We are as surprised as you are that 2016 has blown by so quickly. Now, here we are on the brink of December. The holiday season is a time of year that stresses many of us for a myriad of reasons, which is why this is the only time of year we decide to do a handful of fun, legitimately amazing giveaways. The term "handful" probably isn't the best way to describe 31 absolutely amazing, unique culinary prizes you can win with our 2016 advent calendar, but regardless, you should be excited.
Check back here every day from November 25th until December 25th for your chance to win anything from a collection of the year's top-selling cookbooks to hands-on experiences behind-the-scenes at some of Canada's top restaurants and plenty more. We've gone to extraordinary efforts to steal Santa's thunder this year, trust us.
'Tis the season, indeed!
Update: Thank you to everyone who entered for all of these fantastic prizes! We have reached out to all prize winners, here is the full list just in case your prize email went to the junk folder (contact us here if it did). Lucky Canadians, indeed!
November 25: Brook Stoiko
November 26: Jessica Wedley
November 27: Emily Beemster
November 28: Shannon Gilby
November 29: Maria Merrick
November 30: Stephen deBeaupre
December 1: Nick Beemster
December 2: Sophia Chum
December 3: Christina Pearce
December 4: Kimberly Stoiko
December 5: Kam Parbhakar
December 6: Ariel Kwan
December 7: Ty Tang
December 8: Deborah Birnbaum
December 9: Matthew deBeaupre
December 10: Faye Slack
December 11: Jeanne Voon
December 12: Sheila Power
December 13: Maritess Schrauwen
December 14: Bronwyn Stoddard
December 15: Stephanie Warthe
December 16: Gene Slack
December 17: Jennifer Dyck
December 18: Eric Grant
December 19: Meghan Somers
December 20: Natasha Schooten
December 21: Karen Sytnick
December 22: Michael Au
December 23: Rebecca Roberts
December 24: Patricia Lau
December 9th: Get the VIP experience at Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2018
Win two tickets for one of Canada's best craft beer events happening in 2018
November 27th: Go on a one-of-a-kind kayak, wine and cheese tour for two in Penticton from Hoodoo Adventures
The Penticton-based Hoodoo Adventures provides quality outdoor adventures and team events that highlight the best the Okanagan has to offer.
November 28th: At-home dinner for four cooked by Halifax chef, Lauren Marshall
You don't have to be a master at vegan cooking to have a restaurant-quality vegan meal at home.
November 29th: Crack salt and pepper in style with a pair of DROM Pepper grinders
Who knew pepper mills could be sexy? We did and so did DRØM Pepper.
November 30th: Take a pal for dinner at Edmonton's award-winning restaurant, Rostizado
If you think Mexican food is all quesadillas and taquitos, then you clearly haven't eaten at a contemporary restaurant like Edmonton's Rostizado.
December 1st: Get your boozy brunch on at Kelowna's Krafty Kitchen
Weekend brunch is always a rewarding meal, being chock full of tenderly poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, bacon, and all the other usuals.
December 2nd: Sip, learn about sake and enjoy some food at Ki Toronto
Like sake, but don't know a lot about it? We're here to help! Rather, our friends at Ki Toronto and sake sommelier, Michael Tremblay, are really the ones who will be helping out.
December 3rd: Cocktails and canapes for Ladies' Night Cocktail Experience at The Cascade Room
Tis the season for comfort food and some warming boozy cocktails, and in Vancouver, insiders know to head to The Cascade Room for both.
December 4th: A virtual cooking class for two in your own kitchen with The Chef and The Dish
There are a lot of great things about learning to cook in your own kitchen. Firstly (and most importantly), there's the glasses of wine you can sip on while you're being taught.
December 5th: Take your friends for food and drinks at any Local in Canada
With a handful of locations across Canada in cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa, as well as one in Seattle, Local Public Eatery has become more and more accessible ove
December 6th: Bake dinner in style with a KitchenAid ceramic casserole set
Whoever says baking a casserole for dinner isn't cool anymore probably doesn't have a set of KitchenAid ceramic bakeware at home.
