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  23. <title>&#8220;I hope my students will exchange friendship bracelets&#8221;: This professor is bringing a Taylor Swift course to Queen’s law school</title>
  24. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/taylor-swift-law-course-queens-university/</link>
  26. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  27. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:35:37 +0000</pubDate>
  28. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  29. <category><![CDATA[Eras Tour]]></category>
  30. <category><![CDATA[Queen's]]></category>
  31. <category><![CDATA[Taylor Swift]]></category>
  32. <category><![CDATA[TIcketmaster]]></category>
  33. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=648286</guid>
  34.  
  35. <description><![CDATA[<p>Mohamed Khimji breaks down how the superstar has transformed entertainment law, why even Swift’s haters should study her influence and what songs he’ll be playing in class</p>
  36. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/taylor-swift-law-course-queens-university/">&#8220;I hope my students will exchange friendship bracelets&#8221;: This professor is bringing a Taylor Swift course to Queen’s law school</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  37. ]]></description>
  38. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-648291 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mohamed-Kamji-scaled-e1714140878309.jpeg" alt="Mohamed Khimji is the David Allgood Professor in Business Law at Queen’s and an avowed Swift fan. He'll teach a new course on Swift in the fall" width="2048" height="1376" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mohamed-Kamji-scaled-e1714140878309.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mohamed-Kamji-scaled-e1714140878309-300x202.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mohamed-Kamji-scaled-e1714140878309-2000x1344.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mohamed-Kamji-scaled-e1714140878309-768x516.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mohamed-Kamji-scaled-e1714140878309-1536x1032.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  39. <p><em>Taylor Swift is famous for her lovelorn pop songs—like those on her brand new record-smashing album,</em> The Tortured Poets Department—<em>but the global superstar has left her mark on more than just the charts. A new course at Queen’s University this fall will look at Swift’s interactions with the legal system throughout her career and how she’s affected entertainment law in the music industry.</em></p>
  40. <p><em>Mohamed Khimji is the David Allgood Professor in Business Law at Queen’s and the avowed Swift fan behind the course. He believes that even non-Swifties should pay attention to her influence. “We’ve never seen anything like her before,” Khimji says. Here, he talks about how his class—the first of its kind in Canada—will use Swift’s career as a lens for the big-picture issues shaping the contemporary music landscape, like artists’ rights, originality and privacy. Haters, take note.</em></p>
  41. <hr />
  42. <p><strong>First things first: Would you call yourself a Swiftie? </strong><br />
  43. Absolutely.</p>
  44. <p><strong>When did you become a fan? </strong><br />
  45. I arrived a little bit late to the party. I really didn’t know anything about her until the pandemic. Then I read a review of <em>Folklore</em>, and I was intrigued that she was collaborating with Justin Vernon on a song called “Exile.” I listened to it and loved it instantly.</p>
  46. <p><strong>How did you go from Swift stan to shaping a curriculum around her career? </strong><br />
  47. About a month ago I was talking to one of my colleagues, who’s also a fan of Taylor. We were going through her re-recorded albums and debating whether the original or Taylor’s Version was better. My colleague asked me: Why did Taylor Swift re-record her albums? I started explaining the legal and the business reasons, and it made me think my students would be interested in this as well. In that instant, the course name came to me: “Law (Taylor’s Version).”</p>
  48. <p>People are familiar with the cultural impact that Swift has, the social impact that she has, the political impact that she has. I mean, Thailand and Singapore are fighting about which country gets the exclusive right to host the Eras Tour in that part of the world. She inspires famous levels of devotion in her fans. We’re really a community—whenever I wear my Eras shirt out in public, I get smiles and comments from other fans. But she’s had a legal impact on the music industry as well, specifically with regard to how record deals are negotiated.</p>
  49. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/taylor-swift-chiefs-sweater-ellie-mae/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Meet the Toronto designer who sourced Taylor Swift’s vintage Chiefs sweatshirt">Meet the Toronto designer who sourced Taylor Swift’s vintage Chiefs sweatshirt</span></a></em></p>
  50. <p><strong>Why <em>did</em> Swift re-record her first six albums? </strong><br />
  51. This is such a great story. In 2019, it was actually Kelly Clarkson who suggested in a tweet that Swift re-record her music. To understand why, you need to understand the copyright regime. In a simple sense, musicians have exclusive rights when it comes to the reproduction of their original work. However, you can vary default rules by way of contractual agreement.</p>
  52. <p>Typically in a record deal, what happens is the record company gets permission to reproduce the work—i.e., to produce an album for distribution—and usually in these agreements ownership of the recording—technically known as the master—is transferred to the record company. So, because of the deal she had originally signed with Big Machine Records, Big Machine owned the masters for her first six albums, and Swift didn’t.</p>
  53. <p>Practically, this is relevant because not owning the masters means that artists don’t necessarily have final say over where their recordings can be played and licensed. For example, let’s say a song is to be used in a commercial. If Taylor’s Version is used, her authorization is needed. However, if the original version is used, authorization is needed from whoever owns the masters. The question of who owns the masters, then, has massive effects for artists in terms of their control over their image, their art and their royalties. Because of Taylor Swift, artists like Olivia Rodrigo are prioritizing owning their masters.</p>
  54. <p><strong>In this case, there was an extra wrinkle where Big Machine was purchased by Scooter Braun, former manager of Kanye West, with whom Swift has a fraught history, to say the least. “Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it,” Swift wrote on Tumblr at the time.</strong><br />
  55. That’s the thing about property—it’s transferrable.</p>
  56. <p><strong>Your course will also look at many other interactions Swift has had with the legal system, like when Sean Hall and Nathan Butler filed a lawsuit accusing her of copying lyrics from the 3LW song “Playas Gon’ Play” for her 2014 hit “Shake It Off.” The lawsuit was eventually dismissed. What does that case tell us about copyright law?</strong><br />
  57. Copyright gives musicians—and any other authors—exclusivity rights over their original work. The key word there being original. My own view here is that the law just has to do a better job defining the standard for originality. There’s a lack of clarity, and that lack of clarity is really damaging to the music industry. When laws lack clarity, people have an incentive to file lawsuits with the idea that a settlement is going to be cheaper than going to court, even when there’s no basis for the claim whatsoever. And that’s a problem with the content of the law.</p>
  58. <p><strong>There’s been a spate of high-profile copyright cases in the last ten years or so, like lawsuits claiming similarity between Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” or the recent lawsuit against Justin Bieber and Dan and Shay claiming their song “10,000 Hours” plagiarizes R&amp;B song “The First Time Baby Is a Holiday.”</strong><br />
  59. There are too many to list. It’s a problem with our legal system—it’s too expensive to go to court, which incentivizes the threat of a lawsuit, because it makes settling more likely. This isn’t just limited to the music industry.</p>
  60. <p><strong>Swift is also no stranger to invoking legal action, particularly in her use of cease and desists.</strong><br />
  61. Swift is good at many things. One of them is crafting her own image and maintaining it. The cease and desist is an important part of doing that successfully. A cease and desist is really a power move—it’s designed to manage how she is perceived. In 2017, for example, a blog called PopFront published an article called “Swiftly to the alt-right: Taylor subtly gets the lower case kkk in formation,” suggesting that Swift’s music contained dog whistles for white supremacists. Swift’s lawyer quickly sent a cease and desist letter to the author, alleging among other things that the article was a “malicious attack.” That case illustrates the tension between freedom of expression and privacy as well as the tension between those two things and entertaining the public with individual lives. This course will require students to wrestle with all those tensions.</p>
  62. <p><strong>There are rumours that Swift has been giving her boyfriend, football player Travis Kelce, advice on filing trademarks for his name and his phrases. What do those trademarks do for Kelce?</strong><br />
  63. Filing a trademark is ultimately about protecting your name and reputation. Travis now has a very strong brand. It makes sense that strategically he’s being proactive and laying the groundwork for his future business ventures. There is a threshold for acquiring a trademark, which is distinctiveness. It remains to be seen whether all of the things that are being claimed will meet that threshold.</p>
  64. <p><strong>How do you meet that threshold?</strong><br />
  65. You’ll have to take the course to find out! There’s a legal standard. The best way to think about the content of the law is that law will have rules which are very clear and easy to understand. But law will also have standards, like distinctiveness, like originality. Standards tend to be less clear, which is why they cause litigation and argument.</p>
  66. <p><strong>Swift sparked a couple of lawsuits in 2022, when fans experienced extreme technical difficulties and spiking prices trying to get tickets to the Eras Tour (Toronto fans in 2023 weren’t much luckier). Fans sued Ticketmaster, calling it a “predatory monopoly,” and the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the company. Now, it looks like the DOJ could sue Ticketmaster’s parent company for breaking antitrust laws. Is the Eras Tour changing the structure of live music as we know it?</strong><br />
  67. There are two problems with Ticketmaster’s monopoly. One is that they’re providing a bad service. They’re a single supplier—with an artist like Taylor Swift, of course you’re going to have a bottleneck effect and the system will crash. The other problem is that artists who end up dealing with Ticketmaster can’t negotiate with them. The first problem affects fans, and the second problem affects people in the industry, and now these two groups are coming together with the same goal.</p>
  68. <p>This is a competition law issue at the federal level, but there have also been many initiatives at state level intended to increase transparency and fairness in online ticket sales. The names of some of these bills illustrate Taylor Swift’s impact. For example, in Washington, the lawmakers called their proposal the “Ticket Sales Warrant Integrity, Fairness, and Transparency (TSWIFT) for Consumer Protection Act.”</p>
  69. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/lawyer-leading-class-action-lawsuit-against-ticketmaster-prices-drake/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Why one lawyer is leading a class-action lawsuit against Ticketmaster">Why one lawyer is leading a class-action lawsuit against Ticketmaster</span></a></em></p>
  70. <p><strong>Your course starts in September. Will it be as hard to get a spot as it was an Eras Tour ticket?</strong><br />
  71. I don’t want to make people as upset as the fans who deal with Ticketmaster! People are really excited about this. I’m getting emails from alumni, former students from other schools asking if they can take it. So I’ll have my research seminar, which I’d like to be thirty people, but I’m also thinking about whether there’s a way to develop an online version of the course.</p>
  72. <p><strong>Thoughts on the new album?</strong><br />
  73. I’m having a similar experience to it as with <em>Midnights</em>, where every month I had a favourite song. At first, “Tortured Poets Department” was my favourite, but “Fortnight” is now the second one I’m obsessing over. I love the end, when Post Malone is singing softly.</p>
  74. <p><strong>Will you be playing any of her songs in class?</strong><br />
  75. Of course. I’ve got to play “Shake It Off” and “Playas Gon’ Play” side by side as we consider the plagiarism accusations against Swift. I also hope that the students will be exchanging friendship bracelets.</p>
  76. <p><strong>Even for those who aren’t racing to join a Taylor Swift singalong, why is it important to take her seriously?</strong><br />
  77. If we were to search for a historical comparison to her we would struggle to find one. Even if you don’t like her music, even if you find her fame annoying, she is clearly a phenomenon worthy of study. I’m thrilled that it’s not only my course at Queen’s—there’s a literature course at Harvard, there’s a course at Stanford focusing only on “All Too Well.” One song! I think it’s great—contemporary issues matter as much as historical issues. And she is clearly one of the most relevant contemporary phenomena of our time.</p>
  78. <hr />
  79. <p><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
  80. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/taylor-swift-law-course-queens-university/">&#8220;I hope my students will exchange friendship bracelets&#8221;: This professor is bringing a Taylor Swift course to Queen’s law school</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  81. ]]></content:encoded>
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  86. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  92. <title>Real Weddings: Inside an upbeat celebration at the Gladstone House</title>
  93. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-izzy-amanda-gladstone/</link>
  95. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  96. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:17:54 +0000</pubDate>
  97. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  98. <category><![CDATA[Amanda Morrison]]></category>
  99. <category><![CDATA[Izzy Ehrlich]]></category>
  100. <category><![CDATA[Real Weddings]]></category>
  101. <category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
  102. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=648177</guid>
  103.  
  104. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring sculptural floral arrangements, eclectic dance music and brunch at the Drake </p>
  105. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-izzy-amanda-gladstone/">Real Weddings: Inside an upbeat celebration at the Gladstone House</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  106. ]]></description>
  107. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Amanda Morrison, an executive producer at a film-production company, met Izzy Ehrlich, a partner and editor at a post-production house, on Tinder in 2017. A few months later, Amanda moved into Izzy’s apartment. Eventually, Izzy proposed to Amanda at their cottage in Tiny, Ontario, and they were wed in October 2023 in an elegant ceremony at the Gladstone House hotel. Here’s how their big day came together.</em></p>
  108. <hr />
  109. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648207 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pairings-35-8.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda in black and white, sitting on a luggage carrier" width="2500" height="1835" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pairings-35-8.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pairings-35-8-300x220.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pairings-35-8-2000x1468.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pairings-35-8-768x564.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pairings-35-8-1536x1127.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Pairings-35-8-2048x1503.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  110. <p><strong>Izzy:</strong> I initiated the conversation with Amanda on Tinder. It was in 2017, and I remember seeing a photo of her wearing a button-up shirt with a zip-up hoodie underneath. I thought it was kind of weird but also cute.</p>
  111. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-destination-lake-como/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside a scenic wedding on Lake Como"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside a scenic wedding on Lake Como</em></span></a></p>
  112. <p><strong>Amanda:</strong> Izzy was very quick to suggest hanging out in person, which I liked.</p>
  113. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>We arranged to meet up at Bar Fancy.</p>
  114. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>I was going to have one drink and see how it went. But then we ended up going to a second bar, then a third. We really got to know each other. We talked about our past relationships, our families, growing up, our siblings, work. The conversation and banter with Izzy was so easy and fun. I felt like we could have kept hanging out for days.</p>
  115. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648194 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0218-1043-AmandaIzzy-157.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda sitting together, holding a dried flower arrangement" width="2500" height="1802" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0218-1043-AmandaIzzy-157.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0218-1043-AmandaIzzy-157-300x216.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0218-1043-AmandaIzzy-157-2000x1442.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0218-1043-AmandaIzzy-157-768x554.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0218-1043-AmandaIzzy-157-1536x1107.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0218-1043-AmandaIzzy-157-2048x1476.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  116. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>I fell in love with Amanda as soon as I saw her. It was like, <em>Oh, I never want this night to end. </em>There was this wild energy between us. I know it’s clichéd, but it was like a magnetic attraction. As the night progressed, we felt more and more connected.</p>
  117. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>A few days after our first date, I went on a week-long trip to Jamaica with some friends. When I came back, we were pretty much inseparable. Izzy is so incredibly charming and charismatic. Her energy is infectious. We’d spend hours on her front porch just talking our heads off. It was like time didn’t even exist.</p>
  118. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648187 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA007-2496-AmandaIzzy-Edit-103.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda walking down the stairs on their wedding day" width="2500" height="1769" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA007-2496-AmandaIzzy-Edit-103.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA007-2496-AmandaIzzy-Edit-103-300x212.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA007-2496-AmandaIzzy-Edit-103-2000x1415.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA007-2496-AmandaIzzy-Edit-103-768x543.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA007-2496-AmandaIzzy-Edit-103-1536x1087.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA007-2496-AmandaIzzy-Edit-103-2048x1449.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  119. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>Amanda is so fun to hang out with. She’s always up for anything and constantly makes me laugh. Everything feels easy and light when we’re together. At that time, I lived alone in Parkdale, whereas Amanda had roommates. So we hung out at my house a lot.</p>
  120. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>Three months after we met, the end of my lease was coming up. So I moved into Izzy’s place. It was quick, but it made sense for us.</p>
  121. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>Even though we hadn’t known each other that long, I didn’t even question it. That’s how a lot of our relationship has been—we don’t really map out our life plans; we just roll with the punches. But I definitely knew that Amanda was my forever person.</p>
  122. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-648200" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BW-01-1.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda doing a photoshoot in Fresh Co." width="1886" height="2500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BW-01-1.jpg 1886w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BW-01-1-226x300.jpg 226w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BW-01-1-768x1018.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BW-01-1-1159x1536.jpg 1159w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BW-01-1-1545x2048.jpg 1545w" sizes="(max-width: 1886px) 100vw, 1886px" /></p>
  123. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>We talked about marriage pretty early on in our relationship. I was never one of those people who grew up dreaming of their wedding day, so I didn’t feel like we had to stick to any specific timeline, which was nice.</p>
  124. <p><strong>Izzy:</strong> In 2018, we bought a cottage together in Tiny, Ontario. We wanted a place that we could escape to when we needed it. Then, in 2020, right when Covid hit, we bought a house in Little Portugal.</p>
  125. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>It was a good starter home but not our forever place. So we bought another house, in the Junction, in 2022.</p>
  126. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648201 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSCF0712-1930-AmandaIzzy-89.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda in black and white, sitting together" width="2500" height="1711" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSCF0712-1930-AmandaIzzy-89.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSCF0712-1930-AmandaIzzy-89-300x205.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSCF0712-1930-AmandaIzzy-89-2000x1369.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSCF0712-1930-AmandaIzzy-89-768x526.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSCF0712-1930-AmandaIzzy-89-1536x1051.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSCF0712-1930-AmandaIzzy-89-2048x1402.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  127. <p><strong>Izzy:</strong> When we were selling our first house, I wanted to celebrate the moment. It felt like the right time to propose to Amanda. I thought it would be a really special way to mark this new phase of our lives.</p>
  128. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>In May 2022, we had to leave our house in Little Portugal so that it could be staged. We went up to our cottage to live there for a month.</p>
  129. <p><strong>Izzy:</strong> It felt like the perfect place to pop the question. Before we left, I picked out a ring—a triangular diamond with hand-engraved flowers on a yellow-gold band. We’d never talked about rings before, but I knew she would love it. I planned to propose on the beach the day we arrived because I was so nervous about carrying around the ring.</p>
  130. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-648206" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7798-470-AmandaIzzy-176.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda looking at one another in the hotel elevetor" width="1667" height="2500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7798-470-AmandaIzzy-176.jpg 1667w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7798-470-AmandaIzzy-176-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7798-470-AmandaIzzy-176-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7798-470-AmandaIzzy-176-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7798-470-AmandaIzzy-176-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /></p>
  131. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>Right when we got to the cottage, Izzy asked if I wanted to go for a walk. I actually said no. I told her I just wanted to sit and relax, which was true.</p>
  132. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-stylish-celebration-at-soos-restaurant/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside a stylish wedding celebration at Soos restaurant"><span data-title="Related: Inside a stylish wedding celebration at Soos restaurant"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside a stylish wedding celebration at Soos restaurant</em></span></span></a></p>
  133. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get her down to the beach. I finally convinced Amanda by saying that the forecast was calling for rain the next few days, so we had to take advantage of the weather. Finally, she got up and came with me. Once we got to the beach, she started writing “I love you” in the sand while looking out at the water. I didn’t know exactly what to do, so I just put the ring in my fingers and held it out in the air. She turned around and said, “What are you doing?”</p>
  134. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648193 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0210-1035-AmandaIzzy-164.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda on a couch at the Gladstone House" width="2500" height="1934" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0210-1035-AmandaIzzy-164.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0210-1035-AmandaIzzy-164-300x232.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0210-1035-AmandaIzzy-164-2000x1547.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0210-1035-AmandaIzzy-164-768x594.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0210-1035-AmandaIzzy-164-1536x1188.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0210-1035-AmandaIzzy-164-2048x1584.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  135. <p><strong>Amanda:</strong> I was stunned because we hadn’t talked about it. People always say they have some idea about when a proposal is going to happen, based on conversations or trips that get planned, but I was absolutely shocked—and also happy and so excited. Once we got settled into our new house, in the fall of 2022, we started planning everything.</p>
  136. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>We wanted our wedding to feel like us. Modern, warm and elegant—but not too stuffy.</p>
  137. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>We knew we wanted it to be inside and not in the dead of summer when it would be super hot. We definitely wanted to keep it in Toronto since we love the city. We toured a few different venues, but some were too big—we only wanted about a hundred guests—or they felt cold and empty. But, once we walked into the Gladstone House, we knew it was perfect. It was intimate and the staff were so lovely. We&#8217;d also both been to so many queer events at the Gladstone over the years, so we loved the idea of getting married there.</p>
  138. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648185 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/000038500024-608_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-86.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda sitting at the Gladstone Hotel" width="2500" height="1657" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/000038500024-608_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-86.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/000038500024-608_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-86-300x199.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/000038500024-608_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-86-2000x1326.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/000038500024-608_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-86-768x509.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/000038500024-608_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-86-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/000038500024-608_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-86-2048x1357.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  139. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>For my outfit, I got a suit made at Got Style. I’d never done anything like that before, but the process was really simple. I decided on green for the colour, and we picked out the fabric, the buttons and the fit. It turned out really nicely.</p>
  140. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>I was anxious about buying a dress because I don’t always feel super comfortable in formal attire. I loved the vibe at LoversLand, though. I found my dress on the second visit. It was fitted and had long sleeves, a low back and a train.</p>
  141. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648180 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1847-54_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-77.jpg" alt="Disco balls from the wedding" width="2500" height="1663" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1847-54_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-77.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1847-54_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-77-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1847-54_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-77-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1847-54_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-77-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1847-54_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-77-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1847-54_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-77-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  142. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>We rented a hotel room at the Gladstone for the night before the wedding, and we had a separate room downstairs for getting ready. We got our hair and makeup done together. I wasn’t nervous at all about marrying Amanda, but I don’t love being the centre of attention, so that aspect was a bit nerve-wracking.</p>
