He had been going to cooking school in Vermont after being laid off in the dot.bust in the late 90's, and we had been long distance for a long time. Toronto (and Canada) was a lot more gay friendly, as well. We did try for me to go down there and join him in Seattle while he was working down there (before the bust and the cooking school) but the USA is extremely difficult to get into unless you look really really good on paper (and I don't). The last few years have made him very glad he came up to Canada and isn't living in the USA any more (but he did arrange for an absentee ballot to vote for Beto this year!). If you ever make it back up this way, I have lots of recommendations for great pubs in Toronto and amazing wineries in the Niagara region.

Back to beets: Yes, we make beet and beef stew, too. That's a recipe you'll definitely see on our channel sometime this winter. He makes a nice borscht sort of thing as well. Growing up I never liked beets (or brussel sprouts), turns out you just need someone to cook'em right and they're amazing.