Culinarium
705 Mount Pleasant Road, Toronto
647-430-7004

In the uptown enclave of Yonge and Eglinton, peppered with high-end foodie destinations from bakeries to gelato to dim sum, there is a new kid on the block, with a unique take on the upscale food experience. Offering Ontario-only food products, Culinarium, which recently opened on Mount Pleasant at Soudan, is a gourmet grocery store, the retail division of a company called Savour the Flavour. Their mission is “to provide authentic local food experiences by retailing Ontario’s finest locally-produced products and connecting those passionate about food with local food-producing communities via edible events such as cooking classes, tastings and farm tours.” After spending some time with Kathleen Mackintosh, the store’s founder, it’s clear that Culinarium’s unique mission is one driven by a true love of food.

Continue reading A Community Centre for Foodies »

Per Se Foods
563 Queen Street West
416-594-0303

Ilene Fattore spent last Thursday trying to recover from the big Queen West fire.

The fire that wiped out most of a city block indirectly affected businesses further along the strip as far as Augusta. The hydro was out, freezers were off, food had to go. So the staff at Per Se Foods spent the day taking care of stock and refilling the ready-to-go counter from scratch. “We just opened up and every hour we’re closed counts,” Ilene said.

Continue reading Not that Per Se »

Good Catch General Store
1556 Queen Street West
416-533-4664

The success of any retail business is based on its ability to respond to the surrounding community. Can you give the customer what they want? A business that sees itself as part of the community can take that relationship one step further, as it not only supplies the regional customer base with goods, but gives those customers a central place to meet, shop and be a part of things.

In the olden days, that would have been a local general store. In 2008, it’s also the general store, or at least that’s the case in Parkdale.

Continue reading It’s All Good at the General Store »

Fiesta Farms
200 Christie Street
416-537-1235

I love buying groceries - it represents freedom (I can get whatever I want!), the thrill of the on-sale find, and even a bit of luxury (I deserve the $8 cheese this week!). But the lustre can wear off, especially in the winter months when the produce is uninspiring and trekking through snow with overloaded bags is a huge pain.

Luckily I’ve found a way to stay inspired even though the temperature is dropping: Fiesta Farms. It’s Toronto’s largest independent grocery store and is like a health food store, farmer’s market, and foodie destination rolled into one. It’s been getting major props (NOW, CityBites) since partnering with Local Food Plus, an organization that certifies farmers and processors, and helps get sustainable food to consumers. I finally got a chance to check out Fiesta Farms a few weeks ago and felt like I had stumbled across one of the city’s best kept (although maybe not anymore) secrets.

Continue reading Fresh From the Farm »

The Kitchen Table
705 King Street West (and others)
416-703-0893

At first glance The Kitchen Table may seem like just another downtown convenience store, but upon further examination it’s clearly so much more. When looking for a good “cup of joe”, a quick and healthy lunch, some local produce, or a bouquet of flowers, this place delivers in a way that is uniquely Toronto.

As a convenience store it serves up the customary TTC passes, lottery tickets, newspapers and snack food. And, snack food it has aplenty! Every imaginable type of jujube, nut, chip, bar, and beverage can be found. But their selection goes beyond the usual convenience store fare. The Kitchen Table sells produce, flowers, dairy and bread at prices comparable to mainstream grocery stores, which is a godsend for Toronto’s urban dwellers that are hard-pressed to find full-sized grocery stores in their neighbourhoods. While it’s not the place to regularly shop for dry goods like cereal or laundry detergent, items like this can be found at a premium price when in a pinch.

Continue reading Torontonians Around the Kitchen Table »

Festival
649 College Street
416-539-3985

They are all sorts of travelling rules: pack your identification cards and money in a waist pouch that fits snugly under your clothes. Plan to arrive 2 to 3 hours early to the airport, don’t leave your bags unattended, and bring your own toilet paper… There are books upon books devoted to travel preparation and safety and while I like to be prepared for the trip, I prefer fitting in when I’m there. Fine, I’m still recovering from social extradition in high school.