  143. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>I felt super nervous about the ceremony and all the things that could go wrong. But it was nice to be with Izzy and talk about how we were feeling.</p>
  144. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>The ceremony was in the ballroom. I walked out first. I’m really close with Amanda’s nonna, so she brought me down the aisle.</p>
  145. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-648199" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0784-1609-AmandaIzzy-63.jpg" alt="Amanda and Izzy kissing after being married at the Gladstone" width="1667" height="2500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0784-1609-AmandaIzzy-63.jpg 1667w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0784-1609-AmandaIzzy-63-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0784-1609-AmandaIzzy-63-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0784-1609-AmandaIzzy-63-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BGY_0784-1609-AmandaIzzy-63-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /></p>
  146. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>After I made it up the aisle without falling on my face, I felt pretty calm. I was able to just be present with Izzy at that moment.</p>
  147. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>Our ceremony was really quick, about 15 minutes. The room was beautifully decorated, with some earth-tone florals and a few pops of darker colours. Our florist built sculpture-like designs, which we had at our altar. There were also dried flowers hanging from the chandeliers.</p>
  148. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648182 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1929-130_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-75.jpg" alt="Some of the sculptural floral arrangements at the wedding" width="2500" height="1663" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1929-130_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-75.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1929-130_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-75-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1929-130_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-75-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1929-130_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-75-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1929-130_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-75-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC1929-130_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-75-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  149. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>After the ceremony, our guests went into the adjoining bistro bar for a cocktail hour while the ballroom was flipped for dinner. We took a little snack break up in our room, then we headed back down to join our guests. We wanted to maximize time with our friends.</p>
  150. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>The Gladstone handled the dinner. We had a beef option, a fish option and pasta for the vegetarians.</p>
  151. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>We did our first dance to “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey. Then we invited everyone up to join us, which helped get the party started.<strong> </strong></p>
  152. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648184 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC2234-432_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-72.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda having their first dance" width="2500" height="1663" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC2234-432_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-72.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC2234-432_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-72-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC2234-432_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-72-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC2234-432_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-72-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC2234-432_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-72-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC2234-432_AmandaIzzy_ShotbyGregTrumper-72-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  153. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>The DJ played ’90s tunes, oldies, hip hop and current club tunes. It was kind of all over the place, but it was also very true to our style.</p>
  154. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>The party naturally wound down at 1 a.m., which was our cut-off time. It was kind of fun, though, because people moved into the lobby area as they were leaving. There were a bunch of chairs and couches there, and it was nice to hang out and say goodbye to people as they walked out the doors.</p>
  155. <p><strong>Izzy:</strong> Honestly, I felt relieved when the day was over, but in the best way. Everything went off without a hitch. The food was great. There were no meltdowns. Everyone had a fun time. I felt really happy about it.</p>
  156. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648203 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0713-131-AmandaIzzy-140.jpg" alt="Izzy and Amanda kissing during their wedding" width="2500" height="1963" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0713-131-AmandaIzzy-140.jpg 2500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0713-131-AmandaIzzy-140-300x236.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0713-131-AmandaIzzy-140-2000x1570.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0713-131-AmandaIzzy-140-768x603.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0713-131-AmandaIzzy-140-1536x1206.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0713-131-AmandaIzzy-140-2048x1608.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /></p>
  157. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>The next day, we hotel-hopped over to the Drake for brunch with our nearest and dearest, which was about 15 people. It was nice to hang out, enjoy a meal and debrief.</p>
  158. <p><strong>Izzy: </strong>We went to Cancun for our honeymoon. We really just wanted to relax because we’d been so busy between the wedding and our careers. It was awesome.</p>
  159. <p><strong>Amanda: </strong>Being married to Izzy feels the same, honestly. Marriage was never a pressing thing for us. It was more like a way to celebrate something beautiful, and I’m so glad we did it.</p>
  160. <p><strong>Izzy:</strong> It feels the same for me too, which is really comforting. I wouldn’t want to change a thing.</p>
  161. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-648190" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA017-2085-AmandaIzzy-Edit-33.jpg" alt="A close look at the couple's wedding cake" width="1695" height="2500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA017-2085-AmandaIzzy-Edit-33.jpg 1695w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA017-2085-AmandaIzzy-Edit-33-203x300.jpg 203w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA017-2085-AmandaIzzy-Edit-33-768x1133.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA017-2085-AmandaIzzy-Edit-33-1041x1536.jpg 1041w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AA017-2085-AmandaIzzy-Edit-33-1389x2048.jpg 1389w" sizes="(max-width: 1695px) 100vw, 1695px" /></p>
  162. <h5>Cheat Sheet</h5>
  163. <p><strong>Date: </strong>October 14, 2023<br />
  164. <strong>Venue: </strong>The Gladstone House<br />
  165. <strong>Photography: </strong>Bradley Golding and Greg Trumper<br />
  166. <strong>Wedding planner: </strong>Lexi Haslam<br />
  167. <strong>Day-of planner: </strong>Amanda Hewitt<br />
  168. <strong>Officiant: </strong>Charity Adams<br />
  169. <strong>Florist:</strong> Rosalie Villanueva<br />
  170. <strong>Chairs:</strong> Divine<br />
  171. <strong>Linens, napkins, chargers and side plates:</strong> Simply Beautiful Decor<br />
  172. <strong>Carpet runner: </strong>Reznick<br />
  173. <strong>Invites and signage:</strong> Chris Brown<br />
  174. <strong>Printing:</strong> Paper Damsels<br />
  175. <strong>Catering: </strong>The Gladstone House<br />
  176. <strong>Cake:</strong> Kwento<br />
  177. <strong>DJ: </strong>Regina Gently<br />
  178. <strong>AV:</strong> V Productions<br />
  179. <strong>Hair and makeup:</strong> Lisa Vella<br />
  180. <strong>Engagement ring and wedding bands: </strong>Elana Ginsberg<br />
  181. <strong>Amanda&#8217;s dress: </strong>LoversLand<br />
  182. <strong>Amanda’s shoes:</strong> Christian Louboutin, Nike Blazers<br />
  183. <strong>Izzy&#8217;s suit: </strong>Got Style by Natasha Morén-Espinoza<br />
  184. <strong>Izzy&#8217;s shoes:</strong> Prada</p>
  185. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-izzy-amanda-gladstone/">Real Weddings: Inside an upbeat celebration at the Gladstone House</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  186. ]]></content:encoded>
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  191. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  196. <item>
  197. <title>Surreal Estate: $8.5 million for an old-world compound up the street from Casa Loma</title>
  198. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-casa-loma/</link>
  200. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  201. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:50:49 +0000</pubDate>
  202. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  203. <category><![CDATA[Casa Loma]]></category>
  204. <category><![CDATA[Surreal Estate]]></category>
  205. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  206. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647812</guid>
  207.  
  208. <description><![CDATA[<p>What house overlooking a castle would be complete without a hand-painted cupola, a wrought-iron wine cellar and access to a ravine?</p>
  209. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-casa-loma/">Surreal Estate: $8.5 million for an old-world compound up the street from Casa Loma</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  210. ]]></description>
  211. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647813 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar.jpg" alt="This home just north of Casa Loma is currently selling for $8.5 million. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  212. <p><strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/casa-loma/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Casa Loma">Casa Loma</span></a><br />
  213. </span><strong>Price:</strong> $8,588,000<br />
  214. <strong>Last sold for:</strong> $6,260,000 in 2021<br />
  215. <strong>Size:</strong> 8,300 square feet<br />
  216. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 5+1<br />
  217. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 7<br />
  218. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agent:</strong> <a href="https://harveykalles.com/agent/donna-thompson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Donna Thompson,">Donna Thompson,</span></a> Harvey Kalles Real Estate</p>
  219. <hr />
  220. <h5>The place</h5>
  221. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A five-plus-one-bedroom, seven-bathroom home</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> just north of Casa Loma, with a 16-by-66-metre back lot overlooking the tree-filled Nordheimer Ravine. The place also has a lower level built for help staff, with a separate entrance, a summer kitchen and a laundry room. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&#8217;s within walking distance of St. Clair West station, and motorists are a short drive from both Vaughan Road and Avenue Road. </span></p>
  222. <h5>The history</h5>
  223. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The current owners, a young family, bought this property in 2021. They&#8217;re now looking for something smaller as the kids approach adulthood. While various owners have renovated over the years, the majority of the house&#8217;s original elements remain intact, including its hand-painted cupola. </span></p>
  224. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-muskoka-resort/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$15 million for a turnkey Muskoka resort with 41 guest rooms"><span style="font-weight: 400;">$15 million for a turnkey Muskoka resort with 41 guest rooms</span></span></a></em></p>
  225. <h5>The tour</h5>
  226. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The home faces south and has a plaza-like stone driveway. Both the front and back gardens are equipped with in-ground sprinkler systems. </span></p>
  227. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647814 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_FrontofHome.jpg" alt="Is this Toronto or the Italian countryside? " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_FrontofHome.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_FrontofHome-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_FrontofHome-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_FrontofHome-1536x1024-1713651378.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_FrontofHome-2048x1366-1713651382.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  228. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s a first look into the home from the front door. That&#8217;s the office on the left and the main suite at the end of the hall. </span></p>
  229. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647818 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_LookingIn.jpg" alt="The main bedroom can be seen from the foyer. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_LookingIn.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_LookingIn-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_LookingIn-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_LookingIn-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  230. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">This reverse angle shows the foyer. Yes, that&#8217;s a creepy calavera sitting on the right. </span></p>
  231. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647819 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3_Foyer-1.jpg" alt="Yes, that's a giant skull in the foyer. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3_Foyer-1.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3_Foyer-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3_Foyer-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3_Foyer-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  232. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The house&#8217;s most stunning feature is this hand-painted cupola, inspired by Italian architecture.</span></p>
  233. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647820 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4_FoyerCeiling.jpg" alt="The soaring cupola is hand painted. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4_FoyerCeiling.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4_FoyerCeiling-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4_FoyerCeiling-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4_FoyerCeiling-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  234. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s that office, with a marble fireplace, intricate wainscoting, wide-plank oak hardwood and built-in bookshelves (not pictured).</span></p>
  235. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647822 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Office.jpg" alt="The office has a fireplace surrounded by intricate wainscotting. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Office.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Office-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Office-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Office-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  236. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the kitchen: Sub-Zero fridges, a Wolf stainless steel gas cooktop, a Miele dishwasher, custom cabinets, quartz counters and a marble backsplash. </span></p>
  237. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647824 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Kitchen.jpg" alt="The kitchen is loaded with new stainless steel appliances. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Kitchen.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Kitchen-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Kitchen-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Kitchen-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  238. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The farmhouse sink contrasts nicely with all the opulence. </span></p>
  239. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647825 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_Kitchen-1.jpg" alt="Note the farmhouse sink surrounded by opulent decor. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_Kitchen-1.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_Kitchen-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_Kitchen-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_Kitchen-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  240. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The current owners removed all the house’s window coverings for maximum natural light and spectacular views. </span></p>
  241. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647826 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_MainLevel.jpg" alt="The owners removed all window coverings here to take in maximum natural light. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_MainLevel.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_MainLevel-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_MainLevel-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_MainLevel-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  242. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Almost every room in the house faces the backyard thanks to the building&#8217;s tall and slender design. </span></p>
  243. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647827 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_LivingRoom.jpg" alt="Almost every room faces the backyard, thanks to the home's slender and tall architecture. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_LivingRoom.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_LivingRoom-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_LivingRoom-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_LivingRoom-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  244. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The living room comes with a gas fireplace surrounded by French antique marble.</span></p>
  245. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647828 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_LivingRoom.jpg" alt="This gas fireplace comes with French antique marble." width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_LivingRoom.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_LivingRoom-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_LivingRoom-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_LivingRoom-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  246. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the formal dining room, with yet another fireplace. </span></p>
  247. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647829 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_DiningRoom.jpg" alt="This is the formal dining room. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_DiningRoom.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_DiningRoom-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_DiningRoom-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_DiningRoom-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  248. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&#8217;s also a two-piece powder room on the main floor. </span></p>
  249. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647830 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_PowderRoom.jpg" alt="Funky wallpaper in the main-floor powder room. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_PowderRoom.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_PowderRoom-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_PowderRoom-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_PowderRoom-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  250. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now for the main bedroom. Lined with a wall of windows, it&#8217;s large enough to set up a lounge or workspace. </span></p>
  251. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647831 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_PrimaryBedroom.jpg" alt="The main suite looks like an art gallery. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_PrimaryBedroom.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_PrimaryBedroom-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_PrimaryBedroom-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_PrimaryBedroom-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  252. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">It also has two walk-in closets.</span></p>
  253. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647832 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/15_PrimaryClosets.jpg" alt="The main bedroom has two walk-in closets. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/15_PrimaryClosets.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/15_PrimaryClosets-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/15_PrimaryClosets-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/15_PrimaryClosets-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  254. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s the main ensuite bathroom, with dual vanities, a hot tub and marble all over.</span></p>
  255. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647833 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16_PrimaryBath.jpg" alt="The main ensuite bathroom is fit for royalty. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16_PrimaryBath.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16_PrimaryBath-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16_PrimaryBath-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16_PrimaryBath-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  256. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rest of the bedrooms live on the lower level, hidden from street view and built along the grade of the ravine. </span></p>
  257. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647834 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/17_Bedroom2.jpg" alt="One of the five secondary bedrooms. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/17_Bedroom2.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/17_Bedroom2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/17_Bedroom2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/17_Bedroom2-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  258. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the second kitchen, which is ideal for summer dining on the back patio. It comes with an LG fridge, a Miele dishwasher and a Panasonic microwave. </span></p>
  259. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647836 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/19_SummerKitchen.jpg" alt="This kitchen is on the lower level on walks out to the patio. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/19_SummerKitchen.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/19_SummerKitchen-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/19_SummerKitchen-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/19_SummerKitchen-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  260. <p>Just next door is the fitness room.</p>
  261. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647839 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21_FitnessRoom.jpg" alt="The fitness room is right next to the lower-level kitchen. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21_FitnessRoom.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21_FitnessRoom-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21_FitnessRoom-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/21_FitnessRoom-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  262. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s a look at the family area.</span></p>
  263. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647837 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20_LowerLevel.jpg" alt="The lower level is its own self-contained home. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20_LowerLevel.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20_LowerLevel-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20_LowerLevel-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20_LowerLevel-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  264. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Down the hall is the climate-controlled wine cellar, enclosed with bespoke wrought-iron doors, oak shelving and coffered ceilings.</span></p>
  265. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647813 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-23" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar.jpg" alt="The wine cellar is climate controlled and comes with coffered ceilings. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22_WineCellar-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  266. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bedroom down here has a large closet and could be converted into an office or a storage room. </span></p>
  267. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647840 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/23_LowerBedroom.jpg" alt="This bedroom could be converted into an office. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/23_LowerBedroom.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/23_LowerBedroom-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/23_LowerBedroom-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/23_LowerBedroom-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  268. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The laundry room has Samsung machines. It&#8217;s accessible from a separate entrance.</span></p>
  269. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647841 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-25" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/24_Laundry.jpg" alt="The laundry room, with a Samsung washer and dryer. " width="1900" height="1268" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/24_Laundry.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/24_Laundry-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/24_Laundry-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/24_Laundry-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  270. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s a view of the rear of the home—almost like a heritage apartment building you&#8217;d expect to see in Yorkville. </span></p>
  271. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647842 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-26" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25_BackofHome.jpg" alt="From this angle, the house looks like a heritage apartment building you might find in Yorkville. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25_BackofHome.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25_BackofHome-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25_BackofHome-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25_BackofHome-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  272. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property backs onto Nordheimer Ravine, a surreal escape steps from the city. </span></p>
  273. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647843 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-surreal-estate-casa-loma-27" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/26_Backyard-1.jpg" alt="Perhaps the home's greatest feature is the patio view of Nordheimer Ravine. " width="1900" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/26_Backyard-1.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/26_Backyard-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/26_Backyard-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/26_Backyard-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  274. <hr />
  275. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  276. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-casa-loma/">Surreal Estate: $8.5 million for an old-world compound up the street from Casa Loma</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  277. ]]></content:encoded>
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  282. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  283. <media:title></media:title>
  284. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  285. </media:content>
  286. </item>
  287. <item>
  288. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Aamara, Corso Italia&#8217;s luxurious new Indian restaurant</title>
  289. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-aamara-indian-st-clair-west/</link>
  291. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  292. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 12:25:29 +0000</pubDate>
  293. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  294. <category><![CDATA[Aamara]]></category>
  295. <category><![CDATA[Indian]]></category>
  296. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  297. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=648157</guid>
  298.  
  299. <description><![CDATA[<p>Including an interesting Indian twist on a charcuterie board</p>
  300. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-aamara-indian-st-clair-west/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Aamara, Corso Italia&#8217;s luxurious new Indian restaurant</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  301. ]]></description>
  302. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-648088" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-spread-2-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of dishes and drinks at Aamara, a new Indian restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-spread-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-spread-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-spread-2-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-spread-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-spread-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-spread-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
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  420.  
