Free Republic

Company attributes Smolkin's death to complications from recent surgeryRyan Smolkin, the zany, Smiths Falls, Ont.-bred entrepreneur best known for his restaurants serving poutine smothered in an endless array of toppings, has died. The founder of Smoke's Poutinerie Inc. was 50. He died Sunday of unexpected complications from a recent surgery, the company said Monday, adding that he dreamt of achieving "global domination" with the Ajax, Ont.-based brand. "He wanted to be in every city and every country in the world and that's what he preached from day one," said Smoke's president and chief operating officer Mark Cunningham, who Smolkin chose...

Political tensions are never far from the surface in this Canadian province, even when it comes to this beloved snack of French fries, cheese curds and gravy. "It is the unofficial official dish of Canada. In fact, if they could make it look good on a flag, the maple leaf's days might be numbered," Jamie Oliver quipped in an article about making the perfect poutine. As harmless as Oliver's comment appears, it's the perfect example of how a dish that stirs real feelings of heritage and culture in the Canadian province of Quebec may slowly be losing its regional identity....

A French restaurant says it's received threats based on confusion around its namesake dish. Poutine, fries doused in cheese curds and gravy, has nothing to do with Putin, it said. Businesses around the world have been pressured to cut ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. A restaurant in France seeks to clear its name after fielding confusion surrounding poutine, its signature dish — fries doused with cheese curds and gravy — and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leader who announced an invasion into Ukraine just over a week ago. La Maison de la Poutine, or The House of...

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A trio of cheesemakers teamed up in Quebec to make a world record-breaking poutine that weighed nearly 6,700 pounds. The cheesemakers, Fromage Warwick, Fromagerie Victoria and Fromagerie du Presbytere, combined fries, gravy and cheese curds in Warwick to create a total 6,688 pounds of poutine. Sebastien Lemay, the co-owner of Fromage Warwick, said it took about 26 to 28 hours to prepare all of the cheese curds for the poutine, while the fries were cooked up just prior to the event with the use of 40 deep-frying machines. The previous poutine world record was 4,409 pounds,...

Canada may be known for producing the very best poutine on earth (and for arguing vehemently against anyone who says otherwise!), but it would appear as though we're no match for our neighbours to the south when it comes to eating the stuff. This was proven amidst a cacophony of curds, gravy and fresh-cut fries on Saturday afternoon during the fifth annual World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto. Considered to be the largest eating competition in Canada, the annual Smoke's Poutinerie-sponsored gorge-a-thon drew approximately 1,000 spectators to Toronto's Yonge-Dundas square this weekend — many of them eager to join in...