Let Love Thrive With Quality Culinary Time This Valentine's Day

Metro helps Ontarians Create Passion in the Kitchen

TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2012 /CNW/ - It has been said that couples who eat together stay together, so this Valentine's Day Metro is encouraging Ontarians to take their love to the kitchen for some quality time.

Between work, social circles and increasingly multifunctional mobile devices, finding quality time to focus just on each other has become an uphill battle.  Privacy is hard to come by, especially on Valentine's Day, as restaurants are packed to the rafters with couples looking to proclaim their love for one another over a scrumptious meal. Metro makes it simple to capture that loving feeling at home where quiet, quality time is easily accessible, and with the right ingredients, so is passion.

Shared meal times are one of the simplest ways to capture that romantic feeling and according to a recent survey; Canadians are looking for more private time together as a couple. Surprisingly, men and women can agree on one thing - their love of food, with more than 30 per cent of Canadians choosing an intimate dinner for two as their number one activity for a Valentine's Day celebration.

Couples that cook together, stay together

Here are a few tips from Metro on how to grow and nourish a bond, one ingredient at a time.

• Get to know each other's food preferences: likes, dislikes and combinations
• Heighten all senses by trying new recipes
• Take the time to pick up groceries together
• Prepare the meal working as a team
• Turn off all distractions when enjoying the prepared dishes - no TV, no cell phones
• Mix it up: instead of a traditional dinner, make a delicious breakfast for each other
• Set the mood! Light a few candles and dim the lights so all attention is focused on each other and the meal

Metro is fostering connectivity this Valentine's Day season by offering simple solutions to create the quintessential couple's meal with your sweetheart. Additionally, Metro has a variety of sweets (for your sweetie) to help set the mood for your special meal including Belgian Chocolate Truffle Heart Cake, Red Velvet Mammoth Cupcake and a new Laura Secord Chocolate Heart cake. Beautiful floral arrangements and tantalizing fruit platters provide that final touch to a perfect evening.

What's more? From simple meal ideas and suggested song lists to recipes for edible aphrodisiacs and gift ideas, Lisa Gnat and Julie Albert, Metro enthusiasts and co-authors of the Bite Me! cookbook series, dish out some red hot tips on the Metro Facebook Fan page to kick your romance up a notch this Valentine's Day. Between February 8 and February 13, join the conversation by visiting www.facebook.com/Metro-Ontario.

About Metro Ontario Inc.

Metro is a Canadian company with annual sales of over $11 billion and over 65,000 employees and is a leader in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Quebec and Ontario, where it operates a network of more than 600 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics, as well as over 250 drugstores mainly under the Brunet, The Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.

For media inquiries, please contact:               
Robyn Landau, Citizen Optimum l [email protected] l 416.934.8046