  421. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Aamara<br />
  422. <strong>Contact:</strong> 1224 St. Clair Ave. W., <a href="http://aamara.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="aamara.ca">aamara.ca</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aamaratoronto/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@aamaratoronto">@aamaratoronto</span></a><br />
  423. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/corso-italia/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Corso Italia">Corso Italia</span></a><br />
  424. <strong>Owners:</strong> Kugendran Perampalam (ThaiRoomGrand, Savor) and Phanom (Patrick) Suksaen (Eat BKK, Koh Lipe, Som Tum Jinda)<br />
  425. <strong>Chef:</strong> Arulmani Rajarathinam<br />
  426. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> Not fully accessible</p>
  427. <p>With Aamara, owner Kugendran Perampalam wants to introduce Toronto to a side of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/indian/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Indian">Indian</span></a> cuisine he feels is underrepresented in the city. “I see a lot of North Indian food in the market, but not many people are doing South Indian,” he says.</p>
  428. <p>Perampalam owns several Thai restaurants, including <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-savor-thai-corso-italia-iron-chef/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Savor,">Savor,</span></a> which is located right next door to Aamara. “I wanted to do something different,” he says. “I’m from Sri Lanka, which has a lot of similarities with South Indian cuisine.”</p>
  429. <figure id="attachment_648092" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648092" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648092" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-scaled.jpg" alt="Aamara manager Thamil Kulendiran, bartender Zubin Chaudhary, owner Kugendran Perampalan and chef Arulmani Rajarathinam" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648092" class="wp-caption-text">From left: manager Thamil Kulendiran, bartender Zubin Chaudhary, owner Kugendran Perampalam and chef Arulmani Rajarathinam</figcaption></figure>
  430. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-bungalow-22-indian-supper-club/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Bungalow 22, a monthly supper club featuring a rotating menu of regional Indian cuisine"><strong>Related:</strong> Bungalow 22, a monthly supper club featuring a rotating menu of regional Indian cuisine</span></a></em></p>
  431. <p>But rather than keeping a focus solely on South Indian cuisine, Aamara’s menu spotlights signature dishes from all corners of the country. “We’ve picked the best dishes from every region and put those on the menu,” says Perampalam.</p>
  432. <p>The menu is currently available à la carte, but a multi-course tasting menu is also in the works. “At the end of the day, my focus is on the food,” says Perampalam. “The food has to be right. If the food is tasty, then customers will come back.”</p>
  433. <figure id="attachment_648091" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648091" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648091" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2-scaled.jpg" alt="The team behind Aamara, a new Indian restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-team-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648091" class="wp-caption-text">The whole team</figcaption></figure>
  434. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  435. <p>Chef Rajarathinam’s menu touches on classic dishes from virtually every Indian state. “I’ve been in the industry almost 17 years, and I’ve travelled a lot in India,” he says. “I’ve worked in most of the states and learned which dishes are famous and which ingredients are needed to make them.”</p>
  436. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-bar-goa-hemant-bhagwanis-new-tasting-menu-restaurant/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Bar Goa, Hemant Bhagwani’s new tasting-menu restaurant"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Bar Goa, Hemant Bhagwani’s new tasting-menu restaurant</span></a></em></p>
  437. <p>It&#8217;s no small feat for one restaurant to represent the wide-ranging cooking styles and flavours found across India, but Rajarathinam approached the task with meticulous planning and research. To distill India&#8217;s vast culinary repertoire, he chose dishes that bring maximum variety to the menu. “I didn’t want to use the same ingredients again and again,” he says.</p>
  438. <figure id="attachment_648071" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648071" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648071" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-idli-scaled.jpg" alt="These bite-sized riffs on idli, a staple South Indian breakfast, consist of lentils enveloped in a steamed rice cake" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-idli-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-idli-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-idli-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-idli-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-idli-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-idli-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648071" class="wp-caption-text">These bite-size riffs on idli, a staple South Indian breakfast, consist of lentils enveloped in a steamed rice cake. A coconut chutney is served alongside, adding slight sweetness to each delightfully chewy bite. $16</figcaption></figure>
  439. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  440. <figure id="attachment_648078" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648078" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648078" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-samosas-scaled.jpg" alt="Money bag–shaped samosas are stuffed with a classic potato and green pea filling" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-samosas-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-samosas-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-samosas-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-samosas-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-samosas-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-samosas-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648078" class="wp-caption-text">Money bag–shaped samosas are stuffed with a classic potato-and-pea filling. They’re plated with flourishes of tamarind and mint chutneys. $14</figcaption></figure>
  441. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  442. <figure id="attachment_648066" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648066" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648066" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-soup-2-scaled.jpg" alt="Tender coconut, coconut water and coconut milk come together in this subtly sweet and soup-like dessert" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-soup-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-soup-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-soup-2-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-soup-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-soup-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-soup-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648066" class="wp-caption-text">Tender coconut, coconut water and coconut milk come together in this subtly sweet and soup-like dessert. It’s finished with edible 24-karat gold leaf and flowers. $22</figcaption></figure>
  443. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  444. <figure id="attachment_648065" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648065" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648065" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-curry-scaled.jpg" alt="Coconut curry with steamed rice noodles wrapped in banana leaves" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-curry-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-curry-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-curry-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-curry-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-curry-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-coconut-curry-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648065" class="wp-caption-text">Kerala is known for vegetarian dishes like this coconut curry. It comes with steamed rice noodles to be drowned in the mellow, creamy broth. $28</figcaption></figure>
  445. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  446. <figure id="attachment_648063" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648063" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648063" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-biryani-scaled.jpg" alt="Mint adds a pop of freshness to this shrimp and caramelized onion biryani" width="1708" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-biryani-scaled.jpg 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-biryani-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-biryani-2000x2998.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-biryani-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-biryani-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-biryani-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648063" class="wp-caption-text">Mint adds a pop of freshness to this shrimp and caramelized onion biryani. It’s served with raita, a simple salad and eggplant salan (a curry-like condiment). $33</figcaption></figure>
  447. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  448. <figure id="attachment_648064" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648064" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648064" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-chole-khakhra-scaled.jpg" alt="Chole khakhra, a bowl of chickpeas bathed in an onion and tomato gravy" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-chole-khakhra-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-chole-khakhra-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-chole-khakhra-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-chole-khakhra-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-chole-khakhra-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-chole-khakhra-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648064" class="wp-caption-text">Here we have chole khakhra, chickpeas bathed in an onion-and-tomato curry. Crisp chapati wafers serve as vehicles for scooping. $16</figcaption></figure>
  449. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  450. <figure id="attachment_648068" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648068" style="width: 1707px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648068" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-cornish-hen-scaled.jpg" alt="A base of tandoor-cooked bone-in Cornish hen brings new dimensions to the familiar flavours of butter chicken" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-cornish-hen-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-cornish-hen-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-cornish-hen-2000x2999.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-cornish-hen-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-cornish-hen-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-cornish-hen-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648068" class="wp-caption-text">A base of tandoor-cooked bone-in Cornish hen brings new dimensions to the familiar flavours of butter chicken. A rich tomato-and-butter curry is poured over the bird tableside. $28</figcaption></figure>
  451. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  452. <figure id="attachment_648075" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648075" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648075" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-platter-2-scaled.jpg" alt="The Indian charcuterie platter at Aamara, a restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-platter-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-platter-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-platter-2-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-platter-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-platter-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-platter-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648075" class="wp-caption-text">This playful reimagining of a charcuterie platter swaps deli meats for tandoor-cooked Cornish hen, beef cheek, lobster tail and lamb chops topped with edible gold leaf. Italian basil chicken is presented on the side in a smoked-filled cloche to further amp up its earthy flavour. The board is rounded out with house-made paneer, mesclun leaves, assorted nuts and berries, broccoli, Desi crackers, clarified butter and mint chutney. The two shot glasses are for broth, not booze: a spin on pani puri, a popular Indian street food, they contain a concoction of meat drippings and cilantro meant to be poured into the potato-stuffed puri shells on top. Needless to say, this platter is made for sharing. $72</figcaption></figure>
  453. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  454. <figure id="attachment_648069" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648069" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648069" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-garlic-naan-scaled.jpg" alt="Garlic naan" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-garlic-naan-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-garlic-naan-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-garlic-naan-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-garlic-naan-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-garlic-naan-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-garlic-naan-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648069" class="wp-caption-text">Here we have some garlic naan. $7</figcaption></figure>
  455. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  456. <figure id="attachment_648090" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648090" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648090" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-sweet-naan-scaled.jpg" alt="Sweet naan stuffed with chopped nuts, raisins, coconut and honey" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-sweet-naan-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-sweet-naan-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-sweet-naan-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-sweet-naan-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-sweet-naan-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-sweet-naan-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648090" class="wp-caption-text">And some sweet naan stuffed with chopped nuts, raisins, coconut and honey. $16</figcaption></figure>
  457. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  458. <figure id="attachment_648077" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648077" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648077" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-rasmalai-scaled.jpg" alt="For dessert, discs of house-made cheese are alternated with spiced sponge cake for this rasmalai" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-rasmalai-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-rasmalai-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-rasmalai-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-rasmalai-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-rasmalai-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-rasmalai-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648077" class="wp-caption-text">For dessert, discs of house-made cheese are alternated with spiced sponge cake for this rasmalai. $23</figcaption></figure>
  459. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  460. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  461. <p>Mirroring the continent-spanning food menu, Aamara’s signature <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/cocktails/" class="article-link"><span data-title="cocktails">cocktails</span></a> are each inspired by, and named after, a different part of India. Draught beer is courtesy of Scarborough-based Cheetah, which specializes in brews that pair well with the flavours of Indian food. And a tight wine list includes some crowd-pleasing Chardonnays and Cab Sauvs.</p>
  462. <figure id="attachment_648073" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648073" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648073" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-kolkata-scaled.jpg" alt="This smoky cocktail—with warming flavours of bourbon, chai-tea infused vermouth, cinnamon syrup and citrus indica bitters—was inspired by the spice markets of Kolkata" width="1708" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-kolkata-scaled.jpg 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-kolkata-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-kolkata-2000x2998.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-kolkata-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-kolkata-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-kolkata-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648073" class="wp-caption-text">This smoky cocktail—with warming flavours of bourbon, chai-tea infused vermouth, cinnamon syrup and citrus indica bitters—was inspired by the spice markets of Kolkata. $25</figcaption></figure>
  463. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  464. <figure id="attachment_648070" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648070" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648070" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-hyderabad-scaled.jpg" alt="Hyderabad is the muse for this purple-pigmented tipple. Gin is combined with orange and elderflower liqueurs, along with saffron-infused honey, lemon juice and egg white" width="1708" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-hyderabad-scaled.jpg 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-hyderabad-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-hyderabad-2000x2998.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-hyderabad-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-hyderabad-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-hyderabad-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648070" class="wp-caption-text">Hyderabad is the muse for this purple-pigmented tipple. Gin is combined with orange and elderflower liqueurs as well as saffron-infused honey, lemon juice and egg white. $21</figcaption></figure>
  465. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  466. <figure id="attachment_648062" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648062" style="width: 1707px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648062" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-bengaluru-scaled.jpg" alt="This vibrant creation aims to capture the electric energy of Bengaluru, the capital of India's Karnataka state. The tequila-based drink features mango purée, lime juice and turmeric, and a spicy Tajin rim" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-bengaluru-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-bengaluru-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-bengaluru-2000x2999.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-bengaluru-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-bengaluru-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-bengaluru-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648062" class="wp-caption-text">This vibrant creation aims to capture the electric energy of Bengaluru, the capital of India&#8217;s Karnataka state. The tequila-based drink features mango purée, lime juice, turmeric and a spicy Tajín rim. (A non-alcoholic version is also available.) $20</figcaption></figure>
  467. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  468. <figure id="attachment_648072" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648072" style="width: 1707px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648072" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-jaipur-scaled.jpg" alt="The pink hue of this cocktail is a reference to Jaipur, which is nicknamed the Pink City for its blush-coloured buildings. For it, spiced rum is mixed with Amarula, Kashmiri tea, rose syrup and cardamom bitters. $21" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-jaipur-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-jaipur-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-jaipur-2000x2999.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-jaipur-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-jaipur-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-jaipur-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648072" class="wp-caption-text">The pink hue of this cocktail is a reference to Jaipur, which is nicknamed the Pink City for its blush-coloured buildings. For it, spiced rum is mixed with Amarula, Kashmiri tea, rose syrup and cardamom bitters. $21</figcaption></figure>
  469. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  470. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  471. <p>Perampalam worked with design studio Revel House to create a warm and ornate space decorated with lighting fixtures and art pieces imported from India. He chose rich teal and eggplant tones to create a setting that would feel elegant enough for date nights and special occasions, and one wall is printed with patterns reminiscent of mehndi.</p>
  472. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-648087" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-9-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Aamara, a new Indian restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-9-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-9-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-9-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-9-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-9-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  473. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-648079" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Looking down a row of tables in Aamara's dining room to the custom-made, wall-mounted lighting fixture" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-1-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  474. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-648080" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-2-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Aamara is decorated with mirrors and custom-made lighting fixtures" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-2-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  475. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-648085" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-7-scaled.jpg" alt="Curved banquettes sit under an also-curved ceiling in Aamara's dining room" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-7-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-7-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  476. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-648084" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-6-scaled.jpg" alt="The bar at Aamara, an Indian restaurant on St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-6-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-6-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  477. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-648086" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-8-scaled.jpg" alt="Shelves behind a bar are lined with bottles of liquor, wine and glassware" width="2560" height="1708" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-8-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-8-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-8-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-8-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-aamara-indian-st-clair-west-space-8-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  478. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-aamara-indian-st-clair-west/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Aamara, Corso Italia&#8217;s luxurious new Indian restaurant</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  484. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  490. <title>Your Ultimate Spring and Summer Denim Styling Guide</title>
  491. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/ultimate-spring-and-summer-denim-styling-guide-levis/</link>
  493. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jenna Mohammed]]></dc:creator>
  494. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 12:02:01 +0000</pubDate>
  495. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  496. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647349</guid>
  497.  
  498. <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/ultimate-spring-and-summer-denim-styling-guide-levis/">Your Ultimate Spring and Summer Denim Styling Guide</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  499. ]]></description>
  500. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Denim, a fabric rich in history, holds a special place in closets worldwide— and one brand always reigns supreme: Levi’s®. Established more than 170 years ago in San Francisco with the launch of their original blue jeans tailored for rugged workwear, Levi’s has evolved into an iconic fashion essential.</p>
  501. <p>Today, denim has become more than just functional; it’s a symbol of self-expression adored by fashionistas and practical wearers alike. It’s expanded beyond classic jeans—from button-ups and jackets to bustiers and vests, Levi’s® denim offerings are more versatile than ever, so much so that you can centre an entire wardrobe around various pieces.</p>
  502. <p>With spring in full swing, we tapped FASHION&#8217;s senior creative director, George Antonopoulos, to share his head-to-toe denim fashion tips for the warmer months ahead. From silhouettes and colour washes to accessories and tactical layering, here’s everything you need to know to up your denim game.</p>
  503. <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@torontolife/video/7361969508128525574" data-video-id="7361969508128525574">
  504. <section><a title="@torontolife" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@torontolife?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@torontolife">@torontolife</span></a> Ready to level up your denim game? Here are our top tips for styling denim like a pro this season. <a title="ad" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ad?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="#AD">#AD</span></a> <a title="♬ original sound - torontolife" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7361969606860819206?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="♬ original sound &#8211; torontolife">♬ original sound &#8211; torontolife</span></a></section>
  505. </blockquote>
  506. <p><script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></p>
  507. <h4>Embrace the Canadian tuxedo</h4>
  508. <p>Wearing denim-on-denim, widely known as a Canadian Tuxedo, used to be viewed as a faux pas but has now staged a triumphant comeback. “It immediately gives off a cool vibe,” says Antonopoulos. “It’s an instant fashion statement.”</p>
  509. <p>But like anything fun, it can be easy to go overboard. Antonopoulos recommends sticking with three denim pieces per look at a maximum and only incorporating one distressed piece for a put-together look. If you want to rock a cool, ripped denim jacket, pair it with a cleaner pair of jeans, or vice versa.</p>
  510. <figure id="attachment_647741" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647741" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647741 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-1-.png" alt="" width="1000" height="1200" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-1-.png 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-1--250x300.png 250w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-1--768x922.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647741" class="wp-caption-text"><em>For this look, Antonopoulos styled fashion content creator <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595440&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shara Zaman">Shara Zaman</span></a> in a ’90s trucker jacket and baggy dad jeans. To freshen up the combo, he made sure to pop the jacket collar and only fasten the top button to ensure the layered white tank pops underneath. He also accessorized with a sleek stitched black leather belt with silver hardware and matching rings and hoop earrings. “The unexpected fastening of jackets is totally a vibe.”</em></figcaption></figure>
  511. <h4>The baggier, the better</h4>
  512. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This season, it&#8217;s all about embracing the relaxed and effortlessly chic vibe of </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595442&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="baggy denim"><span style="font-weight: 400;">baggy denim</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Opt for oversized jeans or </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595444&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="denim shorts"><span style="font-weight: 400;">denim shorts</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> paired with looser </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595446&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="denim shirts"><span style="font-weight: 400;">denim shirts</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> or tops for a cohesive and trendy look. Or alternatively, balancing the volume of baggy bottoms with more fitted or cropped denim pieces to maintain a flattering silhouette. Antonopoulos encourages everyone to purchase and style pieces that will make you look and feel your best. </span></p>
  513. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Denim is very personal, and you have to find your right fit and stick with it,” he says. “You can be more fashion-forward and follow the trends, but if that doesn&#8217;t work for you, go with your gut and with what you think best suits your overall body shape and vibe.”</span></p>
  514. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the current Western revival (thanks, Beyoncé), bootcut jeans have also made a major comeback. Antonopoulos highlights them as a closet essential, along with the ever-popular ’90s baggy silhouette. </span></p>
  515. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Tip:</strong> Whichever style you go with, be sure they’re the right length to avoid excess bunching on the bottom.</span></p>
  516. <h4>Be strategic with your washes</h4>
  517. <p>When done correctly, mixing and matching different washes of denim can add dimension. Antonopoulos favours sticking to relatively similar hues for uniformity. “It gives a more refined and elevated look when your washes are more or less matching,” he says.</p>
  518. <figure id="attachment_647745" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647745" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647745 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-2-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1708" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-2-scaled.jpg 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-2-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-2-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/Levis-2024-look-2-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647745" class="wp-caption-text"><em>For this look, Antonopoulos styled content creator <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595452&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Onix">Onix</span></a> in Levi’s® unique Union Engineer Coat and paired it with the tried and true, non-stretch 517 Bootcut medium-wash jeans and black and white loafers. “I want to style everything with a loafer right now; they’re the new sneaker. I also loved pairing them with this collarless denim cardigan/jacket that has a cool collegiate vibe.”</em></figcaption></figure>
  519. <figure id="attachment_647846" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647846" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647846 size-large" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0010-2-2000x2588.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="2588" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0010-2-2000x2588.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0010-2-232x300.jpg 232w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0010-2-768x994.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0010-2-1187x1536.jpg 1187w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0010-2-1583x2048.jpg 1583w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0010-2-scaled.jpg 1978w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647846" class="wp-caption-text"><em> Hello, shorts and mini cowboy boots. For this look, Antonopoulos had fun with the Western trend by pairing a dark denim button-up shirt with loose dark denim knee-length shorts and camel-toned short cowboy boots (which paired beautifully with a brown leather belt). “You automatically assume that boots would be paired with a long pair of jeans, but we decided to pair them with shorts just to be unexpected, we also went with gold hardware because it looks better with the darker denim.”</em></figcaption></figure>
  520. <h4>Bring on the accessories</h4>
  521. <figure id="attachment_647748" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647748" style="width: 1974px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647748 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0315-Edit-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1974" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0315-Edit-scaled.jpg 1974w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0315-Edit-231x300.jpg 231w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0315-Edit-2000x2594.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0315-Edit-768x996.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0315-Edit-1184x1536.jpg 1184w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0315-Edit-1579x2048.jpg 1579w" sizes="(max-width: 1974px) 100vw, 1974px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647748" class="wp-caption-text"><em>For this chic look, Antonopoulos paired a mid-rise, vintage-inspired a-line denim skirt with an oversized striped shirt, little white socks and pointed red heels. Inspired by the resurgence of denim skirts, Antonopoulos says he wanted to lean into the trend and make this outfit feel fresh and new. “Plus, socks and heels are such a thing right now, they make the whole outfit cooler,&#8221; he says.</em></figcaption></figure>
  522. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have fun with your accessories. Antonopoulos notes the importance of matching your outfit hardware which often includes buttons, </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595454&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="belts"><span style="font-weight: 400;">belts</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and jewellery. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule, lighter denim often looks better with silver and darker denim with gold, so keep that in mind when planning your accessories for your look. When it comes to picking the right belt or style, Antonopoulos is a fan of a looped leather belt so there’s excess leather coming from the side for an extra edge. </span></p>
  523. <h4>Incorporate layers and textures</h4>
  524. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Incorporating different fabrics and textures is a must with denim looks. A white t-shirt or tank is a staple for a reason, it pops and instantly ties everything together. Antonopoulos favours layering with a simple cardigan, </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595456&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="button-up"><span style="font-weight: 400;">button-up</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> or blazer to class it up. This step is also pivotal when you’re deciding whether you want to dress an outfit up or down, depending on the occasion. </span></p>
  525. <figure id="attachment_647746" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647746" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647746 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0629-Edit-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1708" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0629-Edit-scaled.jpg 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0629-Edit-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0629-Edit-2000x2999.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0629-Edit-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0629-Edit-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0629-Edit-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647746" class="wp-caption-text"><em>For this matching combo, Antonopoulos took a light-wash ’90s trucker jacket and tucked it into loose low-rise light-wash distressed jeans, sleek black pointed boots and silver hardware. “You don&#8217;t also need to wear a belt, especially in this case,” he says. “We tucked the denim jacket into the pants instead of leaving it overtop, which looked really new.”</em></figcaption></figure>
  526. <figure id="attachment_647747" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647747" style="width: 1894px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647747 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0460-Edit-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1894" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0460-Edit-scaled.jpg 1894w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0460-Edit-222x300.jpg 222w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0460-Edit-2000x2704.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0460-Edit-768x1038.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0460-Edit-1136x1536.jpg 1136w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0460-Edit-1515x2048.jpg 1515w" sizes="(max-width: 1894px) 100vw, 1894px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647747" class="wp-caption-text"><em>You have to love an overalls moment. Antonopoulos paired this light-wash denim jumpsuit with his new favourite pair of black and white loafers and a staple white tank. “Throwback to the ’90s, all of these iconic looks are happening again—overalls are back.”</em></figcaption></figure>
  527. <h4>Think outside the box</h4>
  528. <figure id="attachment_647743" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647743" style="width: 1978px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647743 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0868-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1978" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0868-scaled.jpg 1978w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0868-232x300.jpg 232w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0868-2000x2588.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0868-768x994.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0868-1187x1536.jpg 1187w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/1993/04/20240404_FASHION-X-LEVIS0868-1582x2048.jpg 1582w" sizes="(max-width: 1978px) 100vw, 1978px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647743" class="wp-caption-text"><em>For these looks, Antonopoulos got extra creative by pairing this denim crop bustier with loose low-rise jeans and pointed denim heels, along with this white knit collared unisex shirt, ripped boot-cut jeans and classic heeled black boots. “Denim pieces don&#8217;t always have to be traditional pieces such as a jacket and pants; you can have newness for more unexpected pieces like this denim bustier top.”</em></figcaption></figure>
  529. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Get creative and consider unexpected styling choices to level up your looks. Try layering denim shirts under jackets or experimenting with unique buttoning techniques to add visual interest and personality. The</span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595458&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title=" trucker jacket"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> trucker jacket</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, for instance, can even be worn under other jackets for added dimension. For a wardrobe refresh, Antonopoulos also recommends levelling up your denim collection by investing in timeless staples like jeans, jackets and an oversized shirt, as well as unexpected pieces like </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595460&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="jumpsuits"><span style="font-weight: 400;">jumpsuits</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595462&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="skirts"><span style="font-weight: 400;">skirts</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595464&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="bustiers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">bustiers</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
  530. <p><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1595466&amp;s=1595309" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Click here to elevate your denim collection and shop our Levi’s® looks."><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Click here to elevate your denim collection and shop our Levi’s® looks.</span></i></span></a></p>
  531. <p><em>Photography by Nick Merzetti</em></p>
  532. <p><em>Videography by Shayne Gray </em></p>
  533. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/ultimate-spring-and-summer-denim-styling-guide-levis/">Your Ultimate Spring and Summer Denim Styling Guide</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  534. ]]></content:encoded>
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  539. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  540. <media:title></media:title>
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  542. </media:content>
  543. </item>
  544. <item>
  545. <title>&#8220;It&#8217;s always there—the dark feeling in my stomach that the world&#8217;s going to hell&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with director Caitlin Cronenberg</title>
  546. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/its-always-there-the-dark-feeling-in-my-stomach-that-the-worlds-going-to-hell-a-qa-with-director-caitlin-cronenberg/</link>
  548. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Haley Steinberg]]></dc:creator>
  549. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 16:24:32 +0000</pubDate>
  550. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  551. <category><![CDATA[Caitlin Cronenberg]]></category>
  552. <category><![CDATA[David Cronenberg]]></category>
  553. <category><![CDATA[Emily Hampshire]]></category>
  554. <category><![CDATA[Enrico Colantoni]]></category>
  555. <category><![CDATA[Humane]]></category>
  556. <category><![CDATA[Jay Baruchel]]></category>
  557. <category><![CDATA[Michael Sparaga]]></category>
  558. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=648175</guid>
  559.  