In Italy, for example, I find myself gesticulating dramatically, a natural accompaniment to passionate conversation, which of course can be something as un-academic as whose mother makes the best tomato sauce. As expected, when it comes to the Italian diet, I pretend I am one of the locals as well, capable of digesting inordinate amounts of alcohol, cheese, pasta and gelato. I am beginning however to understand the repercussions of excessive consumption, though in my youthful naivety, I still think I can beat the system. Preparation, as with travelling, was all I needed.

Continue reading Party in my Mouth at Festival »

T&T Supermarket
222 Cherry Street
416-463-8113

I came to T & T for the duck tongues and stayed for the pig stomachs. And the chicken feet. And the quail eggs. T&T, inevitably described as the Chinese Loblaws, opened its first downtown store in August on Cherry Street at the former Knob Hill Farms location.

For foodies, T&T is Chinatown under one roof without the smell of rotting vegetables. It’s gleaming, antiseptic aisles hold thousands of Asian food products as well as Western staples. Where to start? The seafood section alone is worth a visit: there are tanks brimming with tilapia, pickerel and eel. All of them seem lively, even downright feisty.

Continue reading Duck Gizzards and a Loaf of Bread »

Taste: The 4th Sense
375 Danforth Avenue
416-649-0024

The first time I went to talk to Gerry, he was too popular for me. Maybe it was my mistake for stopping in on a sunny Saturday; I should have known better. Even so, despite watching and waiting for an hour, he barely had a minute to spare. It’s apparent I am hardly the only one who get serious cravings for hot sauce. The place was positively teeming with people eager to scald their tastebuds. I had to come back on a cooler Sunday, and even then, customers wandered in and out. Some zeroed in on a bottle and made a beeline for the counter, clearly knowing precisely their poison. Others, perhaps newcomers, sampled a range of sauces and oils until they settled on two, oh and could they have just this one as well, and maybe one of those vinaigrettes, please.

Continue reading To Touch the Fire and Relish the Burn »

Starsky Foods
2040 Dundas Street East, Mississauga
905-279-8889

Being a food geek, I was truly excited when T&T Supermarket decided to expand to Toronto from Vancouver a few years back. I was enthralled by the selection of Asian candies, various tea drinks, sweet and savoury bread varieties and the always fresh produce. Now that I have married into the Polish culture, I am on the lookout for a store that can fulfil my needs of all food items Polish, similar to what T&T has for all things Chinese. My in-laws have promoted and raved about Starsky’s Foods in Mississauga ever since the first time they went last year.

Continue reading The Biggest Deli Counter in the GTA »

Sunshine Natural Foods
942 College Street
416-533-9582

Andrew and Leila Ois had always wanted to start their own business, and when they spotted the “for lease” sign on the former convenience store on College Street, they jumped at the chance to open an organic food store at the location, which is close to their home and in a happening part of town.

With the help of friends, they cleaned the store up, inside and out, and got it ready to go in record time. The store has become an asset to the College and Dovercourt neighbourhood. I live in the area, and it’s been great to have somewhere that offers healthier foods - the Ois’ friendly attitude is a total bonus.

Continue reading Sunshine Natural Foods: A Local Shop for Local People »

Heisei Market
3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
905-305-7300

Going to the supermarket has always been a favourite pastime for me. I love strolling up and down the aisles looking for new products on the shelves. It’s even more interesting when I go to ethnic-based supermarkets because I get to look at fun and unusual products. One of my favourite places to “discover” new things is the supermarket at Japan Town (J-town) called Heisei Market. Located in Markham, it is very convenient for me because it is just off Highway 404.

J-town is owned by a Japanese owner, and all the staff there are Japanese. I’ve recently reviewed the cafeteria Green Tea Café which is a very popular place for lunch among the Asian community. The Heisei Market, on the other hand, is not just popular with Japanese people. The fresh food, the interesting products, and the friend staff definitely attract people of all cultural backgrounds.

