Annex Post May 2021

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Celebrating 40 years

CONTENTS MAY 2021

© Rick O’Brien

Welcome to this month’s Post.

Sit back & enjoy.

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LITERALLY FALLING IN LOVE Kim’s Convenience star Andrew Phung slipped and fell when he met his wife

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THREE TIMES THE FUN Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Mark McEwan samples tres leches cakes

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LET’S GO DUTCH Jeanne Beker puts a spring in her step with couture clogs

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CITYSCAPE

THE POST INTERVIEW

Investigating the Sherman murders

NEWS

BY THE NUMBERS

A Q & A with Toronto’s top investigative reporter, the Star’s Kevin Donovan, who has been working the Barry and Honey Sherman murder case and often moving the investigation forward more effectively than the Toronto Police Service by Ron Johnson

2014 Premier Doug Ford’s favourite year when it comes to his beloved Blackberry Classic smart phone.

16 The length, in kilometres, of a new linear park, the Meadoway, that will stretch from the Don River to Rouge Park.

L-R: The former Bridle Path home of Barry and Honey Sherman, investigative reporter Kevin Donovan

I’ve interviewed the son, Jonathan. I’ve interviewed the daughter, Alexandra. I’ve spoken to Aunt Mary, who is Honey’s sister, and some other people in the family. But I promised not to reveal who they are. You can never know everybody completely, but I feel I have a good handle on them. And what’s happening there, as we’ve recently reported, it’s a real battle for a succession.

And how has the investigation gone over with them? Do you get calls to just leave them alone?

Yeah, that’s a great question. The various parts of the family have expressed to me that they are pleased that we’re doing this and keeping a focus on the case. In my mind, I think everybody was worried in the family that my book would paint Barry and Honey as awful people because there are some media outlets that have not described them very well. But I think it was a true, good portrait and, I think,

Now that we’re more than three years into this, what are the chances this is resolved?

Well, the police are adamant this is not a cold case. So they have one officer working on this full time. They’re doing lots of search warrants on what are called production orders — financial, telecommunication records and things like that. If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have said this will be solved tomorrow. Now, I’m not so sure. The police have said they have an idea of what happened. But they’re struggling to prove the case.

What do you like about these investigations?

What I have enjoyed about reporting on the story is that there’s so many elements to it: police, allegations of police incompetence.

And, at the heart of it, two people that I knew virtually nothing about, Barry and Honey Sherman, who, after interviewing so many of their close friends and some of their family members, I believe that they truly were very important people to Toronto and Ontario, Canada and the world. My goal is to try and find out everything I can about them and in some small way perhaps help justice be served.

There seemed to be mistakes that were made by the Toronto police investigating this case that the family’s investigators and the Star helped resolve, right?

I’m glad to have played a role, but it shouldn’t have happened that way. The police were invited to the second autopsy (confirming homicides not suicides). They should have been present for that, because we should all be interested in other opinions. And they shouldn’t have to read about it on the front page of a newspaper to know that they need to talk to somebody. But that happened, and now we’re in a situation three and a half years later with no charges.

And tell me about what you’ve learned about what type of person Barry was to his friends.

Yeah, it’s very different than what people thought about him. He was a very loyal friend. He was very supportive to people. And Honey, in the same respect, was very generous and very, very giving.

9 The date, in May, when Toronto Raptors star Kyle “Dr. K” Lowry will receive an honorary doctorate from Acadia University.

$25 The value, in thousands, given as ownership shares to employees of the restaurant Oyster Boy, as a thank you for hard work during the pandemic.

How do you think the family has gotten on with preserving their legacy in business and also philanthropy?

Well, I think they struggle with it. If you look at them, they’re all still relatively young, in their 20s 30s, one in her early 40s. And they never wanted the limelight. They never wanted to be the people at the charity gala.…

It’s a bit of a messy situation right now, and hopefully they’ll resolve it in some way. But right now, they are often talking to lawyers.

149 The number of Twitter followers, in thousands and counting, for Vaccine Hunters Canada, who have made it much easier for local residents to get vaccinated.

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Do you feel like you know the family and friends well at this point?

quite a positive portrait of them. And so they like that. The people I take the most energy, if you will, from in this investigation are Barry’s and Honey’s best friends.… They’re all very supportive and they want answers.

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How did this investigation begin for you?

It started with an assignment to me in early January [2018], which would be three weeks or so after their bodies were discovered. And at that time, the assignment was to try and figure out if they were victims of double murders, as many people thought, or, as the police sources were saying, was the murder-suicide a double suicide? And then I always liked the challenge. And I think that’s where the intrigue began. It’s a whodunit case right now.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD

Heritage designation a possibility for Annex cultural hub What’s next for Dovercourt House still up in the air

Dovercourt House was a centre for dance in the Annex

by David Olsen

Toronto arts hub Dovercourt House may soon be on its way to achieving heritage protection.

At a meeting of Toronto and East York Community Council scheduled for April 21, community council was set to consider a request by councillor Ana Bailão that the city’s heritage staff research the property located at 805 Dovercourt Rd. for inclusion on the City of Toronto’s Heritage Register.

“There’s architectural significance, and I think there is historical significance from the history of the neighbourhood,” said Bailão. “This has been a synagogue back in the day and lately has been home to several artistic dance groups. It was the Royal Canadian Legion branch, so it has been a really interesting part of our community, so I wanted heritage staff to take a look at it.”

According to a press release in March signed by numerous artistic dance groups who used the space, the building’s landlord had secured a new leaseholder who did not plan to continue with the building’s current usage.

According to Yvonne Ng of Princess Productions, the group had a couple of discussions with the new head tenant about potentially being able to continue working at the space, but nothing has come of it as of yet.

“They were never great in keeping up with communications and for the last month or so just

radio silence,” said Ng. “We’re still waiting to hear from them.”

“I haven’t been approached by the owner or any new leaseholder. I just want to make sure that we take a look at these things,” said Bailão.

Bailao drew parallels with the Paradise Theatre in Bloorcourt village.

“Same thing happened with the Paradise. When it changed ownership, and we kind of didn’t know what the plans were, we asked heritage to look into

“We'd like to preserve the heritage and history of the community.” it right away. And at the end of it, they worked with the new owner, and we were very fortunate to be able to preserve the theatre and have a great facility there,” said Bailão, who said she is unaware of any current plans for the Dovercourt House site by the owner or leaseholder.

“I just want to make sure that before anything happens we let everybody know that we’re looking into this, that we’d like to preserve the heritage and history of the community. So we’ll be looking at the building.”

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IS T.O. READY FOR ALCOHOL IN PARKS?

Is sipping wine in the park the sign of a mature city or a recipe for disaster?

Two city councillors debate the pros and cons

JOSH MATLOW

JAMES PASTERNAK

The first few months of the pandemic saw caution tape on park benches and basketball while groups of enforcement officers discouraged lingering in green spaces and beaches. We‘ve learned a lot about COVID-19 transmission since the first wave. The city now encourages residents to enjoy our parks as long as appropriate distances are maintained.

Virtually every public health expert criticized Premier Ford’s recent attempt to ban the use of outdoor recreation spaces.

Last summer, council recognized the importance of being able to enjoy a drink outside by loosening restrictions on patios with the successful CaféTO, which will return this year. But what about Torontonians who can’t afford a drink in a bar or don’t have an outdoor space in their homes? These residents will either be forced to have unsafe gatherings indoors or, like many over the past year, choose to drink illegally in parks.

To provide a safe, equitable option that allows responsible adults the option of having a beer or glass of wine in our city’s parks, we should follow the lead of cities around the world, including Montreal, London, Paris, Sydney and, more recently, Vancouver, which approved drinking in parks last year in response to the pandemic.

Dr. Zain Chagla, who studies infectious diseases at McMaster encouraged easing up on public drinking laws this summer stating, “There are all these reports of transmission in house parties. So why don’t we mitigate that risk? Let’s use the outdoors rather than forcing people indoors.”

Public intoxication and underage drinking are already illegal under provincial law. Littering, excessive noise and public urination are ticketable offences and already issues in parks. Legalizing alcohol will allow the city to focus enforcement on problem behaviours that are already occurring while loosening restrictions to provide a safe option for responsible adults who wish to enjoy a beer or glass of wine.

Although having an alcoholic drink in a beautiful park is enticing, the liberalization of alcohol use in our parks is a high-risk policy that is more likely than not to lead to negative outcomes. I’ve sat on the parks committee for six of the 10 years I’ve been at city hall, and no one has said to me that they would like to see more alcohol in our parks. Although most who consume alcohol do so responsibly and respectfully, increased alcohol consumption in parks in other jurisdictions has led to public intoxication, the disturbing of other park users, increased broken glass, refuge and litter. A north Vancouver parks drinking pilot resulted in an $80,000 increase in the cost of garbage collection.

The City of Toronto Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP) stated in 2017 that “Many problems can arise from excessive alcohol consumption on municipal property, including injury, violence and liability.” Moreover, if neighbourhood parks become a drinking location, this consumption pattern will take vital business away from local restaurants and pubs at a time when this sector is just hanging on. Also, Toronto currently has no resources to spare for the enforcement of alcohol use in our parks. We currently don’t have the resources to enforce rules to prevent off-leash dogs, noise violations, littering, illegal lighting of open fires and damage to property. How can police or municipal licensing officers answering a 911 call ever find the complainant in a 200- or 300acre park? Worse, many of Toronto parks merge seamlessly into school playgrounds. Therefore, the consumption of alcohol could be steps from schoolaged children. The municipal alcohol policy allows for the safe and enjoyable consumption of alcohol in parks. There is also an enforcement component. This events booking and rules system respects those who would like a drink and those who want to enjoy our parks without fear. It is working. It is fair. It protects all park users.

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New affordable housing project slated for 877 Yonge St.

Rosedale site pegged for affordable housing Former seniors’ home purchased for at-risk population

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by Ron Johnson

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Toronto is getting two new affordable housing sites, one to be located in Chinatown and the other one in Rosedale, one of the city’s most upscale neighbourhoods.

The two separate projects are located at 222 Spadina Ave. and 877 Yonge St., which will provide, respectively, 84 and 250 homes with support services for seniors, Indigenous peoples, women and individuals who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Details of the approximately $143 million investment for the immediate purchase and renovation of approximately 334 units of affordable housing for Toronto were announced last month.

“I want to thank the government of Canada for coming forward with this investment, which will help us continue to meet our housing goals,” said Mayor John Tory. “We have remained committed to increasing the number of affordable housing options in Toronto and ensuring that we are providing support to those who need it the most.”

The Spadina Avenue site was formerly a Super 8 Hotel, whereas the Rosedale site was at one time a seniors’ residence.

The Davenhill Senior Living home at 877 Yonge St. closed down in 2019 with some controversy when 150 residents

were basically evicted including one who was 100 years old.

The purchase price of this building was $94.9 million, of which $88.6 million is for the residential portion and will be covered by funding from the federal Rapid Housing Initiative.

The additional $6.3 million was for the commercial portion of the building and was paid for from the City of Toronto’s Land Acquisition Reserve Fund.

Recently, another affordable housing project announced for the Willowdale neighbourhood garnered some criticism from local residents.

The projects will be delivered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation under the National Housing Strategy. The homes will remain affordable in perpetuity, and future residents of these homes will pay no more than 30 per cent of their income (or the shelter allowance of their income support benefit) on rent.

“Our government is working hard to ensure that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home,” said Toronto member of Parliament Adam Vaughan. “Investments with municipalities under the Rapid Housing Initiative will go a long way to effectively support those who need it most by quickly providing new affordable homes to vulnerable individuals and families to keep them safe.”

SEWELL ON CITY HALL

NEWS

SPRINT senior care is a great local example of what works

Province’s for-profit model broken Ministry of Health provides funding for personal care, the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care provides funding for dementia patients, and funds are kicked in by United Way and local charities for other services.

The contrast with long-term care institutions is considerable.

Many studies have shown that the care there is more industrial than personal; staffing is inadequate; many seniors live four to a room; and as we have learned tragically in the pandemic, infection control is poor. The cost to the client is considerable, upwards of $2,000 a month, on top of which there is a subsidy from the provincial government of about $180 a day per person. The province also provides a subsidy for the construction of long-term care institutions.

