by Talia Kleinplatz | The great fromage heist of 2016! Thieves in Wisconsin made off with $70,000 worth of cheese. One can only assume karmic retribution will somehow involve an unfortunate case of lactose intolerance.

The Fairmont Pacific Rim has the only bottle of Balvenie 50 available in Canada and for a cool $2,600, an ounce of it can be yours.

From Diageo to Pernod Ricard to Beam Suntory, Eater breaks down the ownership of some of your favourite liquor brands.

Juniper Head Barman (and fellow Scout Magazine contributor) Shaun Layton continues to reveal how to build an excellent home bar, 5 bottles and 1 cocktail at a time.

Food52 rounds up a formidable list of food-based podcast episodes for your listening pleasure. I’m a sucker for all things RadioLab!

Tacofino celebrates one year in Gastown by raising money for The Potluck Cafe Society. Eating tacos for a great cause? See you there.

Royal Dinette’s David Gunawan hosts a free chicken noodle soup night in the name of community building. What’s better than a warm bowl of soup and good conversation?

And speaking of David Gunawan, the chef will soon host his third, revelatory Ugly Duckling Dinner.

On the enduring legacy of one of the most influential bartenders of our time. Industry leaders share their memories of Sasha Petraske and all he did to make cocktail culture what it is today.

The culinary firmament also mourns a bright star in multiple award-winning talent Benoit Violier. The three Michelin-starred chef/proprietor of Restaurant Crissier in Crissier, Switzerland apparently shot himself with a hunting rifle over the weekend.

On a light note, comedian Louis C.K. has a new show coming out. It co-stars Edie Falco and Steve Buscemi, and focuses on the life and times of an Irish bar. The next Cheers, perhaps?

Alexandra Gill finds a lot to love about Surrey’s Apna Chaat. That golgappa sounds like a must-try.

In case you’re looking for a reason to hate kale, Esquire magazine breaks down how some of our healthiest foods, consumed in excess may cause more harm than good.

Forget the cards, chocolates and roses. For all of the Valentine’s Day haters out there, Cafe Medina is flipping the script to host an Anti-Valentine’s Day dinner.

From the gents that brought you Soho Road, The Tiffin Walla will be serving up Indian fare from their new, solar-powered food truck. Just say ‘yes’ to the biryani!

The United States Barista Championship is ramping up as competitors from across the States bring their A game to Missouri. Competing baristas include folks from some of our favourite spots in Portland, OR. Good luck!

And speaking of coffee, did you know that everyone’s favourite source of caffeine was once believed to prevent the bubonic plague? Yeah, me neither.

Mia Stansby takes a look inside the Italian-inspired Sorella on Cambie and seems to like what she sees!

Thinking about an evening out for dinner and a show? The folks at The Georgia Straight share their favourite spots for a pre-theatre meal.

Eating via Instagram honours this week go to The Dallah and his Lebanese Taco pop-up.

Looking for work in the industry? Check out who’s hiring!