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Nicole Richie has been featured in Kind Magazine, The Toronto Star, Narcity, NEXT Canada, Cave Wine Journal and Post City Magazines/ TRNTO. She currently lives and writes in Toronto, CANADA.

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WHAT THE LEGAL CANNABIS WORLD NEEDS NOW IS MORE INCLUSION: KIND

The intersection between cannabis culture and the LGBTQ2IA+ community has a long-winded and impassioned history. Long before legalization, boutique dispensaries and widespread acceptance, the cannabis industry was built on a foundation of diversity, inclusion and—most importantly—equality.

Featured in Kind Magazine: Oct 17th, 2020.

THIS HIDDEN TORONTO EATERY IS A GATEWAY TO MONTREALS EPIC FOOD SCENE

It may look like a shabby little convenience store from the outside, but this hidden Toronto gem is churning out some of the tastiest Montreal eats the city has to offer. Taverne Bernhart’s just opened in Toronto and is serving up a rotating menu of mouth-watering sandwiches, pastries, crispy chicken, and some impeccable vino. And it's all totally affordable.

Featured on Narcity Canada: Nov 13th, 2020

T.O’s BELOVED CAKE SHOP IS OPENING IN MIDTOWN

Since 1986, La Rocca has been Richmond Hill’s go-to spot for creative cakes and pastries. Now, the bakery is opening a second location in midtown. The new La Rocca Creative Kitchen will be located at 2638 Yonge St. and it will offer guests the opportunity to participate in the creative process as La Rocca’s pastry chefs dream up new treats.

Featured on TRNTO & Post City Magazine Thornhill/ Richmond Hill Issues: Dec 2020

INSIDE AZHAR, GUSTO 54’s NEW MIDDLE EASTERN MARKETPLACE

Azhar, the newest member of Janet Zuccarini’s ever-expanding restaurant empire, is turning heads on the Ossington strip. The brainchild of partner and executive chef Stuart Cameron, this new marketplace marries Middle Eastern influences with local ingredients, all prepared in a state of the art wood-fired oven. Cameron, who is no stranger to Middle Eastern cooking, is focusing on sustainability and authenticity with this new project.

Featured on TRNTO: Feb 2021

HOT CHICKS

Craving the heat? After almost four months of rain, sleet and snow, a heat wave is the perfect way to cure us of the winter blues. Enter Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. These flaming pockets of buttermilk-battered chicken are fried to perfection and dripping with heat so addictive, you’ll be burning for a second bite.

Featured in NEXT Magazine: April 2021

ALL BUZZ, NO BOOZE

Sunny spring weather means socially distanced hangs with friends. Make those daydreams of park life an even better reality with cannabis-infused sips that generate a buzz without the dehydration that can come from beers or seltzers. These new beverages are the talk of today’s edible market. Low dose, refreshing and completely nonalcoholic, these bevvys are the perfect choice if you’re looking for a mild high guaranteed not to bloat like a beer or sedate like a gummy.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, May 2021

SOFT SPOTS

Who hasn’t chased a bell-ringing ice cream truck? Sure, Dairy Queen dipped cones and McFlurrys have their place, but this summer, the future of soft serve has arrived—and some of the flavors are as twisted as the creamy goodness itself.

Today you can find anything from strawberry rhubarb swirls to activated charcoal cones and waffle fish filled with red bean paste topped with black sesame ice cream.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, July 2021

CBD OILS THAT PROVIDE RELIEF, NOT A STONER HIGH

Lots of misconceptions about taking CBD and THC oil abound, the biggest being that CBD oil with a small quantity of THC will get you high. CBD binds with the body’s cannabinoid receptors, helping to provide that sense of relief or euphoria without getting you stoned. If inhalation isn’t your thing, a THC or more balanced oil can provide similar benefits to lighting up without the harshness that comes with smoking or vaping.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, August 2021

GET SMASHED: WHERE TO FIND GREAT SMASH BURGERS IN YOUR TOWN

The smash burger continues to bash its way into foodie hearts with its delightful, retro-simplicity hiding the culinary craft at the core of these crispy-edged delights.