There are serious questions to ask about spending such amounts of public money on long-term care. Seniors for Social Action (Ontario) has asked the provincial auditor general to do a value-formoney audit into “whether the current funding arrangement with the long term care sector represents the best use of public funds, or whether these funds would be better redirected to notfor-profit community residential options other than for-profit and not-for-profit large institutions.”

Long-term care became big business in Ontario when Premier Mike Harris privatized it 20 years ago. He now chairs one of the largest private long-term home care institutions in Canada, to his considerable personal profit. In the recent provincial budget, Premier Ford opted to put government funds only into expanding long-term care and did not put a new cent into home care.

Council could take the lead on home care. It already houses some 30,000 seniors in affordable units and is introducing an integrated service model to address some health needs.

Pushing for full health care for these residents should be a key demand by the city. Of course, there is not nearly enough affordable housing for seniors.

Council could provide seed money to establish more groups like SPRINT. It could ask the provincial government to convert the new funding for home care. It could ask the provincial and federal government to create a home care tax credit as recommended by Home Care Ontario.

With the pandemic still in sight and with all of us getting older, now is the time for the city to push for a change that is widely popular and needed.

JOHN SEWELL Post City Magazines’ columnist John Sewell is a former mayor of Toronto and the author of a number of urban planning books, including The Shape of the Suburbs.

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The personal lesson many of us have learned from the pandemic: we want to spend the last weeks and months of our lives in our own homes, not in a hospital or in long-term care or in a retirement home. But it won’t be easy unless there are some significant changes, in which the city can play a major role.

Toronto already has one of the most successful programs in the country for keeping seniors happy in their own homes: SPRINT, Senior Peoples’ Resources in North Toronto, founded in 1980 with the help of the late councillor Anne Johnston.

SPRINT provides the kind of care seniors need on a daily basis: personal care such as bathing and dressing, medical care, transportation — care that depends on day-to-day needs, maybe 20 minutes today and three hours tomorrow.

The SPRINT personal support workers are constants in the lives of their clients. The seniors served

by SPRINT live in several buildings where rents are subsidized depending on income.

It’s a combination of low-cost housing and community care.

What’s good about this kind of home care is that hospitalization and emergency room visits are considerably less than for those not receiving this kind of support.

And seniors are happier and less lonely than seniors in the community at large.

Sadly, the funding of the kind of program run by SPRINT is not straightforward.

The city subsidizes the cost of housing, the

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Stepping up for the care of seniors

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Resident says massive development plan for Yonge & Eglinton is a ‘slap in the face’ TTC bus lands application was scheduled for April 21 meeting of the Toronto and East York Community Council but local councillor had other plans by Ron Johnson The application to develop the Canada Square site at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue was once again rescheduled for a late April meeting of the Toronto and East York Community Council, and if city councillor Josh Matlow had his way, it was once again deferred. The plan, according to him, and according to a large coalition of residents groups stretching across central Toronto, just does not work. And since the land is owned by the city, they intend to do all that they can to get it right.

The developer for the site, Oxford Properties, made a point of consulting with local residents and had released images that seemed to indicate large open spaces and community amenities, but when it came time to put in the actual application, the proof was most decidedly not in the pudding, according to Andy Gort who represents the South Eglinton Ratepayers’ & Residents’ Association (SERRA).

According to a City of Toronto report, the proposal includes a

total of 2,701 residential units (216,162 square metres), 58,763 square metres of office space, 1,941 square metres of retail space along Eglinton Avenue West and Yonge Street, approximately 1,000 square metres of community space and 864 parking spaces located in an underground garage.

The developer has applied for an amendment to the current zoning for the site at 2180-2210 Yonge St., 15 Eglinton Ave. W., and 20 and 46 Berwick Ave. What stood out for Gort was the lack of community amenity space, especially in light of the positive overtures by the developer prior to the application.

“When you go through the actual application, you know, they offered 1,000 square metres on 276,000 square metres of floor space that they wanted to build, which is like 0.3 per cent,” he said. “And 1,000 square metres, you know, you might get maybe a daycare in there. Like that is really, well, it’s almost a bit of a slap in the face.”

Development has been at a fever pitch in the midtown Toronto area around Yonge and Eglinton for more than a decade and it has continued to grow, according to Coun. Matlow, it threatens to outstrip existing infrastructure. Matlow also explained that the Canada Square site is owned by the city and leased by the developer, so there is more control over what goes there than a typical development application.

with really a token gesture of community space and community amenities.”

On the top of Matlow’s wish list for the site — where, for many years now, the former TTC barns have served as a rather ugly staging area for the Crosstown LRT line — has been a large and central public space for local residents as well as a muchneeded school.

“We need a public school in this area because our public

“I see an opportunity for public service and infrastructure and open space to support our quality of life.”

“I see an opportunity for public service and infrastructure and open space to support our quality of life,” said Matlow.

“And when Oxford came in with their application just before Christmas last year, it was tone deaf. It was really just another massive development proposal

schools run at capacity. We need several other types of public services to support our growing community,” said Matlow. “And aside from really a very small space that they put in their plan in the podium of one of the buildings, all the other buildings were just giant residential

buildings. And also, not one unit is proposed as being affordable.

It does not reflect any of the city or the community’s priorities.

There’s just so much work that has to be done on this.”

Gort explained that on a typical development site, the city would ask for 10 per cent of the property for open and park space.

But, even with this being an atypical site, the developer did not even reach that target.

“There’s a lot of kind of open space, called privately owned publicly accessible space. But it’s at various levels because there is a lot of slope to the property and our experience with that is over time that space gets whittled away for shops with patios and things like that,” he said. “And the actual park that is unencumbered, where there’s no garage underneath, it’s less than five per cent of the property. And normally for a large site the city always asked for 10 per cent of the property from a private developer at a minimum.”

Gort co-wrote a letter on behalf of SERRA and a number of other associations in the area to the Toronto and East York Community Council asking for a “full-scale comprehensive planning study for the Canada Square site with community representation and consultation throughout.”

And that request is just what Matlow has in order, as well.

Matlow has struck a working group to delve into development on the site to ensure the city gets full value for its land.

“What I’ve done is I have moved a motion that requests a special study area for Canada Square. This is not just another development site. These are public lands and should serve the public interest,” Matlow said.

“It’s also right in the heart of one of the most important junctions in our city.”

The study will include a working group made up of community representatives, residents associations, tenants associations and local organizations.

“Ultimately, the work that we’re going to do together is to propose a vision for what the community wants to see on the Canada Square site that would benefit the quality of life of the community,” said Matlow, “and that Oxford’s proposal needs to address our vision rather than us simply react to theirs.”

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Oxford Properties submitted its development application for Canada Square last December

NEWS

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FEATURE

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NEWS

NEIGHBOURHOOD BUSINESS

A new fishmonger comes ashore in midtown Plus a bespoke floral design studio in Yorkville and a fashion forward activewear pop-up Fair Catch Fishmongers is now open for in-store

shopping and curbside pickup at 3303 Yonge St. The new shop is committed to offering the highest quality responsibly sourced seafood available.

Owners Genevieve and Rob have partnered with the Ocean Wise Seafood program to ensure customers have the most current scientific information regarding their seafood. Recipes are regularly posted to the website as well.

Aubé Studios is joining the Yorkville community as

it moves into its home at 235 Davenport Rd. Led by Nathan Aubé, the studio specializes in bespoke floral designs, custom gifts and custom event designs.

Aubé takes inspiration from high-end fashion to create visual experiences with his floral installations. on Sheppard is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The eye clinic has been providing comprehensive eye care to patients in the heart of North York for half a century. The chic new office space, at 90 Sheppard Ave. E., Suite 100A, includes the latest technology and encourages patients to take advantage of the many aromatherapy programs, including dry eye therapy, digital eye strain and a number of other eye care services to maintain healthy eyes.

Eyes

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A chic tennis outfit from the Open Court pop-up on Yonge Street

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Local North York Desjardins agent Dina Constantinou presented a cheque for $10,000 to Calia Hair Design, 3338 Yonge St. The funds are part of Desjardins Insurance’s GoodSpark Small Business Grants program and will be used to help the local business overcome challenges posed by the pandemic. Desjardins Insurance is providing grants to 75 small businesses across the country as part of a $1 million investment. As part of the selection process, Desjardins agents were invited to nominate small businesses that are important to their local communities.

Open Court is a new pop-up at 2511 Yonge St. that

offers women a unique personal styling experience.

The carefully curated selection of golf, tennis and activewear fashion pieces will freshen up your wardrobe. The pop-up is open from April 1 to June 30 and offers private one-on-one styling appointments as well as group appointments.

Havana Castle Cigars has opened a new location at

1563 Bayview Ave. The new shop continues to offer cigars with varying strengths and flavour profiles imported directly from Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigars are stored in correct humidity conditions for perfect flavours which include mild, medium or fullstrength body.

CRIME

NEWS

AREA BREAK-INS APRIL 2021 - TORONTO WHERE

WHEN

TIME OFOF DAY TIME DAY

BERWICK AVE. AND DUPLEX AVE.

APR. 2

2 P.M.

BEDFORD RD. AND PEARS AVE.

APR. 2

3 P.M.

AVENUE RD. AND PRINCE ARTHUR RD.

APR. 5

2 A.M.

MOUNT PLEASANT RD. AND SOUDAN AVE.

APR. 7

8 A.M.

THE LINKS RD. AND TOURNAMENT DR.

APR. 8

2 A.M.

BERWICK AVE. AND DUPLEX AVE.

APR. 10

2 A.M.

YONGE ST. AND HEATH ST. E.

APR. 13

2 P.M.

ROSEDALE RD. AND AVENUE RD.

APR. 15

12 A.M.

WILSON AVE. AND CHAMPLAIN BLVD.

APR. 15

3 P.M.

PRINCE ARTHUR AVE. AND AVENUE RD.

APR. 15

7 P.M.

DREWRY AVE. AND MARATHON CRES.

APR. 16

9 A.M.

416-960-9995

Nigel Denham, Sales Representative, Senior Vice President, Sales

ndenham@sothebysrealty.ca • 416-960-9995

Penny Brown, Broker, Senior Vice President, Sales pbrown@sothebysrealty.ca • 416-960-9995 Robert Nelson, Sales Representative rnelson@sothebysrealty.ca • 416-960-9995

Yorkville art gallery robbed

A TPS photo of one of the stolen works of art

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is looking for three suspects who broke into the art gallery at Avenue Road and Davenport Road in the Yorkville district early on April 19. According to TPS, the thieves stole four pieces of art, totalling $265,900.

Gallery cameras caught the thieves prying open the gallery door and entering the space.

Images of the stolen art were released by police.

They include an elephant and buddha sculpture created by German artist Metis Atash, who combines pop art esthetics with conceptual art traditions. Each of her sculptures is one-of-a-kind and is created in fibreglass and decorated in Swarovski crystals. She gave a similar Punk Buddha to Drake for his birthday a few years ago.

Toronto police issued a press release that includes images of the stolen art and photos of the suspects.

The three suspects were last seen leaving the crime scene in a grey Toyota Sienna minivan that did not have licence plates.

— Harriette Halepis

416-960-9995

3 DOUGLAS DR. | ROSEDALE | $12,800,000 5 + 1 Bedrooms, 6.5 Baths

The moment you enter you will be entranced by the level of quality & luxury that has gone into every conceivable element of this home.

Completed in 2019, this home represents the perfect combination of pure luxury, sophistication & design, seamlessly integrating into the fabric of the Rosedale landscape. This is truly a home for those who constantly seek out & acquire only the finest things in life, a statement in luxury & design, & a place to create memories with family and friends that will last a lifetime.

CRIME BRIEFS overnight and in the late afternoon and evening hours. Police recommend parking your vehicle inside, parking another vehicle behind the target vehicle, keeping car keys away from the front door and covering the vehicle identification number on the driver’s side dash with a piece of paper.

A 46-year-old male victim is dead

after a collision involving a pedestrian and a dump truck on Finch Avenue West at Sentinel Road.

On April 15, at 3:31 p.m.,

Toronto Police Service officers responded to a report of a personal injury. The victim was crossing Finch Avenue West from north to south and was struck by the dump truck travelling westbound on Finch Avenue West. The victim suffered significant injuries and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Police are asking local residents, businesses or drivers who may have security or dash camera footage of the area or incident to contact police.

