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Toronto’s indie bookstores find ways to survive Winter gardening Dining Sports

LOOKING DOWN ON TORONTO And other pleasures of living in Midtown

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Middle of the line

W

hen I first came to Toronto as a student and then a downtown worker, a cheap recreation was riding the subway system to the ends of the lines.

We would sit in the first seats in the first car and turn around to watch out the front window — getting the same view as the train driver. But we’d press faces against the glass and squint eyes as we rocketed through the tunnels, the lights whizzing past making an effect like the trippy scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Then getting out at the end of whichever line we were on, it would hit us we’d reached other planets.

The north-south line terminated at Eglinton in those days. I still recall wandering around in this strange land at the northern extremity of the city. Exotic streets like Bayview, Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton with their unfamiliar shops and movie theatres.

Big houses in widely spaced neighbourhoods that seemed forbidding to casual visitors. Even the air seemed different in those foreign climes. (I know now it probably was — less polluted than downtown then.)

The east end of the subway system at Victoria Park and the western terminus at Islington yielded more alien

Eric McMillan, Editor-in-chief sights. Those areas were the suburbs, the highrise-ridden boonies.

But the world around Eglinton station (and sometimes St. Clair when we got out there) had its own enticements. Never thought I’d live so far north though.

Now, of course, the “northern” borderland is miles away and this area is known as Midtown Toronto — the geographic centre of the city.

Its attractions are no longer alien but comfortable — even taken for granted — by those of us who now spend much of our lives here. TT

4 REASONS TO LOVE MIDTOWN An eclectic, sometimes whimsical selection of some of the area’s most attractive features 6 THE BOOK WILL SURVIVE If our thriving small bookstores have anything to say about it 9 FASHIONABLE AND AFFORDABLE Being chic doesn’t have to be expensive 11 SWEET DREAMS Petite & Sweet’s staff get their own show on Food Network Canada 13 NOT THE SANDWICH YOU REMEMBER Grilled cheese has gone way beyond just white bread and cheese slices

Plus lots more...

On the cover: The view downtown from Casa Loma hill in autumn.

Eric McMillan/Toronto Today

OCTOBER 2012 TORONTO TODAY

Reasons to love Midtown

W

As if we need any

e’re right in the middle of Canada’s largest city.

We’re generally a well-educated, well-spoken, creative lot — politically, socially and financially engaged with this metropolis.

But it often seems we don’t get any respect.

Politicians of all levels increasingly cater either to the downtown crowd or to the suburbs — or even further afield. Our polite voices expressing our moderate, reasoned views are often overwhelmed in the cacophony of demands and counterarguments all around us.

We’re the biggest supporters of culture, but only a tiny fraction of the city’s lively music, art and theatre scene can be reached from our homes without a subway ride.

Most of the traffic on our streets is people passing through — trying to reach the east end from the west and vice versa or commuting between downtown and the north.

But we know we have a lot of offer. So let’s celebrate the famous and little-known aspects of life here that make central Toronto an enjoyable and interesting place to be. Here’s an eclectic selection of what makes us special to start.

It’s where celebs can escape celebrity Every part of Toronto has its homegrown stars who were born and raised there or who settled there as their careers developed. Rachel McAdams in Harbord Village, the Tragically Hip in Beaches/Riverdale, Sarah Polley in downtown.

But Midtown — the middle strip of the city between Bloor Street and Highway 401 — seems to take in more than its share of famous folks. Accomplished Canucks include Gordon Lightfoot in Rosedale, Ann Michaels in Leaside, two thirds of Rush in Bridle Path and Rosedale, Margaret Atwood in.... But wait, part of why they like living here is because we don’t make a big fuss about them.

It’s also why so many international stars tend to reside above Bloor when they visit. Around Yorkville you can run into Brad Pitt, Matt Damon — or Neil Young staying high above the site of the long-gone coffee shops he used to play in. And if they’re here for more than a one- or two-night gig, they’re apt to look further north for private, homey lodgings, as the Rolling Stones did when they famously encamped in the Bridle Path neighbourhood. But don’t go looking for stars. Just let them be in Midtown.

It’s Monty Mazin’s stomping grounds Midtown’s own English Gentleman, Monty Mazin, has been a hero in North Toronto for decades. An active volunteer throughout the year, Mazin is best known in and around the Baycrest community, but his caring arms have been even farther reaching. Each year, over Christmas, Mazin is at the Yonge-Eglinton Centre, telling jokes and spreading holiday cheer as he collects donations for the Salvation Army’s Kettle Fund.

At 85 years young, the London-born Mazin says volunteering is in his blood. His grandmother, Bubba Bessie, who raised him in London’s east end, was a social activist, and her work with those in need resonated with him.

Most recently, Mazin received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his tireless community volunteer service through B’Nai Brith Canada, Rotary International, Baycrest Hospital and the Reuben Cipin Healthy Living Community, where he now resides.

The self-described “people-person” says while the medal is much appreciated, he doesn’t do it for the accolades.

“It’s for the satisfaction of being able to help people and bring cheer into their lives.”

Karolyn Coorsh/Toronto Today

TORONTO TODAY OCTOBER 2012

It’s a birthplace for artists Talking about Canuck celebs, how about our original stars of the arts: The Group of Seven?

They’re known for their depictions of the Canadian North and Toronto streetscapes. But much of their work was painted in a two-storey studio building, pictured in part above, constructed just for them by a wealthy patron. It still stands amid the trees in the still inspiring Rosedale Valley.

Which reminds us of another Midtown delight: the Rosedale Valley Road — surely one of the most unusual roadways found in the middle of any metropolis. Winding, pretty, natural, and practical to get you from uptown to the DVP.

