On an early Saturday morn amidst an onslaught of rain, a dozen or so hungered Torontonians made their way to Yorkville. Silently clutching coffees in the Park Hyatt hotel lobby, the group readied itself for the day’s Masters of Food and Wine event, a semi-regular affair during which food fiends indulge in a special dining experience.

This time, rather than just stay put in the hotel, the gang was shuttled off to the Evergreen Brickworks to take in the weekly farmers' market. However, milling about was only part of the equation; chef Joan Monfaredi doled out tasks, requesting participants to seek out specific ingredients for the luncheon.

While the focal point of the meal was to be lamb, accoutrements were still needed: one woman headed off to find some chutneys to stand up to the meat; a man was handed a crisp $100 bill — much to his surprise — and dubbed responsible for finding a selection of cured sausages; an eager duo of ladies were responsible for a secret ingredient that would catch the sous chefs (who were already prepping back at the lodge) unawares.

After a proper market scouring, goods were procured and the team was ready to roll. Back at the hotel in a hidden location on the sixth floor, the finds were revealed: colourful heirloom tomatoes, a selection of peaches, olive bread (which was promptly gobbled up) and more.

As guests were handed glasses of chardonnay, sous Peter Antonov Tonev and Dennis Yon Kim, each stationed at the foot of a large dining table, explained their upcoming dishes. Chef Tonev prepped a risotto, rife with white mushrooms and chanterelles along with tomato, yellow squash, rapini and plenty of Parm. Meanwhile, chef Kim sautéed some fingerling potatoes beside the lamb. Prior to the event an entire lamb had been deboned, the shoulder and shank selected, seared and then braised.

To start, hunks of bread were eaten alongside the cured meats (a dry summer sausage went over well with the crowd). A simple salad of heirloom tomatoes, stirred up with some fresh basil, salt and lashings of olive oil, was followed by the risotto and, of course, the lamb.

In the midst of the meal, the secret ingredient was revealed and the chefs were challenged to a surprise battle. Beets were not the easiest ingredient to work with, requiring a lengthy cooking time, and while the guests debated their favourite type (it was a tie between red and golden) the chefs worked their magic. One served up a thinly-sliced beet salad peppered with tomatoes, basil, and beans, while the other did a warm salad with mustard and potatoes. While neither party had enough time to cook the beets, it was a solid effort all around.

The desserts, served in the still-popular mini mason jars, included an apple crumble, a white chocolate pannacotta topped with raspberries, and a lemon meringue number (it was rather orgasmic, according to one woman).

And with that, the morning was done, and the troops headed off into the afternoon, keen on doing it all again the next time.

Masters of Food and Wine events are held at the Park Hyatt Toronto, 4 Avenue Rd., 416-324-1472. Check their website for upcoming events.

Karolyne Ellacott is a features editor at Post City Magazines. She pedals around town in heels, eating sandwiches and drinking cocktails. She writes about that, and about about other stuff too. She is also on Twitter.