  560. <description><![CDATA[<p>The newly minted filmmaker talks growing up on her dad’s movie sets, the story behind her new eco-thriller and feeling like the least important person in the room</p>
  561. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/its-always-there-the-dark-feeling-in-my-stomach-that-the-worlds-going-to-hell-a-qa-with-director-caitlin-cronenberg/">&#8220;It&#8217;s always there—the dark feeling in my stomach that the world&#8217;s going to hell&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with director Caitlin Cronenberg</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  562. ]]></description>
  563. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-648176" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0K1A0584-FINAL-scaled.jpg" alt="Director and photographer Caitlin Cronenberg, posing on a stool" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0K1A0584-FINAL-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0K1A0584-FINAL-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0K1A0584-FINAL-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0K1A0584-FINAL-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0K1A0584-FINAL-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/0K1A0584-FINAL-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  564. <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Caitlin Cronenberg grew up on the film sets of her famous director father, <a href="https://torontolife.com/search/David%20cronenberg/" class="article-link"><span data-title="David Cronenberg,">David Cronenberg,</span></a> but she spent the first two decades of her career as a portraitist, photographing celebrities like Margot Robbie, Billie Eilish and Drake for t</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>he</em> New York Times</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vogue </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vanity Fair</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Now, she&#8217;s entering the family business with her directorial debut, </span></em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4b-OMLNWE0" class="article-link"><span data-title="Humane"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Humane</span></span></a><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a dark-yet-comedic thriller set in an eco-dystopia. “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Being a set photographer—literally the least important person on set—also taught me about how to run one,”</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> she says. We spoke to the youngest Cronenberg about climate anxiety, the indelible influence of </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Veronica Mars</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the value of perspective in show business.</span></em></p>
  565. <hr />
  566. <p><strong><em>Humane</em> is about the difficult choices humanity must make after an apocalyptic environmental collapse. How often do you think about that stuff in your daily life?</strong><b><br />
  567. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think I’m like many people in that I see a news item about something horrible that’s happening in the world and I feel awful about it and want to do something to make it better—and then life gets in the way. I’ll think, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Okay, well, I&#8217;m not seeing it directly through my window right now, so maybe it&#8217;s going to be okay.</span></em></p>
  568. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How many of us can say we&#8217;re actually on the front lines of environmental activism? I think that, as a society, it&#8217;s our job to educate ourselves about what’s going on in the world and try to do the best we can to reduce our carbon footprints and be better people generally toward the environment. However, I don&#8217;t have the bandwidth to go to the beach and pick up garbage on any given day. But it scares me. It’s always there—the neuroses, the fear and the undying dark feeling in my stomach that the world&#8217;s going to hell.</span></p>
  569. <p><strong>You grew up on your dad&#8217;s film sets, and you&#8217;ve said you noticed that he worked with the same people for his entire career. What drew you to Michael Sparaga and his screenplay for <em>Humane</em>?</strong><b><br />
  570. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Michael and I have been friends for a really long time. We first met when I went to his house on assignment to take a portrait, and we instantly got along. We have similar senses of humour and like talking about nerdy TV and movie stuff. Later, I did unit stills—taking still photos on set—for one of his films, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Servitude</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Then he emailed me out of the blue one day and said, “Hey, have you ever thought about directing a feature?” He sent me the script for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Humane</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and it really spoke to me. Michael’s personality and sense of humour shone through, and it was such a unique concept. It was different from anything I’d ever read.</span></p>
  571. <p><strong>In the film, the governments of the world ask people to volunteer to kill themselves to decrease the stress on the planet. It focuses on one family&#8217;s impossible decision about whom they should sacrifice. That premise sounds scary but also ripe for satire. How do you settle on a tone for that kind of story?</strong><b><br />
  572. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tone was there on the page—it&#8217;s a beautifully written script. It&#8217;s funny, biting and dark. You know it&#8217;s satire because of the characters and the dialogue, so it was all there for us. Then, in passing that onto people like Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire and Enrico Colantoni, you&#8217;re getting actors who have the ability to turn on the comedy but also play it quite straight.</span></p>
  573. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I don’t think this movie takes itself too seriously. Obviously its themes are serious: there’s family drama and it&#8217;s violent. But the characters are so over the top. It’s meant to make you laugh and gasp and feel, not to preach to you. </span></p>
  574. <p><strong>You mentioned Enrico Colantoni, whose performance as a kind of government contractor from hell is brilliant and really anchors the film. Is it true that you and Michael cast him because of your shared love of <em>Veronica Mars</em>?<br />
  575. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s the short version, absolutely. </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Veronica Mars</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was one of the shows we bonded over when we first met. Enrico was also in </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Servitude</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and I ended up photographing his wedding, so we&#8217;ve known each other for a long time. Michael even wrote </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Humane </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">with Enrico in mind for that character. So, when we did cast him, it felt like a very full-circle moment. But, yeah, I love </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Veronica Mars</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Best show ever. </span><br />
  576. <strong><br />
  577. How much has your experience as a photographer helped you on set?</strong><br />
  578. <span style="font-weight: 400;">I&#8217;m an introvert. I was a very shy kid, and becoming a party and event photographer forced me out of my shell in the early days of my career. If you told me when I was 14 that I’d be standing on a set someday yelling “action” in front of 100 people, I would have said you were crazy. But, career-wise, being a photographer does set you up for running a set. Being a set photographer, literally the least important person there—the person all the actors hate—also teaches you how to run a set. You know how it feels to be the person that nobody wants around.</span></p>
  579. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Visually, I also had a very clear idea of what I wanted the film to look like. I partnered with an amazing cinematographer named Douglas Koch, who understood my vision and was able to execute exactly what I had in mind.</span></p>
  580. <p><strong>You’ve had a long, successful career as a portraitist and photographer. Do you see yourself moving away from that and doing more directing?</strong><br />
  581. <span style="font-weight: 400;">Getting the opportunity to make a film is an absolute gift, and I would love to make another one. In the meantime, I have a career that I also love. Directing was never meant to be a shift away from photography, just an adjacent second career. I hope to always be able to shoot and take on projects that I&#8217;m excited about, including more films. Movies take a lot of time to get off the ground, so why not shoot in the meantime?</span></p>
  582. <p><strong>Growing up on film sets, what impression did show business make on you as a kid?</strong><br />
  583. <span style="font-weight: 400;">I was very lucky that the film sets I was on were my father&#8217;s sets, which were always calm and well-run, and everyone loved and respected one another. All of my experiences were incredibly positive. The first time I had negative associations with being on set was as a still photographer, when I learned that not every set was as lovely and energetically pleasant as my dad&#8217;s. But I think that was an important experience—you can&#8217;t expect everything to be sunshine and roses in the film industry. You hear stories to the contrary all the time.</span></p>
  584. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having that breadth of experience helped me understand the kind of set I wanted to have and the energy I wanted to lead with. Throughout my time as a still photographer, people would come up to me and say, “I worked on your dad’s film in the ’80s, and he was so great. Please tell him I said hello!” That just solidified what I already knew, which was that his way was a pleasant way to work. It doesn&#8217;t have to be stressful or angry. We&#8217;re making movies, not performing heart surgery. Perspective is key, I think.</span></p>
  585. <p><strong>How do you think the Cronenberg family would fare in a <i>Humane</i>-style situation?<br />
  586. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">We would all volunteer separately, because none of us could stomach killing the others. We would all just say, “All right, we&#8217;re ready.”</span></p>
  587. <hr />
  588. <p><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
  589. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/its-always-there-the-dark-feeling-in-my-stomach-that-the-worlds-going-to-hell-a-qa-with-director-caitlin-cronenberg/">&#8220;It&#8217;s always there—the dark feeling in my stomach that the world&#8217;s going to hell&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with director Caitlin Cronenberg</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  590. ]]></content:encoded>
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  595. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  600. <item>
  601. <title>Inside Toronto&#8217;s swankiest condo lobbies</title>
  602. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/inside-torontos-swankiest-condo-lobbies/</link>
  604. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  605. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:39:49 +0000</pubDate>
  606. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  607. <category><![CDATA[condo lobbies]]></category>
  608. <category><![CDATA[Condos]]></category>
  609. <category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
  610. <category><![CDATA[Great Spaces]]></category>
  611. <category><![CDATA[interior design]]></category>
  612. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=648098</guid>
  613.  
  614. <description><![CDATA[<p>Gone are the days of a lone concierge sitting behind a sad desk. Today’s best condo lobbies are lounges, bars, cafés and workspaces all rolled into one</p>
  615. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/inside-torontos-swankiest-condo-lobbies/">Inside Toronto&#8217;s swankiest condo lobbies</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  616. ]]></description>
  617. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<hr />
  618. <h5>Waverley</h5>
  619. <hr />
  620. <p><strong>Where:</strong> College and Spadina<br />
  621. <strong>Developer:</strong> Fitzrovia<br />
  622. <strong>Designer:</strong> DesignAgency<br />
  623. <strong>Number of units:</strong> 166</p>
  624. <p>The Hotel Waverly was a notorious Toronto flophouse where outlaws and criminals laid low in the 1960s and ’70s. The new 16-storey residential building on the site, completed in 2021, borrowed the name (with a slightly altered spelling) but not the history. Anwar Mekhayech, lead designer and a founding partner at Toronto’s DesignAgency, says his vision for the space was more global than local. “I wanted to appeal to lots of cultures, not recreate old Toronto lore,” he says.</p>
  625. <p>He took inspiration from the best of contemporary hotel design. In the past decade, DesignAgency has worked with such iconic brands as the Drake, Fairmont, Andaz and Hyatt. Mekhayech wondered if a boutique rental building was really so different from a boutique hotel. It certainly drew a similar crowd—urbanites seeking novelty, style and a bustling downtown vibe. He wanted to inject personality into the property and give it the kind of attention rental buildings rarely get.</p>
  626. <figure id="attachment_648106" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648106" style="width: 1899px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648106 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL02.jpg" alt="The second-floor lounge of Waverley includes a curio shelf with vintage decor items selected by Carlo Colacci, the founder of Drake General Store" width="1899" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL02.jpg 1899w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL02-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL02-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1899px) 100vw, 1899px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648106" class="wp-caption-text">The second-floor lounge includes a curio shelf with vintage decor items selected by Carlo Colacci, the founder of Drake General Store</figcaption></figure>
  627. <p>The roomy, double-height lobby houses a coffee shop and cocktail bar. There’s free Wi-Fi for remote workers, who have their choice of lounges, banquettes, and built-in tables and chairs. Residents and non-residents alike can use the space to hang out, take meetings or bang away at their laptops. On the walls hang the kind of monumental artworks—a large-scale painting by mixed-media star Thrush Holmes, a lively graphic by muralist birdO—that most espresso shops are too cramped to accommodate.</p>
  628. <p>Combining luxurious amenities with a sense of community makes economic sense, says Mekhayech. “People want to live in landmark buildings.” This one is open to anyone for the price of a cup of coffee.</p>
  629. <figure id="attachment_648105" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648105" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648105 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL01.jpg" alt="The Waverley lobby features a mural of a wolf by graphic artist birdO (top left) and a mixed-media piece by Thrush Holmes (top right)" width="2000" height="1477" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL01.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL01-300x222.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL01-768x567.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL01-1536x1134.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648105" class="wp-caption-text">The lobby features a mural of a wolf by graphic artist birdO (top left) and a mixed-media piece by Thrush Holmes (top right)</figcaption></figure>
  630. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  631. <figure id="attachment_648107" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648107" style="width: 1996px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648107 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL03.jpg" alt="The Waverley lobby is home to 10 Dean, a coffee shop by day and cocktail bar by night" width="1996" height="1331" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL03.jpg 1996w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL03-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1996px) 100vw, 1996px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648107" class="wp-caption-text">The lobby is home to 10 Dean, a coffee shop by day and cocktail bar by night</figcaption></figure>
  632. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  633. <figure id="attachment_648110" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648110" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648110 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL07.jpg" alt="Ashley Mulvihill, owner of the online gallery Ninth Editions, curated the art for the lobby. Her selections include this portrait of Frida Kahlo by London-based illustrator Dan Jamieson" width="2000" height="1600" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL07.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL07-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL07-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL07-1536x1229.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648110" class="wp-caption-text">Ashley Mulvihill, owner of the online gallery Ninth Editions, curated the art for the lobby. Her selections include this portrait of Frida Kahlo by London-based illustrator Dan Jamieson</figcaption></figure>
  634. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  635. <figure id="attachment_648111" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648111" style="width: 1245px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648111 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL09.jpg" alt="Colacci sourced this ceramic sculpture from an antiques mall in New Mexico." width="1245" height="776" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL09.jpg 1245w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL09-300x187.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL09-768x479.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1245px) 100vw, 1245px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648111" class="wp-caption-text">Colacci sourced this ceramic sculpture from an antiques mall in New Mexico</figcaption></figure>
  636. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  637. <figure id="attachment_648112" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648112" style="width: 1612px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648112 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL08.jpg" alt="Nowhere to Be II is a spray painting by Toronto artist Ric Santon" width="1612" height="1075" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL08.jpg 1612w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL08-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL08-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL08-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1612px) 100vw, 1612px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648112" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Nowhere to Be II</em> is a spray painting by Toronto artist Ric Santon</figcaption></figure>
  638. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  639. <figure id="attachment_648109" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648109" style="width: 1605px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648109 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL05.jpg" alt="British artist Harry Allen made this metallic piggy bank by casting a real piglet (it died of natural causes). “Rumour has it,” says Colacci, “that it’s just large enough to hold $1 million in $100 bills.”" width="1605" height="1121" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL05.jpg 1605w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL05-300x210.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL05-768x536.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL05-1536x1073.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1605px) 100vw, 1605px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648109" class="wp-caption-text">British artist Harry Allen made this metallic piggy bank by casting a real piglet (it died of natural causes). “Rumour has it,” says Colacci, “that it’s just large enough to hold $1 million in $100 bills”</figcaption></figure>
  640. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  641. <figure id="attachment_648108" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648108" style="width: 1926px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648108 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL04.jpg" alt="The leather on the banquettes is from Moore and Giles, a North Carolina studio known for its all-­natural tanning process" width="1926" height="1306" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL04.jpg 1926w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL04-300x203.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL04-768x521.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_waverly_FINAL04-1536x1042.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1926px) 100vw, 1926px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648108" class="wp-caption-text">The leather on the banquettes is from Moore and Giles, a North Carolina studio known for its all-natural tanning process</figcaption></figure>
  642. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  643. <hr />
  644. <h5>Azura</h5>
  645. <hr />
  646. <p><strong>Where:</strong> Willowdale<br />
  647. <strong>Developer:</strong> Capital Developments<br />
  648. <strong>Designer:</strong> Arcadis IBI Group<br />
  649. <strong>Number of units:</strong> 358</p>
  650. <p>As the former garden suburb’s name suggests, Willowdale was once lined with stately willow trees. The design of this 32-storey condominium took inspiration from that. Heidi Rose, an associate director at the architecture firm Arcadis IBI Group, references willow motifs repeatedly in the building. She also draws on images of the sea and sky, both of which are conjured by the building’s name, Azura. Shades of teal and blue recur throughout the ground floor. “I always try to create a narrative,” Rose says.</p>
  651. <p>The most dramatic feature in the lobby is the curvilinear screen—a series of vertical wooden fins embedded in a layer of brass—behind the concierge desk. The fins bulge and taper, like the undulating ribbon balconies that encircle the building. The strand-like forms are also meant to evoke the elongated leaves of a weeping willow.</p>
  652. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-648117 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL04.jpg" alt="The most dramatic feature in the Willowdale lobby is the curvilinear screen—a series of vertical wooden fins embedded in a layer of brass—behind the concierge desk" width="806" height="1238" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL04.jpg 806w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL04-195x300.jpg 195w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL04-768x1180.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 806px) 100vw, 806px" /></p>
  653. <p>At 800 square feet, the entranceway is small—it has the intimacy and opulence of a New York jewel-box lobby. The design team decided to connect it, via a short passageway, to the kids’ playroom, yoga studio, golf simulator, gym and party room—ground-floor amenities that, in most buildings, are located on an upper level. The spacious party room features a central column with an inset fireplace at one end and a lounge and social space at the other. The lobby itself serves as a luxurious antechamber—a portal that leads residents into other, more purposeful spaces.</p>
  654. <p>The ground-floor rooms are also connected thematically by colour. There are pops of blue on the tables and in the upholstery and strands of yellow in the carpets, the bases of the furnishings and the brass lines between the floor tiles. The result is an elegant yet tranquil space that’s full of modern comforts.</p>
  655. <figure id="attachment_648114" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648114" style="width: 1475px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648114" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL01.jpg" alt="The rectilinear chandelier, made by Viso, offsets the organic shapes in the rest of the lobby" width="1475" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL01.jpg 1475w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL01-221x300.jpg 221w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL01-768x1041.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL01-1133x1536.jpg 1133w" sizes="(max-width: 1475px) 100vw, 1475px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648114" class="wp-caption-text">The rectilinear chandelier, made by Viso, offsets the organic shapes in the rest of the lobby</figcaption></figure>
  656. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  657. <figure id="attachment_648115" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648115" style="width: 1709px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648115 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL02.jpg" alt="The centrepiece of the kids’ playroom is a curved wooden shelving unit that also demarcates a central reading space. The wall mural, by Toronto studio Moss and Lam, was inspired by a design on a T-shirt worn by Rose’s six-year-old son" width="1709" height="1139" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL02.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL02-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL02-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648115" class="wp-caption-text">The centrepiece of the kids’ playroom is a curved wooden shelving unit that also demarcates a central reading space. The wall mural, by Toronto studio Moss and Lam, was inspired by a design on a T-shirt worn by Rose’s six-year-old son</figcaption></figure>
  658. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  659. <figure id="attachment_648116" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648116" style="width: 1709px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648116 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL03.jpg" alt="The lounge seats, with blue-vinyl upholstery and brass bases, call to mind the sun and the sky" width="1709" height="1139" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL03.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL03-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_azura_FINAL03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648116" class="wp-caption-text">The lounge seats, with blue-vinyl upholstery and brass bases, call to mind the sun and the sky</figcaption></figure>
  660. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  661. <hr />
  662. <h5>Maple House</h5>
  663. <hr />
  664. <p><strong>Where:</strong> Canary Landing<br />
  665. <strong>Developer:</strong> DKT Partnership<br />
  666. <strong>Designer:</strong> DesignAgency<br />
  667. <strong>Number of units:</strong> 770</p>
  668. <p>When Matthew Davis of DesignAgency was planning the lobby for Maple House, a residential complex near the Distillery District, he wanted to strike a balance. On the one hand, the space had to be useful. If it was outfitted with the typical lobby amenities—a few scattered benches and coffee tables—no one would hang out there. People would assume, as they often do, that the furnishings were merely decorative.</p>
  669. <p>On the other hand, if the space was over-programmed, it wouldn’t meet residents’ needs. Billiard tables are nice, but they’re useful only if you play billiards. Because the lobby is a kind of hub—it’s located in the middle building of a three-tower complex—Davis wanted it to crackle with energy. “The lobby shouldn’t do one or two specific things,” he says. “It should do many possible things”—provide a place to hunker down over work, kick back over cocktails or curl up with a book.</p>
  670. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648125 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL04.jpg" alt="Art hanging in the lobby of Maple House condo building" width="1614" height="1076" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL04.jpg 1614w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL04-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL04-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL04-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1614px) 100vw, 1614px" /></p>
  671. <p>To that end, the expansive sectionals are decorated with an assortment of mismatched pillows, which add a homey feel to an otherwise imposing room. The co-working area on the mezzanine has the kind of amenities that are rare in most residential complexes: whiteboards, magnetic boards, and a glassed-in area with a boardroom table that’s ideal for business meetings but also great for game nights or casual drinks.</p>
  672. <p>Davis describes the lobby as a “third space”—less private than a home, more convivial than an office. “The desire for these spaces has grown in the aftermath of the lockdowns,” he says. The four-by-six-metre concierge desk exemplifies this trend: it isn’t intended only for reception and deliveries—it can double as a bar or a DJ booth.</p>
  673. <figure id="attachment_648121" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648121" style="width: 1738px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648121" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL01.jpg" alt="The custom pendant lights above the seating area are made of thin metal strands that trace the outline of a dome. “They almost look hand-drawn,” says Davis" width="1738" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL01.jpg 1738w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL01-261x300.jpg 261w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL01-768x884.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL01-1335x1536.jpg 1335w" sizes="(max-width: 1738px) 100vw, 1738px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648121" class="wp-caption-text">The custom pendant lights above the seating area are made of thin metal strands that trace the outline of a dome. “They almost look hand-drawn,” says Davis</figcaption></figure>