You probably won’t be murdered here Toronto as a whole has long had a reputation for being safe and the crime rate has fallen further in recent years. In 2011 we had only 45 murders, which means Torontonians had about a one in 58,000 chance of being slain last year.

But the odds are even longer in central Toronto.

Of 39 murders in 2012 to date, only two have taken place in what we call Midtown. Police maps of violent crimes almost present a doughnut effect.

We’re the hole in the middle without those little flags indicating violent crime, while neighbourhoods ringing us get the brunt of the action.

Now, break-ins, car thefts and such property crimes present a more complex picture. Our possessions are highly desired, it seems. But at least we usually get to keep our lives.

It’s where the lights stay on Toronto is notorious for its dearth of 24-hour eateries, but for almost 60 years, hungry midtowners know a hot plate of greasy goodness is only a barstool away at Vesta Lunch, no matter what time of day.

As the cheerful cooks tell customers, this 24-hour diner on Dupont Street, with just one communal counter at which to eat, hasn’t been closed a day in years, ever since someone lost the keys. Can’t lock up, might as well just stay open.

Patrons looking to eat in or take out need only look up for the menu: On the wall above the fryers is a long list featuring hamburgers, souvlaki, liver and onions, BBQ chicken, not to mention the perennial fave: bacon and eggs with fries and toast. It’s not gourmet dining, but it’s not the worst food you’ll ever consume either.

Insomniacs, graveyard shift workers or straight-up night owls can fill the belly and ponder life while watching the sun rise over the TTC’s Hillcrest yards across the street.

In a city with an abundance of fancy coffee shops that close their doors at 10 p.m., it’s nice to know Vesta’s kitchen light is always on. Here’s hoping no one ever finds those keys.

It’s a great place to look down on Toronto from Uh, let us rephrase that. What we mean is we have some of the greatest views of the city here.

Toronto slants down toward the lake, with the ridge running along the north side of Davenport Road having once been the shoreline of a much bigger body of water. (If this was Hamilton, it’d be called a mountain.) The rise gives us some terrific vantage points, such as above the world’s longest stairway (not really the longest, it only seems like it to joggers sometimes.)

And that’s not even the highest point around.

Forest Hill, we often forget, began as a, well, forested hill. One of our many natural highrises.

From some of our streets, more so from some of our two-storey homes, and even more so from our towers, we have some of the most awesome city vistas available for free — besting heights that people pay money to attain downtown.

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OCTOBER 2012 TORONTO TODAY

Survival of the book Lori Connor/Toronto Today

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Small, local bookstores are finding ways to stay alive — and thrive

By Lori Connor

s far as the numbers are concerned, books may be going out of style.

Over the past few years, numerous high-profile Toronto bookstores have closed. Pages, Ballenford Books, The Book Mark, the Toronto Women’s Bookstore.

Book sales are down, down, down, says BookNet Canada, which tracks about 75 percent of the country’s sales.

The book industry hasn’t had a single positive quarter since 2009.

However, sales of e-readers and ebooks are through the roof. In August, Amazon’s American branch reported it was selling more ebooks than print books.

But don’t write that obituary just yet, says Chris Szego, manager at Bakka Phoenix Books on Harbord Street.

Opened in 1972 on Queen Street East, Bakka is possibly the oldest continuing science fiction and fantasy bookstore in the world, Szego says.

As far as she’s concerned, the city’s independent booksellers are still alive and kicking.

“We’ve just had the best September we’ve had in seven years,” Szego says.

It’s hard to pin down the reason why. September saw few blockbuster releases that could have caused a spike in business. What Bakka Phoenix did

offer, though, were events like writing workshops, reading groups, and book launches, featuring big Canadian names like Robert J. Sawyer and Cory Doctorow.

Those names, Szego found, outpaced even the biggest sellers when it came to the local market. She offers an example of the final Harry Potter book when it was released in 2007.

“Deathly Hallows was available absolutely everywhere at 25 percent off.

As a small bookstore, we can’t afford to do that. But Cory’s book, which was signed, was not available everywhere.

I would sell 40 copies of Harry Potter and 100 copies of Cory Doctorow.”

Bakka Phoenix defies bookstore traditions. There is no maze of shelves with books spilling off them. The books line the walls, fronts facing out. Perched in front of some are hand-written reviews penned by members of the staff.

“Customers come in and get to know us,” Szego says. “They also get to know whose tastes are similar to theirs. The recommendation thing is one of the key ways we put books into peoples’ hands.

“The important thing is not just to be a store, but to be a community hub.

People come here because they want to talk. People come here because it is a safe space that is dedicated to their interest.”

There’s a similar philosophy on the other side of the city. Katya Nosko

owns The Great Escape on Kingston Road near Victoria Park Avenue.

“It’s a neighbourhood store,” Nosko says. “It’s populated by neighbourhood people. This particular store is heavily, heavily supported by this neighbourhood.”

Nosko’s store is very different from Szego’s. While Bakka Phoenix deals primarily in new books, The Great Escape sells almost exclusively used.

The shelves that fill the relatively small floor space often reach to the ceiling. Hung on the side of one of those shelves is a painting of a smiling Steve McQueen astride a motorcycle, holding a book.

“There’s a bit more of a library feel to it,” Nosko says.

There is not a computer screen to be found anywhere in the store. Nosko records overstock in spiral notebooks, uses an old-fashioned cash register to ring up purchases, and records customers’ trade-in credit with a drawer full of index cards. The shop doesn’t even have a debit card reader: purchases are made by cash or cheque only.

