Mary Luz Mejia

For most, Milan conjures images of high fashion, high finance, and the white, sculpted spires of the city’s duomo. Nearby Turin is known for Fiats, the shroud, and the fevered frenzy of rivaling soccer teams. But for me, a certified chocolate connoisseur, and Mario, a sommelier in training, these cities and their surrounding countryside offer much more than designer clothes and cars. They offer a taste of terroir in the form of the world’s best chocolate, exquisite Italian bubbly (spoiler alert, it’s not Prosecco)...

A look at some of Oaxaca and surrounding valleys most beloved artisanal crafts from alebrijes to mezcal. Starting on page 32-35

Toronto is the first North American city to welcome Florence’s Ditta Artigianale. High design and top-notch coffee are staples at the street-level café, recently opened in the Harlowe condo building on Richmond Street West. Step into the 40-seat space, and it feels like you’ve been transported straight to Florence.
Ditta Artigianale was founded in 2013 by renowned barista, roaster, and champion coffee taster Francesco Sanapo and entrepreneur Patrick Hoffer, who now want Torontonians to take a...

Canada’s artisan chocolate makers are joining the bean-to-bar movement toward a more ethically produced and ultimately better tasting final product.
Artisan chocolate-makers David Castellan and Cynthia Leung have been at the forefront of Canada's bean-to-bar movement since 2003. Their original factory shop in Toronto's Distillery District is a brick-and-beam beauty housed in a former whisky distillery. Its industrial, old-world charm includes harvest tables laden with chocolate-tumbled nuts a...

Lead the recipe ideation and helped guide recipe creation for this Asian Lunar New Year recipe for our multicultural, full serve banner team.

Laura Fulmine, founder of M.A.H Gallery in East London, recently launched The House, an accompanying store that sells one-of-a-kind art, furniture, and vintage collectibles. Fulmine, a creative director and interior stylist known for her eye for trends, arranges the concept store to replicate rooms, starting with The Lounge and The Dining Room.
According to Fulmine, the Vyner Street store was created “to be an ever-evolving canvas for living, where meaningful interactions are shaped and share...

With ochre accents, forest green leather, herringbone floors, and art sourced from the Caribbean, were it not for the cold outside, you’d think you had just stepped into the luxe dining room of a Jamaican beachfront property. In reality, this Block Plan Studios-designed space is home to Toronto’s recently opened haute Caribbean restaurant, Miss Likklemore’s, the brainchild of chef Lonie Murdock and Darren Hinds, who opened this King Street West spot as an ode to her Jamaican roots, his Guyane...

If you love cities by the sea and are hankering for ideas for local things to do in Barcelona, there's plenty on offer. It's one of Spain's most enchanting cities, with its temperate climate (palm trees included), whimsical architecture, and cutting-edge fashion. What is Barcelona like, you ask? Barcelona takes stunning views, delicious food and good living to the next level. You can get the everyday tourist must-sees from any guidebook, though for another perspective, instead focus on local ...

A look at Northern Italian fine chocolate makers based on my level III International Institute of Cacao and Chocolate Tasting course and onsite visits to Guido Castagna and Pia Rivera's factories in Milan and Turin respectively.

Take a quick quiz to discover which sleep/wake cycle animal corresponds to you and why it matters in your waking and sleeping life.
What's a chronotype? In a nutshell, it's the body's natural inclination to feel sleepy or awake at certain times, and it affects your appetite and core body temperature, among other things.

A look at bean-to-bar chocolate, with a focus on Canadian producers and why this chocolate matters.

I was asked by Giuseppe Marconi of Viva Yeg Latino to be part of his video series on what's it's like as an #immigrant in #Canada - what it took to achieve some of my goals and overcome challenges- all conducted in Spanish.

Food for good sleep isn't just a nice idea, it's been proven to be a determining factor in getting quality rest at night. Here are some meal-time shortcuts and hacks to help you get there.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks — rinse and repeat.
Sound familiar? Good nutrition is key to getting a good night's sleep and boosting one's immunity, but what to do when you're running on empty after whipping up endless healthy snacks and meals?

There's something to be said about the sheer artistry and beauty of a well-crafted pastry or a moist cake. Desserts tell a sweet story of the corner of the world from which they originate — whether it's the ethereal height and souffle-like lightness of Croatian kremšnita, the buttery nuttiness of a Spanish almond cake or the tropical tang of a Latin American paleta. Journey through the best desserts in the world, one delicious bite at a time. Your sweet tooth will thank you!
It seems almost i...

When I say Buffalo, you think: Buffalo Bills or Sabres? Buffalo chicken wings? Niagara Falls? Buffalo has all of these, but what if I told you the city has also been undergoing a multifaceted revitalization and is reaffirming that it’s all of the above as well as a hot spot for art lovers from around the world?
The Darwin Martin House and Complex
Take a drive through the city’s tree-lined Parkside neighbourhood, for example, where captains of industry built mansions for their families at the ...