  674. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  675. <figure id="attachment_648122" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648122" style="width: 1139px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-648122" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02.jpg" alt="The terrazzo-style floors alternate between black and white to differentiate between seating and walking areas" width="1139" height="1139" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02.jpg 1139w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02-300x300.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02-150x150.jpg 150w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02-768x768.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02-100x100.jpg 100w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02-180x180.jpg 180w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL02-360x360.jpg 360w" sizes="(max-width: 1139px) 100vw, 1139px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648122" class="wp-caption-text">The terrazzo-style floors alternate between black and white to differentiate between seating and walking areas</figcaption></figure>
  676. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  677. <figure id="attachment_648123" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648123" style="width: 1426px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648123 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL03.jpg" alt="The columns of fluted wood behind the reception desk evoke drapery" width="1426" height="950" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL03.jpg 1426w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL03-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL03-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1426px) 100vw, 1426px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648123" class="wp-caption-text">The columns of fluted wood behind the reception desk evoke drapery</figcaption></figure>
  678. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  679. <figure id="attachment_648124" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648124" style="width: 1901px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648124 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL05.jpg" alt="To avoid a corporate vibe, Davis built the co-working amenities into a shelf" width="1901" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL05.jpg 1901w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL05-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL05-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_maple_FINAL05-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1901px) 100vw, 1901px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648124" class="wp-caption-text">To avoid a corporate vibe, Davis built the co-working amenities into a shelf</figcaption></figure>
  680. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  681. <hr />
  682. <h5>Junction House</h5>
  683. <hr />
  684. <p><strong>Where:</strong> The Junction<br />
  685. <strong>Developer:</strong> Slate Asset Management<br />
  686. <strong>Designer:</strong> Dialogue 38<br />
  687. <strong>Number of units:</strong> 150</p>
  688. <p>In 2018, developers Brandon Donnelly and Rick Sole met at Neo Coffee Bar in St. Lawrence to discuss an upcoming project: Junction House, a mid-rise building near Dundas and Annette. They were looking to hire an interior designer. Both agreed that the space should feel similar to the coffee shop—airy, with a mix of raw and refined finishes.</p>
  689. <p>They ultimately commissioned Neo’s designer, Bennett C. Lo, founder of the local firm Dialogue 38, to work on Junction House. Inspired by the thinking of French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, Lo conceives of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/condo/" class="article-link"><span data-title="condo buildings">condo buildings</span></a> as miniature cities, with lobbies as the public squares. “In a traditional condo, the lobby is the place where you wait for your Uber,” says Lo. “It’s just filler. That was never going to work for me.”</p>
  690. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-648130 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL06.jpg" alt="Junction House condo" width="1901" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL06.jpg 1901w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL06-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL06-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL06-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1901px) 100vw, 1901px" /></p>
  691. <p>At Junction House, there’s a social area located a few steps up from the main entranceway. It’s bathed in natural light and just far enough above street level that it feels a bit like a front porch. The finishes—wood detailing over rough concrete—inject the room with warmth and texture. The space is also practical: it has table and lounge seating, a bar with a fridge and a coffee machine, and double-height bookshelves. Lo likes to think of the shelves as a condo version of the Little Free Libraries found around the city, where residents can share books from their homes. “This is a workspace but also a café and living room,” he says.</p>
  692. <p>The building opened its doors in late 2023. In January, at a party to welcome residents, there were pastries from Mabel’s—a beloved local ­bakery—beer from Junction Craft Brewery and, of course, coffee from Neo. People congregated in the pale wood-panelled parlour, chatting and mingling into the evening.</p>
  693. <figure id="attachment_648126" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648126" style="width: 1321px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-648126 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL01.jpg" alt="Instead of the oppressive overhead lighting often associated with condos, Lo opted for a varied approach: built-in reading lamps, tube pendant lights and strip lighting along the bookshelves" width="1321" height="904" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL01.jpg 1321w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL01-300x205.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL01-768x526.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1321px) 100vw, 1321px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648126" class="wp-caption-text">Instead of the oppressive overhead lighting often associated with condos, Lo opted for a varied approach: built-in reading lamps, tube pendant lights and strip lighting along the bookshelves</figcaption></figure>
  694. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  695. <figure id="attachment_648127" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648127" style="width: 1043px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-648127 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL02.jpg" alt="The curved wall, made of slatted wood, guides people from the front deskto the shared space" width="1043" height="999" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL02.jpg 1043w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL02-300x287.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL02-768x736.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1043px) 100vw, 1043px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648127" class="wp-caption-text">The curved wall, made of slatted wood, guides people from the front desk to the shared space</figcaption></figure>
  696. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  697. <figure id="attachment_648128" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-648128" style="width: 1138px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-648128 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL03.jpg" alt="This oil painting by Thrush Holmes was envisioned as a tie-in to the building’s rooftop sign, which spells “Junction House” in LED-lit typography" width="1138" height="1175" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL03.jpg 1138w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL03-291x300.jpg 291w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_junction_FINAL03-768x793.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1138px) 100vw, 1138px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-648128" class="wp-caption-text">This oil painting by Thrush Holmes was envisioned as a tie-in to the building’s rooftop sign, which spells “Junction House” in LED-lit typography</figcaption></figure>
  698. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/inside-torontos-swankiest-condo-lobbies/">Inside Toronto&#8217;s swankiest condo lobbies</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  699. ]]></content:encoded>
  703. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CONDO_LOBBIES_FINALS_door-e1713961697148-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  704. <media:copyright>Worker Bee Ventures Ltd.</media:copyright>
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  710. <title>Kiss and Tell: “I hooked up with a stranger at his stepmom&#8217;s birthday party, but his relatives kept walking in on us”</title>
  711. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-ada-house-party-hookup/</link>
  713. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  714. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:26:59 +0000</pubDate>
  715. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  716. <category><![CDATA[hookup]]></category>
  717. <category><![CDATA[house party]]></category>
  718. <category><![CDATA[kiss and tell]]></category>
  719. <category><![CDATA[toronto dating]]></category>
  720. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=648139</guid>
  721.  
  722. <description><![CDATA[<p>Ada, a 29-year-old costume designer, found herself at a Hamilton house party hosted by a family she'd never met. The night only got weirder from there</p>
  723. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-ada-house-party-hookup/">Kiss and Tell: “I hooked up with a stranger at his stepmom&#8217;s birthday party, but his relatives kept walking in on us”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  724. ]]></description>
  725. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-648168" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_BD_PARTY_2024.jpg" alt="A deflated balloon on a background of blue hearts" width="2048" height="1364" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_BD_PARTY_2024.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_BD_PARTY_2024-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_BD_PARTY_2024-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_BD_PARTY_2024-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_BD_PARTY_2024-1536x1023-1713990381.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  726. <p><i data-stringify-type="italic"><em>Welcome to </em></i><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/tag/kiss-and-tell/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell">Kiss and Tell</span></span></a><i data-stringify-type="italic">,<em> a series about the steamy, surprising and frequently absurd world of Toronto dating. Send your most memorable stories from the pursuit of love and lust in the city to <a class="c-link" href="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" class="article-link"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com">submissions@torontolife.com</span></span></a>.</em></i></p>
  727. <p><em>—As told to Juliann Garisto</em></p>
  728. <hr />
  729. <p>My friend and I were working as costume designers on this super-low-budget TV show. It was set in the ’70s, so I was looking for things like bell bottoms and sweater vests. At first, thrifting seemed like the most viable option, but there wasn’t even enough money for that. My friend suggested that we look up thrift stores that were seeking volunteers—maybe we could get away with taking some stuff home. Everywhere in Toronto was pretty picked over, so we set our sights on a Value Village in Hamilton.</p>
  730. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-roommates-leigh/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;I started sleeping with my roommate. Then he fell in love with someone else&#8221;"><em><strong>Related</strong>: &#8220;I started sleeping with my roommate. Then he fell in love with someone else&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  731. <p>We drove there the following day and told an employee that we wanted to volunteer. She took us to a warehouse at the back of the store and pointed to a guy with a clipboard standing next to a giant bin filled with clothes. After an hour or two, I was able to find enough ’70s-style items to cross off a good chunk of my costume list.</p>
  732. <p>We went back the following day and, after our shift, heard some music coming from the nearby residential area. We thought it was maybe a local concert. After loading the car with our haul, we decided to walk over and check it out. It turned out to be a house party full of boomers with a rock band playing in the backyard.</p>
  733. <p>We were standing in the driveway when an older couple saw us and invited us in. The man pointed to his wife and told us this was her surprise sixtieth birthday party. They presented this information as if we were their long-time neighbours. My friend and I thought, <em>Sure, why not?</em> We didn’t have much else going on that day, so we accepted their invitation.</p>
  734. <p>When we walked into the house, we saw that almost everyone was middle-aged or older. There was just one guy who looked close to our age, so we went to introduce ourselves. He was tall, with dark hair and a baseball cap. His name was Mark, and even though we were total strangers, he seemed relieved that we were there. He told us that he was the stepson of the woman whose birthday it was and that we were at his dad’s house. Naturally, my friend, Mark and I ended up hanging out together.</p>
  735. <p>There was an absurd amount of alcohol floating around the party, so we quickly got drunk. Mark started singing choir songs to us and talking about his family, his relationships, how he’d gone to private schools and how he didn’t really get why everyone seemed to want to live in Toronto. Then he asked if I wanted a tour of the house. I figured his question was code for, <em>Wanna go make out in my bedroom?</em> He was fun to talk to, and there were some faint traces of chemistry between us, so I was down. My friend had wandered off somewhere, but I assumed we’d find each other if we needed to.</p>
  736. <p>Mark took me to the basement. As I followed him down the stairs, I thought, <em>Damn, he’s actually sexy.</em> Maybe it took separating ourselves from the older crowd, but I realized that I really wanted to hook up with this guy. I took off my sweater and tied it around my waist. He took one look at me in my slightly revealing tank top and asked if I wanted to see his room.</p>
  737. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-fish-bone-gigi/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;My date got a fish bone stuck in his teeth. He insisted on calling 911&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;My date got a fish bone stuck in his teeth. He insisted on calling 911&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  738. <p>Things moved pretty fast. Mark took off my shirt and then all of his own clothes. I found that a little strange, though not strange enough to stop kissing him. But then, five minutes in, the door opened. This woman stormed in and started screaming at Mark. Then she realized that I was with him. In a really snappy voice, she was like, “What the hell are you doing?” I quickly gathered that it was his aunt. She clearly hadn’t meant to walk in on us. Mark was just standing there, buck naked, staring at her. After about a minute—during which she’d said a flurry of things including “Where are your clothes?” and “You’re wanted upstairs”—she left in a rage. I thought it was hilarious. Mark mumbled something about it being awkward and then went back to kissing me.</p>
  739. <p>We were starting to go from standing against the wall to lying on his bed when there was another interruption. My friend barged in without knocking. She had come to find me—she was even drunker than I was.</p>
  740. <p>Her reaction to us hooking up was the complete opposite of Mark’s aunt’s. She walked in, kissed me on the forehead, wished me good luck and then slapped Mark&#8217;s ass on her way out. I was in hysterics, but the whole encounter had a different effect on Mark. It was as though the slap had shaken him out of his horny drunken stupor. He started freaking out about whether his aunt had told his parents what we were doing in his room.</p>
  741. <p>I tried to calm him down. I told him there was nothing wrong with us hooking up—it was completely natural, and everyone else was so drunk that they probably wouldn&#8217;t care. Then we got into bed. We were about to get started again when there was a knock at the door. This time it was his stepsister. Through the door, she said that it was maybe time to come out: his aunt and their other family members were upset.</p>
  742. <p>Mark started crying. He was straight-up terrified. I know it was inappropriate, but I couldn’t stop laughing. The whole situation was too funny—the fact that we were even at that party to begin with was hilarious. Mark rushed to get dressed. “I do actually like you,” he said. “Can I have your number?” I thought that was sweet, so after putting my shirt back on, I gave it to him. Then we went upstairs.</p>
  743. <p>The party was still in full swing, but I knew I had overstayed my welcome. I found my friend in the yard, and we snuck out through the back gate. My friend called her boyfriend and begged him to take a GO train to Hamilton so that he could drive us home in our car—we couldn’t leave the car overnight because we needed the clothes for work the next day. He agreed, so we went to a nearby Harvey’s to eat while we waited.</p>
  744. <p>Mark and I saw each other a few times after that party. He never got in trouble with his family or anything—it had just been his aunt freaking out, apparently. After about six months of hooking up, our situationship fizzled. There were no hard feelings. He didn’t like coming down to Toronto, and I didn’t like seeing him in his parents’ house because it made me feel like a child. I was and always will be a Toronto girl; he was and (probably) always will be a Hamilton boy. Plus, if I’m being honest, he was a tad too emotionally immature for me.</p>
  745. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-ada-house-party-hookup/">Kiss and Tell: “I hooked up with a stranger at his stepmom&#8217;s birthday party, but his relatives kept walking in on us”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  746. ]]></content:encoded>
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  751. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  756. <item>
  757. <title>&#8220;I&#8217;m the hardest-working queen on the planet&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Priyanka, Canada&#8217;s first lady of drag</title>
  758. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/priyanka-drag-queen-were-here/</link>
  760. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  761. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 14:12:14 +0000</pubDate>
  762. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  763. <category><![CDATA[Canada's Drag Race]]></category>
  764. <category><![CDATA[drag]]></category>
  765. <category><![CDATA[drag queen]]></category>
  766. <category><![CDATA[drag story time]]></category>
  767. <category><![CDATA[Priyanka]]></category>
  768. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647574</guid>
  769.  
  770. <description><![CDATA[<p>The inaugural champion of <em>Canada’s Drag Race</em> has a new show, a new movie and a new single. World domination is hard work. She’s up for it</p>
  771. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/priyanka-drag-queen-were-here/">&#8220;I&#8217;m the hardest-working queen on the planet&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Priyanka, Canada&#8217;s first lady of drag</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  772. ]]></description>
  773. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647576 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TOLIFE_PRI-LOOK-1_198.jpg" alt="Priyanka, Canada's first lady of drag" width="1000" height="831" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TOLIFE_PRI-LOOK-1_198.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TOLIFE_PRI-LOOK-1_198-300x249.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TOLIFE_PRI-LOOK-1_198-768x638.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  774. <p><strong>You look great. Tell me about the ’fit.</strong><br />
  775. I’m going for superhero chic. It’s for <em>We’re Here</em>, my new HBO series.</p>
  776. <p><strong>You’ve also got a new single, an upcoming album and a Netflix movie slated for the end of 2024. Are you the hardest-working queen in Canada?</strong><br />
  777. I’m the hardest-working queen on the planet! I don’t wait for things to happen. People love the idea of a supermodel being discovered in a grocery store—but that shit ain’t happening to little brown boys from Whitby! I remember driving downtown with my parents and seeing the MuchMusic building. It was like seeing God. I needed to be there even though, at the time, I had no ambitions to be a pop star or to dress as a woman.</p>
  778. <p><strong>Your fans mostly know you for drag. Was music always the goal?</strong><br />
  779. Drag is the most beautiful thing in the world. It’s just that I don’t want to be limited to any one thing. Some people still think of drag as being clownish, whereas my music is mainstream. My single, “No New Friends,” could follow Drake on the radio, and it would fit.</p>
  780. <p><strong>A bold statement.</strong><br />
  781. I’ve poured my blood, sweat, tears and money into this. My music career is not a job someone gave me—it’s self-funded. When I released my debut EP, <em>Taste Test</em>, in 2021, I was still shy. Now, I’m a star.</p>
  782. <p><strong>Did this attitude inspire your new single, “No New Friends”?</strong><br />
  783. Yes, but it’s more than that. I went into the studio wanting to write a happy, positive song. Then Josh Cumbee, my producer, suggested the title. At first I said, “Ugh, enough with this hater shit.” But then we talked about how much I enjoy being a homebody. I used to want to go out every night. Now? I’m good. So this song is like a self-love anthem—but badass.</p>
  784. <p><strong><em>Taste Test</em> has been streamed over 15 million times. How has success changed you? I presume the weaves are better.</strong><br />
  785. Yes, honey, they are. But, when you start winning, people start to turn on you. I like to say, “Someone else’s success is not your failure, and you need to be able to cheer them on without ­making it about yourself. Bitch.”</p>
  786. <p><strong>Why do you say drag is the most beautiful thing in the world?</strong><br />
  787. It has helped me understand myself—in and out of costume. Drag is radical and political. It says, “I’m going to be who I want to be in whatever form that takes.” Back in 2016, I was still confused, living at Fort York and Spadina: Straight White People–ville. I moved to the Village because it was cheaper, not to be closer to gays. <span style="font-weight: 400;">Being a single-and-ready-to-mingle boy in Toronto back then meant being masculine; otherwise you weren’t datable. I used to go on dates wearing plaid shirts because I was brainwashed. </span>Then I started going out in the Village. I was at Crews and Tangos every Sunday, and I ended up meeting my mentor, Xtacy Love, who asked if I had ever considered drag.</p>
  788. <p><strong>Has the city’s drag scene changed much since then?</strong><br />
  789. It’s been politicized, and <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/were-not-going-back-in-the-closet-drag-performer-scarlett-bobo-on-the-ndps-bill-to-protect-lgbtq-spaces/" class="article-link"><span data-title="now people are worried for their safety.">now people are worried for their safety.</span></a> That sense of fear has really sucked the life out of the Village.</p>
  790. <p><strong>Some of the old-guard gays also say that the Village has become a tourist attraction for straight people.</strong><br />
  791. Yes, definitely. Bachelorette parties have taken over, so it’s less a space by queer people, for queer people. I get the frustration. But our community needs to welcome outsiders so that we can unite. I guess I’m on both sides.</p>
  792. <p><strong>There’s been an explosion of hate crimes related to drag. What’s it been like to have your career take off during this period?</strong><br />
  793. It’s hard to see so much progress met with so much ignorance. The career implications are major. I had a bunch of contracts axed last year. People with whom I had professional relationships weren’t returning my emails. In Toronto, working with big corporations during Pride is how many queens pay rent for the rest of the year.</p>
  794. <p><strong>Have any of your events been targeted by protesters?</strong><br />
  795. Oh, definitely. People in the US tell me, “You don’t get it—you’re from Canada.” And I’m like, “Girl, it’s the same shit up here!” It’s just that Americans are louder, but Canadians pay attention to American news. It’s funny, though. I was at Youth Pride in Whitby last year, and there were a bunch of protesters. I started to ask them what exactly they were against, and they told me they were being paid to stand there and hold signs. That was interesting.</p>
  796. <p><strong>What did it mean to have Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appear on <em>Canada’s Drag Race</em> in 2022?</strong><br />
  797. Trudeau was the first-ever world leader on <em>Drag Race</em>. A big deal. Maybe his visit was performative, but everything in politics is performative. Still, I would love to see all of our politicians show a more substantial commitment to LGBTQ+ issues rather than just showing up at Pride parades.</p>
  798. <p><strong>How do you respond to people who say that <a href="https://torontolife.com/life/inside-drag-queen-storytime-toronto-librarys-fiercest-kids-reading-series/" class="article-link"><span data-title="drag queen story hours at libraries">drag queen story hours at libraries</span></a> are inappropriate for children because of drag’s sexuality?</strong><br />
  799. There is drag that is sexual and there is drag that is not. Consider how we evaluate movies: there’s a G rating and an R rating. It’s not complicated. Certain people think that, if a child sees drag, they’ll end up gay—a sad assumption. And young people who are gay need to feel accepted and supported, especially by their parents.</p>
  800. <p><strong>In a typical week, how much time do you spend in drag?</strong><br />
  801. Much less since winning <em>Drag Race</em>. I used to be out performing at bars every night. Now I’m spending more time at my laptop, writing emails, scheming for world domination.</p>
  802. <p><strong>For day-to-day activities, are you your out-of-drag self, Mark Suknanan?</strong><br />
  803. Well, you’d never see me at the dog park in drag. But people still recognize me. They’ll be like, “Hey, Priyanka!” And then they’ll just want to talk about my miniature long-haired dachshunds, Daisy and Daffodil. I got them both in the last couple of years, and it’s been just the best.</p>
  804. <p><strong>So no new friends but yes new dogs?</strong><br />
  805. I love that I’m responsible for them. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in yourself and live in this world where everything is about you. But when you have to pick up your dogs’ shit? That’s grounding.</p>
  806. <p><strong>You’re up for a Canadian Screen Award for your work as a host on <em>Etalk</em>. Seems fitting considering you got your start as a host on YTV.</strong><br />
  807. It’s especially full circle since I once applied to be an intern at <em>Etalk</em> and got rejected. So to be nominated with the whole cast just feels crazy in a good way.</p>
  808. <p><strong>Speaking of full circle, in the “No New Friends” video, you, Priyanka, give a lap dance to your out-of-drag self.</strong><br />
  809. Yes, at Zanzibar, which was one of the first Toronto strip clubs I ever went to. I love the idea of my younger, closeted self finding identity in the dark corners of this club, fantasizing about being a stripper. It’s very personal. I’ve been through a lot since I was that boy. I love paying homage—to me.</p>
  810. <hr />
  811. <p><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
  812. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/priyanka-drag-queen-were-here/">&#8220;I&#8217;m the hardest-working queen on the planet&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Priyanka, Canada&#8217;s first lady of drag</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  813. ]]></content:encoded>
  817. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TOLIFE_PRI-LOOK-1_198-1000x628.jpg" width="1000" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  818. <media:copyright>NICK WONG PHOTO</media:copyright>
  819. <media:title></media:title>
  820. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  821. </media:content>
  822. </item>
  823. <item>
  824. <title>Everything you need to know about elle cuisine’s upcoming Mother’s Day High Tea event at The Symes</title>
  825. <link>https://torontolife.com/insider/elle-cuisine-mothers-day-event/</link>
  827. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Calvin Vuong]]></dc:creator>
  828. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 13:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
  829. <category><![CDATA[TL Insider]]></category>
  830. <category><![CDATA[sponsored]]></category>
  831. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646769</guid>
  832.  