“One of the things that is said about this particular place is that people can be transported,” Nosko says. “They’re transported to an earlier time by the remedial way we do things. Because it’s not high-tech, it has this ability to make people slow down. There’s no frantic energy here.”

The easy-going nature of the store

draws a certain kind of customer.

“What we see is more of the people who come for refuge,” Nosko says.

“They come because this symbolizes the type of bookstore they want to be in. It’s not cold, it’s not filled with tchotchkes, it’s not full of things to buy.

It’s just for the browsing and reading pleasure.”

Nosko took over in January after the retirement of the previous owners, who had run the shop for 16 years. “They did better every year,” she says.

One of the things she has in mind for the store’s future is the incorporation of author visits, readings, and launches, as well as forays into the neighbourhood’s literary festivals. Like Szego, Nosko regards community involvement to be an important next step.

“That kind of stuff encourages participation, rather than just ‘come buy a book,’ ” Nosko says. “We get those requests all the time. It’s not just a place to get a book; it’s a place to be part of the community.”

But no one denies bookstores face a grimmer market than before.

“As long as I have worked in the business, it has been tough times for the book industry,” Szego says. “First, Chapters moved in, and then Indigo arrived. They went head to head, and they crushed a lot of the independents in between.”

One of the stores that did not fall to the incursion of big box bookstores is

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Doug Miller Books. Tucked into Koreatown on Bloor Street West between Bathurst and Christie streets, its English storefront stands out among the Korean characters surrounding it. The shop deals equally in new overstock and used titles.

Owner Doug Miller has been collecting books since he was five, he says, and it was only natural that his love transferred into his career. He moved to Bloor from Mt. Pleasant Road two years ago, but the store is already packed to the gills with books (and a caged rabbit).

Miller says thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way his selection or prices can compare with those in stores like Chapters Indigo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No competition at all,â&#x20AC;? he says.

But the book-selling giants are beginning to stumble. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it as a bookstore,â&#x20AC;?

Miller says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have housewares, toys. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not strictly bookstores anymore. They rent a great amount of their space to Starbucks.... Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just how they have to survive. They have huge stores, huge space, huge square footage in prime locations throughout the city.â&#x20AC;?

The Internet, particularly the rise of superpowers like Amazon, has also affected local business, Nosko says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People love to buy things online,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting a better deal. In some cases, they are, but they may or may not be. What they end up doing is theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not supporting their

local business. When you go to this sort of global economy, you can very much hurt the local businesses.â&#x20AC;?

When local stores close, she says customers often have no one to blame but themselves for failing to support those businesses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we are seeing a little bit of are people who are fed up with buying online,â&#x20AC;? Nosko says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen a little bit of a trickle, just in the last few weeks, really, saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;well, I usually buy online,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but they get that maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not so great to do that.â&#x20AC;?

A newer threat to traditional booksellers comes in the form of ebooks. The Globe and Mail reports Canadians buy some of the greatest quantities of ebooks in the world. As much as 10 percent of books purchased in Canada are delivered electronically. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The thing to remember is that ebooks are books,â&#x20AC;? Szego says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ebook is just another format. It is not the boogeyman for independent booksellers. It is not the saviour of publishing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a format.â&#x20AC;?

Ebook prices are also often comparable to physical copies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re starting to see a few more of those customers come back because the price point on those particular books has gone up,â&#x20AC;? Nosko says.

The question of format is responsible for driving up prices. Miller says.

Because the ebook must be converted into so many different formats to be read on so many different devices, it equals

Lori Connor/Toronto Today

BEST SEPTEMBER YET, says Bakka Phoenix manage Chris Szego.

out to a comparable cost. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the great thing about the book,â&#x20AC;? Miller says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The book is the book is the book.â&#x20AC;?

Ebooks have impacted Nosko and the Great Escape as well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no doubt that we lost a lot of regular customers,â&#x20AC;? Nosko says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The people who would buy the newest of the new, the bestseller that just came out. For them, it was an advantage to have the ebook and to be able to do that.â&#x20AC;?

But, with prices of digital and physical books beginning to even out, she says sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seeing those early adopters returning.

What Szego wants is a way for Bakka Phoenix to sell its own ebooks, bypassing the traditional online retailers. Until then, though, her hands are bound.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, we will lose a certain proportion of sales to people who can buy it online,â&#x20AC;? Szego says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, in a city like Toronto, where thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lots of choice, people still like face-to-face contact.â&#x20AC;?

The impermanence of ebooks is something else she thinks keeps readers attached with physical copies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re one upgrade away from losing your ebook,â&#x20AC;? Szego says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re one puddle or magnet away.â&#x20AC;?

But large-scale retailers and ebooks may not even be at the top of the list of woes plaguing independent stores.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only reason bookstores close in this city,â&#x20AC;? Miller says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing to do with business being bad.

He and Nosko point to rent as the culprit for bookstore casualties throughout the city in the past few years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rents were going up in trendier areas,â&#x20AC;? Nosko says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If there was a bookstore somewhere, it usually became a trendy area, and the bookstores couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t survive anymore because the rents went up.â&#x20AC;?

As times and expectations change in the industry, shops must adapt to meet the needs of their customers. However, small booksellers all say they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going anywhere. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The death of the physical book is grossly overrated,â&#x20AC;? Szego says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grossly over-reported. Is it changing? Absolutely. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is it dead? Not at all.â&#x20AC;? TT

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OCTOBER 2012 TORONTO TODAY

T

By Liz Campbell

he ferry from Black’s Harbour takes 90 minutes to reach Grand Manan, a island off the coast of New Brunswick. And during every one of those 90 minutes, I can see my travelling companion’s excitement level rising higher.

