Canadian products and an announcement

Good morning,

By this point, many of you will have heard the bad news that Kichessippi Beer Co. is saying farewell. It’s no exaggeration to say that loyal customers are heartbroken. 

Having spoken with a number of staff over the last days, everyone has expressed gratitude for these customers and for how they were supported by owner Paul Meek.

Today we look at a few newer Canadian products, one of which I first learned about at the 2024 Canadian Food Innovation Network conference. 

Finally, as a PSA, I want to direct you to live performances of Blood Relations, a play being staged at the Gladstone Theatre.  Local actor/director and friend William Beddoe, will be performing. 

It'll be a sentimental journey to revisit this space.  Long ago, in its first years, I appeared in a play at the Gladstone when it was known as the Great Canadian Theatre Company.

Now grab your favourite beverage and let’s dive in.

Ralf Joneikies, food and drink editor. [email protected]

Like Silver Swallow,  which I reviewed last year, Quebec based Maison Theier produces non-alcoholic tea-based sparkling “wines” for those who abstain but want something special for an occasion.

They offer three different bottlings using local honey, spring water from the Laurentians, teas they’ve selected for import and yeast from Champagne. The result is sophisticated and with a fine mousse to tickle the palate.

The overall effect may in part be due to the fact that they do not de-alcoholize their products, using an alternative method instead. This method preserves all the qualities and flavours of the tea and honey without stripping any of it away as with traditional de-alcoholization. 

I’d only had occasion to try two of their lineup as the limited Crémant Forestier was sold out. I found the Cuvée Prestige to be a stunner. The flavours were delicate, offering notes of white flowers, stone fruits and hints of tropical fruit with the fine tea tannins standing in for wine tannins. The texture made for a complete gustatory experience and if you'd been blindfolded, you might have thought you were drinking wine.

The Blancs de Vert was on a footing in terms of execution and quality, but the profile took me too much in the direction of kombucha with an extra malic acid bite at the back of the throat.

These sparklers are in the super-premium category ($49.50), but the care put into them shows with every sip.

The good news for those who abstain is that this appears to be a growing category and the Maison Théier Cuvée Prestige sets a high bar. It’s certainly the finest example I’ve had.

Little wonder that you will find it on fine dining lists such as Atelier (Ottawa), Soif (Gatineau), Lucie (Toronto) and most recently, the internationally recognized Alinea in Chicago.

Kudos to another successful Canadian product taking flight.

Maia Farms, based in North Vancouver, produce nutrient-dense foods based on oyster mushroom mycelium and pea protein. 

I first met CEO Gavin Schneider at the CFIN in 2024 and it was only recently that I received an email that their products were now available online.

For both serious chefs and vegans, this announcement is very welcome as the recipe applications are many. 

But let’s have a look at their findings (from their website):

“More iron than beef-More calcium than milk-More protein than eggs-More fibre than oats-More potassium than bananas-Vegan & Allergen-Free-No artificial flavours or colours-Both sweet and savoury applications-Umami-rich flavour-Incredible texture-2 year shelf stable for remote supply chains.”

One 125-gram package contains a whopping 80 grams of protein, less than 8 grams of sugar, approximately 15 grams of fibre, approximately 7 grams of fat and 26 grams of carbs. 

At the moment, I’m contemplating my own recipes using these products and will feature them in a May edition. I admit I’m feeling more than a little excited at the potential.

Now for something a little different and directed at those folks who lead a more active lifestyle either of the outdoor or party varieties. 

Wake Water (good name) is a Canadian company producing sports and energy beverages. The products are free of sugars and for their energy drinks, they use only extracts of green tea. 

I was curious about caffeine in other popular energy drinks and discovered that almost all such products contain synthetic caffeine. Synthetic caffeine actually came to us courtesy of the Nazis, as highlighted in this post.

Want to know how it’s made? Here’s an excerpt: 

“Synthetic caffeine starts with ammonia. Ammonia is converted to urea. Then you combine urea and chloroacetic acid to produce a compound called uracil. In turn, the uracil is processed and converted to theophylline. The final touch is to add methyl chloride to produce the final product: methylated theophylline – otherwise known as synthetic caffeine.

However, unfortunately for the caffeine industry, the raw synthetic caffeine often glows - a bluish phosphorence - not a good look. So, this glowing is removed by rinsing the caffeine with sodium nitrite, acetic acid, sodium carbonate and chloroform.”  [Decadent Decaf]

Some believe in taking electrolytes for hydration first thing in the morning as a matter of routine. More commonly, they’re used during and after sport but there’s also an application for those who’ve partied too hard. This blog gives you an overview.

The canned sparkling water is caffeinated with a broad range of sugar-free and sugar-substitute-free flavours available. I had both the peach and the blackberry and while you could almost smell and taste the fuzz of peach skin on the former, the blackberry was lacking and the main focus seemed to be on acidity. 

The powdered electrolyte packets came in both regular and caffeine-laced (Wake Water +) and I’ve already thrown a few into my toilette bag for an upcoming trip.

Pouring the Cherry Lime powder into 500 ml of water, I was taken back to my childhood when my friend's mom would make us a pitcher of Kool Aid. It was just less bombastic in flavour and without the egregious colour. The caffeine-free watermelon flavour was also very pleasant.

While these products are meant to augment performance, I recommend strictly following the consumption advisories on the package. 

Here at Capital Eats and Ottawa Lookout, we’re planning to expand into a community in Ottawa with a dedicated neighbourhood publication. But we need your help to pick the community.

After a little less than two weeks, the race is still close. One community will be selected from the top three to have their own Lookout neighbourhood news bureau.

Make sure to get your vote in today - vote here.

And if you’ve already voted, you can use these links below to refer your friends and neighbours.

Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Bluesky | Copy this url

Chef Stephanie Saumur, who previously worked at Sans Façon, has put together an appealing menu worthy of many, many visits.

Read the review

Mark May 6, 2026 on your calendars. Ottawa is celebrating its 200 Anniversary this year and Joe Thottungal of Coconut Lagoon and Thali, had a grand idea: bring Canada’s cookbook authors to the capital and throw a party.

The announcement was held at the main public library and was attended by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, cookbook authors and chefs Raghav Chaudhary (Aiāna), Justin Champagne-Lagarde (Perch). Coconut Lagoon wine director Marie-France Champagne was also in attendance and of course Ottawa’s remarkable doyenne of the culinary arts, Margaret Dickenson. 

The Literary Feast will be held at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture building with authors sharing their stories from 6 to 9 pm. Tickets are $75 and cookbooks can be purchased here in advance. 

Partial proceeds from this event will go to St. Joe’s Women's Centre.

As Canadians, we are more connected than ever to our food producers and creators. As readers may have gleaned, I am a supporter of the fine talents this country has to offer and this is a great opportunity to meet our world-class chefs and authors.