416-960-9995 16 EDGAR AVE. | ROSEDALE | $6,195,000

6 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths

Available for the first time in 66 years, this represents a very rare opportunity to acquire one of these highly coveted 200' deep lots on prized Edgar Ave. Create your dream home with this one of a kind landmark estate. This magnificent home already delivers approx 4,000 sqft plus the lower level, superb opportunity to add significant square footage to create your dream home in this magical setting.

416-960-9995 416-960-9995 • NelsonDenhamBrown.com 1867 Yonge St., Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario

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like to make the public aware of an increase in vehicle thefts in 53 Division. According to police, over the past month there has been an increase of high-end vehicle thefts from residential areas, with the primary targets including Lexus and Toyota SUVs and Land Rovers. The suspects are using various methods to reprogram or rekey the vehicle and driving off with little to no damage caused to the vehicle.

The thefts are occurring both

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The Toronto Police Service would

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SPRING HOME DESIGN GUIDE Your Condo Reimagined: Think Outside The Box.

Redesign your dysfunctional condo and turn that tired drab box into a fab spot.

Maximize your living space or your rental income potential. Call us at 416 633-2894 or browse www.penguincondoreno.com to arrange a free personalized estimate.

B U I L D I N G LIFE ST YLE S. CONST R U CTING H O MES .

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©2021 Penguin Condo-Reno Ltd. ©2021. ™®Trademark of AM Royalties Limited Partnership used under license by LoyaltyOne, Co. and Penguin Condo-Reno Ltd. Financing contractor. Smart clients read the small print & understand the value of hiring a professional. E.A.O.E.

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REAL ESTATE

YORKVILLE

NEWS

MIDTOWN

BRAND NEW ABODE

Residence 901 at 151 Avenue Rd. is a newly built unit in Yorkville with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The condo features top-of-the-line finishes and amenities and is listed for $1.598 million with Re/Max Condos Plus Corporation.

A SPRAWLING UNIT WITH A WRAPAROUND TERRACE

Unit 2403 at 101 Erskine Ave. is in the heart of midtown. It features two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a den, plenty of outdoor living space and is listed for $1.975 million with Sotheby’s International Realty.

DINING IN THE SKY

It may not be a revolving restaurant, but these four luxury units each have a chic and elegant dining room complete with views that will make you feel like you’re at one of the city’s finest restaurants.

A SPACIOUS AND SLEEK SUITE

Unit 602 at 159 Frederick St. in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood boasts 2,600 square feet of space with two bedrooms and three bathrooms. It is listed for $1,799,900 with Royal LePage Signature Realty.

Loft 406 at 993 Queen St. W., inside the former candy factory, is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit complete with a den. It is perched on the sub-penthouse level and is listed for $1.269 million with Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited.

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A LUXURY LOFT

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QUEEN WEST

ST. LAWRENCE MARKET

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MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Cynthia Findlay

Est. 1978

Fine Jewellery & Antiques Toronto, Canada

“You always gain by giving love.”

- Reese Witherspoon A Selecton From Our Vintage and Antiques Heirloom Collection Shop Our Online Store, Curb Side Service:

www.cynthiafindlay.com • 416 260-9057 THANK YOU FRONT-LINE WORKERS

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SPECIALIZES IN AGING & SUN-DAMAGE TIRED OR ANGRY EXPRESSION LOOSE & SAGGY SKIN LINES & WRINKLES BROWN SPOTS & FACIAL VEINS ACNE & ROSACEA STUBBORN FAT DEPOSITS

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To book a consultation please call: 416.483.4541 www.GidonAesthetics.com 1849 Yonge St., Suite 307 Toronto

FASHION

CURRENTS

LET’S GO DUTCH Clogs are back and trendier than ever, so we asked Jeanne Beker to pick her favourite pairs for the season.

© TSC

These wood wedge clogs feature a hand-carved wooden platform heel that is two and a half inches high, as well as 100 per cent Italian leather on the uppers.

WINNER QUILTED CLOGS www.beklina.com, $270

“It’s a nice spring look with the light wood as well,” says Beker. “The heel is also giving you a nice amount of height, but it’s also a very sturdy heel so they will be comfy to wear.”

“I really love these ribbed ones from Beklina. They come in this beautiful green as well as a soft pink that’s really on trend right now. These are a little more classic than some of the other pairs. Additionally, anything with that quilting, to me, looks like it has a touch of Chanel, and I always love that feel. I think these are really pretty shoes and classic enough that you’re never going to get tired of them — a forever clog. The only thing that’s particularly trendy is the colour, but that gorgeous green is so hot these days, and the soft blush is just so feminine and pretty.”

ORANGE OPULENCE

UNIQUE & CHIC

GOING GLAM

SaksFifthAvenue.com, $1,179.73

Gravitypope.com, $280

LoefflerRandall.com, $350

WOVEN WONDER Modcloth.com, $141

“I like the back strap, the nice buckle and the hand-stitching detail. It looks artisanal."

"The colour on this Stella McCartney pair is fantastic. And I love that it’s not leather."

“This ankle strap is very fashion forward. If a clog can be sexy, these are the ones."

“Leopard print is always fun, and the gold studding makes it a glamourous clog.”

“I love this woven top — it’s so funky. These are classic shoes you’ll want to keep for years."

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STRAPPED IN ShopFrock.ca, $189

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Jeanne Beker | One of Canada’s most trusted authorities on fashion, Jeanne has covered the industry for more than 30 years. Now watch her on TSC’s Style Matters with Jeanne Beker or tune into her new podcast Beyond Style Matters.

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CURRENTS

DAILY PLANET

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pacepharmacy.com 416-515-PACE (7223) Our 2 locations: 40 Laird Drive (Leaside) 14 Isabella Street (Downtown)

Connecting to nature is medicine for us Appreciation for the outdoors has grown The late urban visionary Jane Jacobs wrote, “Perhaps it will be the city that reawakens our understanding and appreciation of nature, in all its teeming, unpredictable complexity.”

While the built form of towns and cities is often disconnected from natural systems, urban ecosystems have much to offer for the more than 80 per cent of people in Canada who live in them. Since the pandemic began, tens of millions of us have been spending more time exploring our yards, parks and neighbourhoods, underscoring the immense value of green spaces for health and well-being.

COVID-19 will long be remembered for upending lives worldwide, but one surprising legacy may be something more revelatory and, hopefully, lasting: a much-needed reconnection to nearby nature.

In the pandemic’s early days, getting out of the house often meant wandering through quieted streets and parks, where wildlife began to emerge. Urban dwellers began to notice the sights and sounds of nature in their neighbourhoods — from a family of foxes under a Toronto boardwalk to the calls of birds of prey in cities like Vancouver.

As the pace of life slowed, many people began to notice the return of migrating birds and the emergence of quirky local insects, like mourning cloak

butterflies waking from their winter slumber. These goldtipped, orange and black early risers are often the first butterflies to appear in Canadian cities because they spend colder months tucked into crevices fully grown, waiting for warmer days.

Spring inspired an unprecedented interest in tending to yards and balconies.

Millions of people began plotting what plants they would grow in gardens and on patios and windowsills — many for the first time. It was clear we would be spending more time at home last summer, and the resulting surge in seed and plant sales was historic. The burgeoning interest included growing food — veggies and herbs, fruits and berries — and native plants to support local insects, like bees and butterflies.

The David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterflyway Project ballooned, from nine cities with volunteer “Rangers” in 2019 to more than 100 communities in 2020. Despite the uncertain times, these keen volunteers doubled down on planting native wildflowers throughout their areas. The project’s aim is to inspire people to create pollinator-friendly habitat to support local insects at the heart of our food webs and urban ecologies.

Although urban conservation programs have long been viewed

as mostly symbolic education exercises, researchers are finding that the value of creating habitat in our yards and communities can be immense. In January, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences highlighted that insects are facing “death by a thousand cuts” from pesticides, light pollution, habitat destruction, climate disruption and more.

A series of 12 studies pointed out that insects are essential to ecosystems and human survival and that “severe insect declines can potentially have global ecological and economic consequences.” Insects pollinate plants, provide food for other life and help naturally recycle waste.

The scientists also stated that it “is vital that people learn how they can take action.” One report offered eight simple things people can do, including converting lawns to habitat, growing native plants, reducing use of harmful chemicals, limiting exterior lighting, increasing awareness and appreciation of insects and advocating for action.

As author and plant ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer says in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, “Restoring land without restoring relationship is an empty exercise. It is relationship that will endure and relationship that will sustain the restored land. Therefore, reconnecting people and the landscape is as essential as re-establishing proper hydrology or cleaning up contaminants.”

A daily dose of nature is perhaps one of the best remedies for these trying times. That’s the pitch behind the BC Parks Foundation’s new PaRx nature prescription program, which supports health-care professionals who want to improve their patients’ health by offering nature prescriptions.

As we remain in this pandemic, let’s get outside and connect with nature nearby. You could even connect with the Butterflyway Rangers at davidsuzuki.org and help bring butterflies to your community.

DAVID SUZUKI

David Suzuki is the host of the CBC’s The Nature of Things and author of more than 30 books on ecology (with files from Jode Roberts).

Give Mom a getaway to look forward to A vacay is the perfect Mother’s Day gift This month we celebrate mothers, and after the year we’ve had, this day is more deserved than ever. Mothers have spent a lot of time with their family over the past 365 days. And while it has been lovely to have all of this family time, I think many moms would agree that solo time would be a welcome change. This year, instead of flowers, why not give Mom something to look forward to when the lockdown ends — time away, by herself. Here are three solo getaways to gift Mom this Mother’s Day. Wellness and wine

Whispering Springs is a luxury glamping destination in Northumberland County where moms can indulge in ultimate relaxation. The owners of this stylish and sophisticated outdoor experience were former contributors of Ste. Anne’s Spa and spent years chartering yachts in The Bahamas.

Glamping tents come equipped with a bed, an in-tent washroom with hot and cold running water, electricity, luxe linens, towels and robes. When it’s time to eat, meal options include purchasing pizza from The Watering Hole guest bar or ordering a cook-your-own barbecue dinner basket to be made over a private campfire.

The resort sources as much of its food from local suppliers as possible and guests can also pair

their meals with a glass of Prince Edward County wine or a custom craft cocktail.

Mom can spend her days reading by the saltwater pool or lazing in the hot tub while overlooking spring-fed ponds.

She can explore 200 acres of beautiful Canadian forest, take part in a yoga class or head out for a paddle and end the day with a soothing massage.

Glamorous wind-down

Just outside of Cambridge, award-winning country house hotel Langdon Hall sits on 30 gorgeous acres of pristine garden. Winner of many accolades, this lavish property is the perfect spa getaway.

Each elegant room features luxury linens, therapeutic soaking tubs, toiletries from luscious the White Company, and most come with a woodburning fireplace.

Throughout the pandemic, Langdon Hall has been providing each guest with a wellness kit on arrival, consisting of hand sanitizer, a face mask and information on all the COVID safety protocols used throughout the property.

The menu at Langdon Hall is

unique and inspired. Each meal reflects the season, all ingredients are sourced from local farms, fields, waters and forests.

Whether Mom is looking for lobster and champagne eggs for breakfast, smoked beef short rib for lunch or lime crème topped with honey from the property for dessert, every single bite will be beyond delectable.

Between heavenly meals, Mom can unwind in the awardwinning spa with a lavish facial, a rejuvenating body wrap or relaxing massage from an experienced RMT, complete with aromatherapy oils and exclusive certified organic botanicals. A glass of bubbly on the spa’s outdoor terrace is a must as well.

At Langdon Hall, your mother will be guaranteed an enchanting experience that leaves her feeling renewed, refreshed and revitalized.

Active escape

If your mom is a fan of active travel, a weekend at Blue Mountain is the way to go. With an abundance of lodging options from self-catering apartments to the glamorous Westin (and everything in between), home base can be anything she needs it to be.

During the day, the activity options are endless. Mom can spend a day with Free Spirit Tours, paddling the Beaver River in a canoe, kayak or on a standup paddle board. Either with a guide or on her own, she can hike the tranquil forest, scale the steep ridges of the escarpment, explore the Scenic Caves or cycle along the crystal-clear shores of Georgian Bay. Along the way, Mom can stop at local wineries or cideries, such as the famous Coffin Ridge Cidery & Winery or Spy Cider House & Distillery, for some local, tasty refreshment.