The smash burger has been winning the bun battle at the best American fast food joints like Shake Shack and In-N-Out, for years. The smash patty is as simple as a regular chuck burger flattened down into a thin patty that’s then sizzled on the flat top until its shaggy edges are crispy and the centre is tender.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, October 2021

STOCK T.C FIRST LOOK: POST CITY MAGAZINES

Stock T.C represents a partnership between two of the biggest household names in Toronto’s food scene. The one-stop shop in the historic Postal Station K is an amalgamation of the no-waste and made-from-scratch philosophies behind Stephen Alexander’s Cumbrae’s and Cosimo Mammoliti’s Terroni empire.

Featured in Post City Magazines, September 2020.

THE ROLLING PIN AND RICK’S GOOD EATS ARE TEAMING UP FOR DIWALI

This week, Rick’s Good Eats and The Rolling Pin are teaming up to create the ultimate treat for Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. Diwali, which begins Nov. 14, is a New Year’s celebration that usually includes family feasts and fun. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, this year’s festivities won’t look like previous ones. However a local restaurant is finding a way to still inject some fun into the celebration while respecting COVID-19 safety measures.

Featured on TRNTO: Nov 12th, 2020

HERE’S WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK AS A COVID-19 CONTACT TRACER

If you want to be a COVID-19 contact tracer in Ontario, you’ll want to make sure to put “able to navigate through difficult conversations” on your resume. It can be a tough gig — one that takes a lot of patience and understanding — and it’s not without its own stressors. As Ontario reports 1,837 new COVID-19 cases and 58 more deaths as of Friday, January 29, with 51 confirmed cases of the U.K. variant found in the province to date, contact tracers continue to be super important in the province’s effort to track and stop the source of the spread.

Featured on Narcity: Jan 29th, 2021

WICKED WICHES

The ultimate expression of Italian-American cuisine, subs represent all the goodness of Italy’s fresh, spicy and savoury flavours paired with the gluttony of the American diet. Filled to the brim with cured meats and ribboned deli cuts, layered with cheese and veg, and schmered with spreads and sauces, the one-time lunchbox special is now a culinary spectacle thanks to the creativity of today’s sandwich makers.

Featured in NEXT Magazine: March 2021

HIGH WATER

Just when it seemed nothing could be more luxurious than a long soak in the tub, cannabis-infused bath products are now mixing the powerful nature of cannabinoids with therapeutic homeopathic remedies to create an almost euphoric bathing experience. Elevating tub time with a little THC and CBD not only helps to ignite the highest levels of relaxation, but also reduces stress and anxiety, chronic pain and even skin irritation. 

Featured in NEXT Magazine: April 2021

QUE IT UP

Our border to the US might be COVID-closed but the relentless Canadian craving for succulent, sometimes saucy, barbeque from the southern States cannot be contained.

Whether you’re a Texas, Tennessee or Kansas City style-stalwart we’ve got the low-down on the best barbecue across our NEXT Three Cities.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, June 2021

HIGHS FOR BETTER BEDDY-BYES

Indica is the chamomile tea to sativa’s coffee, which is appropriate given indica’s legendary “IN-DA” couch qualities. Sometimes it’s not just the strain of cannabis that delivers the most effective lights-out for those looking to catch some Zs—there are a ton of factors that contribute to getting that sedative high that carries us off to hours of sleep.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, July 2021

WHERE TO SCORE GREAT BOBA IN YOUR TOWN

Nothing beats having your drink and eating it too, which is why bubble tea or, boba — that most crave-able snack/drink combo — continues to quench the collective desires of our NEXT Three Cities. Filled with silky milk tea or refreshing fruit flavours paired with chewy and sweet tapioca pearls, this Taiwanese creation satisfies all your cravings. There were once only a few iconic bubble tea brands, like Chatime, Gong Cha and Yi Fang Tea; now, there’s a new and innovative tea house on every corner. 

Featured in NEXT Magazine, September 2021

PRE-ROLLS THAT ARE READY TO ROLL WHEN YOU ARE

While rolling the perfect joint is a worthy accomplishment, sometimes quick and convenient is required. The pre-roll market is full of gems for every type of smoker. There are pre-rolls available in packs of multiples; as singles; rolled in kief, shatter or oil; not to mention the THC and CBD variation and the grams per pre-roll. It’s a wonderland of ready-to-smoke weed.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, September 2021

THE RACE AND THE CASE TO ELIMINATE FOOD WASTE

In Canada, 58% of all food that’s produced is wasted or lost. To put that into perspective, that’s 35.5 million metric tonnes of food wasted every year. “58%, that’s more food than we actually consume that gets lost or wasted. That’s huge,” said Lori Nikkel, the CEO of Canada’s largest food recovery organization, Second Harvest. For 35 years, Second Harvest has been leading the study and management of Canada's national food waste issue.

