My MUM was a livewire. So it was fun for me to write about her in MUMS THE WORD, a collection of stories by 13 wonderful Canadian authors about their mothers. You can order the book from your fav independent bookstore or from I wish WhatsApp had a line to heaven – it would be so much fun to talk to her.
We couldn’t pass up the chance to capture the cherry blossoms in full bloom with our Sakura Oolong & Lychee ice cream, in collaboration with author @johnota . 🌸🍦
Even better, pair it with his new book The Dining Room. 📕 One chapter takes place during sakura season in Japan, and we’ve translated that moment into ice cream form.
It features a sakura oolong base with ripples of lychee, floral and delicate, with a light tea finish lifted by the soft, fragrant sweetness of lychee. 🌸
Celebrate cherry blossom season with a pint!
The Sakura Blossoms are on the way! But the John Ota Sakura Blossom Ice Cream from @goodbehaviour.to is already here! Get it at 335 Queen St. W. or 1324a Gerrard St. E. or 342 Westmoreland Av. N. Toronto. – no artificial colour or flavour. @appetite_randomhouse@cooldesigns.ca@goodbehaviour.to
Join me for a full-blown presentation of THE DINING ROOM book on Tue April 21 at Miles Nadal JCC 750 Spadina Av., Toronto - doors open at 10:00 am.
You can purchase single tickets for this individual lecture via the website /bdcrwduz or by showing up in person the morning of the lecture & getting a "drop-in" ticket at the front desk. Dining w. one’s friends & beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal & most innocent delights… Julia Child. @appetite_randomhouse@milesnadaljcc@cooldesigns.ca@benmcnallybooks
Thank you to the renowned New York @kalnyc Kitchen Arts & Letters bookstore for this lovely review of THE DINING ROOM book:
John Ota credits Frank Lloyd Wright with inspiring him to think about dining areas as having importance greater than sheer functionality. For the Robie family of Chicago, Wright designed chairs with unusually high backs, creating a room within a room at the dining table, a place for them to feel togetherness. Ota explores 12 dining rooms in 6 countries, from the childhood dining room of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul to the 19th century home of a Japanese samurai clan. His essays remind us how strongly dining rooms reflect the cultures that build them, as well as the families that use them.
@appetite_randomhouse@culinaryhistoriansny@cooldesigns.ca@culinaryhistoriansofchicago
Hello! Here is the link to my CBC radio interview on THE DINING ROOM on April 5. With people gathering for Easter Dinner & Passover, it seemed to strike a nerve. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-magazine-april-5-2026-9.7152088