If you’re lucky, she may bring you home a sample or two.

Blue Mountain Village also has many delicious food offerings, which will satisfy any craving from mouth-watering Firehall Pizza Co. to the festive Tholos Greek restaurant, upmarket fare at O&B Café Grill to the ultimate pub grub at Northwinds Brew Pub. Then she can top it off by enjoying some live music in the village.

NATALIE PREDDIE Natalie Preddie is a travel and lifestyle writer, speaker and guest expert on Cityline, Your Morning and Global’s The Morning Show.

May 3–14

É

É

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647.247.2538 3080 Yonge St, Ste 4074 1386 Bayview Ave, Unit 3 GlobalHearing.ca

Canadian Bicycle Recycling Donate Your Used Bicycles

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A glamping tent at Whispering Springs is the perfect spot for a solo trip

BETTER HEARING EVENT

CURRENTS

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GREAT ESCAPES

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CURRENTS

LOCAL GRADUATES

From stocks to crops Charlie Iscoe on making the move from N.Y.C. to the family farm by Julia Mastroianni

REPORT CARD STUDENT:

Charlie Iscoe GRADUATED:

Upper Canada College BEST SUBJECTS:

Math and Economics WORST SUBJECT:

Visual Arts CURRENT JOB:

Co-Founder, Sunday Farms

Charlie Iscoe and Laya Bail started Sunday Farms during the pandemic

Charlie Iscoe and Laya Bail spent years in high-paced New York careers in finance and luxury fashion marketing, respectively, so it might be surprising to hear they started a company devoted to providing sustainably raised, nonGMO, local farm-to-table meat through subscription boxes in the GTA. “[Laya and I] started to have this crazy idea of just leaving it all behind and travelling around the world before having kids and all that and just sort of thinking: if there was another career for ourselves, one that was fuelled by our passions,” Iscoe says.

“We are helping

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farms grow by just educating consumers.”

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So they took that trip and discovered the deep connection between good food, local agriculture and the artisans making it possible. Then the pandemic hit, and they decided to pack up a U-Haul and trek from New York to Creemore, Ont., to Bail’s family farm.

“In the first few weeks that we started planting and eating off the land, we were just dumbfounded to realize that the same passionate and amazing agriculture that we’d just spent months chasing around the world was quite literally in our own childhood backyard this entire time,” says Iscoe.

Meanwhile, Iscoe’s brother Alex had already formed relationships with pasture-raised meat farms

because he was frustrated with the lack of options in the city. A frustration shared by friends Iscoe chatted with in Toronto. That’s when Sunday Farms was formed.

Iscoe says his time at Upper Canada College helped lay the foundation he needed when starting a business.

“It helped me understand that this is the opportunity, this is what the long-term business plan could look like,” he says.

The company offers a subscription-based service, which will deliver a package of your chosen meat selection every month or two months.

“We created our own checklist for what we cared about and what we would want to feed our own family,” Iscoe says.

Then they started calling farms in Ontario and going through that checklist, which included ensuring animals were pasture raised, never fed GMOs or given antibiotics or hormones and ensuring all beef is 100 per cent grass fed. They also looked for farms devoted to agricultural integrity, animal welfare and regenerative practices.

“We believe that less than two per cent of beef across Canada is actually pasture raised and 100 per cent grass fed,” Iscoe explains.

Sunday Farms currently has a database of more than 100 small family farms that they will reach out to as demand increases. Iscoe and Bail regularly visit the farms and have frequent conversations with the farmers.

“Our biggest value-added here is that we are helping farms grow by just educating consumers and finding this demand for them in the cities,” he says.

HOW THEY MET

CURRENTS

Monday morning she’d drive off to work. I hated it. I hated not being with her. After a year, I asked her to move in, and three months after that we bought our first place together.first place together.

The proposal

I was so nervous to do it. I had thought of like 10 different plans to propose. Some involved a cappella groups, one involved a Hawksley Workman concert.

But I wanted to do it with friends and during something we both love — games night!

We play this game called Celebrity where you have to guess the name on the piece of paper. I kept describing her, over and over. And then finally I said it was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I’m crying just thinking about it!

The wedding and honeymoon

Andrew and Tamara were married on June 1, 2013

Andrew Phung fell flat on his back in love The Kim’s Convenience star on meeting his wife Tamara at a club and taking a spill

We met at the club! We met at a nightclub called Outlaws in Calgary. I was there celebrating a birthday, and Tamara was there with some friends. We both wanted to skip out on the evening but decided to go. We shared a mutual friend and were introduced. I really wanted to impress Tam, so I broke out some sick moves to a Jamiroquai song.

I ended up slipping in a puddle of beer and fell flat on my back.

Like feet in the air, slapstick fell on the ground! I made a choice to get up and dance my embarrassment away in an attempt to look cool. It worked!

"Thank you. I am blown away by her attention and reading.

We have noticed that her work ethic has improved since the start of Fit. She is working so well during the Fit program and it's transferring into her school work. " − Michelle, North York Parent & School Teacher

Where the Science of Learning Meets the Art of Teaching

The kids

We have two boys. Nico is seven and Mateo is four.

The first date

Our first date was on June 1, 2005. We went on a classic Calgary date. Kicked it off with a walk in Prince’s Island Park, tossed the Frisbee around, hit up the arcade and then ended it with a slice of pizza from Wicked Wedge. We would often recreate that date throughout the years.

“I really wanted to impress Tam, so I broke out some sick moves to a Jamiroquai song.”

The courtship

We were both in our final year of university and took every chance to spend time together. Every Thursday she’d finish work and drive over. We’d order Indian food and watch The Office. From there, we’d spend the entire weekend together. I would do improv on Fridays, and she was always in the audience. Hearing her laugh was perfection. On

Balancing careers and marriage

I think it’s about boundaries.

Balancing your career and marriage isn’t easy. For us, we set hard boundaries for family and personal time. When we’re with our kids, we’re with them. It’s the same for personal time like date night or even watching a movie together. If one of us has to do something, the other partner supports them to do it.

Shared hobbies and interests

We share a lot of things in common and we love doing things together. But we also have a lot of our own interests, which is really fun. Tam loves interior design and decorating. I love pro wrestling and sneakers. Very different things, but those are unique to us. Partners having their own thing is something we both think is key to healthy relationships.

Secret of success

No secret. Just love and support.

It sounds cheesy, but we just love being together.

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How they met

Regardless of age, disability, challenge or label, Fit Learning provides a transformational learning experience for every child.

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The critically acclaimed Toronto series Kim’s Convenience has officially come to an end, and we caught up with Andrew Phung who plays the character Kimchee. Phung is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Canadian Screen Awards which will air May 20.

Originally from Calgary, Phung moved his family to T.O. while filming the show. Here’s the story of how he met his wife Tamara.

We were married on June 1, 2013, exactly eight years after our first date. We got married at Hotel Arts in Calgary. Our honeymoon was a three-week trip to Chicago, New York, Boston and Toronto. We both love exploring cities, and it was a dream trip.

Students consistently make 1-2 years of growth in 50hrs of instruction

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Toronto: T oronto: Castlefield Design District

*HZ[SLMPLSK (]L ࠮ *HZ[SLMPLSK (]L ࠮

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Southport SouthportOutdoor.com Outdoor.com

V Vaughan: aughan: Highway 7 & 427 W a Woodbridge oodbridge /PNO^H` >LZ[

/PNO^H` >LZ[

ARTS

CURRENTS

What Cadence Weapon is reading, watching and listening to right now Cadence Weapon is a Toronto-based and Edmonton-born artist and writer. He has a new album out on April 30 titled Parallel World. The new record continues Cadence’s mission to spark change and conversation through sonic messaging blending an array of old school and contemporary elements. He is also working on a book about his career called Bedroom Rapper, to be published

by McClelland & Stewart in Spring 2022.

For this column, Cadence Weapon outlines what he’s been enjoying while at home during the pandemic.

Reading has been one of my greatest joys over the past year. I just finished What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, and it really blew me away. She’s one of my favourite contemporary writers. She ties together cultural and literary references in a unique way that I can’t get enough of. I recently read Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine, and I found it powerful. A series of remarkable essays about being Black in America that includes some poetic moments where she plays for form and technique in ways that I hadn’t seen before. I’m currently reading The Gentrification of the Mind: Witness to a Lost Imagination by Sarah Schulman. It’s by far the most succinct description of the social and creative costs of gentrification I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone who has seen their community change for the worse and wondered why and how it happened.

READING

From Big Wreck to the Hot Docs festival 1. Terra Lightfoot

Talented Canadian musician Terra Lightfoot is set to take the stage at the Horseshoe Tavern for a sweet virtual concert in which she will perform T. Rex’s 1972 album The Slider front to back. Lightfoot will be joined by the equally amazing Toronto talent Kirty, a solo performer and also a member of the band Fast Romantics.

Lightfoot released her fourth studio album, Consider the Speed, last fall.

She was nominated for a Juno Award following the release of her album New Mistakes in 2018.

Kirty released the moving single “God Help Us” this spring and is set to release her third album this summer.

For show information go to Horseshoetavern.com.

2. Canadian Music Week

Toronto’s godfather of classic rock, Kim Mitchell, is being honoured this month as part of Canadian Music Week.

The patio lantern–loving rocker and former member of seminal group Max Webster will be inducted into the Indies Hall of Fame at the Jim Beam Indies Awards on May 21, which will be streamed virtually from the El Mocambo.

With Max Webster, he released five albums which generated many Canadian top 100 hits including “Let Go the Line,” “A Million Vacations” and “Paradise Skies.” His 1984 single “Go For Soda” charted on the Billboard Hot 100, in addition to six more singles, including “Patio Lanterns.”

The Canadian Music Week virtual conference and showcase festival is

being held May 18 to 21.

As usual, there are also plenty of opportunities for festival goers to discover a slew of new music presented virtually throughout the event. And registration to take it all in is absolutely free.

can be uploaded to digital clones that don’t need bodies to survive.”

For the full festival rundown go to Hotdocs.ca.

5. Big Wreck

The very funny Canadian comedian Shaun Majumder will be doing a virtual night of standup from Toronto’s venerable Horseshoe Tavern on May 28 with special guest musician Steve Poltz.

Majumder cut his teeth on the comedy stages of Toronto many years ago, becoming one of the top touring comics in the country and joining the cast of This Hour Has 22 Minutes in 2003, for which he won a Gemini Award in 2006.

If there is one thing that we all need right now, it’s a good laugh. And Majumder will supply many.

Ian Thornley’s rockin’ outfit Big Wreck will (hopefully) blow the roof off of your sensible automobile this month when the band plays the CityView Drive-in concert venue in Toronto’s Port Lands on May 14.

The band, fronted by Toronto’s Ian Thornley, met and formed while studying at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

The band went on to immense popularity in the ’90s on the heels of a number of highly regarded albums, including the band’s debut In Loving Memory Of…. Although the band disbanded in 2002, Big Wreck was reformed and toured a number of times in recent years, maintaining a faithful following.

4. Hot Docs

6. Around the World in 80 Plays

The Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival will present a slew of top documentary films until May 9 as part of the virtual edition of this popular annual Toronto event.

This year’s festival features 219 films from 66 countries with 50 per cent of the directors being women.

The festival is broken down into numerous categories, including the Canadian Spectrum series, which focuses on Canadian documentary films. This series includes the opening night film, the world premiere of A.rtificial I.mmortality, described as a “thrilling sci-fi trip that shows us a glimpse of a future where memories

Toronto theatre company Soulpepper is presenting an eight-week audio adventure that transports listeners around the world by partaking in eight dramas from Canada, Argentina, Italy, Russia, India, Iran, Jamaica and Nigeria..

Four plays are on the schedule in May, including Six Characters in Search of an Author, by Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello, on May 5 and The Seagull, by Russian Anton Chekhov on May 12. In addition there will be plays from India and Iran this month.

For the full schedule go to Soulpepper.ca.

3. Shaun Majumder

WATCHING Over the last 365 days, I’m pretty sure I’ve watched

every show ever made. I really enjoyed The One and Behind Her Eyes on Netflix. The Investigation on HBO was amazing. We crushed the new season of Search Party in less than 48 hours. Over the last few months, my partner and I have pivoted to reality TV in a big way. Shows that are “about something” are too intense for us lately. She got me into The Bachelor franchise. That led to Love Island and Temptation Island. Recently, we ripped through the newest seasons of Shahs of Sunset and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which were both ridiculously chaotic. We’ve started on the most recent season of Love & Hip Hop: New York. We’re watching the final season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and we’ve even branched off into Flip It Like Disick. Please send help.