  833. <description><![CDATA[<p>Plus, what the top catering company in the city has planned for 2024</p>
  834. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/insider/elle-cuisine-mothers-day-event/">Everything you need to know about &lt;em&gt;elle cuisine&lt;/em&gt;’s upcoming Mother’s Day High Tea event at The Symes</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  835. ]]></description>
  836. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591701&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="elle cuisine"><strong><em>elle cuisine</em></strong></span></a>’s long standing reputation as a top catering company speaks for itself. Executive Chef &amp; CEO, Lauren Mozer, founded her company as a boutique private chef service that has since evolved, over the past 12 years, into one of the city’s most trusted and sought after full service catering and events business. Toronto Life is proud to boast <strong><em>elle cuisine</em></strong> as a preferred catering partner for 2024.</p>
  837. <p>As we roll into the second quarter of 2024, we caught up with Mozer to chat about a special charitable event they&#8217;re hosting on May 12 for <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591703&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mother’s Day at The Symes">Mother’s Day at The Symes</span></a>, in support of <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591709&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shelter Movers">Shelter Movers</span></a>, a Canadian organization that provides moving and storage services to  individuals and families fleeing gender based violence.</p>
  838. <figure id="attachment_646811" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646811" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646811 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646811" class="wp-caption-text">Photo: Reid Lambshead</figcaption></figure>
  839. <h5><b>Could you tell us more about your upcoming Mother’s Day High Tea event at The Symes? </b></h5>
  840. <p>In partnership with <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591711&amp;s=1591695" class="article-link"><span data-title="The Symes">The Symes</span></a>, who are also female-led and operated, we are hosting a one of a kind <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591703&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mother&#8217;s Day event">Mother&#8217;s Day event</span></a> in support of <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591709&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shelter Movers">Shelter Movers</span></a>. They’re a charity that helps survivors of gender-based violence transition to a better and safer life. They do really great work and the majority of the victims and survivors that they support are mothers. We&#8217;re excited to make that link with Mother&#8217;s Day and donate 50 per cent of all the proceeds to the charity.</p>
  841. <h5><b>What a lovely idea. Can you give us a sneak peek into the menu and decor for the day? </b></h5>
  842. <p>We&#8217;re leaning into the traditional high tea theme. Think tableside tea service, three-tiered stands lush with tea sandwiches, scones, petits fours (mini cakes and desserts), and mini quiches, tarts and galettes.  With the help of our sponsoring rental partner, Chair-man Mills, we’re also going all out with our decor and aesthetic. It’s going to look gorgeous and feel like a traditional English High Tea, as if you’re at a high-end hotel in London, England. For drinks, The Symes is serving mimosas and spritzes. With the support of <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591725&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sole Power">Sole Power</span></a>, our production and entertainment company, we’re planning a unique photo booth for guests to get some family photos of the day. It’ll be a nice keepsake to take home. We’ve tried to be as thoughtful as possible and that’s important to both of our brands and a way that we differentiate ourselves in such a saturated market of events in Toronto.</p>
  843. <figure id="attachment_646812" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646812" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646812 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646812" class="wp-caption-text">Photo: Reid Lambshead</figcaption></figure>
  844. <h5><b>Could you give us an update on how </b><strong><em>elle cuisine&#8217;s</em></strong><b> 2024 is shaping up and what new offerings we can expect?</b></h5>
  845. <p>Looking back at 2023, we started to notice significant shifts in how our audience was responding to the planning process and the nature of event needs in general.  In response to an ever-changing market, we chose to invest in three main categories: our newly launched online delivery platform, <em><strong>elle cuisine</strong></em> events with a philanthropic element and investing in venue partnerships.</p>
  846. <p>A higher volume of delivery-based event inquiries created an opportunity for us to invest in and launch our e-commerce and delivery platform online.  With the launch of this category of business, we’re able to focus on approachability and fitting the needs of both our current clients and a new audience.  While still in the early phase of discovery (tons of fine-tuning, feedback collecting, and challenge solving) we are proud to boast about our <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591727&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="delivery program online">delivery program online</span></a>.  The delivery platform offers customers a more affordable offering with a focus on ease of use.  The world has changed and with it expectations on how one can secure products and services.  Online ordering with less face to face/phone contact is the trend we’re seeing and we want to be able to shift with the current climate.</p>
  847. <figure id="attachment_646813" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646813" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646813 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646813" class="wp-caption-text">Photo: Reid Lambshead</figcaption></figure>
  848. <p>We’re also leaning more into hosting <strong><em>elle cuisine</em></strong> events with a philanthropic element. In challenging times it’s important to us that we support local and Canadian causes that are close to our hearts. In March, we sponsored Night 1 in partnership with Day 1 and Fertility Friends at The Great Hall and of course we have our upcoming Mother’s Day event. Through this resurge, we’re also investing more in venue relationships. Having the opportunity to offer our clientele a variety of venue options across the city is certainly a strength and one that we’re leaning into. We have long-standing relationships, like the one with <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591711&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="The Symes ">The Symes </span></a>and we’re also excited to introduce new collaborations this year—hang tight for signature collab events all throughout 2024.</p>
  849. <h5><b>What do you believe sets <strong><em>elle cuisine</em></strong> apart from other catering companies in Toronto?</b></h5>
  850. <p>Quality first. We really focus on high-end, luxury premium offerings. That&#8217;s from the quality of food to the quality of service. We want to stay true to that, while also being approachable, flexible, and transparent in our communication with our clients and new service offerings. We are reevaluating what&#8217;s important to them and how we can best suit their needs. But we never want to lose that high-quality approach. We pride ourselves on long lasting relationships with our clients, built on trust and reliability. We are proud to boast high retention rates as a result.</p>
  851. <figure id="attachment_646814" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646814" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646814 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646814" class="wp-caption-text">Photo: Reid Lambshead</figcaption></figure>
  852. <p>We’re proud to be female-owned and operated and really lean into the fact that we’re “small, but mighty.” We keep our team lean, which means we can act quickly and respond promptly. We pride ourselves on our ability to create customized menus inspired by clients. Our team moves quickly to solve challenges and can implement innovative changes &amp; updates rapidly and nimbly.</p>
  853. <p><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1591703&amp;s=1591695" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Click here to learn more about elle cuisine&#8217;s upcoming event and to treat your mom to tickets. "><em>Click here to learn more about </em><strong><em>elle cuisine&#8217;s</em></strong><em> upcoming event and to treat your mom to tickets. </em></span></a></p>
  854. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/insider/elle-cuisine-mothers-day-event/">Everything you need to know about &lt;em&gt;elle cuisine&lt;/em&gt;’s upcoming Mother’s Day High Tea event at The Symes</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  855. ]]></content:encoded>
  859. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  860. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  861. <media:title>Photo: Reid Lambshead</media:title>
  862. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  863. </media:content>
  864. </item>
  865. <item>
  866. <title>Sort-of Secret: Casa Verde, an old-school Italian restaurant housed in an 1890s Ajax farmhouse</title>
  867. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-casa-verde-italian-restaurant-ajax/</link>
  869. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  870. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 13:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
  871. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  872. <category><![CDATA[Ajax]]></category>
  873. <category><![CDATA[Casa Verde]]></category>
  874. <category><![CDATA[Italian]]></category>
  875. <category><![CDATA[Sort-of Secret]]></category>
  876. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647723</guid>
  877.  
  878. <description><![CDATA[<p>The building was a rum runner’s den and a makeshift maternity ward in its checkered past</p>
  879. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-casa-verde-italian-restaurant-ajax/">Sort-of Secret: Casa Verde, an old-school Italian restaurant housed in an 1890s Ajax farmhouse</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  880. ]]></description>
  881. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647911" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of Italian dishes and drinks at Casa Verde in Ajax" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-300x169.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-2000x1125.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-768x432.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-283x159.jpg 283w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-spread-386x217.jpg 386w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  882. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-sort-of-secrets">
  883.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More Sort-of Secrets</h2>
  884.  
  885.    <button class="feed-in-post-button" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">
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  888.             <path d="M0,1l0-1l25,0v1H0z M25,8V7H0l0,1H25z M25,15v-1H0l0,1H25z"/>
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  890.    </button>
  891.  
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  895. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  896.  
  897.  
  898. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  899. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge/"  data-label="Slot 1">
  900.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-scaled-803x603-1713357014.jpg" alt="Sort-of&#x20;Secret&#x3A;&#x20;Southeast&#x20;Sandwiches,&#x20;a&#x20;fast-casual&#x20;spot&#x20;in&#x20;Woodbridge&#x20;serving&#x20;Vietnamese&#x20;and&#x20;Filipino&#x20;twists&#x20;on&#x20;sandwiches,&#x20;tacos&#x20;and&#x20;poutine" />
  901. </a>
  902. </div>
  903.  
  904.  
  905.  
  906. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  907.  
  908.  
  909.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  910.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  911.        </a>
  912.    
  913.  
  914. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  915.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge/" class="sjmvm-link-647528 sjmvm-title-647528">Sort-of Secret: Southeast Sandwiches, a fast-casual spot in Woodbridge serving Vietnamese and Filipino twists on sandwiches, tacos and poutine</a>
  916. </h2>
  917.  
  918.  
  919. </div>
  920.  
  921. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  922.    
  923. </div>
  924.  
  925.  
  926. </article>
  927.    
  928.  
  929.  
  930. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  931.  
  932.  
  933. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  934. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-bungalow-22-indian-supper-club/"  data-label="Slot 2">
  935.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-scaled-803x603-1711979971.jpg" alt="Sort-of&#x20;Secret&#x3A;&#x20;Bungalow&#x20;22,&#x20;a&#x20;monthly&#x20;supper&#x20;club&#x20;featuring&#x20;a&#x20;rotating&#x20;menu&#x20;of&#x20;regional&#x20;Indian&#x20;cuisine" />
  936. </a>
  937. </div>
  938.  
  939.  
  940.  
  941. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  942.  
  943.  
  944.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  945.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  946.        </a>
  947.    
  948.  
  949. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  950.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-bungalow-22-indian-supper-club/" class="sjmvm-link-645993 sjmvm-title-645993">Sort-of Secret: Bungalow 22, a monthly supper club featuring a rotating menu of regional Indian cuisine</a>
  951. </h2>
  952.  
  953.  
  954. </div>
  955.  
  956. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  957.    
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  965. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  966.  
  967.  
  968. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  969. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/"  data-label="Slot 3">
  970.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-scaled-803x603-1710526339.jpg" alt="Sort-of&#x20;Secret&#x3A;&#x20;Comma,&#x20;a&#x20;Korean&#x20;restaurant&#x20;on&#x20;Queen&#x20;West&#x20;serving&#x20;raw&#x20;marinated&#x20;crab" />
  971. </a>
  972. </div>
  973.  
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  975.  
  976. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  977.  
  978.  
  979.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  980.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  981.        </a>
  982.    
  983.  
  984. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  985.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/" class="sjmvm-link-645075 sjmvm-title-645075">Sort-of Secret: Comma, a Korean restaurant on Queen West serving raw marinated crab</a>
  986. </h2>
  987.  
  988.  
  989. </div>
  990.  
  991. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  992.    
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  994.  
  995.  
  996. </article>
  997.  
  998. </section>
  999.  
  1000. <p><strong>The sort-of secret:</strong> <a href="https://casaverderestaurant.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Casa Verde,">Casa Verde,</span></a> a family-run old-school <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/italian/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Italian">Italian</span></a> restaurant in Ajax<br />
  1001. <strong>You may have heard of it if:</strong> You have a thing for classic red-sauce spots<br />
  1002. <strong>But you probably haven’t tried it because:</strong> The restaurant is tucked away in an old house off Highway 2</p>
  1003. <p>In Ajax, where a night out often involves a chain restaurant, Casa Verde, a family-run Italian restaurant operating out of an 1860s farmhouse, serves as a beacon of home cooking and local history.</p>
  1004. <p>Chef and co-owner Roberto Scagliotti—who immigrated from Genoa with his family as a boy—spent his early 20s as a cook at Yorkville’s Il Posto. Then, at 25 and without much to his name, he and his wife, Joanne, made for the suburbs with plans to open their own Italian restaurant. “We just went for it,” says Joanne. “At that time, we were one of the only ones around, and here we still are after 33 years.”</p>
  1005. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647895" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Casa Verde, an Italian restaurant in Ajax, Ontario" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1006. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647908" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-8-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room of an Italian restaurant is decorated with vintage posters" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-8-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-8-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-8-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-8-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1007. <p>Roberto and Joanne have carved out a niche for themselves since they opened Casa Verde in 1991. With its signature green exterior, kitschy old-school decor, comfort food and friendly service, the restaurant is a favourite of locals, who take pride in telling their friends about the hidden gem off Highway 2. “I think, because we don’t advertise, it’s like an ace in the pocket for people,” says Roberto. It’s also been a go-to for local celebs, including retired NHL players Glenn Healy and Ken Baumgartner, Goddo&#8217;s Greg Godovitz and—back when he was still with us—<a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/mr-dressup-ernie-coombs-documentary/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Ernie Coombs, otherwise known as Mr. Dressup.">Ernie Coombs, otherwise known as Mr. Dressup.</span></a></p>
  1008. <figure id="attachment_647894" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647894" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647894" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-chef-owner-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef and co-owner of Casa Verde, Roberto Scagliotti, in the dining room of his restaurant" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-chef-owner-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-chef-owner-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-chef-owner-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-chef-owner-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-chef-owner-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-chef-owner-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647894" class="wp-caption-text">Casa Verde chef and co-owner Roberto Scagliotti</figcaption></figure>
  1009. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/cibo-chef-laura-petracca-italian-richmond-hill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Where Cibo executive chef Laura Petracca eats Italian food in Richmond Hill"><strong>Related:</strong> Where Cibo executive chef Laura Petracca eats Italian food in Richmond Hill</span></a></em></p>
  1010. <p>After a guest places their order with a server—either Joanne, their niece or one of their daughters, Sidney, Sabrina or Samantha—the first thing to hit the table is always a basket of complimentary Calabrese bread from Scarborough’s Calabria Bakery. Regulars know not to use it as a vessel for butter but to save it for sopping up whatever sauce is left after their main course. “Roberto’s got this knack for making amazing sauces,” says Joanne. “That’s why we can’t ever take the free bread away.”</p>
  1011. <p>One saucy fan favourite? The scaloppine al Marsala, veal topped with a rich demi-glace of mushrooms and Marsala wine. They source the milk-fed Provimi veal from the Butcher Shoppe in <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/etobicoke/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Etobicoke">Etobicoke</span></a> and then prep it in house. But the bestseller by far is the linguine alla pescatora: shrimp, squid, scallops and mussels swimming in a savoury white wine sauce with olive oil, garlic and freshly diced tomatoes. “People love it, and they love to take photos of it,” says Roberto. “It brings in a lot of customers.”</p>
  1012. <figure id="attachment_647910" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647910" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647910" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-ScaloppineAlMarsala-scaled.jpg" alt="Scaloppine marsala at Casa Verde" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-ScaloppineAlMarsala-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-ScaloppineAlMarsala-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-ScaloppineAlMarsala-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-ScaloppineAlMarsala-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-ScaloppineAlMarsala-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-ScaloppineAlMarsala-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647910" class="wp-caption-text">The popular scaloppine al Marsala</figcaption></figure>
  1013. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1014. <figure id="attachment_647909" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647909" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647909" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-LinguineAllePescatore-scaled.jpg" alt="A bowl of linguine alle pescatore" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-LinguineAllePescatore-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-LinguineAllePescatore-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-LinguineAllePescatore-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-LinguineAllePescatore-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-LinguineAllePescatore-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-LinguineAllePescatore-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647909" class="wp-caption-text">And the fan-favourite linguine alla pescatora</figcaption></figure>
  1015. <p>Roberto and Joanne source most of their ingredients locally, from places like Willowtree Farm in Port Perry and Pingle&#8217;s Farm outside of Oshawa, and everything is made in-house—aside from the ice cream, cakes and dried pasta. But all of the fresh <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/pasta/" class="article-link"><span data-title="pasta">pasta</span></a> is made on-site, including the gnocchi, lasagna, manicotti and cannelloni. The gnocchi alla piemontese, pillowy potato dumplings in a light tomato sauce with fresh sage, is Roberto’s favourite. “I’d eat them every day if I could,” he says. “And my kids love them too.”</p>
  1016. <figure id="attachment_647899" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647899" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647899" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-gnocchi-1-scaled.jpg" alt="A bowl of handmade gnocchi at Casa Verde, an Italian restaurant in Ajax" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-gnocchi-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-gnocchi-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-gnocchi-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-gnocchi-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-gnocchi-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-gnocchi-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647899" class="wp-caption-text">A close-up of Scagliotti&#8217;s handmade gnocchi</figcaption></figure>
  1017. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-cucina-mauro-a-cozy-italian-lunch-counter-tucked-away-in-a-north-york-industrial-plaza/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Cucina Mauro, a cozy Italian lunch counter tucked away in a North York industrial plaza"><strong>Related:</strong> Cucina Mauro, a cozy Italian lunch counter tucked away in a North York industrial plaza</span></a></em></p>
  1018. <p>These dishes have remained unchanged—along with most of the menu—since the restaurant opened. “Everything flies off our menu,” says Joanne. “Everybody has their favourite dish.” Essentially, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.</p>
  1019. <p>Even the building Casa Verde is in has remained relatively untouched. Prior to becoming a restaurant, the house served as a rum runner’s den and a makeshift birthing ward when a midwife moved in during the 1920s—Roberto says they’ve actually served guests who were born in what is now the dining room.</p>
  1020. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647904" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-4-scaled.jpg" alt="The bar inside Casa Verde, an Italian restaurant east of Toronto in Ajax" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1021. <p>Even for diners who didn&#8217;t happen to draw their first breaths in the building, Joanne and Roberto aim to ensure that all who enter their restaurant feel like they belong. They see Casa Verde as an extension of their home and credit much of their success to this ethos. After 33 years, some of their patrons have become almost like family. The couple has been invited to cottages and Christmases and has played host to many a birthday and anniversary. “It’s important that we acknowledge our guests and that we remember them,” says Joanne. “The food is huge too, of course. If the food isn’t good, nobody&#8217;s going to come—but I think the restaurant has become a place of comfort for people.”</p>
  1022. <p><em>Casa Verde, 49 Old Kingston Rd., Ajax, 905-428-6243, <a href="https://casaverderestaurant.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="casaverderestaurant.ca">casaverderestaurant.ca</span></a></em></p>
  1023. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647905" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-5-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Casa Verde, an old-school Italian restaurant" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1024. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647902" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-2-scaled.jpg" alt="Circular tables laid with white tablecloths in the dining room of Casa Verde, an Italian restaurant" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1025. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647906" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-6-scaled.jpg" alt="Italian posters hang above a bar inside an Italian restaurant" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-6-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-6-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1026. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647907" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-7-scaled.jpg" alt="A table at an Italian restaurant is set with bottles of oil, a jar of Baci chocolates and a vase filled with corks" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-7-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-7-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-7-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-7-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-7-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-interior-7-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  1027. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-casa-verde-italian-restaurant-ajax/">Sort-of Secret: Casa Verde, an old-school Italian restaurant housed in an 1890s Ajax farmhouse</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1028. ]]></content:encoded>
  1032. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-casa-verde-italian-ajax-exterior-2-scaled-1200x628-1713889658.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  1033. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  1034. <media:title></media:title>
  1035. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  1036. </media:content>
  1037. </item>
  1038. <item>
  1039. <title>The Chase: This couple thought they&#8217;d be renters for life. Then the market shifted in their favour</title>
  1040. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-renters-for-life-market-shift/</link>
  1042. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Brunet]]></dc:creator>
  1043. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:53:33 +0000</pubDate>
  1044. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  1045. <category><![CDATA[Geary Avenue]]></category>
  1046. <category><![CDATA[Little Italy]]></category>
  1047. <category><![CDATA[Little Portugal]]></category>
  1048. <category><![CDATA[The Chase]]></category>
  1049. <category><![CDATA[Woodbine-Lumsden]]></category>
  1050. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647861</guid>
  1051.  
