(Editor’s Note - As of June 2nd, 2007, New World Organics has shut down their retail business to concentrate on wholesale orders.)

New World Organics
161 Main Street
647-435-4885

The corner of Main and Gerrard got suddenly brighter with the opening of New World Organics three weeks ago. Oh happy day, a new neighbourhood bakery, and organic to boot! I no longer have to tempt the parking ticket gods on Queen Street to get my bread.

The Baker
When I walked in to the yet-unsigned space between Saks Fine Foods and Premier Doughnuts and Deli, co-owner and baker, Vicki Tretiak, emerged from the kitchen wearing a dark apron marked with Rorschach patterns of flour, while co-owner and husband, William (previously chef at Revival, the original Gio’s, and Peppino’s on the Beach), laboured on behind the scenes in the kitchen. Yes, the shop is very new, Vicki said with a beaming smile, but somehow, people have been finding them.

If you see Vicki and the name or the face does not prompt recognition, sample some of her stuff and let your sense of taste help you. Take a big bite of the scrumptious fudgey Dark Horse brownie and it will remind you of the Leslieville shop for which she created and supplied these treats. Or how about trying a slice of one of her organic breads to remind you of the kind of wholesome goodness she has been selling at the Riverdale Farmers Market. Then there’s the tasty muffins and squares that you will recognize as the Morning Glory treats she used to bake for said breakfast spot. Or perhaps order one of her signature lunch specials, the taste and presentation of which will remind you of her recent stint as chef at Le Café Vert.

Baking DNA
“I must have had a Nonna somewhere with the baking DNA that was passed on to me,” Vicki said when asked how she first indulged her love of baking and why she opened a bakery.

Walk in any day and you will find this baking talent from Nonna expressed in the artisan breads made with the choicest ingredients of spelt and rye, or red fife. The day’s offerings will also always include a loaf of some kind like spelt banana bread. Vicki also assured me that there are always vegan options – from the vegan brownies to the vegan (and non-vegan) lunch specials. There are cookies, cakes and squares, croissants and danishes, cinnamon buns – whatever whims Vicki decides to indulge at the moment. “This week I’m doing caramel,” she said, and that seems to be reason enough to create another treat.

Her unpretentious space is a delight: small, clean, bright, Spartan in décor, filled with the intoxicating aroma of baking bread. For furnishings, the bakery has a bench along the window, a couple of chairs by the coffee station, a modest display case with the day’s fares and a cooler for drinks. At one of my visits, I sat sipping my drink at the counter as my son slept in his stroller beside me. Meanwhile, with a little girl and her grandma on the bench nibbling their cookies and a small line-up eight people deep there to purchase something, the space was full to near capacity. While lunch specials are available daily, the wee place can only accommodate a few and, with the absence of tables, it’s best to take your purchases to go.

My First Meal in the New World
The baked treats certainly take centre stage at this new spot, but the lunch special drew me in. In fact, the bread, an artisan bun that resembles a big ciabatta, would have made a tasty meal on its own simply slathered with unsalted butter. It must have been a challenge to do justice to this bread, but New World manages to accomplish this with the lunch special. Given the choice of ham and cheese sandwich or a roasted vegetable sandwich one day, I opted for the latter which was packed in a brown paper bag for me to enjoy at home.

First the sandwich: a huge mitt-ful of goodness. Massive. I needed both hands to eat it. This was the kind of sandwich that first gave me pause because I needed a strategy before I could begin. Should I go for the corners first so the sandwich would fit my mouth better or should I cut the thing in half? Should I dig in to the part where I can see the roasted yam bulging out or lift up the top half of the bread and rearrange the veggies to get a more even coverage of flavours? In the end, heady with hunger and compelled by the noises emanating from my belly, I dove straight in and bit into the fattest part of the bun. Roasted yam, peppers, eggplant and onion heaped with a mess of mesclun, did not disappoint. With the generous smear of hummus, it was a tasty and satisfying bite all around.

The daily sandwich special comes with a choice of salad and I went for the coleslaw. I don’t know who or where the Cole is which spawned the eponym, but I’m sure the coleslaws I’ve tasted before was not how it was meant to be. Usually, what passes for this salad is nothing more than a heap of tasteless, lifeless, limp shreds of cabbage soaked in watery dressing – more garnish than salad really. New World’s version is such a delicious treat; Vicki might as well have called it Coleslaw Redeemed. This is how it was meant to be! Crunchy cabbage and tart apple with a hint of Dijon in the aioli dressing. Not one sliver of cabbage was left on my plate – it was that good!

The Bottom Line
Since the specials and the baked goods change daily, don’t rely on the endorsement of this satisfied customer alone. I urge you to taste for yourself. By whatever measure you select your purveyors – choice of quality ingredients, the deliciousness of the food, the shop’s alignment with your social philosophy and consciousness, or the friendliness of service – New World Organics has it and more.

Go there. Eat the breads. Order the lunch special. Support our organic bakers. We want their business to thrive!