This visit to the birthplace of his grandfather, Captain Herbert Snell, has been a long time coming.

As we stand on the ferry deck watching the island get nearer, the Swallowtail Lighthouse, a pretty confection of red and white, comes into view. Operational since 1860, this lighthouse would have flashed its warning to ships when Herbert was a lad in short trousers. And it would have served as a beacon many years later, when the ships he commanded made their way through these waters.

Grand Manan has many attractions, most especially the spectacular vistas carved out of the Triassic volcanic rock by wind and wave.

Indeed, one of the sights we head off to see is the Hole in the Wall.

You wouldn’t have thought a hole worthy of note, but a pleasant hike through woodland beside the water brings us to this magnificent outcrop of rock, forming a windowed arch into the Bay of Fundy.

Another short hike takes us to the Swallowtail Lighthouse. As we cross the bridge to the point, the water in the bay suddenly stirs as a pair of dolphins come leaping playfully along. From the lighthouse point, we look over the water and watch the ferry make its steady way across to

the mainland.

Grand Manan has attracted such notables as Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Willa Cather, who spent summers here from 1922 to 1940, and avian artist, John James Audubon.

He came to paint the wonderful collection of birdlife that makes this area home; more than 360 species have been spotted and more than 130 actually breed here.

Indeed, this area is a birder’s paradise. Nearby Machias Seal Island, the outermost of the Grand Manan group, is the southernmost breeding site of the colourful North Atlantic puffin. Razorbills as well as Arctic and common terns also breed on this remote rocky island. One can take a boat tour to Machias during the summer months to see these remarkable birds, but booking ahead is essential as spaces are limited.

If you forgot your binoculars, there’s a wonderful exhibit of more than 300 birds in the Grand Manan Museum. The Allan Moses Bird Collection was given to the children of Grand Manan in 1951.

But we have come to this museum to see something more important.

And there it is. Sitting majestically in a glass case is a model of a typical 19th century, three-masted schooner, the Nellie T. Watters, meticulously carved and rigged by the good Captain Snell. No doubt this craft helped to while away many hours spent at sea.

My companion swells with pride at the sight of this ship.

“I remember this ship in my grandfather’s home when I was a

Liz Campbell/Vaughan Today

THE GRAND TOUR: At top, a visitor finds the Hole in the Wall carved from volcanic rock on Grand Manan, a island off the coast of New Brunswick. Above, in the Grand Manan Museum sits a schooner model carved by Captain Snell.

boy,” he says. “He made several but this one is really magnificent. Look at the detail.”

It was donated to the museum on the island of his birth by his father and uncle, and my friend is thrilled to see it exhibited here. The captain must have had a good many hours to work on these as my friend proudly displays another of his schooners in his own home.

In fact, the museum proves to be a fascinating visit. The people of Grand Manan and their history are preserved here. There are even archives of local

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dIsCOVer OUr IB adVaNTaGe b r A N K S O m e . O N . c A

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TORONTO TODAY OCTOBER 2012

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Travel

Searching for Captain Snell

families and we find ourselves drawn into the life of this small island. In one room, there’s a mini history of lighthouses, their lights, and the ships they guided. Another celebrates the everyday life of its residents.

Grand Manan is only 34 kilometres long but this largest island in the Bay of Fundy, with its many lighthouses, has played an important role in the maritime history of New Brunswick. And it produced a very important sea captain; at least one visitor thinks so. TT

CoolStuff

Cheap chic Affordable, fashionable and fun

M

By Liz Campbell

uch of our species is seriously into chic. But chic needn’t be synonymous with expensive. And in a couple of cases, buying chic can do some good. Check out our chic stuff: Chic exercise: October is the month when we remember thousands of women who have lost the fight with breast cancer. A new Pink Ribbon Yoga Mat, specially designed by Yogi Colleen Saidman, returns $1 from each sale to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This lightweight and durable 3-millimeter mat is a chic take-along to yoga class, and has its own Yoga Workout that can be downloaded. It’s $21.98 at www.

ShopGaiam.com.

Chic jewellery: BeadforLife is a nonprofit organization that works to provide help for women in extreme poverty in Uganda by teaching them to craft beads out of recycled paper. The result is beautiful, stylish necklaces, bracelets and earrings. The jewellery is sold online and through BeadParties. The profits return to Uganda and fund health care, housing, and business training initiatives. Prices range from $5 to $30 and each is a unique creation. Visit www.beadforlife.org.

Continued Page 10

OCTOBER 2012 TORONTO TODAY

Cont. from Page 9

Chic Bags: It started with Crocs. Those wildly personalized sandals have led to the same for handbags. Made popular by young celebs, Optariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Backpacks, Sol Totes and Wristlets are affordable, durable, waterproof and easy to clean. And each item in the Optari line can be customized with your choice of Fobbz or Mini Fobbz, colourful charms that feature a rivet in the back of the charm that plugs into the holes on all Optari products. More than 70 shapes, animals, sports, flowers, initials, and more make each bag personal, distinctive and just plain fun. Prices range from $9.99 for the wristlets to $29.99 for backpacks and the fobs are $4.99 each. They ship to Canada. www.optari.com.

Chic feet: Ever got a winter pedicure only to find that it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite dry enough and your pretty big toe now has a ridge courtesy of your boots? Bootie Pies are cozy boots with a collapsible front flap to expose the toes while getting a pedicure. No waiting for toes to dry, or freezing in flip flops leaving the salon. Made from high quality suede and leather, these Ugg lookalikes come in a variety of colors like Coconut Crème, Chocolate and Blackberry. The cost of pedi-beauty is just $66â&#x20AC;&#x201C;88 on www.bootiepies.com.