  1052. <description><![CDATA[<p>For six years, Dylan and Matt had been happily renting a two-bedroom apartment in Little Italy. They weren’t looking to buy, but when interest rate hikes put an end to bidding wars, they seized the opportunity</p>
  1053. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-renters-for-life-market-shift/">The Chase: This couple thought they&#8217;d be renters for life. Then the market shifted in their favour</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1054. ]]></description>
  1055. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647866 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_THE-CHASE_MATT-DYLAN_0V8A4274_CLAUDINEBALTAZAR_.jpg" alt="Matt Maw and Dylan Doyle had been happily renting a two-bedroom apartment in Little Italy for $3,000 a month. When interest rate hikes put an end to bidding wars, they sensed opportunity. In October of 2023, they were pre-approved for a $1-million mortgage, and in November, they began searching for their starter home" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_THE-CHASE_MATT-DYLAN_0V8A4274_CLAUDINEBALTAZAR_.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_THE-CHASE_MATT-DYLAN_0V8A4274_CLAUDINEBALTAZAR_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_THE-CHASE_MATT-DYLAN_0V8A4274_CLAUDINEBALTAZAR_-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_THE-CHASE_MATT-DYLAN_0V8A4274_CLAUDINEBALTAZAR_-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1056. <p><strong>The buyers:</strong> Dylan Doyle, 33, marketing and communications manager at Ernst and Young, and Matt Maw, 36, director at Red Music Rising.</p>
  1057. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-house-hunts">
  1058.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More House Hunts</h2>
  1059.  
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  1161. </h2>
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  1172.  
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  1174.  
  1175. <p><strong>The story:</strong> For six years, Dylan and Matt had been happily renting a two-bedroom apartment in Little Italy for $3,000 a month. They weren’t looking to buy, but when interest rate hikes put an end to bidding wars, they sensed opportunity. The couple wanted at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms, plenty of storage for their books and records, a finished basement for Matt’s video games, and a backyard for reading and relaxing. In October of 2023, they were pre-approved for a $1-million mortgage, and in November, they began searching for their starter home.</p>
  1176. <hr />
  1177. <h5>Option 1: Dupont Street near Ossington</h5>
  1178. <p><strong>Listed at:</strong> $839,000<br />
  1179. <strong>Sold for:</strong> $835,000</p>
  1180. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647873 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL01_a-1.jpg" alt="A three-bedroom, three-bathroom semi a block from Geary Avenue" width="1738" height="1158" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL01_a-1.jpg 1738w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL01_a-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL01_a-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL01_a-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1738px) 100vw, 1738px" /></p>
  1181. <p>First up was this three-bedroom, three-bathroom semi a block from Geary Avenue. The place looked cozy, but a nine-storey condo was going up across the street, and the couple didn’t want to live next to a construction site. Plus, the basement was only semi-­finished, the first-floor bathroom had what looked like DIY wiring, and the second-floor bathroom had no sink or shower. They figured the cost of upgrading would push them well over budget, so they moved on without placing a bid.</p>
  1182. <hr />
  1183. <h5>Option 2: Gledhill Avenue near Woodbine and Danforth</h5>
  1184. <p><strong>Listed at:</strong> $949,000<br />
  1185. <strong>Sold for:</strong> $985,000</p>
  1186. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647868 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02_1.jpg" alt="A two-plus-one-bedroom detached in Woodbine-Lumsden" width="1702" height="1135" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02_1.jpg 1702w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02_1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02_1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1702px) 100vw, 1702px" /></p>
  1187. <p>Dylan and Matt’s realtor then suggested they check out a place in the east end, so they visited this two-plus-one-bedroom detached in Woodbine-Lumsden. It had a bright open-concept main floor, but the basement ceilings were low, and the second floor felt cramped with all the bedrooms opening off a narrow hallway. Though they liked the tree-lined streets in the area, the neighbourhood didn’t have the energy or walkability of Little Italy. They passed on the property and headed back to the west end.</p>
  1188. <hr />
  1189. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">The buy:</span> Dufferin Street near Dundas</h5>
  1190. <p><strong>Listed at:</strong> $974,999<br />
  1191. <strong>Sold for:</strong> $950,000</p>
  1192. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647869 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03a.jpg" alt="This semi in Little Portugal was initially listed for $1.2 million in August but hadn’t sold and was back on the market for considerably less" width="1702" height="1135" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03a.jpg 1702w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03a-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03a-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1702px) 100vw, 1702px" /></p>
  1193. <p>This semi in Little Portugal was initially listed for $1.2 million in August but hadn’t sold and was back on the market for considerably less. Dylan and Matt loved its bay window and 11-foot ceilings. It also had a finished basement and backyard. They placed a bid $34,000 under asking. The seller countered with $950,000, and the couple accepted. They moved in at the end of January and plan to add a banquette in the front room for a reading nook. “We’re grateful,” Dylan says. “It’s starting to feel like a real home now.”</p>
  1194. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-renters-for-life-market-shift/">The Chase: This couple thought they&#8217;d be renters for life. Then the market shifted in their favour</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1195. ]]></content:encoded>
  1199. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_THE-CHASE_MATT-DYLAN_0V8A4274_CLAUDINEBALTAZAR_-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  1200. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  1201. <media:title></media:title>
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  1203. </media:content>
  1204. </item>
  1205. <item>
  1206. <title>Cottage of the Week: $4.3 million for a Port Carling cabin with a retrofuturist roof</title>
  1207. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse/</link>
  1209. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  1210. <pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 18:07:22 +0000</pubDate>
  1211. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  1212. <category><![CDATA[Cottage of the Week]]></category>
  1213. <category><![CDATA[Port Carling]]></category>
  1214. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  1215. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647913</guid>
  1216.  
  1217. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 1,800-square-foot property also comes with luxurious bathrooms, a rooftop patio, a private beach and a two-slip boathouse</p>
  1218. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse/">Cottage of the Week: $4.3 million for a Port Carling cabin with a retrofuturist roof</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1219. ]]></description>
  1220. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Location:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/port-carling/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Port Carling">Port Carling</span></a><br />
  1221. </span><strong>Price:</strong> $4,299,000<br />
  1222. <strong>Previously sold for:</strong> $3.5 million in 2022<br />
  1223. <strong>Size:</strong> 1,800 square feet sitting on two acres of land<br />
  1224. <strong>Bedrooms: </strong>4<br />
  1225. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 3<br />
  1226. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agents: </strong>Katie Gilbert and Kate Slater, <a href="https://www.chestnutpark.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Chestnut Park Real Estate">Chestnut Park Real Estate</span></a></p>
  1227. <hr />
  1228. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The place</span></h5>
  1229. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A four-bedroom, three-bathroom cottage at the southern tip of Lake Rosseau—known for its calm waters and boating culture. The place&#8217;s defining feature is its dramatic retrofuturist roof. It also comes with an attached two-slip boathouse. Residents are a short drive from the restaurants and shopping in Port Carling, dozens of hiking trails, and several golf courses.</span></p>
  1230. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The history</span></h5>
  1231. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original owners built this bungalow in 1968. The current owners took over in 2022 and completed a full renovation of the interior while keeping the funky roof and some original flagstone walls. As Quebecers, they aren’t able to visit the property as often as they would like, so they&#8217;ve decided to sell.</span></p>
  1232. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$4.9 million for a Muskoka escape with a widescreen view of Kahshe Lake">$4.9 million for a Muskoka escape with a widescreen view of Kahshe Lake</span></a></em></p>
  1233. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tour</span></h5>
  1234. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The entire compound spills over the shoreline—a feature no longer allowed for new builds in Muskoka.</span></p>
  1235. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647917 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-2000x1450.jpg" alt="This 1,800-square-foot home in port Carling is going for $4.3 million. " width="2000" height="1450" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-2000x1450.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-300x218.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-768x557.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-scaled-1536x1114-1713808726.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-scaled-2048x1485-1713808729.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1236. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s the cottage from the front. Its angular cedar-shake roof—like something out of <em>The Jetsons</em>—canopies over the patio and front door. </span></p>
  1237. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647921 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-2000x1191.jpg" alt="The place's greatest feature might be its retrofuturist roof. " width="2000" height="1191" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-2000x1191.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-300x179.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-768x457.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-1536x914.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-2048x1219.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1238. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The foyer leads to the kitchen, which rises over the open-concept living and dining area. </span></p>
  1239. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647923 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-2000x1297.jpg" alt="The kitchen elevates above the dining area. " width="2000" height="1297" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-2000x1297.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-300x195.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-768x498.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-1536x996.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-2048x1328.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1240. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Its acacia counters serve as a great lookout for Brackenrig Bay. </span></p>
  1241. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647924 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-2000x1245.jpg" alt="The view form the kitchen. " width="2000" height="1245" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-2000x1245.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-300x187.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-768x478.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-1536x956.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-2048x1275.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1242. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the dining area, flanked by wide sliding-glass doors and large transom windows.</span></p>
  1243. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647925 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo5-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Two sets of sliding glass doors illuminate the space. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1244. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A reverse angle shows off the wall-to-wall sliding glass and panoramic view.</span></p>
  1245. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647926 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-2000x1221.jpg" alt="Who needs a TV when you have Brackenrig Bay. " width="2000" height="1221" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-2000x1221.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-300x183.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-768x469.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-1536x937.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-2048x1250.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1246. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the living space: an original flagstone wall and a climate-friendly propane fireplace. Note the canoe hanging overhead.</span></p>
  1247. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647927 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-2000x1230.jpg" alt="The propane fireplace is surrounded by the original flagstone wall. " width="2000" height="1230" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-2000x1230.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-300x185.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-768x472.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-1536x945.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-2048x1260.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1248. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Down the hall is the main bedroom, equipped with more flagstone, an ensuite bathroom and a private balcony.</span></p>
  1249. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647929 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-2000x1296.jpg" alt="The main bedroom walks out to a private balcony. " width="2000" height="1296" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-2000x1296.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-300x194.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-768x498.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-1536x995.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-2048x1327.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1250. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ensuite is lined features Calcutta marble and a rain shower and a soaker tub.</span></p>
  1251. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647930 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-2000x1347.jpg" alt="Note the Calcutta marble in the ensuite. " width="2000" height="1347" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-2000x1347.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-300x202.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-768x517.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-1536x1035.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-2048x1380.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1252. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&#8217;s also a double vanity, along with a second walkout to the balcony. </span></p>
  1253. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647931 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-2000x1259.jpg" alt="The ensuite also accesses the balcony. " width="2000" height="1259" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-2000x1259.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-300x189.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-768x484.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-1536x967.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-2048x1290.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1254. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s a peek inside one of the secondary bedrooms. This one overlooks the front yard. </span></p>
  1255. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647932 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-2000x1159.jpg" alt="The secondary bedroom faces the front of the home. " width="2000" height="1159" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-2000x1159.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-300x174.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-768x445.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-1536x890.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-2048x1187.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1256. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now for the two-slip boathouse. It comes with a large dock and a 1,500-square-foot terrace above.</span></p>
  1257. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647915 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-2000x1353.jpg" alt="The boathouse stands above five-foot-deep water. " width="2000" height="1353" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-2000x1353.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-300x203.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-768x519.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-1536x1039.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-2048x1385.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1258. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nothing but endless sky on the terrace. It faces west for sunset views.</span></p>
  1259. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647934 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-2000x1301.jpg" alt="The boathouse terrace is ideal for parties. " width="2000" height="1301" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-2000x1301.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-300x195.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-768x499.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-1536x999.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-2048x1332.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1260. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The covered lounge is all about serenity.</span></p>
  1261. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647936 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Pure relaxation on the deck below. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1262. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, the private beach, just off the side of the home. </span></p>
  1263. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647940 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-2000x1355.jpg" alt="This secluded beach lies just right of the main entrance. " width="2000" height="1355" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-2000x1355.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-300x203.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-768x520.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-1536x1040.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-2048x1387.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1264. <hr />
  1265. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>. </em></p>
  1266. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-port-carling-boathouse/">Cottage of the Week: $4.3 million for a Port Carling cabin with a retrofuturist roof</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1267. ]]></content:encoded>
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  1272. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  1277. <item>
  1278. <title>The professor, the caregiver and the missing $30 million</title>
  1279. <link>https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-professor-the-caregiver-and-the-missing-30-million/</link>
  1281. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Luc Rinaldi]]></dc:creator>
  1282. <pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 12:54:11 +0000</pubDate>
  1283. <category><![CDATA[Deep Dives]]></category>
  1284. <category><![CDATA[big stories]]></category>
  1285. <category><![CDATA[elder fraud]]></category>
  1286. <category><![CDATA[fraud]]></category>
  1287. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  1288. <category><![CDATA[real estate fraud]]></category>
  1289. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647756</guid>
  1290.  
  1291. <description><![CDATA[<p>Before he died, William Waters transferred his fortune to his wife’s caregiver. His lawyers say she coerced him. She says they were having an affair. The untold story of a scandalous estate battle</p>
  1292. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-professor-the-caregiver-and-the-missing-30-million/">The professor, the caregiver and the missing $30 million</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1293. ]]></description>
  1294. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="drop-cap">W</span>hen William Waters was a newborn, his mother placed him in a basket and abandoned him on the front steps of an orphanage. It was 1932, the nadir of the Great Depression, and few families in Orangeville—then a rural town of 2,600—were in a position to adopt. So little Bill went home with the only woman who offered to take him: a 51-year-old seamstress named Edith Waters. Single and childless, she doted on her son and, as he grew older, encouraged his entrepreneurial spirit.</p>
  1295. <p>As a boy, Waters worked three paper routes and built a chicken coop in his backyard. After high school, he ran a local taxi company and found entry-level work in the aerospace industry, earning enough to enrol at the University of Toronto. He then pursued a PhD in economics at the University of Chicago, where he dated a bright young English student named Phyllis Reimann. The couple were married in 1968 and settled in Toronto, where Waters’s alma mater offered him a teaching job.</p>
  1296. <p>Waters was a popular professor—erudite and impish, with a rotating wardrobe of tweed jackets and a knack for making macroeconomics entertaining. In 1982, he became the first academic director of the executive MBA program at what is now the Rotman School of Management. He took an interest in his students’ lives, accompanying them to the pub after class and keeping in touch with alumni. Former pupils frequently asked him to invest in their start-ups. Most fizzled, but one business, an investment-management technology company called Financial Models, took off. Based on its success, Waters founded a firm called Portfolio Analytics, which provided stock and bond data to banks and portfolio managers. By the mid-2000s, both companies were sold, netting Waters, then in his 70s and retired, a windfall of roughly $50 million.</p>
  1297. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/crooked-cop-dead-man-fraud-robert-konashewych/" class="article-link"><span data-title="A crooked cop, a dead man and an $800,000 estate fraud">A crooked cop, a dead man and an $800,000 estate fraud</span></a></em></p>
  1298. <p>That much money would radically transform the average person’s life. Waters’s life mostly stayed the same. He and Phyllis, who never had children, stayed in their three-bedroom Tudor-style home near Yonge and Davisville. Waters attended the opera, watched his beloved Blue Jays and dined at the members-only York Club, but he allowed himself few additional extravagances. He seemed more interested in giving his money away than in spending it. He donated upward of $10 million to U of T and millions more to a handful of hospitals around Toronto. He gifted a viola and bow worth $3.5 million to the TSO and helped finance the post-­secondary education of several waiters who’d had the good fortune of serving him.</p>
  1299. <p>There was one dark spot in Waters’s otherwise charmed life. In 1998, his wife fell down a flight of stairs. The accident left Phyllis bedridden, with chronic pain that robbed her of her mobility, her joy and her life as she knew it. She tried to ease the resulting depression with alcohol and prescription pills, which only made things worse. Before long, all traces of the old ­Phyllis—the cheery bookworm who loved going to the symphony and travelling the world—were gone. She became reclusive, eating, sleeping and watching TV alone in her bedroom.</p>
  1300. <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_side-by-side-images_unlabeled">
  1301.      <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item">
  1302.  
  1303.       <img src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL4.jpg" alt="The professor, the caregiver and the missing $30 million" />
  1304.        <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item__caption"></div>
  1305.    </div>
  1306.    <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item">
  1307.  
  1308.       <img src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL8.jpg" alt="" />
  1309.        <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item__caption">After Phyllis suffered a bad fall in 1998, she required constant care</div>
  1310.    </div>
  1311. </div>
  1312.  
  1313. <p>Waters was Phyllis’s power of attorney, which meant he managed her money and made decisions about her health. He never lost hope that Phyllis would return to her former self. He sent her to the Mayo Clinic, spent more than $30,000 on an experimental pain-alleviating device called the Calmare and flew medical specialists up from the States to examine her. Nothing helped. Phyllis continued to deteriorate, as did their marriage. Crippled by pain, she pushed Waters away, turning her head whenever he tried to kiss her goodnight.</p>
  1314. <p>In the 2000s, Waters began hiring personal support workers to care for Phyllis. They didn’t typically last long. She was a difficult charge, often refusing to bathe or brush her teeth. But, in 2009, Waters found a caregiver named Gillian Henry who seemed like she might stick. When Henry started caring for Phyllis that May, the two of them established a breezy rapport, chatting about Henry’s kids—she had a 19-year-old son, Matthew, and a 13-year-old daughter, Noelle—and Phyllis’s favourite TV shows, <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> and <em>Survivor</em>. Under Henry’s watch, Phyllis seemed more chipper, less paralyzed by her pain and its attendant malaise.</p>
  1315. <p>As Phyllis improved, however, Waters’s body began to fail him. Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, he fought (and beat) lymphoma, suffered a minor stroke and required dialysis to manage kidney failure. Preparing his last will and testament, he was characteristically philanthropic. Waters set aside a few bequests for friends, but he wanted to leave the bulk of his wealth to U of T, the TSO, and a dozen other cultural and charitable institutions. Over the course of seven pages, he painstakingly laid out how the money should be used: first, to care for Phyllis, then to establish endowment funds, finance educational programs and create scholarships for students in need.</p>
  1316. <p>Waters died in July of 2021, at which point the trustees of his estate prepared to dispense the funds according to his wishes. But, when they opened his accounts, they discovered that his fortune had evaporated. As they pored over years of transfers and transactions, trying to figure out where the money had gone, they realized that all trails led to one person.</p>
  1317. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1318. <p><span class="drop-cap">G</span>illian Henry prays daily, wears a crucifix necklace, pays tithes to her evangelical church and carries a battered red Bible. Her faith stems from her childhood in Georgetown, Guyana, where she grew up attending Sunday services with her parents and six older siblings.</p>
  1319. <p>When Henry was six years old, her mother moved to Canada, intending to plant roots so the rest of the family could join her. While they waited, the kids were left with their hard-drinking, mostly absent father. Unsupervised and unprotected, Henry and her sisters say they were repeatedly sexually abused by neighbours and relatives. Henry seemed ashamed about what happened to her as a girl, as if she thought the abuse were her fault. As she got older, she tried to forget, took refuge in her faith and focused on the positives in her life.</p>
  1320. <p>In the 1980s, at age 14, Henry moved to Scarborough to join her mother, but life in Canada had its own challenges. She was one of the only Black kids at her high school. She struggled with reading and dropped out in Grade 11 but later earned her GED. Her mom was a personal support worker, and she decided to become one too, first working at a daycare and then at a nursing home before being referred to Waters.</p>
  1321. <hr />
  1322. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">When Waters hired Henry as his wife’s caregiver, she was 39 and struggling. As of her first shift, she had just $57 in her bank account</span></h5>
  1323. <hr />
  1324. <p>&nbsp;<br />
  1325. When Henry was hired, she was 39 and struggling. She’d previously separated from Matthew’s father, and now she was in the middle of a protracted divorce from Noelle’s dad. She owned a house in suburban Whitby, but the property had three mortgages against it that exceeded its value. She’d borrowed money from her parents to keep up with interest payments, and now she owed them $114,000. As of her first shift, she had $57 in her bank account.</p>
  1326. <p>Henry started as Phyllis’s nighttime aide, rounding out a staff that included a weekday PSW, a weekend caregiver and a private chef. Six nights a week, Henry would arrive around 6 p.m., bring dinner to Phyllis’s bedroom on the second floor, bathe her and then prep her for bed. Once Phyllis was asleep, Waters often invited Henry into the living room for a cup of tea. Then 77, he was physically frail but mentally sharp, and he told Henry stories from his younger years: growing up in Orangeville, studying in Chicago, working at U of T. Mostly, though, he asked Henry about her life.</p>
  1327. <p>Waters quickly discovered the severity of Henry’s monetary troubles. Ever the altruist, he offered to help. During the first few weeks of Henry’s employment, her son wrecked her second-hand Honda Accord, so she borrowed her mom’s car to get to work. When Waters asked why she was driving a different vehicle, she told him about the accident. According to Henry, he transferred her more than $100,000 and told her to buy a Mercedes.</p>
  1328. <p>Henry had never seen that kind of money. Her annual salary, paid by Waters, was $60,000. She assumed the transfer was a loan, but she never asked. Rather, she promptly purchased a new Mercedes SUV for over $80,000. She used another $14,000 to pay down some of her bills, and then, despite the tsunami of debt crashing up against her empty bank account, she spent $4,000 of the leftover funds at Peoples Jewellers in Oshawa. The splurge hardly mattered. A lot more cash was about to come her way.</p>
  1329. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1330. <p><span class="drop-cap">T</span>he volume of money currently flowing down through the generations—from those born before 1965 to those born after—is so vast that the phenomenon has its own nickname: the Great Wealth Transfer. In Canada, it’s estimated that the well-heeled Silent Generation and affluent baby boomers will leave $1 trillion to their Gen X and millennial heirs by 2026. Much of that capital will change hands smoothly: an elderly mother leaving her son her savings, a dying dad divvying up his assets equally among his children. But plenty of it will not.</p>
  1331. <p>The Department of Justice estimates that one in 10 Canadians over the age of 65 are victims of crime every year, most often in the form of financial exploitation. Greedy kids pressure their senile parents for cash. Nefarious nephews write themselves into wills. Kimberly Whaley, the founding partner of Toronto-based estate litigation firm WEL Partners, says that when clients call her, they often think they have a unique story. “They say, ‘You’re not going to believe this. My aunt got married at the mall, and all of her assets got transferred to the UPS delivery person,’ ” she says. “I hear a variation of it every single solitary day.”</p>
  1332. <p>Whaley’s colleague John Poyser has specialized in cases like these for more than 20 years. For perpetrators, he says, financial elder abuse is so appealing because it yields huge rewards with little risk. “If you try to rob a bank, there are guards and cameras. Police will show up instantly,” he says. “But, if you take advantage of your uncle, there are no guards, no cameras. No one’s going to come to try to stop it.” When fraudsters get found out, the courts sometimes order them to return the money, but criminal charges are rare. As Poyser puts it, “It’s the modern version of a heist.”</p>
  1333. <p>Waters would have been the perfect mark. He had a fortune, no family to give it to and a soft spot for underdogs. Henry, meanwhile, was a single mother in desperate need of cash. The situation was ripe for abuse. But, the way Henry tells it, she—not Waters—was the one being exploited.</p>
  1334. <p>Once Waters grasped the full scope of her fiscal woes, she says, he offered her enough money to consolidate her debts and make him the sole lender. That way, instead of having to send the bulk of her biweekly paycheques to three separate mortgage providers—two of them private lenders who charged astronomical interest—Henry could repay Waters at a more reasonable rate. On June 2, 2009, Waters transferred Henry $400,000, which she used to repay her parents and lighten some, but not all, of her other liabilities. Once again, she carved out enough cash to go on a shopping spree at a jewellery store, this time spending $11,000 in one go.</p>
  1335. <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_side-by-side-images_unlabeled">
  1336.      <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item">
  1337.  