December 7th: Learn to make pizza with Gusto's chef Robert Jewell
Most of us aren't lucky enough to have a wood-burning oven in our own homes (wouldn't that be something, eh?), but that doesn't mean we can't be adept at the art of pizza-making.
December 8th: Private plant-based cheese making course with Virtuous Pie
Perhaps one of the biggest sacrifices with following a plant-based diet is giving up cheese. While avoiding meat is relatively easy, cheese is in all kinds of delicious and comforting foods from lasagna and casseroles to pizza.
December 9th: Head to an Earls Test Kitchen for a cooking class dinner for two
Since the 1980s, Earls has been a household name in the restaurant world.
December 10th: Sip on the best spirits the West Coast has to offer at BC Distilled
Really, who doesn't like sipping on things like craft gins or vodkas especially when they're made in B.C.? BC Distilled is B.C.'s premier craft and micro-distillery festival
December 11th: Up your service game with a mud + stone serving set
We've been big fans of mud + stone for quite some time. The contemporary pottery company based out of Winnipeg makes a stunning array of plateware and cups, among other kitchen ceramics.
December 12th: Cook from 3 award-winning Canadian cookbooks
Each fall, Taste Canada awards Canadian cookbook authors in a range of categories, from single subject to health and special diet books, and everything in between.
December 13th: Enjoy a wine-paired brunch at Calgary's newest restaurant
It's a busy time of year for restaurants in general, but a few restaurateurs in Calgary have been hustling extra hard, putting the finishing touches on new concepts, making sure they open up smoothly before the end of the year.
December 14th: Hands-on pastry making experience at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria
If you love the Canada's West Coast and the beautiful pastries it inspires as much as we do, then you're going to get pretty excited about this.
December 15th: Celebrate with friends over dinner and drinks at JOEY
Chances are that you've probably popped into a JOEY before, with restaurants across Canada, from Vancouver all the way east to Toronto and Ottawa.
December 16th: Go on a brewmaster's dinner date at Craft Beer Market
Few places in this country offer as wide a selection for an avid beer fan as Craft Beer Market.
December 17th: Share a perogy dinner and drinks for two at The Tallest Poppy in Winnipeg
When it's bone-chillingly cold outside, comfort food is at the top of our list, even when we're going out for a bite to eat. We can't think of a more quintessential Canadian prairie comfort dish than some freshly-made perogies.
December 18th: Add three top-selling cookbooks to your bookshelf
Who doesn't love beautiful cookbooks?
December 19th: Make the best G&Ts at home with Porter's Tonic
With all of the visitors coming in and out of your house, from close in-laws to distant family members you may not be looking forward to hosting, taking a break to sip on a well-made gin and tonic can be extra rewarding.
December 20th: Go behind the bar for a cocktail crash course at JOEY's Vancouver test kitchen
There are plenty of Canadian cities where you can find a JOEY Restaurant, but not all of their restaurants are created equal.
December 21st: Swag bag from Food Network Canada
Food Network Canada are just as excited about December as we are, with a ton of holiday programming leading up to Christmas.
December 22nd: Enjoy drinks and food for two at Winnipeg's Sous Sol
With its funky lower-level dining room that feels like a room right out of Clue (the board game), offers impeccable cocktails and has a classic French menu that has anything from delicious tartares and rabbit rillette to Parisienne gnocc
December 23rd: Win a Ricardo magazine prize pack
There are many places to look when you need some inspiration in the kitchen, but with so many avenues like Instagram, Facebook and of course websites like ours, sometimes it's nice when something tangible gets delivered right to your doorstep
December 24th: Sip on cocktails and share small plates at Edmonton's newest restaurant, Baijiu
The Edmonton food scene has really been picking up steam over the last couple of years.