Chic Glasses: Paris Hiltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wearing them. Crystal Custom glasses can feature any design you want; choose from their own designs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; everything from retro to funky eyes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or design your own. You can heart New York or your lover for all the world to see, but your vision isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t impaired. Fun and funky, you can get them online for $14.99 up at www.crystalcustom. com. TT

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10 TORONTO TODAY OCTOBER 2012

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Business

Sweet gig

F

By Ann Ruppenstein

rom A Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin to New Kids on the Block singer Jordan Knight, the cast of SugarStars have created elaborate sweet tables for celebrities and notable clients.

“We’re all about the wow factor,” the show’s Elle Daftarian says. “We love to see people’s eyes pop open when they see these tables. It is such a great challenge for us because we like to take what someone thinks as an idea in their head to a whole other level.”

Based at Summerhill’s Petite & Sweet boutique, the new TV show follows cake decorator Yolanda Gampp, event and table stylist Caspar Haydar, shop assistant Antonella Grillone and Daftarian, the creative director.

Together they combine their talents to make edible dessert tables full of treats like macarons, cupcakes and cookies, candy, props, flowers and backdrops centred around Gampp’s intricately designed novelty cakes, which depending on the event have taken the form of a Russian imperial crown, a life-size salmon and a human heart.

“It’s not your typical formula of a food show,” Haydar says. “It’s a real life sitcom and as much as it is based about the food, a lot of it is also about our relationships and interaction with each other and why we set up these sweet tables.”

Between 60 and 80 hours of work is condensed into each 22-minute episode, which air on Monday nights at 10 p.m. on the Food Network Canada.

“I think what intrigued the network was the fact that this show is one of a kind right now,” Daftarian says. “There’s nobody else doing sweet tables, everyone else is doing cakes and cupcakes so this kind of brings all these elements and presents it as one, which is amazing that it’s coming out of Canada.”

For the show they created sweet tables for events like the Eaton Centre’s 35th anniversary and The Book Lover’s Ball, but Daftarian’s notso-secret highlight remains the spread for Jordan Knight, which allowed her to meet the singer.

For the table, which represented all of Knight’s favourite things, they added touches such as sugar cookies made to look like French fries with red butter cream “ketchup,” and a keyboard cake to reflect his love of music.

“If people like to laugh and have fun and see some beautiful visually stimulating tables then this is the show for you,” Haydar says. “I think it’s hilarious. It’s a really funny show, something really different and it’s actually us.”

While the show is entertaining and funny, it also captures the moments when things don’t go as planned when they’re transporting the desserts from their kitchen to the final location or setting up at an event.

“We work so hard on everything that we put on our tables and if something falls or breaks, we’re very emotional about it,” Daftarian says. “My mother watched an episode and she said to me, ‘there’s too much drama,’ I’m like, ‘Mom, that really happened. It’s not a joke, the book dropped and it was very upsetting.’ ” TT

Photo courtesy Food Network Canada

FAMOUS FACES: Yolanda Gampp, left, Caspar Haydar, Antonella Grillone and Elle Daftarian work in Summerhill’s Petite & Sweet boutique and form the cast of Food Network Canada’s SugarStars.

Open HOUSe

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THINK: PoTeNTIal Focus abIlITy courage asPIraTIo PassIoN INTegrITy success greaTNess servIce DesTINy rePuTaTIoN resPecT Dreams THINK UCC

Upper Canada College has been the starting place for some of the greatest dreams a boy has ever had. It’s a place where boys become men and men become great leaders. We’ve helped nurture entrepreneurs, gold medalists, parliamentarians, scholars, chief justices, surgeons, humanitarians, rock stars, Grammy Award winners, journalists and fathers. Help your son realize his dreams and aspirations. Visit www.ucc.on.ca/myGuide and build his very own personalized brochure. See if UCC is the starting place for your son’s future.

Our tuition assistance program is available for dreamers beginning in Grade 5.

To access myGuide

Contact Office of Admission: admission@ucc.on.ca 416-488-1125, ext. 2221 Visit us online www.ucc.on.ca/admission

OCTOBER 2012 TORONTO TODAY 11

Home&Garden

Spring is in gardeners’ minds

S

By Mary Fran McQuade

pring-flowering bulbs are nature’s way of rewarding us for making it through the winter.

Our brains may be crammed with thoughts of Halloween, but it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about spring next year.

The reward? Your neighbours’ yards will be dreary and brown next April while yours will be alive with colour.

Garden geeks like me can go on and on about bulbs. So I’m going to limit myself to a quick list of

bulb basics: 1. Plant your tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs pointed end up.

Some smaller bulbs, like crocus, are pretty much flat. With those, look for a tiny “belly button” on one flat side and plant that facing down.

2. Plant most bulbs in September, October and, if it’s not too cold, November. Leave tulips until last — you can plant them as long as you can dig a deep enough hole in the ground.

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3. If you can, check flowering times and heights of the bulbs you’re buying. Not all bulbs flower at once, so clever people can stretch out their bulb display for ages. Ideally, flower height fits the location. A few tiny bulbs get lost in a big garden.

Tall flowers in a windy location can get blown to bits. I know this from experience.

4. You don’t have to fertilize bulbs when you plant them. A bulb is a complete, ready-to-go flower package, containing enough food to send up its flower in spring.

5. Dig holes as deep as three times the height of the bulb. Exceptions: Plant tulips as far down as you can, to keep them away from marauding squirrels. The furry beasts also love to feast on crocus, so you can plant them as much as 15 cm deep.

