Singer Tanika Charles performing at Laz Authentic Cuisine during 2025 Markham Jazzlicious WinterFest. (Photo Courtesy Destination Markham)
The crowd at 2025 Markham Jazzlicious WinterFest fell silent as JUNO Award and Polaris Music Prize-nominated Toronto R&B singer Tanika Charles prepared to sing her next song.
There are few things to me more captivating than live jazz, blues or gospel music and I was enthralled by the impressive woman with her smooth voice.
My wife and I were at Laz Authentic Cuisine — a restaurant-turned-nightclub where executive chef and owner Diakhia Lezama served up Callaloo Soup (pureed spinach, pumpkin, Okcro and coconut milk), coconut white rice served with sauteed spinach and curry lamb and a rum raisin cheesecake from a fixed menu. As we enjoyed our meal Charles took to the stage. I was sitting so close to the band that I was tempted to reach out and touch the keyboard.
Chef Diakhia Lezama of Laz Authentic Cuisine serving up one of her signature dishes during 2025 Markham Jazzlicious WinterFest. (Photo Courtesy Destination Markham)
After finishing a song and taking in a round of applause, Charles flashed a smile and raised her microphone to sing her song “Endless Chain” to her enthusiastic audience…
♪ In my time I’ve been prone to emotion
Tears in my eyes I’ve cried rivers and oceans
You say one word, love is like an explosion
See all of me, go everywhere
I felt her lyrics wash over me like a warm wave. Â The venue was filled with captivated fans who were locked in, slowly rocking back and forth in their seats to the rhythm. Everything about the evening was absolutely perfect.
You would be forgiven for believing you were sitting in a music club in Paris or Havana but we were about as far from those tourism heavyweights as it gets. The event we were participating in is Markham “Jazzlicious” WinterFest. Markham — a city known for being Canada’s “High Tech Capital” — is located in York Region and about 30 minutes by car north of the downtown Toronto.
Three-time JUNO Award-nominated singer-songwriter Jill Barber performed at Essence of Unionville, Hilton Toronto/Markham. (Photo Courtesy Destination Markham)
Produced by Destination Markham in collaboration with Markham Jazz Festival, Jazzlicious is an amazing event for a city teeming with talent that is in the shadow of Toronto. Celebrating jazz music and the city’s culinary excellence, Jazzlicious bills itself as an event that brings together food lovers, music enthusiasts, leading musicians, and some of the city’s best chefs for a night of delicious meals and live performances.
Guests can enjoy a gourmet dinner, prepared by some of Markham’s top chefs, followed by an intimate performance featuring many award-winning jazz artists, including some of Canada’s finest talents.
Dinner and Jazz North of Toronto
Now in its third year, Markham “Jazzlicious” WinterFest is an annual event series produced by Destination Markham that brings a live jazz club experience to Markham restaurants, featuring gourmet dinners prepared by local chefs and live jazz performances by Canadian artists. This year featured six shows in different restaurants including Alex Bird & The Jazz Mavericks, Jill Barber, Tanika Charles, Nicole Zuraitis, Jay Douglas All Star Band and Bria Skonberg.
Winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album and three-time Juno Award nominee Bria Skonberg teamed up with Chef Keith Pears at Pears Restaurant. (Photo Courtesy Destination Markham)
Unique for blending Canadian jazz music and Markham’s culinary excellence, past Jazzlicious performers have included Heather Bambrick, Molly Johnson, and Emilie-Claire Barlow. I was able to check out two of the shows, Tanika Charles and the Jay Douglas All Star Band, with my only regret being that I wasn’t able to attend more shows.Â
The musical performances were magnificent but the talented line-up of chefs are nothing to sneeze at either. Restaurants like SMASH Kitchen & Bar, Pears and Draco at Toronto Marriott Markham participated, delivering high quality meals and drinks ahead of the show. It’s this wonderful high-energy combination of food and music that truly make this event a provincial gem.
Markham Craft Brewery Adds Live Music
A couple weeks later we were able to enjoy a show at Rouge River Brewing Company, where the Jay Douglas All Star Band put on a thrilling performance to a jam-packed audience.
Rouge River Brewery, founded in 2016 by Owner and Head Brewer Jordan Mills, has earned a reputation for award-winning craft beer, including a recent bronze at the 2024 Ontario Brewery Awards for its Ridges German-Style Pilsner and Pigasus Blonde Ale. For the second year in a row, the brewery has proudly served as a venue for Destination Markham’s Jazzlicious series.
“During Jazzlicious, our small independent brewery transformed into an upscale, restaurant-style space, showcasing live music alongside dishes created with our local Markham partners like Fresh Heads, Unionville Mushrooms, Carma Farms, and Love Gelato, that we wanted to highlight on our menu,” said Kristan McLean, Events & Community Outreach Manager Rouge River Brewery.
We were thrilled to see Jay Douglas because we had recently caught his new TVO documentary Play It Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul on TV and were keen to get a glimpse of this Canadian legend.
Jay Douglas was showcasing his voice – and a few dance moves to his delighted fans – at Rouge River Brewing Company in Markham. (Photo Courtesy Destination Markham)
A three time Juno Awards nominee and music producer, Douglas and his band have performed at various festivals worldwide, including Rastafest Festival in Toronto and the 4 Seasons Reggae Cruise in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also shared the stage with musical heavyweights including Beres Hammond, Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths and Ziggy Marley.
“During the five days of Jazzlicious at (Rouge River), we all become a small family – our brewery team, the Destination Markham team, the band and the entire event crew,” said McLean. “It’s an incredible opportunity to connect with a professional and award-winning band like Jay Douglas and his team, and to listen to their stories of music over the years.”
Jordan Mills, Brewery Owner and Head Brewer of Rouge River Brewing Company delivered the drinks and Chef Jezza Morrison of Kindred set the mood with margherita, pepperoni, mushroom, potato and pork pizza’s before the music started. When the show got rolling it should come as no surprise that Mr. Douglas didn’t disappoint.
It was an outstanding performance that had the audience singing and dancing. For the second time in less than a month, I watched a room fall silent as a Canadian musical wizard went to work, this time singing a Lou Rawlins classic:
♪ You’ll never find as long as you liveSomeone who loves you tender like I doYou’ll never find, no matter where you searchSomeone who cares about you the way I do
My wife and I had a wonderful time. It was a unique and moving experience, with the music and food choices at Rouge River Brewing Company completely different from Tanika’s show at Laz Authentic Cuisine. The contributions of superb chefs working in unison with magnificent musical artists is, in my opinion, what makes Jazzlicious a festival you need to attend.
MORE ABOUT 2025 MARKHAM JAZZLICIOUS WINTERFEST
Website: jazzlicious.ca
Destination Markham: visitmarkham.ca
Markham Jazz Festival: markhamjazzfestival.com
- August 15 – 17, 2025 • Unionville, Ontario
