May 23, 2024

Inspired by the wine windows of Florence, new collaboration aims to show Canadians that Tostitos® tortilla chips are a blank canvas for culinary creativity.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 22, 2024 /CNW/ - Tostitos®, a brand known for rich, flavourful and unforgettable moments, is thrilled to announce its collaboration with renowned Chef Susur Lee as the Tostitos® Tasting Window experience opens today. Inspired by the local flavours of Toronto and Vancouver, Chef Lee has created a series of delicious bites that profile the culinary diversity of these cities, using Tostitos tortilla chips as the base. Canadians will have the chance to try these bites for themselves at the Tostitos® Tasting Window beginning today through May 26th in Toronto and moving to Vancouver from June 5th – 9th.

Reminiscent of the wine windows of Florence experience, upon arrival, guests will walk up to the Tostitos® Tasting Window and ring a bell to receive a three-bite flight – free of charge - created by Chef Lee. As a brand, Tostitos® believes in the power of community and the importance of coming together to address societal challenges. With every flight served at the Tasting Window, visitors are invited to help with this mission by pressing the "Chip In" button to automatically generate a donation to Second Harvest. Second Harvest is an organization that recovers surplus food and redistributes it to feed people in need. For every bite served, the Tostitos brand will donate $1, to a maximum of $50,000 combined from both Toronto and Vancouver events.

"As a chef, a lot of my inspiration comes from different cultures and tastes. When Tostitos asked me to create dips inspired by Toronto and Vancouver, I was beyond excited to get started in the kitchen," said Chef Susur Lee. "I love the diversity of Canada and leaned into that for each of these recipes. I can't wait to share them at our Tasting Windows in Toronto and Vancouver."

Tostitos Tasting Window: The Menus

The Tostitos Tasting Window in Toronto will feature the following 3-bite flight:

• Thai Coconut & Pineapple Dip served on Tostitos Restaurant Style tortilla chips
• Bacon Caesar Dip served on Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips
• Miso Ginger Tofu with Sweet Pickle Dip on Tostitos Rounds tortilla chips

The Tostitos Tasting Window in Vancouver will feature the following 3-bite flight:

• Indonesian Sambal Onion Cashew Dip on Tostitos Restaurant Style tortilla chips
• Garlic Butter Wild B.C. Shrimp Dip on Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips
• Harissa, Date & Pinenut Dip served on Tostitos Rounds tortilla chips

"Tostitos chips have always been about more than just nachos – they're a catalyst for unforgettable moments and shared, flavourful experiences," said Jess Spaulding, CMO of PepsiCo Foods Canada. "At its core, Tostitos is about connecting people to things they love. We're delighted to bring the spirit of our brand to light through this collaboration with Chef Lee and serve these bites that celebrate the diverse and delicious palates of Canadians, and the places they call home."

Location and Hours of Operation

In Toronto, find the Tostitos Tasting Window at 147 Spadina Avenue on May 22 – May 26 from 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm. In Vancouver, the experience will be located at 804 Granville Street beginning on June 5– June 9 from 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm.

To learn more about the Toronto Tostitos Tasting Window and the recipes, visit Tostitos.ca/tastingwindowtoronto. For the Vancouver Tostitos Tasting Window and recipes, visit Tostitos.ca/tastingwindowvancouver

About PepsiCo Foods Canada

PepsiCo Foods Canada is comprised of the Frito Lay Canada and Quaker Canada businesses. The company employs over 6,000 Canadians with seven manufacturing plants and sales and distribution facilities from coast to coast. Frito Lay Canada is the country's largest snack food manufacturer and the company's brands include Lay's, Doritos, Tostitos, Ruffles, Smartfood and Cheetos. The Quaker brand portfolio includes a wide range of wholesome cereals, oatmeal, rice and corn snacks and snack bars, and features other prominent brands such as Quaker Life, Quaker Chewy, Quaker Harvest Crunch and Crispy Minis. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.ca. 

About Frito-Lay North America

Frito-Lay North America is the $23 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, Cheetos snacks, Stacy's pita chips, PopCorners popped-corn snack, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay North America at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, on X (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on Facebook (Frito Lay). 

About Second Harvest

Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue organization and is a global thought leader on perishable food redistribution. We work with thousands of food businesses from across the supply chain to redirect unsold surplus food to non-profit organizations that feed communities in every province and territory.

By keeping perfectly edible food from ending up in landfill and redirecting it to the charitable sector, our work prevents harmful greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere and improves access to nutrition for the millions of people in Canada experiencing food insecurity.

In addition to our core work of food rescue, Second Harvest produces research on food loss and waste, provides education and training for the charitable food sector and has developed the Second Harvest Food Rescue App to facilitate direct donations from food businesses to local non-profits across Canada.

To learn more, visit www.secondharvest.ca

About Chef Susur Lee

The multi-award-winning chef and pioneer of southeast Asian & French fusion seems to be constantly in motion. Helming two restaurants in Toronto (Lee and Lee Kitchen), monitoring the prestigious TungLok Heen property, making television appearances, and traveling the world as a guest chef.

However, it all began from humble beginnings. Born in Hong Kong, Chef Susur Lee began his culinary journey as a 16-year-old apprentice at a prestigious hotel in Hong Kong. From there, he developed his skills in classical French cooking. He would later go on to balance his French techniques with the epicurean traditions of Asian influence from his upbringing to master his craft.