6. Don’t be afraid to dig a wide hole and plant several bulbs in it. Clusters of flowers look way better than isolated ones or straggly rows.

7. Water your bulbs when you plant then, and regularly throughout autumn. However, do not drown them or they’ll rot.

8. Do not, under any circumstances, try to plant amaryllis bulbs outdoors. They’re sold at this time of year so people can grow them in a pot for Christmas. They will not survive outdoors. Period.

9. No, you cannot keep springflowering bulbs through the winter and plant them in the spring. I have

tried. They will either shrivel up pathetically or freeze into mush.

10. Packaged bulbs from garden centres and other stores are okay. If you want something special, check out a catalogue company like www. gardenimport.com or www.veseys. com. Gardenimport offers exciting new colours and varieties every year, like ‘Grand Perfection,’ a fabulous Rembrandt (meaning striped, or “flamed”) tulip. Veseys Bulbs has a large selection of reasonably priced bulbs and bulb collections.

A word about squirrels The monsters delight in wrecking flower bulbs. To discourage them: • Plant bulbs deeply. Squirrels don’t like to stick their heads down and leave their, er, tails exposed • Slap a wad of human or dog hair over the bulb before you cover it. And/or put another mass of hair on the ground above your bulbs, anchoring it with a little dirt.

• Clean up all bulb skins from the planting area; scatter leaves and twigs over.

• Plant bulbs squirrels don’t like: daffodils, crown imperials (Fritillaria) and Crocus tomasianus ‘Ruby Giant’ and ‘Barr’s Purple.’

My favourite bulb guru, Dugald Cameron at Gardenimport, says squirrels also avoid species tulips.

These are very early blooming, tend to be short with many blooms per plant and have a charm of their own. TT

Grilled cheese reinvented

W

By Liz Campbell

hen I was a kid, a grilled cheese sandwich consisted of two slices of white bread with a Kraft cheese slice between, fried in butter on the stove.

Basically, neither grilled nor really cheese.

But, like me, the grilled cheese sandwich has grown up.

Some restaurants are taking this most mundane of sandwiches to the next level. These cheese wizards are combining unusual fillings with beautiful cheeses for unique flavour profiles. And the breads work with the ingredients.

You can find sandwiches like asiago cheese, barbequed pork, slivered green onion and hoisin on green onion potato bread; or double cream brie with caramelized onions and homemade apricot chutney grilled on walnut raisin bread.

Or grilled cheese sandwiches with Provolone, Mozzarella, marinated steak, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and homemade cheesesteak sauce on red fife sourdough; or Jalapeno Havarti, Feta, red onions and

rough mashed avocado with lime on ancient grain sourdough.

Sound yummy?

Why not do it at home? Start with really lovely bread. Look for cheese that brings its own unique flavour to the table, then look for things to complement that flavour. Cheese has calories, but you can use low fat toppings like grainy mustard or spicy chutney or even salsa to zip up a sandwich without the fat.

You can even make dessert grilled cheese — think mascarpone or goat cheese and chocolate.

Need a little help? Check out Alison Lewis’ practically titled book, 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. It’s hard to believe one could make this many variations on a classic, but she does.

Here are two really good, really easy grilled cheese sandwiches from Lewis’ book. She uses a Panini grill, turned to medium or a skillet. I use my old fashioned waffle iron whose sides flip for making grilled cheese.

I just share the butter over tops and bottoms. TT

Grilled Egg, Cheese and Bacon Biscuit Move over Egg McMuffin. This is a Lewis family favourite and it’s a great breakfast grilled cheese sandwich.

4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tbsp skim milk 1⁄4 tsp salt 1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 6 tbsp (90 mL) butter, divided 4 biscuits, sliced 4 slices bacon, cooked and halved 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) shredded Cheddar cheese In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

In a skillet, melt 1 tbsp (15 mL) of

the butter over medium heat. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring, until scrambled. Set aside egg mixture and wipe skillet clean.

Spread remaining butter equally over biscuit tops. Place on a work surface, buttered side down. Top 4 halves equally with scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese and remaining biscuit half. Place biscuits, buttered side down, on preheated panini grill or in a skillet over medium heat and cook, turning once if using a skillet, for 3–5 minutes per side or until browned and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Black Russian Lewis says of this recipe: This idea came to me from a New York friend who said she used to eat this often as a cold sandwich. Either way, I love the rustic combination of ingredients. You can substitute regular Brie for the cracked pepper one.

Panini grill or large skillet. If using a panini grill, heat to medium.

1⁄2 cup (125 mL) stone-ground mustard 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp grated lemon zest 8 slices pumpernickel bread (1⁄2-inch/ 1 cm thick slices) 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) olive oil 8 oz (250 gm) Black Forest ham 1 cup lettuce leaves

4 oz (125 g) cracked pepper Brie In a small bowl, combine mustard, parsley and lemon zest.

Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil. Place on a work surface, oiled side down. Spread bread slices equally with mustard mixture. Top four slices equally with ham, lettuce and Brie. Cover with remaining bread slices, oiled side up, and press together gently.

Place sandwiches on preheated panini grill or in a large skillet over medium heat and cook, turning once if using a skillet, for 3–4 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

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OCTOBER 2012 TORONTO TODAY 13

Beyond Thai et’s face it. Thai food has become commonplace in Toronto and the challenge for most Thai spots is distinguishing themselves from the dozens of others.

Naming oneself Green anything is a poor start; currently the city boasts a host of restaurants that start with Green and end in Mango, Eggplant, Basil, Earth, Chili or even Beanery.

Green Papaya, despite its name, does indeed offer several distinctions.