I’ve been spending more time than ever digging for new music over the last few months. I put my favourite individual tracks on my playlist every Friday, but I’ve also been enjoying some albums this year. Promises by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra has been a balm for my spirit. It’s soothing futuristic ambient jazz. CFCF’s memoryland is probably my favourite album of the year so far. It’s an electronic record that mines all these different music styles from the ’90s. I wrote an essay about it in my newsletter recently. Conflict of Interest by U.K. rapper Ghetts is probably my favourite rap-adjacent album this year so far. It has such a unique mood where it’s chill, dark and banging at the same time.

LISTENING

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Six can’t-miss shows to check out in May

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L-R: Check out top-notch rockers this month including the amazing Terra Lightfoot and the legendary Kim Mitchell

Cadence Weapon

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CAMPS & PROGRAMS WillowWood School Summer Program

CAMP TYPE: Private School GRADES: 1-12 TOTAL ENROLMENT: 30-50 CAMPER/STAFF RATIO: 8:1 SESSION LENGTH: 1,2,3 or 4 weeks SESSION COST: Approx. $570

A co-ed independent school for diverse learners, WillowWood was founded in 1980 based on the core value that all students have a right to learn with dignity, that a warm and nurturing school serves as a foundation for remarkable lives and that it is the whole person who matters. We have a long tradition of delivering targeted, personal education that considers each student's needs, inclinations and strengths. This individualized approach ensures that students are able to discover and embrace their strengths, address their weaknesses, and maintain their dignity. Our effective teaching strategies, enthusiastic staff members and innovative programs bring out the best in students, build self-confidence and inspire a love of learning. If your family is seeking a new style of school with a strong history of inspiring students, we’d love to meet you. Contact us regarding our Camp Discovery and High School Summer Credit Course Program. Visit www.WillowWoodSchool.ca for more information and to set up an in-person or online interview and tour.

PROGRAM DIRECTORS: Walid Dowdie & Mellissa Grant

CONTACT: 416 444-7644

mellissag@willowWoodSchool.ca

Prestige School

CAMP TYPE: Day Camp AGE RANGE: 3-19 years TOTAL ENROLMENT: 50-70 CAMPER/STAFF RATIO: Varies SESSION LENGTH: July & August SESSION COST: $350 per wk

Prestige School’s Summer Camp Program is just the fun, activity-filled, yet educational summer that your children are looking for! Our camp, that offers a wide variety of exciting activities that keep all kids engaged, educated, and entertained, starts on July 5th and ends on August 27th, 2021. Our sports program includes Outdoor Games, Basketball, Volleyball, and Soccer. We also offer educational programs such as English and French studies, English as a Second Language, and Logic Boosters. We also provide activities such as Fun Science, Computer Design, Computer Animation and 3D Modelling, Drawing, Painting, Sculpting, and Chess. Campers attend exciting weekly Field Trips throughout the summer and visits to the Swimming Pool twice a week. The camp runs from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hot lunch is provided daily. Door-to-door transportation is available.

Summer School Credit Courses for grades 9-12 now offered.

CAMP DIRECTOR: Olga Margold

CONTACT: 416-250-0648 prestigeprivateschool.ca

PRESTIGE SCHOOL’S SUMMER CAMP

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COME THRIVE WITH US

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R Registration egistration open ffor or SUMMER SCHOOL AND SUMMER CAMPS

OPEN HOUSES SPRING 2021 2021 June 1 | July 6 | August August 3

ffor or mor more e inf information ormation

W WillowWoodSchool.ca illowWoodSchool.ca • 416 416 444-7644 444-7644

2 Convenient Locations Toronto Campus: 21 Eddfield Avenue (Sheppard & Yonge) Richmond Hill Campus: 11 Headdon Gate (Bathurst & Major Mackenzie)

416-250-0648

KIDS

CURRENTS

Local mom’s pandemic pivot to a preloved kidswear shop

Camp directors are waiting for an answer from the provincial government It is not a good week to be a camp director.

Come to think of it, it's not been a good year to be a lot of things, including a camp director.

I cry rarely. Last May after camps were closed for 2020, driving to camp, I started crying the moment I passed the Algonquin Park entrance. I cried hard for the 45 minutes till I got to camp.

That was a bit of a personal record; and it took many weeks for my mood to lift.

Where are the kids? Why am I not hearing shouts and laughter, tears and giggles? Where is the lovable bedlam that is the dining hall when there’s shouting and cheering and dancing? Why am I walking down the path alone?

This past fall — and winter — we thought for sure there’d be camp 2021.

It wasn’t ever going to be easy, but camp directors had webinars galore, Zooms till our eyes popped, conferences, health directives and an Everest of a learning curve about PCR and antigen testing, cohorting, sanitizing lifejackets and paddles.

Can we eat most meals outside, and how to put on a camp play? Will the camp bubble burst if staff leave for days off ?

How about food deliveries and dishwasher repairs? Laundry service and canoe trips?

We spent the winter and early spring feverishly engaged in planning for COVID risk reduction at camp.

Together, as a community, camp directors learned, worried and hoped. We lost sleep worrying about COVID invading our camps, but we believed we could take it on.

It would be different from what camp 2020 would have been, thanks in large

part to the widespread availability of testing, and how much more we know now about COVID transmission.

We felt not exactly ready, but we knew we’d get there.

Then the third wave came for us.

Will there be camp this summer? The government has yet to tell us. It’s not as if they know. Despite their oft-stated belief that summer camp matters a lot to kids, clearly they’re in panic stations about the third wave. They can hardly give camps the go-ahead with case counts going ever higher.

And yet…and yet….

A camper parent said to me last week: “Every family on my street has a depressed child.” He didn’t mean a little blue.

He meant serious mental health struggles.

I’m hearing about teenage girls waking up with panic attacks. We know that kids are struggling horribly, and that they need camp desperately. We know that getting out of the house and into nature, being with their friends, living in a cabin cohort without masking or distance, getting away from screens, are the antidote they so badly need.

But will it happen?

How long is the runway to camp? Some camps have already cancelled. Some are pivoting to family camp and cabin rentals.

Because camp doesn’t spring full blown from the forehead of Zeus the day before the campers come. It normally takes 10 months to get ready for two.

How long can we wait?

If they tell us in May, we can make it work. Because camp people are adaptable.

We shoot for the stars every day. If we can make magic for hundreds of children a summer, and foster their growth, introduce them all to their best selves, we can do this.

But we can’t wait longer than that.

Every day all over Ontario, camp staff are bailing on their camp jobs because of the uncertainty of employment.

Parents are begging for answers, worrying about having to make other summer plans for their kids. Do we buy the hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment and supplies that camps need, or wait till the last minute when it won’t be available?

Thirty-three years ago, when I first became a camp director, I met Bruno Morawetz, who had left a cushy job as a tenured professor at U of T to run Camp Ponacka.

“Bruno,” I said, “why leave that job for camp directing?”

He laughed and said “Such an easy choice. I own a piece of every smile on every child’s face.”

Running a camp is a really hard job.

And scary, because you hold so many young lives in your hand every day. You can make way more money much more easily doing other stuff. But you can’t own a piece of all those smiles.

So please. Bring our kids back to camp.

JOANNE KATES Parenting columnist Joanne Kates is an expert educator in the areas of conflict mediation, self-esteem and anti-bullying, and she is the director of Camp Arowhon in Algonquin Park.

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Will this third wave cancel summer camp?

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We know that kids need camp to get out of the house, get into nature and be with their friends

If there’s one upside to the pandemic, it’s the sense of creativity many people have rediscovered since spending more time at home.

Toronto mom Nyla Obaid became one of those people when she started her own preloved childrenswear brand, the Lode Store, on top of working and parenting full time from home in May 2020.

Obaid says the idea came to her while spending more time at home with her children, ages two and four, and noticing how fast they were outgrowing their clothes and toys. She decided to put some items up for sale on Instagram, and what started as a side hustle quickly grew into a business.

“I knew a lot of other moms who were stuck at home and feeling overwhelmed during the pandemic,” she says. “I felt really helpless to do anything in my community because in normal times I’d go bring my friend food or just go for a chat. I wanted to add value to the world during a rough time.”

As a young mom herself, Nyla hand selects each item she sells at the Lode Store, ensuring everything is gender inclusive, accessible and stylish. Her litmus test is to select only those items she would buy for her own kids — or something better.

“It’s important for everything at the Lode Store to be accessible to everybody,” Obaid says. “All the books I carry are by diverse authors and feature diverse stories, and I don’t carry any products that are culturally appropriating.”

Having grown up wearing hand-medowns, Obaid says the resale business came naturally. With the Lode Store, she’s putting her eye to good use by helping busy parents skip the step of sifting through hundreds of items to find a diamond in the rough.

“Fast fashion has never really been an option in our household,” she says. “But I know going to Value Village can be difficult, especially with kids in tow because you have to rummage through things. I feel like I’ve developed an eye for that, so the Lode Store is offering second-hand clothing that has already been curated.”

Obaid also donates 15 per cent of proceeds to Black Lives Matter Canada and says much of her supply comes from local parents, so profits are being shared among the community. She also involves her own family in every step of the process.

“Sometimes my kids model the clothes, they test every toy we get, we read all the books together. That’s probably a result of the pandemic, too, because we’re all always together at home, so there’s no work-life separation, but on the flip side, I really enjoy it,” Obaid says.

With the store’s success, Obaid says she’s looking to expand to a brick-and-mortar location. For now, visit lode.to to shop.

— Mackenzie Patterson 25

TE TO EV ER Y

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TORONTO

SE

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AWARDS

DER, BA K E TEN R, AR D I SH , B

RESTAURANT APPRECIATION

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HEF AND SOUS , C | POST | M AY 2 0 2 1

The past year has brought a never-ending series of challenges for Toronto’s restaurant industry. The ongoing strife, however, has driven innovation. Looking back at the past year, it’s truly amazing that restaurants have been able to stay open at all, let alone manage to delight and surprise us with multi-course takeout tasting menus, thoughtful cocktail kits, chef-driven markets, and countless other groundbreaking transformations.

With our first-ever Dining Awards, we aim to celebrate the ingenuity of the city’s entire food industry over the past year, while also highlighting the pioneering chefs and restaurants that really knocked our socks off.

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THE FOOD ADVOCATES

VICTOR BARRY

The Piano Piano owner partnered with chefs Vikram Vij and Dan Geltner to launch the Canadian Hospitality Worker Relief Fund, which has provided over $1 million in grants to restaurant workers.

© Rick O’Brien

ALU A S

THE MICHELIN MAN Even in takeout form, Sushi Masaki Saito continues to offer one of Toronto’s best dining experiences. The restaurant has hosted several limited-time takeout pop-ups over the past year featuring omakase boxes hand prepared by the Michelin-starred chef.

La Palma’s tomahawk pork chop with carrot butter & scallion gremolata

BEST INDEPENDENT CHEF VENTURE With Leña temporarily closed, chef Julie Marteleira founded Petisco Kitchen, an Instagram-based food business, with her mother and sister. It specializes in traditional Portuguese dishes.

BEST FINE DINING One of the city's top restaurants, contemporary French hot spot Alo offers weekly five-course menus to be devoured at home that are as detailed and carefully constructed as if you were nestled in the restaurant's sorely missed dining area. With dishes ranging from black striped sea bass crudo to cavatelli pasta to east coast scallop and pork belly, this is the definition of fine dining – at home.

BEST MEAL KITS Konjiki Ramen is making it possible to enjoy its Michelinrecognized ramen in the comfort of home with its new frozen ramen kits. Each of the two kit options comes with three sets of ramen noodles, soups, and toppings, with smokey black tonkotsu and spicy miso ramen among the choices available. Diners can also add on extra savoury toppings like pork chashu and braised pork belly.

BEST BOTTLE SHOP Babel temporarily paused its food takeout service last November, but its pop-up bottle shop is still going strong. It features a well-curated selection of wine, beer, cocktail kits and spirits, including exclusive spirits, made in partnership with Dillon’s distillery, for its sister restaurants Canoe and Maison Selby. Auberge du Pommier’s manager and wine educator, Anna Jarosz, offers free virtual wine consultations.

