Local Food : In The News

A short article on an American economist's blog has become the talk of the town after asking "Is Scarborough, Ontario the dining capital of the world?"

Of course, local news outlets had a field day with the attention. But it also gave downtowners a moment of pause, and a double-take at a nearby culinary treasure. 


Read the full article here. 
Source: Marginal Revolution




 

King County, Washington—which seats the city of Seattle—is looking to establish a restaurant safety grading system. Toronto, which for 12 years has held the DineSafe stoplight colour-coded system to indicate a pass, conditional pass or restaurant closure, is being looked at as one example of how these indexes can work.

This is hardly a new development. According to the CBC, DineSafe has become a model for restaurant grading programs around the world. In 2011, Toronto became the first city outside the US to be awarded the prestigious Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award for excellence in food protection.

The Seattle Times reports: “The goal is to help prevent foodborne illness, which sickened nearly 400 people in Washington state last year, including 15 probable or confirmed illnesses in King County. Nationwide, some 48 million people get sick from food poisoning each year and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Here's hoping the county lands on a solution that sticks. In Toronto, at least, the compliance rate is estimated at over 92 percent.

Read the full story here.
Source: Seattle Times


 

Toronto's Mobile Good Food Market (which we wrote about when it launched last year) is getting buzz for putting a healthy and accessible twist on the food truck trend to wheel fresh produce to underserved neighbourhoods.

The project is the brainchild of FoodShare Toronto, in partnership with the City of Toronto and United Way. The donated truck—which is really more like a small bus—was converted into a mini grocery store by LGA Architectural Partners. Oh, and the bus interior is wheelchair accessible, too.

“Good food is beautiful when displayed well,” says Dean Goodman of LGA in VisualNews, “so when we decided we wanted this to be a feature we worked out the mechanism so one person could fold out the shelves, restock as necessary and display the food so it was attractive.”

(Healthy) food for thought.


Read the full article here.
Source: VisualNews

Toronto's “multicultural snacking and molecular cocktail” scene got love from influential alt weekly The Village Voice last week. It shouldn't be a huge surprise; the city's diverse and eclectic neighbourhoods have drawn plenty of international attention in the past.


King and Queen Streets West get a shoutout, as do a number of Kensington Market hotspots including Italian-Jamaican fusion joint Rasta Pasta, taqueria Seven Lives, and people-watching patio, Ronnie's. As the article states, “Ontario's capital is anything but provincial.” We couldn't agree more.


Read the full article here.
Source: The Village Voice.  

Little India is changing, and the New York Times has noticed.

"Sari shops and curry emporiums still dot Gerrard Street, the main artery in Toronto’s Little India. But over the last decade, much of the city’s South Asian population has decamped for suburbs like Brampton and Rexdale," the publication writes.

"Now, as artists and young families move into the neighborhood’s neat single-family homes, Gerrard Street’s affordable storefronts are attracting creative entrepreneurs priced out of trendier districts. The fresh crop of businesses is giving this east-end enclave a vibe that’s both edgy and homey. And with a wave of Irish immigrants settling nearby side streets, a distinctive lilt can now be heard on the strip."

Coffee house and gallery Flying Pony gets top nods for its "bold works by emerging Canadian artists like Gilles Arsenault and David Irvine," while The Swag Sisters, a "tiny toy shop where Legos share shelves with duct-tape wallets from MarinaRocksToronto – a.k.a. the 15-year-old Toronto designer Marina Wilson," receives additional praise. 

Eateries Tea n Bannock and Lazy Daisy's Café are applauded for traditional cuisine and local-faire, respectably. 

And lastly, Gerrard Art Space gets a write up for its "multimedia exhibits, Sunday afternoon concerts, ukulele classes and children’s art workshops."

Read the full story here. 
Original Source: The New York Times

Vogue has named West Queen West the second hippest neighbourhood in the world in part thanks to its street style, arts and culture scene, and prominent indie shops and designers. 

Here's what they said: 

"Toronto is currently enjoying newfound prominence—and desirability—amongst globe-trotting tastemakers. Queen Street West is a verifiable artery of indie patisseries, homegrown labels, and hidden-from-view galleries—hallmarks of hipness, if ever they existed. It’s also the home of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, well-established “art” hotels The Drake and the Gladstone, and the charming Bicyclette, a local clothing boutique and lifestyle brand whose owners love “glitter, DIY projects, treasure hunts and details.” Soho House Toronto is nearby, as is Graffiti Alley, a block where street art is both 100 percent legal and lauded."

Toronto followed only Tokyo's Shimokitazawa. The report was surprisingly refreshing. Here is the full list of the world's hippest neighbourhoods.

1. Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, Japan
2. West Queen West, Toronto, Canada
3. Sodermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
4. Tiong Bahru, Singapore
5. Centro, Sao Paulo, Brazil
6. Canal Saint-Martin, Paris, France
7. Bushwick, New York City, U.S.
8. Brera, Milan, Italy
9. Wynwood, Miami, U.S.
10. Zona Rosa & La Condesa, Mexico City, Mexico
11. Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia
12. Silver Lake, Los Angeles, U.S.
13. Hackney, London, U.K.
14. Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
15. Dashanzi Art District, Beijing, China

Read the full story here. 
Original Source: Vogue 

Liberty Village is getting a brew pub. Unlike the slew of brew pubs and breweries that have been popping up around the city in recent years, this one isn't part of Toronto's growing locavore movement. Instead, it marks an expansion for Calgary-based Big Rock Brewery as the 30-year-old beer company branches out into new markets. 