Continue reading Exploration Shopping »

The Mercantile
626 College Street
416-531-7563

The Mercantile is a uniquely cozy shop on College Street, just east of Grace. At only 8-feet wide, it’s easy to miss on the busy Little Italy strip. Shannon Doyle opened The Mercantile in May of 1999 after years of bartending. She decided she could not bear to ever serve another beer. Trained as an actress, she thought opening her own business would be a great way to still be able to audition and act while making a steady living. She had lived in Little Italy for years and felt that a there was something missing in the area.

“I put a bit of a twist on the health food shop by incorporating gourmet foods (that don’t carry any additives, of course) and also created The Mercantile to be a gift basket company, therefore allowing me to ship products out as well.”

The gift baskets have become a great way for people that are not in the area to be able to use the store. The website became a way for people to order all sorts of themed baskets like, “Thai Me Up for Dinner” or “I Will Never Wheat Again”. The store also has its own line of spice kits nicely presented in silver boxes, making a simple, elegant gift. Customers can also pick out their own basket or other container from the store’s selection and fill it with whatever they choose to create their own package.

Continue reading A Unique Store For Unique People »

Atelier Thuet
171 East Liberty Street, unit 153 (west down the laneway from King West Fitness)
416-603-2777
After months of anticipation, after many folks in search of bread found themselves lost in the back alleys of Liberty Village, the day has finally come. Atelier Thuet is open for business. And oh, was it worth the wait.

We wandered in shortly after 9am this morning to be warmly greeted by the chef himself as he arranged the display in the meat case. We ogled the wall of bread, oohed and aahed at the fridge of caviar and then sat down with coffee and those perfect flaky buttery croissants to take the whole thing in.

Continue reading Hop Thuet, the Atelier is Open »

Today we’re looking at the organic options in the higher-end grocery stores in my ‘hood. And the options really appear to be all about location. In Parkdale proper, even the prepackaged organic items can be hit or miss, but once I headed over to Roncesvalles Avenue where the supermarkets face stiff competition from a plethora of greengrocers, the organic options were overwhelming.

Loblaws
2280 Dundas West

With 300 products in the PC Organics line, I’m not about to list them all, and I’m going to go with the assumption that the Dufferin Mall No Frills offers a good cross-section of the prepared organic products. Instead, at Loblaws I concentrated on the produce section where there was, indeed, a decent amount of organic options to choose from. Organic strawberries were posted as being $5.99 compared to $4.99 for conventional and that price must have been attractive to customers as there were no organic strawberries left when I was there.

Of the organic cabbage, beets, radish, kale and carrots, all were imported. Pineapples, grapes and pears were also sold bagged, so there was no picking and choosing. Organic onions and sweet potatoes were sold in bags only, which might make the conventional versions of those items more of an option for anyone who needed only one or two of each. There was a decent selection of loose organic fruit, however, with mangoes, oranges, pears, lemons, avocado and kiwi all represented, as well as 5 varieties of organic apples.

Continue reading Manic Organic, Part 2 »

A few months back I read something in one of the newspaper food columns about how relatively easy it was to get organic produce at local supermarkets. The article specifically mentioned the No Frills in Dufferin Mall, and it left me scratching my head. See, I shop at that No Frills and I can’t really recall seeing a whole lot of organic produce there.

This provoked the desire to start exploring. Maybe there were hidden gems in my local shops that I wasn’t even aware of. So over the past few weeks, I’ve been wandering the supermarkets of the west end of downtown to see exactly what there was out there in terms of organics.

You’ll notice that I stuck to supermarkets and chain grocery stores, as this is where most people shop. My own grocery shopping excursions take me regularly to St. Lawrence and Kensington Markets, Whole Foods and Pusateri’s, as well as a variety of farmer’s markets, shops in ethnic neighbourhoods and small health food stores, in addition to frequenting the stores listed below.

In my travels for this article, I looked for specific items such as milk and soy milk, eggs, produce and prepared foods.

Continue reading Manic Organic, Part 1 »