The Scotiabank Arena hosts the biggest stars who come to Toronto. I’ve seen many concerts there over the years, including the Arkells last month. On Sunday, Ellen DeGeneres delighted her Canadian fans with a special visit and shared her story with two nearly sold out crowds. I attended the afternoon event, surrounded by thousands of women who adore Ellen.
“Josh does not complete me. I complete myself.” I loved hearing this quote as I sat in the movie theatre alone watching Isn’t It Romantic. It’s a refreshing type of romantic comedy that I saw after visiting the movie’s pop-up shop on Queen St. West on Valentine’s Day.
I love a good pop-up shop. Last year, Nestle hosted a space on King St. West where you could create your own Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar. This year, Nestle has created a space on Queen St. West where you can create your own Kit Kat chocolate bar.
I usually don’t pay attention to Groupon unless there’s a deal on Starbucks gift cards. But when a couple friends found a chocolate-making workshop on the site, I signed up to attend with them.
You know I love ordering custom cupcakes, but I haven’t done any real baking myself in a long time unless Pillsbury cookies count. It’s actually quite fun to decorate and customize treats without paying extra for someone else to do it.
Inside The Mad Bean cafe on Eglinton Ave West, we sat together and learned about the history of chocolate. For example, I discovered that the Mayans were the first to discover chocolate and for a long time, only the wealthy enjoyed it. (They didn’t have Walmart or convenience stores back then!) Spanish princess Marie-Therese was one of the most influential public figures who introduced chocolate to others, such as at her wedding.
Then we got to sample chocolates with cinnamon, ginger and cayenne. They were all so good!
I can’t resist a good national ______ day AKA social media holiday, but it’s even better when one of my favourite brands gets involved. Friday is National Popcorn Day and Cineplex is giving away free popcorn to celebrate!
The promotion is available to SCENE members and if you haven’t signed up yet, then it’s long overdue. I believe I forgot to mention that I saw The Post for $0 because I redeemed 1,000 SCENE points. I guess you could say I’m all about those loyalty cards.