Featured on Kind, April 2020.

A BELOVED TORONTO FOOD HUB IS CROWDFUNDING ITS FIRST COMMUNITY COOKBOOK

West end Toronto food hub the Depanneur is set to release its first cookbook thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign. Depanneur, The Book Where Interesting Food Things Happen, is founder Len Senater’s homage to the city’s culinary mosaic. Featuring 100 recipes, the book will spotlight the many cooks that have passed through the Depanneur during its ten years of operations.

Featured on TRNTO: Nov 26th, 2020

WELCOME TO THE ERA OF PRIVATE WINE SHOPS AND INEVITABLY BETTER WINE, FINALLY.

Ontarians are still considered “green” amongst the rest of the wine world and it’s no wonder. Unless you were a lucky member of an exclusive wine club, had ties with an importer, or were rubbing shoulders with the well-heeled, access to great wine – to put it gently – has been limited. With the LCBO’s tight restrictions placed on both international and local vintners, smaller producers haven’t been able to flourish in the Ontario market. But that’s all changing for the better.

Featured in Cave Wine Journal: Jan 28th, 2021

ALL IN THE FAMILY: HOW FOSTERING A TWO-YEAR-OLD HUSKY PULLED NICOLE RICHIE OUT OF A PANDEMIC SLUMP

Last year, when faced with the loneliness and emotional isolation brought on by the pandemic, I started thinking about fostering a dog. I wanted to try out dog parenthood before diving in head first. (Besides, after being out of work for the better part of last year, taking on the financial responsibility of caring for a dog wasn’t something I felt ready for.)

Featured in the Toronto Star: Animal Kingdom, Mar 8th 2021

GIMME SUM!

Dim sum: the Chinese way to brunch is delicious anytime. No part of the battered restaurant industry has suffered as immensely during this past pandemic year as Chinese restaurants across North America—doubly struck, by the economic effects of pandemic shutdowns, and by continued systemic injustices and racist violence towards Asian- Canadian communities.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, May 2021

BRAIN CANDY

The NEXT Cannabis Test Kitchen looked like Candy Land as we explored the best buzzy bites from an exploding selection of cannabis gummies. With a leisurely high that won’t send you to the moon, or deep into the couch, these low-dose soft chews will still leave you feeling elevated. Never dosing above 10 mg of THC per packet, choose your own adventure.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, June 2021

TOP (CORN) DOGS: WHERE TO SCORE GREAT TOKKEBI IN YOUR TOWN

Frenzied foodies are lining up around the block to score the latest snack-on-a-stick sensation: an Asian take on the classic Pogo.

This TikTok and Instagram street food star is essentially a corn dog filled with anything from spicy sausage to cheddar cheese or mozzarella, and topped with sugar, cubed potatoes and even ramen noodles.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, August 2021

VAPE PENS FOR ON-THE-GO ELEVATION

Get lifted discreetly with sleek and stylish pens that carry oil cartridges for all kinds of high. With rechargeable 510 thread batteries, you can find cartridges that will take you to familiar skies without the hassle of rolling up. Vaping also eliminates the skunky smell of smoking. Whether its high-grade distillate, CO2 oils or live resin cartridges, we’ve got the products that will ensure you the best vape experience the market has to offer.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, October 2021

FOOD & DRINK FESTIVALS OFFER TASTY OPTIONS FOR SUMMER FUN IN TORONTO

Every weekend you can find dozens of events celebrating the many facets of our city’s diverse culinary scene. Some last a day, others a whole weekend, but one thing these festivals have in common is a drive to bring the whole town together over a shared love of food and drink. Whether you’re looking for a flight of Ontario’s best beers, a collection of spicy snacks or the best and brightest chefs in the city, make the most out of your summer and check out some of these can’t-miss food festivals.

Featured in NEXT Magazine, July 2023

MORE BY NICOLE RICHIE