La Vecchia Ristorante
2405A Yonge Street
416-489-0630

From childhood Aurora dreamed of coming to North America. By the time she graduated from high school she had turned that dream into a reality and had moved to the United States. However, she soon found herself working long hours in various fast food restaurants and reminiscing about her home in Italy. Too stubborn to admit she had made a mistake she persevered and relocated to Toronto in 1992 where she worked in a variety of Italian restaurants and finally landed a permanent position in La Vecchia Ristorante ten years ago.

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FoodShare’s Good Food Box is a box of produce available by special order to the general public. The boxes come in a variety of sizes with options ranging from a small box for $12 to a large box of organically grown produce for $32. These are very affordable prices for delicious fruits and vegetables, which may include a box of Clementines or a bag of freshly harvested tomatoes.

According to Zahra Parvinian, Good Food Box and Produce Manager, prices are low because of the relationship the organization has with produce distributors and the free labour involved in the warehouse through volunteers. However, though price may be a major concern from a consumer standpoint, Zahra is quick to point out that the price is not the point; nutrition, knowledge and quality are. “Education and empowerment is in everything we do,” says Lori Nikkel, communications manager for Food Share.

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Cheese Boutique
45 Ripley Avenue
416-762-6292

“Quality is our bottom line,” says Fatos Pristine while he displays the effects of aging on cheese. Fatos, as the owner of the Cheese Boutique, is largely responsible for how people in Toronto view not only cheese, but also gourmet food in general. With wire-rimmed glasses, a high hairline, and expressive hand gestures, Pristine could easily pass for an eccentric professor instead of a local cultural icon.

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The Communist’s Daughter
1149 Dundas Street West
647-435-0103
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $52

It is easy to overlook The Communist’s Daughter as another Toronto bar catering to locals from the neighbourhood who would prefer it if you never noticed it to begin with. Furthermore, with seating for no more than twenty people, wall decals, and the eerie painting of a little girl who belongs in The Shining, it is easy to say, “Why bother?” A good reason to bother is because inside lies a place that does not adhere to sterile standards about what makes a good restaurant, but instead offers a simple menu with delicious results in a relaxed environment.

The single biggest problem with the Communist’s Daughter is the name. The name above the entrance is The Nazarene which causes a lot of confusion for people who aren’t aware that The Nazarene is the name of the former establishment. There is, however a rough-looking sign hanging in the window indicating the proper name of the place, although it calls for some attention to detail to actually notice it.

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