While it claims Thai authenticity, the menu includes Vietnamese, Malaysian and even Indonesian dishes. It offers gluten free options. And most significantly, it’s incredibly reasonably priced, even the alcohol. Where else can you find a five-ounce glass of Australian Shiraz for $6?

We start with the eponymous Green Papaya salad ($5.99). Similar to the usual green mango salad, long strips of papaya, onions, carrots and white radish are laced with Thai basil, peanuts, and an interesting dressing whose ingredients defy identification.

What is that spice? Once past the sur-

prise of the unusual flavour, my guest and I love it.

We decide to expand beyond Thai, so order vegetarian Malaysian noodles ($9.99), rather than Pad Thai.

It proves a mistake and only reinforces the old adage: choose from the chef’s strengths. A few vegetables, bean sprouts, tofu, and rice noodles are tossed in a miso-based sauce.

Unfortunately, the dish is oily and the lacklustre flavour might benefit from some more vegetables.

On the other hand, the classic crispy beef ($9.99) is beautiful — tender strips have been lightly fried and tossed in a ginger sesame sauce that has more than a hint of honey. It’s so good that even after I have told myself there simply isn’t room for more, I can’t resist another — and another — small strip.

We decide to try a Thai red curry and ask for halibut ($11.99). I’m expecting fish cooked in a curry sauce and served with rice, but we’re in for another surprise. The halibut is battered and fried, and the curry sauce

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Green Papaya’s fare includes dishes from Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia

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is served beside the fish in a separate small bowl. It’s accompanied by steamed broccoli and a blend of white and brown rice.

In fact, the chili heat level of the curry sauce is reaching four-alarm and, not being endowed with an asbestos tongue, I’m quite glad to be able to control my sauce serving. But I have never had a red curry served this way.

We both like the rice blend, which is deliciously nutty and a little sticky.

We watch another table enjoying the sticky rice dessert so decide we have to try this as it’s one of only two authentic sweets. Slices of mango fan around a mound of black rice pudding, topped with coconut cream and black and white sesame seeds ($5.99). I’m not generally a fan of super sweet desserts so this, for me, is perfection. The tartness of the mango marries nicely with the creamy coconut and slightly sweet rice.

My guest orders Vietnamese coffee.

After he raves about how good it is, we discover it’s actually instant, made in the Vietnamese way with condensed milk. It’s a shock for the coffee connoisseur!

This spot offers a number of excellent specials, both gluten-free and regular. A guest at the table beside me enjoys a dinner special – an enormous platter with soup, appetizer and main course ($14). In fact, at the risk of sounding American and raving about large portions, I have to add that Green Papaya is generous in their servings.

Green Papaya, 2401 Yonge St. Toronto. 416-932-8891. You’ll find menus online at www.greenpapayatoronto.com. TT

liz campbell/toronto Today

UNIQUE: The halibut red curry allows the diner to control the dish’s heat.

liz campbell/toronto Today

BACK FOR MORE: Our reviewer couldn’t stop eating this yummy dish.

liz campbell/toronto Today

NOT SUPER SWEET: The sticky rice dessert was perfection.

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Sports

perry king/town crier

YOU CAN’T CATCH ME: Oakwood Baron’s player, left, evades a tackle attempt by a member of Northview Height’s squad during the city’s largest rugby sevens tournament. Oakwood finished tops in their pool while Northview finished at the bottom of the same division.

Sport still growing

T

Rugby sevens score with schools

By Perry King

he city’s largest rugby sevens tournament saw six local schools tackle and sprint their way to the city championships.

With 15 squads competing for six spots, Oakwood, Marc Garneau, Victoria Park, Lawrence Park, and the A squads for Don Mills and York Mills clinched a spot in the finals for Oct. 17.

The Oct. 10 three-pool tournament was not a runaway, by any means. Rain and mud defined the two fields at Don Mills Collegiate early on, establishing a contest that kept passes short and teams defensively minded.

“The passes just have to be cleaner and shorter, the guys have to be smarter about it,” Don Mills Bruins coach Daniel Kunanec said early in the day. “Just trust your teammates, get the ball out, play support runs, and guys have to be closer than contact because the passes have to be simpler.”

The Bruins’ A squad — the Pool C winners — was able to win all its games, including a 36–15 win over the Marc Garneau Cougars, a match that was closer than the score indicates.

The Cougars responded well to Don Mills’ scores, and — despite the loss — finished the day strong, with a 48–0 defeat of the York Mills Titans B squad in the afternoon.

“Our tackling was excellent today, we actually held the defensive line together,” Cougars coach Dave Sutherland said. “A few giveaways, we lost one game against Don Mills because of that, but other than that, I like how our team played defence.”

The muddy morning didn’t bother the Cou-

gars, as they have trained in all conditions.

Pool B’s Oakwood Barons, who didn’t allow a single try or conversion in four games, brought a lot of experience to their team on this day, and they won all their matches by double-digit margins.

“It feels great,” the Baron’s Thomas Flynn said. “It’s a cold day for rugby, but one of the best rugby days you’re going to get, actually.”

The Barons even trounced the second-place York Mills A squad, who showed tremendous defence on the day. But the Titans were not deterred and handed Northview Heights a 45–0 loss. “[Rugby is] physical and fast, it’s such a good team sport, you get to work together,” said York Mills’ Brett Whelan.

The day was also very fraternal. Between fields, schools had set up camp, combining warm ups and strategy sessions with an opportunity to socialize between games.

“I really like the environment, the team spirit, it’s really high,” Oakwood’s Flynn said.

