Hunka, hunka grilling love
Fire up the BBQ for Father’s Day
It’s Father’s Day Sunday, but you have to admit it has to be the strangest dad’s day celebration in recent memory — thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’re pretty sure there are tons of dads at home, either working from a home office or waiting for their jobs to come back. Speaking to dads in the neighbourhood, they’re also deeply involved in getting supper on the table, trying out new recipes and embracing the current culinary culture.
Hallmark Canada reported that Father’s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending occasion, with close to 75 million cards written and exchanged in any given year.
And this year, spending quality time with dad is going to be tougher than ever: A current Angus Reid poll conducted on behalf of RetailMeNot shows two-thirds of Canadians will be spending Father’s Day apart from their dads this year.
Tough, for sure, so what do Canadians do? Open up their wallets.
While people might be keeping their distance this year, 36 per cent expressed that it’s even more important for them to buy a gift this year than previous years. And we’re picking up such choice items as gift cards, ordering dinner online or planning on making a nice home-cooked meal.
Speaking of ... when I think of Father’s Day, I automatically think barbecues and grills. Research from the U.S.based Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association noted it is the most popular grilling day of the year.
And it could be my memories of Father’s Day and watching as my dad relentlessly destroyed a perfectly good steak on the grill or reduce chicken wings to burnt offerings. Yep, dad was a real peach when it came to making sure we ordered pizza on grilling day!
If there were ever two dads I’d love to enjoy a good grilled meal with, it would have to be chefs Rob Rainford and Ted Reader — the faces of Canadian outdoor cooking.
Both are award-winning celebrity chefs, cookbook authors and TV food stars. And they’re both great dads, having shared that the true joy in their lives is cooking for family.
They’re mighty dynamic in their own right and they just recently shared a selection of delicious and easy-to-create dishes perfect any time of the year.
But they are extra special this Father’s Day.