The pub and restaurant will operate out of the former Artscape heritage building at Liberty and Atlantic and is expected to open by March 2015, when renovations to the century old building (and the securing of municipal permits) is complete, the London Community News reports. 

“Over the past two years, we have produced over 40 unique and different beers, but very few have found their way into Ontario,” chief executive Bob Sartor told the publication, noting that the expansion “will provide a great opportunity to share our beers and demonstrate our beer innovation."

Liberty Village's pedestrian traffic, historical and contemporary components, and ample patio space opportunity made it an ideal location for the expansion. 

Presently, Big Rock is available at some Beer Store outlets and restaurants in Toronto, but the cost of shipping beer from Alberta has been a hindrance. The company hopes the brew pub is only the beginning, with a goal of opening a full-fledged brewery in Ontario down the line.

Read the full story here. 
Original Source: London Community News

Toronto's Hero Burgers is set to open its first American location on Buffalo's Elmwood Avenue later this summer. 

"It's a great indication of Elmwood’s growth and attractiveness that a Toronto-based business is interested in coming here," said Carly Battin, Elmwood Village Association's executive director, in an article that appeared on BizJournals.com. "It also is a reflection of the overall Canadian interest in the Elmwood Village."

It's also a great indication of Toronto's growing role in the booming burger business of North America. While American chains hurry to gain retail space and market threshold in Toronto, our local chains are slower to expand beyond city limits. 

Hero Burger, which is owned by John Lettieri or Lettieri cafes, has been rapidly expanding since its inception in 2004. Along with its first U.S. location, Hero Burgers is expanding further across the GTA and opening additional spots in Oakville, Brampton, and Toronto's Stockyards. The chain has numerous existing locations throughout Toronto, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Markham, Scarborough, Burlington, and the surrounding region. 

The company sets itself apart with its commitment to sustainability—including within its own practices and the vendors it partners with.  It offers angus beef produced in Western Canada by farmers who practice sustainable care in raising livestock, preserving land, and in production. Hero Burger uses no additives or preservatives in their beef—including growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics—a practice that is becoming more scrutinized and essential here, but less so in America. 

Read the full story here. 
Original Source: BizJournals.com

Ten Toronto restaurants ranked among the country's top 50, according to the third annual guide determined by Vacay.ca and a panel of judges consisting of some of the nation's top chefs. 

While the top prize went to a small, but elegant eatery in St. John's Newfoundland—recognized for elevating the province's local cuisine—Toronto took home 20 per cent of the honours with Bar Isabel, a Spanish eatery found along College Street at Shaw, leading our city's rankings as the second best restaurant in Canada. 

Executive Chef Lucais Syme of La Pentola della Quercia hailed, "Simply presented food with awesome flavour made of great combinations. Great style and interesting." While Executive Chef Paul Brans of Artisan proclaimed, "Great sharing plates that take you back to those crowded tapas bars in Barcelona. Perfect."

"Go for the charcuterie and cocktails; stay late for the fried chicken," says Little Room President Joseph Caturay. "Check out your fellow diners; chances are they are some of the top chefs, bartenders and servers in Toronto."

Bar Isabel is a newer establishment that did not exist at the time of nominations in 2013, thus 2014 marks a strong debut. 

Here's how Toronto restaurants ranked:

2. Bar Isabel, 797 College St.
7. BUCA, 604 King St. W.
12. Bar BUCA, 75 Portland St.
15. Hopgood's Foodliner, 325 Roncesvalles Ave. 
28. Auberge Du Pommier, 4150 Yonge St.
34. Momofuku Shoto, 190 University Ave. 
35. Canoe, 66 Wellington St. W.
36. Patria, 478 King St. W. 
38. Splendido, 88 Harbord St. 
40. Chantecler, 1320 Queen St. W. 

Read the full list here. 
Original Source: Vacay.ca

Toronto-based nonprofit the Bowery Project was highlighted in a recent article for its forward-thinking approach to urban farming and for taking advantage of vacant lots. 

The Fast Company article describes the Bowery Project as follows: "Using a simple modular system built from milk crates, a new Toronto nonprofit plans to convert vacant city lots into instantly mobile urban farms that can supply neighborhoods with local produce."

The Bowery Project, founded by Rachel Kimel and Deena DelZotto, works with the city of Toronto and various developers to maximize space in the city and use it for good.

“If developers buy a piece of land, usually there’s a long period of time where the land sits vacant until they’ve gotten permits, finished their designs, and raised the money they need,” Kimel explains in the article. “We’re hoping to be kind of a transformative application for an interim project for these lots."

The food will be split three ways with one third going to local hunger organizations, another to the volunteers who work on the farm, and the last will be sold to local chefs to help sustain the organization. "They expect that chefs will request specific food items that are otherwise difficult to get in Toronto, such as shishito peppers," the article says. 

Kimel and DelZotto met while volunteering at another local food access organization, the Stop.

“We love the energy that comes along with growing food,” Kimel says in the article. “We wanted to engage the community and transform a part of the neighborhood that would otherwise be left as concrete and weeds.”

Read the full story here. 
Original Source: Fast Company