BEST DATE NIGHT There’s a passion and vibrancy to Italian spot La Palma’s interior that might seem impossible to replicate at home — until one samples its simple but sumptuous take-away menu, lights a candle or two, puts on a record, and dims the lights. Talk is easy even though your mouths are sure to be full when splitting the cacio e pepe pizza or, perhaps, the 100-layer lasagna. Smooth tiramisù for dessert will seal the deal.

BEST SUSHI Through its name alone, which translates to “craftsman heart,” Bedford Park–based Shoushin promises authentic, well-made edomae-style sushi with a refined taste. That's thanks to chef Jackie Lin, who has worked for two decades as a sushi chef and for whom simplicity and elegance are key — in both the restaurant's space and menu. To taste Shoushin’s sushi is to taste dedication.

BEST RESTOTURNED-MARKET Local Public Eatery was one of the first adopters of the restaurant-turned-market concept and continues to offer an excellent selection of goods for home cooks. Dubbed the Local Corner Store, the Leaside restaurant features signature ingredients like fire-roasted salsa and garlic chili sauce, as well as DIY meal kits and heat-and-eat dishes like braised short ribs.

JEN AGG

The always-outspoken restaurateur has garnered support via social media for industry issues, ranging from paid sick days for hospitality workers to the negative impacts of SkipTheDishes partnership with the LCBO.

JOHN SINOPOLI

The co-founder of Ascari helped launch SaveHospitality.ca, a coalition of independent Canadian restaurateurs aimed at unifying the voices of the hospitality industry and lobbying the government for support.

STEPHANIE LUI-VALENTIM

With the goal of addressing systemic inequities found in the hospitality industry, siblings Trevor Lui and Stephanie Lui-Valentim founded Quell, a culinary talent agency dedicated to under-represented voices.

BEST OPENING DURING THE PANDEMIC Ranging from house-made dip platters to spicy skewers and meaty mains finished with fresh herbs, Amal’s flavourful dishes will break you out of even the deepest takeout rut.

B EST ‘ZA

BEST MODERN DINER A Yonge Street mainstay for over four decades, Rosedale Diner continues to delight Toronto with its creative selection of Canadian and Middle Eastern dishes. It also has an impressive range of biodynamic, organic and natural wines.

The pistachio kebab from Amal

BEST MEXICAN Home of $5 tacos, Gus Taqueria has been serving up a taste of Mexico to Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood for just over two years. All tacos come enveloped in a handmade corn tortilla, and there are 10 protein options to choose from, including barbacoa (braised lamb) and mushrooms for a vegetarian option. Gus Taqueria also makes its salsas and many toppings in-house.

BEST COLLAB Italian eatery 7 Numbers has worked with chefs and restaurants across the city this year, including hosting a taco popup with the former owner of Fonda Lola, Andreas Marquez. Most recently, the restaurant teamed up with Stock-in-Trade butcher shop for a weekly in-house residency. The butcher shop will soon be a permanent fixture at the Danforth location and will have its own side entrance.

BEST PIVOT In its efforts to adapt to a changing world and industry, Pizzeria Libretto got quick and clever, selling pizza — its beloved Italian staple — in frozen form. Easy to heat up and devour entirely in one's home, this new feature had been in the making for some time, with president Max Rimaldi having had the idea six years ago. The frozen menu is now carried by several top Toronto grocers.

BEST COCKTAIL KIT With both originals and classics decorating the Cloak Bar’s menu, you can pick up everything from a tequila milk punch or a rye & pandan manhattan to a whole Ontario-sourced wine-tasting kit.

The Cloak Bar now also boasts a cocktail hotline, where you can place instant, custom orders via Instagram or head bartender Farzam Fallah can rustle up a recommendation just for you.

AMBASSADOR

GHOST PIZZA

Ambassador Pizza Co. has introduced Toronto to the unusual but much-loved Windsor-style pie. Signature toppings in the Rose City include canned mushrooms and lots of shredded pepperoni.

A pivot by West Queen West drinkery Bar Poet, Ghost Pizza features pies finished with creative toppings like shrimp rose with garlic spread, as well as tried-and-true classics like the Margherita.

MEL’S PIZZA

ONE NIGHT ONLY

Mel’s self-proclaimed Canadian-style pizza features a thin, crispy yet fluffy crust and high-quality toppings. Mel’s regularly offers “secret pizzas,” which can be ordered using a password accessible on Instagram.

Fortunately for fans, this formerly home-based pizza operation will soon be available much more often than a single night per week now that it has found a permanent home in Riverdale for its classic, thin-crust pies.

OFF MENU

This merchandise initiative gives diners a new way to support restaurants by producing and selling branded T-shirts and hoodies from local faves like the Federal. All profits are donated back to the restaurants.

CORBY

Building on an earlier $100,000 donation made in partnership with Diageo Canada, the spirit company donated $100,000 to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund, which is expected to benefit over 400 bartenders.

BRANDING AND BUZZING

The marketing agency launched Canada Takeout, an ongoing campaign that encourages Canadians to support their local restaurants by ordering takeout every Wednesday.

CNECTING

Founded by Not 9 to 5, a nonprofit dedicated to mental health advocacy for the food service sector, CNECTing is a new online educational platform aimed at supporting mental wellness for restaurant workers.

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THE SUPPORTING CAST

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A cocktail kit from the Cloak Bar

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TORONTO RESTAURANT APPRECIATION AWARDS BEST BAR SNACKS Queen West’s 416 Snack Bar has transitioned to takeout with “meal format snacks.”

The multi-person whole fish platter has been miniaturized into the “jerk fish for one,” and small plates have been upsized.

BEST BENTOS

Takeout from Coast by MDP

SKIPPA

Skippa’s beautifully arranged boxes feature different items each week, but you can expect exceptional bites like wild fish nigiri.

Skippa often sells out each week, so be sure to get your order in early.

BEST WINE BAR AT HOME There’s always been a singular low-lit intimacy to Grey Gardens, Jen Agg’s Kensington Market wine bar. Although you can’t perfectly recapture the experience of sipping a glass of crisp wine over smoked fish – chips n’ dip, its bottle shop offers a taste of the experience with offerings ranging from a citrus spritz cocktail for two to a biodynamic Malvazija from Slovenia.

BEST PLANT-BASED Inspired by traditional Thai cuisine, Mugi is a purely plantbased Thai restaurant that makes all of its curries and chili sauces in-house. Fish sauces and shrimp pastes commonly found in Thai dishes have been replaced by Mugi’s own plantbased recipes. All of the noodle dishes, like the Chaiya pad Thai, use sweet potato noodles instead of gluten-based or ricebased noodles, and everything on the menu is vegan.

BEST SPLURGE Restaurateur Grant van Gameren's latest may have recently pivoted to a chicken joint called Don Pollo, but it's still offering “Quetzal at Home,” a luxe multi-course to-go kit that brings the best of the Mexican spot's cuisine to your door. Worth every dollar, its prix fixe dinner menu shifts by the week. Throw in a Quetzal cocktail and the only thing your wallet will regret is not springing for more.

© Rick O’Brien

MINAMI

The new sister restaurant to Miku, Minami’s high-end bentos feature mains like citrus-glazed chicken thigh, and all come with several oshi sushi and seasonal vegetables, as well as miso soup.

BEST GHOST KITCHEN Opened in October 2020, Coast by MDP isn’t actually a physical restaurant at all, but a ghost kitchen with a deliveryonly model run by Matt Dean Pettit, the chef behind Rock Lobster. This top spot for surf and turf in Toronto serves up seafood favourites, including lobster rolls, a cheesy lobster poutine, beer-battered fish sandwiches and, of course, a creamy seafood chowder. It recently expanded to Vaughan.

BEST CHEF-MADE PRODUCT The Sanjeev Masala Co. spice line from Host Hospitality Group is based on the blends developed by late founder Sanjeev Sethi. It’s made to help diners build a pantry of Indian culinary staples.

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The pork secreto al pastor from Quetzal

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TOP YOUNG CHEFS

MATTHEW HOROWITZ

Horowitz left a corporate job to start BBQ joint Matt’s Smokehouse. The venture recently moved into College Street bar NightOwl, where Horowitz is continuing to experiment with new flavour combinations.

MICHAEL LAM

In addition to leading the kitchen team at Ascari King, Lam recently partnered with the restaurant’s former GM Eric Chow to launch Good Behaviour Ice Cream, which specializes in custard-based ice cream.

SAMANTHA LAMANNA

Currently sous chef at Il Covo, Lamanna recently took home second place in the Garland Canadian Culinary Competition, which saw her competing against some of the country’s other top-rising culinary talents.

BENJAMIN LILLICO

After leading the team at the revamped Holts Café, Lillico is now a chef ambassador with FeastOn and the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance and is working to promote local food movements.

© Gabriel Li and Rachel Tong

TORONTO RESTAURANT APPRECIATION AWARDS

The team behind Sunny’s Chinese

BEST COMEBACK Charbroiled cheeseburgers and home-cut fries are the only things on the menu at Harry’s Charbroiled. Formerly operating out of a food truck, Harry’s has found a new home on Palmerston Avenue in the former home of Woodlot in the Little Italy neighbourhood. Although we were sad to see Woodlot go, we’re happy to see the space serving as a permanent home for Harry’s.

BEST BBQ With summer just around the corner, Beach Hill Smokehouse is ready for barbecue season and eager to serve up some Southern hospitality with its mouth-watering selection of smoked meats. Inspired by the traditional smoking practices found in central Texas, Beach Hill sells its meats by the half-pound. A variety of meaty sandwiches is also on offer, along with family-sized cookout kits.

BEST HAUTE CUISINE Iconic French restaurant Scaramouche continues to prove why it’s an enduring Toronto favourite with a takeout menu that includes dishes like soy-sesame glazed roasted duck breast with duck confit dumplings.

BEST BURGERS

BEST BRUNCH Ossington bistro Union offers an outstanding weekend brunch menu that includes dishes like simple but superb Flat Top Breakfast with double-smoked bacon and the BBQ rib benny with spicy aïoli.

BEST ON A BUDGET A favourite for classic ItalianAmerican staples and red sauce pastas, Sugo’s friendly neighbourhood vibe and affordable homemade comfort foods make it a must-visit for when a craving for Italian food strikes.

With most items priced under $16, Sugo serves a variety of sandwiches, pastas, salads, and small plates, including veal parm, stuffed peppers, and house-made ricotta gnocchi.

BEST NEW CHINESE Toronto is home to hundreds of Chinese restaurants, but Sunny’s Chinese, a not-so-secret pop-up, takes the top spot. The menu can’t be found online — you’ll have to sign up for the newsletter to receive it. Menus feature dishes that honour regional origins. Past menu items have included twice-cooked pork with long pepper, Chinese-style dumplings, scallion and ginger snapper and stir-fried bok choy with garlic sauce.

MATTY’S PATTY’S

Chef Matty Matheson’s burger joint features single, double or triple patties made from locally-raised AAA beef.

There’s a plant-based Impossible Burger option for vegetarians and flexitarians.

HAPPY BURGER

Another simple smash burger done right, Happy’s version is smashed on a griddle and served on a toasted Martin’s potato roll as a basic patty or with added toppings like steamed pastrami.

EXTRA BURGER

Specializing in smash burgers before the craze took hold of Toronto, this unfussy joint is known for flat top–cooked burgers doused in a signature sauce, as well as perfectly salty, crinkle-cut fries.

AUNTY LUCY’S

Started as a wildly popular Parkdale pop-up, Aunty Lucy’s now has a permanent home in the Annex Hotel. Their standard burger is the Kumasi, a single smash patty topped with American cheese and Lucy’s Sauce.

TRUE TRUE DINER

The closure of chef Suzanne Barr’s Afro-Caribbean diner was a blow for the restaurant industry. Fortunately, Barr continues to make a name for herself thanks to her culinary talents and passion for social advocacy.

BROTHERS

The beloved Yorkville restaurant closed its doors last July, noting that its intimate style of dining would not be feasible for the foreseeable future in the COVID era. Its announcement hinted to look out for future projects.

RUBY WATCHCO

Celebrity chefs Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk closed their celebrated east end restaurant in October 2020. Known for its family-style, locavore cuisine, Ruby Watchco had been in business for over a decade.