When Alf Scharlach, tournament co-organizer and Leaside coach, first organized the tournament in 2001, only three schools — Leaside, York Mills, and Don Mills — competed.

Now he has witnessed a competition that has grown in popularity, and a sport that has thousands of students play senior and junior rugby sevens every school year.

“The growth has been — it’s been a phenomenon, I think worldwide and within Canada —I think we’ve been at the forefront of that at the school level for sure,” Scharlach said. TT

Final standings Pool A Lawrence Park Victoria Park Leaside Earl Haig Western Tech

Total 11* 11 7 6 5

Pool B Oakwood York Mills A Weston Don Mills B Northview Heights Pool C Don Mills A Marc Garneau Harbord Etobicoke York Mills B

Place 1 2 3 4 5

Total 12 10 8 6 4 Total 12 10 8 6 4

Place 1 2 3 4 5 Place 1 2 3 4 5

• Win = three points, Tie = two points, loss = one point • Teams in boldface win pool, advance to City finals Oct. 17 at Don Mills; will face four other teams (from another tournament played in Scarborough). *Lawrence Park (who scored more overall points) wins pool A

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OCTOBER 2012 TORONTO TODAY 17

More reasons to love Midtown

Continued from Page 4

It’s a liberal town Notice the small-L “liberal” in the headline above. Though an argument could be made that we’re also one of the last enclaves of Liberal Party support — not always completely red in federal and provincial elections, but often so. Even our occasionally selected Conservatives are generally of the centrist, Red Tory ilk.

What is being argued here is that we’re mainly old-fashioned liberals in Midtown. Our location in the geographic middle of the city is appropriate to our moderate politics. To grossly generalize: radical lefties tend to come from the downtown core, radical right wingers mainly hail from the suburbs.

We see this is in our city politics too. Most vividly in our current council. During municipal elections we generally don’t even know the political affiliations or proclivities of our leading candidates. Then they get to council and they turn out to be moderates anyway. Current conservative reps like Karen Stintz and John Parker, for example, join liberals like Josh Matlow and Josh Colle in trying to work out compromises to save council from foundering on the political shoals of left and right.

That’s us. Middle of the road in all things political.

We’ve got the Brick Works Billed as Canada’s first “large-scale community environmental centre,” Evergreen Brick Works just off the Bayview Extension stands as a shining example of how to re-purpose abandoned industrial sites into environmentally sustainable tourist draws.

Nestled in the heart of the Don Valley, the former quarry lands isn’t the easiest to get to by public transit, but once you’re there, it’s worth it. From May to November, families flock to the outdoor farmer’s market to munch on some local goods, or pick up homemade soap.

In fact, the Brick Works is a consistent draw throughout the week — there’s always dozens of activities taking place, including educational walking tours that include education on the various green technology at work within the Brick Works, and art workshops, just to name a few. In the winter, Koerner Gardens, a 20,000-square-foot native plant and food garden demonstration space transforms into an ice skating trail.

More recently, The Works has begun playing host to the immensely popular Underground Food Market, where foodies come to sample exotic but locally made edible works of art. The Brick Works has even attracted royal intrigue: Prince Charles paid a visit during his 2009 tour.

If you’re not into organized activities, just come by and be swept up in the area’s natural beauty and restored buildings — you’ll spend hours wandering.

Casa Loma....

Oh, never mind. You know all about our only castle. It’s the cliché of Midtown sights. Now if only the city could decide what to do with it, so it could continue to be our centrepiece attraction.

But we bet that you could do better. Tell us your reasons for loving Midtown, especially some of the lesser-known appealing points.

A unique and favourite restaurant. The most peaceful place in Toronto to relax. The best view. Someone who helps makes this a great place to live. Email us at news@mytorontotoday.ca. We’ll publish them in a coming issue.

We’re Number One in highschool sports Midtown has some of the oldest educational institutions in Upper Canada.

All of these schools have their own local traditions, but some of them have retained a special relationship to sports.

St. Michael’s College School is the best example of this. With teams dating back to 1906, St. Mike’s has one of the older, more revered hockey programs in Canada.

The program has produced about 200 NHL players, 14 members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and numerous championships at the city, minor hockey, and junior hockey levels.

The same rings true of their football program, once lead by retired coach Paul Forbes. From the 1980s to the 2000s, St. Michael’s had numerous city championships — in both the public and private school leagues, they joined the CISAA in 1998 — and seven Metro Bowls, a championship that was created by Forbes and others in 1982.

This school is special, and it is something to be proud of.

The other cool thing about our local schools and their reputation for fostering sport is they are continuously trying to redefine their reputations — while fostering a new culture — at their schools.

The best example of this is Oakwood Collegiate in the Hillcrest area, a school that features a basketball program that is both respected and feared.

To the surprise of many, Oakwood is also hatching a tradition in rugby, and they’re succeeding.

Rugby has been played at Oakwood for decades, but has picked up steam in the last 10 years. More than half of the male student body now plays the game in intramural and competitive teams, and the numbers are growing.

With a close relationship with the Toronto Nomads rugby club in recent years, the Oakwood Barons have already seen some success. On Oct. 5, the Barons won the rugby sevens regional tournament, doing it without conceding a single point.

This doesn’t just create a salient narrative for our sports stories. Rivalries, in local form, boost our community spirit and bring us together.

The most active example plays out between Northern Secondary School (Red Knights) and North Toronto Collegiate Institute (Norsemen). Located just down the road from each other in the Yonge-Eglinton area, the school teams amp it up on the field of play, and boosters transfer that energy to the bleachers.

Compiled from files by Karolyn Coorsh, Perry King and Eric McMillan

18 TORONTO TODAY OCTOBER 2012

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