling creative assets and leverages them across every applicable touchpoint, from social and broadcast to package design and digital signage. SJC Content is a division of St. Joseph Communications, Canada’s largest privately owned media and marketing company and one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the last 17 years. For more information visit stjoseph.com.

About Stella Artois
Stella Artois is part of a Belgian brewing tradition dating back to 1366. It is the best-selling Belgian beer in the world and served in 95 countries. Stella Artois is an authentic, premium, blonde European lager, that features a floral hop aroma, well-balanced fruity malt sweetness, crisp hop bitterness, and a soft dry finish. The signature of Stella’s flavour and aroma are characterized by Saaz hops. A noble traditional hop that gives Stella its signature floral and spicy aroma; as well as, a delicate bitterness to its flavour. Stella is the ideal beer for hosting and enjoying with food. Its drinkability and subtle bitterness make Stella versatile for pairing with varieties of cheeses and accentuating their flavours. The experience of enjoying Stella Artois is incomplete without the iconic Stella Chalice. Designed specifically to enhance the flavour, aroma, carbonation and temperature of the beer – the gold-rimmed chalice is simply the only way Stella should be experienced. For more information, visit stellaartois.com.

About Bokeh Collective
The Bokeh Collective is a premium, award-winning, full-service production studio based in Toronto, Canada. As a company, we are led by one mission: to bring inspiring, heartfelt, exciting and authentically driven stories to life. Founded in 2016, our growing professional family is made up of the best-in-class filmmakers, production experts, artists, storytellers and industry leaders in the country. Together as the Bokeh Collective, we have effectively bridged the gap between film, television and commercials by creating content with the highest cinematic production value. To date, we have successfully delivered over 80 hours worth of original content for networks, including but not limited to Netflix, Fox Digital Studios, Hulu, REELZ, Discovery ID, the Food Network and HGTV Canada. With over 11 Canadian Screen Awards for directing and writing, one Emmy nomination and over 60 film festival awards worldwide, the Bokeh Collective is just getting started. Every next step we take is towards building a stronger team, community and future we believe in.

For more information contact:

Jessika Fink
Director, Marketing
SJC Media
jfink@stjosephmedia.com
416.595.8969

Tamar Nersesian
Sr. Manager Communications
Labatt Breweries of Canada
Tamar.Nersesian@labatt.com
416.318.3989