VESUVIO

The long-running Dundas West restaurant called it quits in April 2020 after more than 60 years in business. Fortunately for fans of the pizzeria, some of its former staff went on to found the new Juniors Pizzeria.

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GOODBYE BUT NOT FAREWELL

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Sweet breakfast options from Union

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With our specialized local expertise, a passion for the Central Toronto market, and a commitment to truly understanding our clients, we deliver winning strategies with exceptional results.

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416.873.6477

CENTRE STREET DELI

OPEN

Mon - Sun 7am - 5pm

“We, at Centre Street Deli, are so grateful for the continued support of our AMAZING customers during this challenging year.”

| POST | M AY 2 0 2 1

“We could not have done it without you!

We look forward to the pleasure of serving you for years to come!”

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(905) 731-8037

1136 CENTRE STREET, THORNHILL, ON. PLEASE VISIT US AT www.centrestreetdeli.com

TASTE TEST

THREE TIMES THE FUN Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, our Taste Test judge samples tres leches, a sweet Mexican sponge cake

FOOD

WINNER MI TACO TAQUERIA 521 Bloor St. W., $4.25

Tres leches gets its name from the three milks that the cake is soaked in to make it (tres leches literally means three milks). Mi Taco’s version is soaked in a combination of condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. “Everything worked well in this dessert,” McEwan said, describing the cake as “nicely balanced.”

McEwan noted that the winning tres leches has a lovely “buttery taste.”

He liked that while the texture looks light and airy, the cake “still has some body” when you take a bite.

Everything is made in-house at Mi Taco Taqueria, with the restaurant’s from-scratch approach helping to set the winning tres leches apart from its competitors. “It’s a regular white cake, and we let it soak with three different types of milk for 24 hours. Then we whip our beautiful cream and put it on top,” says Mi Taco Taqueria owner Lidia Caschera.

“That’s really it. It’s a very simple process.” Caschera first opened Mi Taco six years ago after moving to Toronto from Dallas, Texas. She runs Mi Taco, which now has two locations, with her sister and daughter.

PLAYA CABANA

AVE MARIA LATIN CAFE

EL CATRIN

LA MEXICANA

CIELITO RICO

111 Dupont St., $10

631 Bloor St. W., $6.50

18 Tank House Ln., $10

3337 Bathurst St., $8

2780 Hwy. 7, Unit 105, $3.50

“Very comfortable, very familiar, very easy to enjoy.”

“Rich tasting! It will be a hit for those with a sweet tooth.”

“Untraditional and surprisingly good. Different layers of texture.”

“I really enjoyed the texture of the cake. High vanilla taste.”

“I liked the airiness of this dessert. It’s very milky.”

| POST |

M AY 2 0 2 1

images @mitacotaqueria

Mark McEwan is the veteran chef behind Bymark Fabbrica, and McEwan Fine Foods.

He’s also the author of bestselling cookbooks and serves as head judge on Food Network’s hit series Top Chef.

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DANIEL PUSTIL

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RECIPES

FOOD

The perfect May 9th menu Treat your mom this Mother’s Day with these delicious Toronto chef recipes

L-R: Dilled trout quiche and pistachio financier

INGREDIENTS 1 8 1 ⁄2 cup 1 ⁄2 cup 2 tbsp 2 cups 2 tins

1

basic pie crust recipe, or store-bought eggs 10% cream ricotta fresh dill mixed microgreens high-quality trout (such as Scout Canning’s Ontario Trout with Dill) lemon

METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. Roll out pie crust and lay it into a medium deep pie plate.

3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk eggs and 10% cream together, season with salt.

4. Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust and place in oven for 20 minutes or until the eggs have just started to set.

5. Once set, pull out of oven and top with ricotta, fresh dill and Scout’s Ontario Trout with Dill (save the oil).

6. Return to oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking.

7. Toss the microgreens in the dilled trout oil and add zest and juice of 1 lemon, garnish quiche and serve.

“Of all the desserts that I make, financiers are one of my mom's favourites,” says Roselle co-owner Stephanie Duong. “She always requests that I make it for her when she visits us. Make sure you take the time to caramelize the butter properly; it should be on the verge of burning but not quite. This important step will give the tea cake lovely nutty nuance, crisp edges and a tender interior.”

INGREDIENTS 300 115 110 4 3 275 165 80 30

g g g g g g g g g

icing sugar flour almond flour baking powder salt egg whites browned butter pistachio paste honey chopped pistachios or other nuts of choice, to taste

METHOD 1. Sift and whisk together all the dry ingredients. Whisk in egg whites.

Add slightly warm browned butter and stir to combine. Add honey and pistachio paste, stirring thoroughly.

2. Chill batter in the fridge for at least an hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F 4. Lightly spray mini muffin mould or any small cavity mould.

5. Fill batter 3⁄4 of the way and sprinkle chopped pistachios or any desired nuts on top.

6. Bake for 13–15 minutes until

edges are golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

7. Enjoy! Baked financiers keep in an airtight container for up to three days or they freeze beautifully for a few weeks.

Ted Corrado’s Smoked Chicken Summerhill Market executive chef Ted Corrado’s warm weather–ready recipe is perfect to enjoy with your family as the temps heat up.

LEMON CHICKEN BRINE 113 g 113 g 1/2 1 2 3 1 2250 ml

white sugar kosher salt onion, sliced lemon, zested garlic cloves, smashed sprigs of thyme bay leaf water

TO PREPARE BRINE 1. Dissolve salt and sugar in 1000 ml of warm water.

2. Add the other 1250 ml of cold water and remaining ingredients.

TIPS: Use a narrow deep vessel instead of a shallow wide vessel so chicken can be fully submerged. Place plastic wrap or parchment paper on top of the liquid and slightly submerge it.

The liquid on top of the wrap will act as weight and will keep the chicken fully submerged.

CHICKEN RUB 1 part 1 ⁄2 part 1 ⁄2 part 1 ⁄4 part 1 tsp

kosher salt black pepper paprika granulated garlic oil

TO PREPARE RUB Combine all spices in a bowl and ensure it’s fully incorporated.

SMOKED CHICKEN METHOD 1. Spatchcock chicken and brine in fridge for 24 hrs.

2. Remove chicken from brine and pat down dry. Place a wire rack or cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and place chicken cavity side down on top of the rack. Place in fridge and let air dry for another 24 hrs.

3. Lightly coat the chicken with oil covering all the skin.

4. Generously sprinkle dry rub all over the chicken. Make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies.

Sprinkle dry rub in the cavity as well.

5. Preheat your smoker to 295°F using wood of your choice (oak, hickory and apple woods are best for poultry). Place chicken cavity side down in the smoker.

6. If you have a probe thermometer, cook until the internal temp on the thickest part reads 170°F. 7. Remove and let sit at room temp until the internal temp goes down to 150°F. Enjoy.

Cabano's Comfort Food’s Carolina Hot Sauce “In the Midlands of South Carolina, the area surrounding the state capital of Columbia, mustardbased BBQ sauces are a staple,” says Cabano’s Comfort Food chef Kevin Boyd. “Our version doesn’t stray far from the classic flavour profile found in the Deep South – focused on yellow mustard, honey and roasted chili peppers. Serve with chicken, beef or pork. Works well as a dip, sandwich topping or basting in the last few minutes of grilling.”

INGREDIENTS 1.25 L 250 ml 6 tbsp

6 tbsp 8 tbsp 250 ml 50 ml

yellow mustard honey charred chili pepper puree (use any storebought hot pepper puree that you like) minced garlic brown sugar water apple cider vinegar

METHOD 1. In a small pot combine sugar, vinegar and water and bring to a boil or until sugar is dissolved.

2. Using a blender combine mustard, honey, garlic and chili pepper and puree until smooth.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

3. Gradually whisk in the sugar/vinegar/water mixture until smooth and a velvety consistency is reached. Sauce will keep up to a month in the fridge.

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“The Dilled Trout Quiche is a personal favourite of mine as it packs a punch in herbaceous flavour,” says chef Charlotte Langley. “It's a dish that can be enjoyed around the clock.”

Roselle’s Pistachio Financier

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Chef Charlotte Langley's Dilled Trout Quiche

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FOOD

NEWS

Clockwise from left: Il Covo’s Ryan Campbell, a Mort’s sandwich and a slice of Gertie’s peanut butter pie

High-end restaurant pivots to sandwiches Il Covo makes the move to mortadella

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by Erica Commisso

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For restaurant owners across the country, the last year has been difficult. For Il Covo’s Ryan Campbell, it also presented an opportunity.

His latest offering is Mort’s, which offers fresh takes on all things mortadella sausage. He has also launched Radio Cocktails and Gertie’s, each with a different vibe and focus. Oh, and Il Covo also partnered with David Marcelli for a pasta kit project.

Mort’s is barely two weeks old and operates out of Il Covo’s kitchen.

“Rumour has it burgers and sandwiches have prevailed during the pandemic, so I thought maybe mortadella could be the hook and appeal to the mass but make us a little different,” says Campbell. “I like to think many people can relate to it and, hopefully, it offers a little nostalgia.”

Also operating out of Il Covo, the restaurant’s bartender Luca Cesaretti (also of Rome’s Jerry Thomas Project) and his wife, Gina Aguilar of Rome’s Mezcaleria La Punta, operate Radio Cocktails.

This budget-friendly graband-go bottle shop offers custom cocktails and beers Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Il Covo is also partnering with

pasta chef David Marcelli.

“People can expect fresh and vibrant pastas that are all made by hand and mainly consist of unique cuts and shapes that you cannot exactly try every day,” says Campbell.

Each kit includes a recipe card and enough handmade pasta, sauce and finishing touches for serving.

Campbell’s final project, Gertie’s, focuses on peanut butter pies.

“My mom, Gerda, is the one whose face is all over our branding. She’s from Amsterdam, Holland,” he explains. “It made sense to name the company after my mom because she is the reason I’ve been familiar with peanut butter pies since I was a kid. Peanut butter pies are native to the Southern United States, but my mom would make them periodically during my childhood. It was always a hit!”

Needless to say, Campbell has certainly kept himself occupied in a year of uncertainty, much to the benefit of Toronto foodies always looking to try new culinary treats.

“I stay busy with all of these projects happening at the same time. I don’t have much of a life outside work right now. But I’m very happy,” Campbell says.

NEWS

FOOD

The GTA’s #1 Choice for Designer Eyewear & Name Brand Lenses for over 30 years !!

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We welcome you back safely and with peace of mind.

Activism through dumpling making

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Timothy Chan has raised close to $2,000 with Dump the Hate energy and effort into a meaningful initiative.”

Since announcing his participation in Dump the Hate, Chan says the response has been overwhelming.

“In less than 12 hours, we raised over $1,900 with 900 dumps on the way,” he says. The proceeds will benefit two organizations: Fight Covid Racism, which tracks and responds to incidents of hate and violence against Asian Canadians, and Butterfly, which provides support to and advocates for Asian and migrant sex workers.

“Love us — the Asian community — like you love our food.”

The minimum donation for a homemade, hand-rolled dumpling is $1. All orders can be placed by contacting Chan via Instagram.

The first batch of dumplings was vegetarian and featured a medley of mushrooms (king oysters, creminis and shiitakes), ginger and baby bok choy. The second batch will also be vegetarian, stuffed with tofu, baby bok choy, shiitakes and ginger.

Orders can be delivered within the GTA, and all dumplings arrive frozen and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, including steamed,

boiled, fried and even added to soups. They can be stored for two to three months.

The official Dump the Hate initiative ran until April 4, but Chan, who’s currently a one-person operation, says he plans on continuing it.

“I had to put a pause on orders, but I plan to start taking more once I finish folding the initial 900 dumps,” Chan says. “I already have a wait list with 33 supporters.

Clearly there is an appetite for equality!

“I hope the dumplings will help fuel people’s commitment to antiracism and empower them to show up, speak up and interrupt racism,” he adds.

Chan has also created a GoFundMe page, inviting supporters outside the GTA who won’t be able to receive dumpling deliveries to make donations toward the worthy cause.

According to food blogger Lo’s website, all of the participants across Canada in the Dump the Hate virtual dumpling-making fundraiser have collectively raised over $84,923 and made over 34,491 dumplings in total.

The cross-country campaign is now set to continue indefinitely.

“Many businesses were hit hard because of the pandemic, but the impact on Asian-owned businesses was intensified by racism. Love us — the Asian community — like you love our food.”

— Christine Hogg

Bay Adelaide Centre Bloor West Village 333 Bay St. Unit 14C, 2321 Bloor St. W. 416-762-2657 647-340-3007

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M AY 2 0 2 1

According to a recent report by the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) Toronto chapter, there were 1,150 cases of attacks against Asians across the country from March 10, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021.

It’s an alarming and unforgivable number, brought on by racist stereotypes that blame Chinese Canadians for the current economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exhausted, hurt and angry from seeing a rise in hate toward the Asian community that he is a part of, local Torontonian Timothy Chan decided to do something about it.

He’s now blending activism with cultural identity through food via an initiative called Dump the Hate.

“Dump the Hate was started by Canadian food blogger and chef Jannell Lo in response to the rise of anti-Asian racism,” says Chan.

“She invited participants to make and sell dumplings to friends and family and donate the proceeds to organizations supporting the Asian community.

“I started making dumplings a year and a half ago in an effort to better connect with my Chinese roots. Now it has turned into a beautiful (and tasty!) form of activism,” Chan continues. “The spike in anti-Asian hate crimes was weighing very heavily on me.

Dump the Hate was a perfect opportunity for me to channel my

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Dumplings handmade by Toronto resident Timothy Chan

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SPRING RESTAURANT DELIVERY GUIDE

www.cestbonrestaurant.com

LaFenice.ca

www.karbouzi.com

www.kathmandurestaurant.ca

2685 YONGE STREET • 416 932 2811

319 KING ST. W. • 416 585 2377

2048 AVENUE ROAD • 416 483 3846

12 CUMBERLAND ST. • 647 345 4214 + 416 924 5787

OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY

OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY

OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY

OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY

Pictured: Black Bean Basil Chinese Eggplant

MENU HIGHLIGHTS

MENU HIGHLIGHTS

House Pan Fried Dumplings

Signature Lasagna: Our decadent 100-layer lasagna, with house-made Provimi veal Bolognese and house béchamel, has to be tasted to be believed! You won’t find our Signature Lasagna anywhere else!

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs Crispy Ginger Beef Spicy Peanut Chicken General Tsao's Chicken Basil Chicken House Mix Vegetable House Chili Prawn Special Fried Rice Seafood Cantonese Chow Mein Also Wide Selection of Vegetarian and Tofu Dishes

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C’est Bon would like to thank all of our customers for their continued support during this period.

All our staff are taking additional safety measures to ensure the safety of both staff and all of our customers.

36

Pictured: Signature Lasagna

Order Direct Online

Radicchio, Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad: This refreshingly light yet flavourful salad is topped with our special house-dried goat cheese and lightly-dressed with olive oil and red wine vinaigrette.

Grilled Shrimp & Calamari: Our shrimp and calamari are perfectly grilled to peak tenderness. A little bit of olive oil, garlic rub and fresh herbs are all that’s needed to bring out the fresh flavours of the seafood.

12 0z. Rib Eye, Center Cut: Nothing makes a statement like our 12 oz. rib eye steak! We only use the best Certified Angus Beef ® from Western Canada. Prepared with a rosemary and garlic rub and served with seasonal vegetables.

La Fenice Tuscan Chophouse has been part of Toronto's Entertainment District since 1984.

Experience Italy's authentic flavours made with the freshest locally sourced ingredients from the comfort of your home.

www.cestbonrestaurant.com or call 416-932-2811 Order Direct Online

Pictured: Pork Souvlaki

TRADITIONAL GREEK DELICACIES Appetizers: Pork, Chicken, Lamb or Beef Souvlaki Stick Spanokopita, Shrimp, Pita Bread Fried Calamari, Dolmades, Greek Salad Tzatziki, Hummus, Taramosalata Entrees: Pork, Chicken, Lamb or Beef Souvlaki Dinnerserved with rice, roast potatoes and tzatziki Moussaka - potato, eggplant, zucchini, ground beef topped with béchamel sauce and served with rice and vegetables Gyros on a Pita topped with marinated tomatoes, onions and tzatziki Check out our full menu on-line!

There is no need to travel to Greece for the authentic cuisine, simply go online to www.karbouzi.com.

A Toronto restaurant tradition for over 50 years, Karbouzi Greek Taverna has become a staple on Avenue Road known for the warm atmosphere, the friendly service, and of course, the delicious home cooking!

Karbouzi boasts a menu filled with traditional Greek delicacies from Souvlaki to Moussaka to flaming Saganaki.

And don’t forget to try our much loved Tzaziki!

LaFenice.ca or call 416-585-2377

Call direct or order online at www.karbouzi.com

Pictured: Tandoori Tikka

FEATURING THE EVEREST FEAST FOR TWO $46.99 A royal banquet spread includes: Soup of the day, tandoori chicken, seekh kebob, chicken tikka, king tandoori prawns, choice of meat curry, choice of vegetable curry Rice, Naan and Dessert OTHER SAMPLE MENU ITEMS INCLUDE: Starters: Chicken/Vegetable Momos - Nepali style chicken/veg dumplings Shrimp Butterfly - Large king prawns are deliciously spiced and deep-fried Lamb & Goat: Lamb/Goat/Nilgiri - Authentic lamb dish from the mountains of Nilgiri Lamb/Goat/Kadai - Cooked with ginger, green pepper, tomatoes and hot spice in a deep iron wok Seafood: Shrimp Vindaloo - Cooked in a fiery red-hot curry sauce. A specialty of Goa, south of Bombay Seafood Vindaloo - A famous fiery red-hot assorted seafood curry sauce

Located in the heart of Yorkville our restaurant brings you our signature dishes that we’ve perfected over the last 20 years! From our famous Everest Feast that features mouthwatering Tandoori dishes to our popular Curry options, our staff is committed to providing the best that Nepalese and Indian cuisine has to offer. We have aspired to assemble a menu to reflects its unique Nepalese culture and culinary specialties. Enjoy a 10% discount for all pick-up orders so that you can bring the flavours of the Himalayas to your home!

Order online at: www.kathmandurestaurant.ca

NEWS

FOOD

© Davin Bujalski

This 905 bakery is bringing fluffy, Japanese-style bread to the GTA

L-R: Mother-and-daughter team Shani and Galya Sarner and a labaneh bowl with roasted silan pears

Toronto’s new source for Israeli snacks How this pandemic pivot became a family-run food business by Jessica Huras Galya Loves Food grew out of what is becoming a familiar pandemic pivot story — one in which a longtime personal passion transforms into a successful business. Born in Jerusalem, Galya Sarner developed an interest in food at a young age when she began learning to cook from her mother.

“Since I learned how to walk, I spent hours with her in the kitchen,” says Sarner. She later refined her hands-on training, taking formal culinary courses while living in Paris.

After settling in midtown Toronto, Sarner occasionally hosted food workshops and offered catering services in her free time. After being laid off from her job as a result of the pandemic, however, she took an opportunity to package and sell her hummus at local bakery Aba’s Bagel Company.

“The owner, Arie, really opened a door for us,” says Sarner.

With the help of her husband Robert and daughter Shani, her company, Galya Loves Food, soon blossomed into a thriving, fam-

ily-run business.

“It’s just been word of mouth, and, in a natural way, it has grown and developed,” says Robert.

Galya Loves Food now offers a lineup of homestyle, Israeli dips, snacks and sweets made with natural ingredients, including the signature Jerusalem hummus.

“We package it in a jar, but we tried to bring the same experience and taste that you get when you have hummus in Israel,” says Shani, adding that her mom continues to pick all of the ingredients by hand herself, even as the business expands.

“We cook the chickpeas in a traditional way,” says Sarner. “It’s a long process, but it’s very rewarding. There’s a special aroma when we get the flavour we want. It’s an exciting moment.”

Labaneh, fresh-baked falafel and glutenfree date cookies are among the other items available.

“Most of the recipes are based on the tra-

ditional roots of my childhood, which we further developed,” says Sarner. “We have our own interpretation. Toronto is very inspiring.

It’s a fusion culinary world here.”

The family culinary team is continually adding new products to the Galya Loves Food lineup, often inspired by the foods they miss most from Israel.

The family largely credits their success to a community drive to support small, local businesses amid the pandemic. They’re already finding ways to give back, partnering with charitable organizations like Seeds of Hope.

“We want to share our love of food,” says Sarner.

Orders can be placed online or Galya’s products can be found at an ever-growing roster of retailers, including Brodflour, Coco Market and Mimi and Ry Produce, as well as at select What a Bagel and Greenhouse Juice Co. locations and the 100 Mile Store in Creemore, Ont.

The latest bakery to open in the 905 is serving the best thing since sliced bread: shokupan, a fluffy style of bread popular in Japan. Iki Shokupan is taking orders via Instagram DM and typically sells out a week in advance.

A technique called the yudane method, which involves mixing bread flour with boiling water, differentiates shokupan from your run-of-the-mill white bread loaf. The boiling water gelatinizes the starch, resulting in a softer, moister, sweeter bread with an almost mochi-like texture.

From french toast to sandwiches, shokupan can be enjoyed like traditional bread, but it’s also flavourful enough to be eaten on its own.

Owner Jing Yang has been a hobby baker for years but, like many people, found herself re-evaluating her priorities and recommitting to her passions amid the pandemic, according to Albert Yamada Hsueh, who is handling marketing for the bakery.

Yang’s shokupan, which is made from scratch using natural ingredients, is free of sugar and eggs.

Yang is currently making about 24 loaves per day in her Markham-area kitchen.

Hsueh sys that, unlike in Canada, where customers often expect a varied menu, it’s common for shops in Japan to focus on perfecting a single product, which is the current goal with Iki Shokupan.

Yang does plan to slowly introduce different varieties of shokupan, such as whole wheat and honey.

The shokupan is currently available for pickup only, and orders can be placed through Iki Shokupan’s Instagram.

— JH

A favourite midtown pizzeria bounces back Rios also weighed in on food delivery prices digging into pizza profits throughout the pandemic and has been vocal about the fees that delivery apps charge restaurants.

After many delays, Premier Doug Ford eventually capped food delivery prices in December 2020. Although the caps are helpful, Ontario restaurants are still struggling to survive on revenue from takeout service alone, and many in the industry say that further measures are needed to help restaurants recover from the economic setback caused by the pandemic.

The news that the pizzeria will be returning is more than welcome and an excellent way to kick off the spring season for pizza fans.

“We should be open for the start of June, barring any major delays,” says Rios.

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Conspiracy Pizza closed its doors last December over a rift with the space it shared with Adamson Barbecue. Fortunately for fans of their creatively topped pizzas, the restaurant has since found a new location at 856 Eglinton Ave. E. and will be reopening soon.

Although there is no business connection between Adamson Barbecue and Conspiracy Pizza, the pizza shop felt obliged to close its doors after a social media storm driven by Adamson owner Adam Skelley’s anti-lockdown protests put both restaurants in the middle of pandemic controversy.

“It has become clear that we can no longer guarantee the safety of our staff or customers in the face of a quickly escalating pandemic,” owner Dan Rios wrote in a letter posted on the former Conspiracy Pizza website.

M AY 2 0 2 1

by Harriette Halepis

© Lindsay Rosset

Conspiracy Pizza is reopening, finally!

Fresh loaves of shokupan

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LOOKING BACK Before you go...take a gander at these five historic events from Mays of years past MAY 2021 EDITION

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On May 22, 1971, Ontario Place opened to the general public with its now iconic Cinesphere, which was the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre. The city is moving to list the Cinesphere as a heritage property in an attempt to protect it.

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On May 2, 1994, the Toronto Raptors revealed the team name for the first time, as well as the now-defunct dino logo. Pictured: Damon ‘Mighty Mouse’ Stoudamire.

Windfield Farms owner E. P. Taylor sees jockey Bill Hartack ride Taylor’s stallion Northern Dancer to victory in the 1964 Kentucky Derby on May 2, the first Canadian-bred horse to win it. Dancer became the first horse inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

On May 30, 1938, the four winners of Great Toronto Stork Derby, a baby-making contest for families that was run over 10 years, were announced including the Nagle family (pictured).

On May 3, 1969, late, great rock star Jimi Hendrix was arrested for narcotics possession at Toronto International Airport and released on $10,000 bail.

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