  1338.       <img src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL3.jpg" alt="The professor, the caregiver and the missing $30 million" />
  1339.        <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item__caption"></div>
  1340.    </div>
  1341.    <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item">
  1342.  
  1343.       <img src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL6.jpg" alt="" />
  1344.        <div class="sjm-side-by-side-images__item__caption">Waters became a millionaire in his 70s and shared his wealth with several charities</div>
  1345.    </div>
  1346. </div>
  1347.  
  1348. <p>After that, according to Henry, everything changed. On a Saturday night within a week or two of that transfer, she showed up to work as usual. She put Phyllis to bed and then tiptoed to the adjoining bedroom, where she slept. She kept her door cracked open in case Phyllis needed anything overnight and placed a toolbox against it to prevent the Waterses’ cat, Frankie, from pawing it open. Then she changed into her pyjamas and crawled into bed.</p>
  1349. <p>Before Henry fell asleep, she says, she heard footsteps ascending the stairs. According to Henry, the door creaked open, noisily dragging the toolbox across the wooden floor, and then Waters walked in, sat at her bedside and began rubbing her hands. When she asked what he was doing, he assured her everything would be fine. Then, she alleges, he pulled the duvet down and slid his hands under her pyjamas before taking one of her hands and placing it on his penis. Henry claims she told him to stop. Instead, she says, Waters told her that, if she resisted, he would take back the $400,000.</p>
  1350. <p>From then on, she says, she understood that, once Phyllis had fallen asleep, Waters expected her to have sex with him. She dreaded it, but in her words, she “gave in,” responding to his transgressions the only way she knew how—by freezing up, shutting down, moving on. She felt like she had as a child, like the abuse was somehow her fault. She claims that Waters eventually apologized. Deprived of affection from Phyllis, he was lonely, and it had come out in a vile way. She says she forgave him because she had come to admire him—his generosity, curiosity and quick wit. He was a flawed but remarkable man. He had hurt her, yes, but he’d also helped her.</p>
  1351. <p>And the help kept coming. In late June of 2009, Waters transferred Henry another $310,000 to pay down the remainder of her debts. Then, in July, he began quietly depositing lump sums into her bank account—$3,000 here, $6,000 there—each time telling her that he’d left her a little surprise. He gave her a Visa card linked to his account and, she claims, told her to buy red lingerie and a $53,000 diamond ring. According to Henry, Waters put the ring on her finger, popped a bottle of champagne and told her that, once Phyllis passed away, the two of them would get married.</p>
  1352. <p>Whether or not Waters had assaulted Henry, what developed between them was an ongoing sexual relationship. Waters’s medical records show that he was prescribed Cialis around the time Henry was hired. A doctor’s note spoke of Waters’s new “gf,” saying, “He has one age 40, Nigerian—early days.” (Henry is Guyanese.) Waters occasionally took Henry to the opera, where, she says, he introduced her as his “special friend.” She also accompanied him to Ottawa in 2014, when he was awarded the Order of Canada in recognition of his philanthropy. The other guests assumed she was his caregiver.</p>
  1353. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1354. <p><span class="drop-cap">N</span>ot long after Waters supposedly asked Henry to be his future wife, he made plans to send his existing wife away. Given Phyllis’s improvements under Henry’s care, he wanted to wean her off alcohol and pills for good. He booked her a months-long stay at the Canyon, a luxury rehab centre in the arid mountains above Malibu with a swimming pool and a meditation dome. She arrived in late August of 2009.</p>
  1355. <p>Around that time, says Henry, Waters began encouraging her to pursue ambitions beyond caring for private clients. Why not open her own nursing home? Henry demurred. If not a nursing home, Waters apparently pressed, then what did she want to do with her life? Henry told him she wanted to build a real estate portfolio—to purchase properties, renovate them, and rent them out or sell them. She’d never had the money to pursue such ventures. According to her, Waters offered to change that. He invited her to survey the market and bring him listings she liked.</p>
  1356. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-most-charming-fraudster-ontario-gta-real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Meet the most charming fraudster in real estate">Meet the most charming fraudster in real estate</span></a></em></p>
  1357. <p>That summer, Henry hired a realtor and started looking at houses near her own in Whitby. She selected a charming three-bedroom, three-bathroom detached in Oshawa that was listed for $259,900. She says she printed the MLS page and presented it to Waters and that he agreed it had potential. She placed an offer of $250,000, and the sellers accepted. Waters covered the cost as well as $75,000 worth of renovations.</p>
  1358. <figure id="attachment_647805" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647805" style="width: 1798px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647805 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL2.jpg" alt="Henry’s Whitby home was saddled with three mortgages when she met Waters" width="1798" height="1109" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL2.jpg 1798w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL2-300x185.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL2-768x474.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL2-1536x947.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1798px) 100vw, 1798px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647805" class="wp-caption-text">Henry’s Whitby home was saddled with three mortgages when she met Waters</figcaption></figure>
  1359. <p>The process went so smoothly that, in November, they did it again. This time, Henry says, she showed Waters listings for both sides of an Oshawa semi-detached, and he provided the $345,000 purchase price. Then, in December, they added another property—a $300,000 corner lot in Whitby. Once again, Waters fronted the cash and Henry managed the day-to-day operations: hiring contractors, finding tenants and collecting thousands of dollars in rent, which she kept. If Waters had expectations about how to split the revenue, he never formalized them. On paper, the properties belonged to Henry.</p>
  1360. <p>In January of 2010, staff at the Canyon decided Phyllis was ready to go home. According to her discharge report, she was not only sober but had been the “life of the party” at the facility. Back in Toronto, Waters was overjoyed with Phyllis’s remarkable recovery. She’d loved California, so he began searching for a property along the Golden Coast, eventually buying a $1.3-­million retreat in Sea Ranch, California, in February of 2010. That month, when Phyllis’s daytime PSW left the Waterses’ employ, Henry became her full-time caregiver.</p>
  1361. <p>Waters asked Lindsay Histrop, his long-time estate planner, to add Henry to his will as a way to reward her for her excellent service and commitment to Phyllis’s care. Histrop had never heard Henry’s name before, but the bequest didn’t surprise her. She knew that Phyllis’s well-being was Waters’s top priority and that he had struggled to find her a stable caregiver. It made sense that Waters would give Henry an incentive to stick around. To Histrop, this type of generosity was Waters’s MO. She wrote Henry into the will and gave it little more thought.</p>
  1362. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1363. <p><span class="drop-cap">A</span>fter decades spent living paycheque to paycheque, Henry was suddenly a wealthy woman. On top of buying new properties, she improved her own, hiring contractors to renovate her kitchen and add a pool to her backyard. She bought a $50,000 Hummer for Matthew and a $40,000 showhorse for Noelle—the first of at least six steeds she would purchase with Waters’s cash.</p>
  1364. <p>Like Waters, she also gave plenty of money to charity. She donated tens of thousands of dollars to her church and to SickKids. In 2010, she and Noelle flew to Guyana to refurbish an orphanage, donate to a convalescent home, fund a school meal program and hand out toys, stationery and other items to kids in Georgetown. In total, she donated about $1 million.</p>
  1365. <p>In April of 2010, Waters helped Henry buy another house—not an investment property but a new home of her own. He had already agreed to pay $30,000 per year to send Noelle to Pickering College, a private school in Newmarket, so Henry, trying to spare her daughter the daily drive from Whitby, was looking for a family home nearby. She found a 4,000-square-foot brick house with a big tree in the backyard. Waters agreed to provide the $765,000 she needed to buy it on the condition that the proceeds from the property’s eventual sale would fund Noelle’s post-secondary education.</p>
  1366. <p>According to Henry, Waters never liked her new house. If they were to live together as a married couple, he supposedly said, it should be in a bungalow, so there’d be no risk of him falling down the stairs. And so, in March of 2011, she bought a one-storey, five-bedroom mansion in a gated community next to the Magna Golf Club in Aurora for $2 million. Waters provided a $700,000 down payment and guaranteed a mortgage for the remaining $1.3 million—Henry told Waters she’d resell her other home to repay that mortgage, but she never did. She instead sunk another $2.5 million of Waters’s money into renovations on the new place: redoing the kitchen, adding a pool and a basketball court, installing a home theatre. Before long, the property was worth twice as much as Waters’s home in Toronto.</p>
  1367. <figure id="attachment_647808" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647808" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647808 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL5.jpg" alt="Henry’s $2-million mansion in Aurora" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL5.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647808" class="wp-caption-text">Henry’s $2-million mansion in Aurora</figcaption></figure>
  1368. <p>Because Waters’s money was spread among several different accounts—TFSAs, investments, savings, charitable funds and so on—and managed by a number of different advisers, no one initially knew just how much he was sending to Henry. But, when Waters started taking cash out of Phyllis’s account and borrowing against his home, an adviser at CIBC Wood Gundy reached out. Waters assured him that the money was for “investments” and that there was nothing to worry about. As more of Waters’s millions flowed to Henry, the adviser felt compelled to broach the topic more directly. He warned Waters that Henry might be taking advantage of him—that she might never pay him back. Waters thanked him for his concern and again assured him that everything was fine.</p>
  1369. <p>Meanwhile, as Henry scouted, bought, renovated and leased out more properties, she spent less and less time caring for Phyllis—as little as one day a week at one point. Instead, Henry focused her efforts on finding a rural acreage where Noelle could board her horses. In late 2013, she settled on a $2.5-­million 139-acre lot in Uxbridge. The property was run down, the barn was leaky and the horse stalls were broken. Henry planned to pour money into it, presumably hoping to turn it into a profitable ranch business: horse owners would pay to use the grounds, rent stalls and take lessons.</p>
  1370. <p>Waters soon signed off on more than $5 million worth of renovations: more stalls, new riding arenas, a tuck shop in the garage. When the ranch opened, Henry named it King of Hearts Stable after one of Noelle’s horses. Noelle, who moved into one of two houses on the property in her early 20s, helped operate the business alongside seven other employees. By 2015, it was obvious that King of Hearts would never be the bustling equestrian business Henry had envisioned. They weren’t renting enough stalls or booking enough lessons to break even, never mind turning a profit. Soon, Waters was grumbling to friends about the money he was losing. When he mentioned it to a group of U of T alumni with whom he had regular dinners, they teased him: investing in a horse business, they said, was as good as digging a hole and shovelling money into it.</p>
  1371. <figure id="attachment_647809" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647809" style="width: 1696px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647809 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL7.jpg" alt="The $2.5-million King of Hearts Stable, which Henry believed would turn a profit" width="1696" height="959" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL7.jpg 1696w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL7-300x170.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL7-768x434.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL7-1536x869.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL7-283x159.jpg 283w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ELDER_FINAL7-386x217.jpg 386w" sizes="(max-width: 1696px) 100vw, 1696px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647809" class="wp-caption-text">The $2.5-million King of Hearts Stable, which Henry believed would turn a profit</figcaption></figure>
  1372. <p>Waters also griped about King of Hearts to Histrop, his estate planner, so she asked him exactly how much money he had given to Henry. At that, she says, Waters looked out the window, paused and said Henry was “into him” for $5 million. Histrop suspected he was downplaying the amount. She made him promise he wouldn’t give away any more money. Beyond that, her hands were tied. Solicitor-client privilege prevented her from telling others about Waters’s financial affairs. She called the police anonymously, but they said that, if her client was of sound mind—and, by all accounts, Waters was—there was nothing they could do.</p>
  1373. <p>Histrop lost sleep trying to figure out what to do next. Waters had no family looking out for him, so she felt she needed to take drastic measures, even if it meant breaching privilege. She consulted the Law Society of Ontario’s advisory services and emailed a number of Waters’s friends and professional advisers, sharing, in vague terms, her concerns. As the responses trickled in, she realized she wasn’t the only one who harboured concerns about Henry.</p>
  1374. <p>Histrop—whom Waters had appointed as one of two trustees of his estate—­contemplated an intervention, but it never materialized. Waters’s kidneys were failing. In between dialysis sessions, he was often fatigued and ill. At age 85, he needed surgery to clear obstructed arteries. He also suffered a collapsed lung and kept contracting what he called the 100-day cold. Eventually, he stopped shaving his face and combing his hair and lost so much weight that his clothes no longer fit. With all of Waters’s problems, it became impossible to pin him down to talk about his finances.</p>
  1375. <p>In 2018, Waters’s doctor predicted he had six months to live and recommended that he and Phyllis, who was showing early signs of dementia, spend their final days in an assisted-living facility. Waters bought a spacious unit for the two of them in an Etobicoke retirement condominium called Hearthstone. Then, a few weeks before selling his house, he took out a $2.4-million mortgage on the property to make an “investment,” as he called it. Upon hearing this, Histrop confronted him again: What was going on? She urged him to get his money back from Henry. If Henry didn’t repay him, Histrop advised, Waters should take her to court. Waters refused and repeated his go-to lines, this time with uncharacteristic hostility: he knew what he was doing, they were investments, Henry would pay him back. Resigned, Histrop let it go.</p>
  1376. <p>Henry continued caring for Phyllis when the couple moved to Hearthstone—at least until the pandemic hit in 2020. According to Histrop, she was caught using his fob to enter the building through the parking garage without signing in at the front desk, violating Hearthstone’s Covid policies. At that, Phyllis’s power of attorney—a doctor Waters had entrusted with her care when his own health worsened—fired Henry. Nonetheless, she and Waters spoke over the phone. On the evening of July 27, 2021, Waters, then 88, called Henry. It went to voicemail. “Hi, Gillian,” he said in a stilted message. “I hope you’re doing better, because you weren’t so good yesterday. Call me anytime. Thanks for now. Bye bye, sweetheart.” He died the next day.</p>
  1377. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1378. <p><span class="drop-cap">D</span>uring his life, Waters joked that, though he’d made his millions in computers, he had no idea how to use one. He was a man of pen and paper. He took handwritten notes on virtually every conversation, phone call and investment. Waters printed, photocopied and faxed tens of thousands of documents over the years, often filing the originals onto shelves or into labelled folders. He didn’t own a cellphone or a laptop, so if he wanted to send an email, he either wrote down or dictated what he wanted to say to his secretary, who sent messages on his behalf.</p>
  1379. <p>After Waters died, the second trustee of his estate, Agnes Kussinger, an analyst and bookkeeper who’d worked for Waters since the 1970s, assumed the unenviable task of sorting through all the paperwork he’d left behind. When she visited Waters’s condo, she found notes everywhere. There were papers in piles on his desk, in stacks on the floor, in boxes in the closet. She wasn’t surprised—that was simply how Waters was. Back when he was alive, she’d asked him for details about the “investments” he’d made with Henry. He told her that Henry had all the documents about the money he’d given her. But, when Kussinger called Henry, she said no, all the paperwork was with Waters. At the time, the back-and-forth hadn’t worried Kussinger, but that was about to change.</p>
  1380. <p>On one of his shelves, she found exactly what she was looking for: two folders labelled GH. Kussinger had put them there herself when she’d helped Waters move into the unit. She hoped the pages inside would solve the mystery—that they would meticulously detail how much money he had given Henry, how every dollar had been spent, how much she’d been expected to pay back. But the papers revealed nothing. There was no ledger, no list of properties bought and sold, just some handwritten notes with scattered mentions of transfers, property purchases and mortgages. It wasn’t clear whether Waters had intended for the transfers to be gifts, loans or investments. It wasn’t even clear how much money he’d given Henry.</p>
  1381. <p>Kussinger kept digging. As one of the Waters estate’s trustees, she was responsible for settling his financial affairs and executing his will, which meant that she was permitted to access his financial accounts. As she sorted through reams of bank statements and Visa bills, she began to piece together the puzzle. The emerging picture was far worse than she could have imagined.</p>
  1382. <hr />
  1383. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">Between 2009 and 2019, Waters transferred Henry roughly $30 million of his once considerable fortune. He died in debt</span></h5>
  1384. <hr />
  1385. <p>&nbsp;<br />
  1386. Waters had transferred 98 per cent of his wealth to Henry, and she’d spent it all. She’d taken trips with her family to France, Italy and Disney World and accumulated $2.5 million in charges—including more than $100,000 worth of jewellery—on the Visa card that Waters paid. She’d bought herself another Mercedes, a Jaguar and a Bentley, plus luxury vehicles for her son, daughter and sister. Waters’s money had paid for Noelle to attend three different universities—Edinburgh, McMaster and Trent—and for Henry’s failed foray into growing medical marijuana.</p>
  1387. <p>In 2011, she gifted one of her sisters half of an Oshawa semi she’d purchased, then she bought it back from her three years later. At one point, Henry spent more than $1.2 million on a new house for her parents and then bought the house they were moving out of for $800,000. Matthew was living rent-free in Henry’s original house—the one she told Waters she’d sell to pay down the $1.3-million mortgage on her house in Aurora. Waters was the one who ultimately paid off that mortgage. As soon as he did, Henry took out a $1.3-­million home equity line of credit to give herself access to even more cash.</p>
  1388. <p>Between 2009 and 2019, the bank records made clear, Waters had transferred Henry money on 391 separate occasions, totalling $30 million. There was barely half a million dollars left in his accounts. In fact, he died in debt. He had drained Phyllis’s accounts to give Henry another $5.5 million, and now the estate had to pay that money back.</p>
  1389. <p>It didn’t make any sense to Histrop. As recently as 2018, she’d helped Waters update his will. All he’d left Henry were some shares in a start-up that eventually went bankrupt. He’d still earmarked the majority of his assets for endowments and scholarships. To Histrop and Kussinger, it seemed like Waters, who’d frequently described his transfers to Henry as “investments,” had expected to get his money back. Now, there wasn’t even enough money left to cover Phyllis’s ongoing care, which amounted to roughly $36,000 per month. To their minds, there was only one option. They had to take Henry to court.</p>
  1390. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1391. <p><span class="drop-cap">I</span>n November of 2023, <em>The Estate of William Robert Waters v. Henry et al.</em> began. Seven lawyers—three for Henry, four for the estate—filed into a University Avenue courtroom, dragging 20 bankers’ boxes of documents. Each side was prepared to convince Justice John Callaghan that their client was the rightful owner of Waters’s $30 million.</p>
  1392. <p>Lorne Silver, lead counsel for the Waters estate, began his opening submissions with a bald assertion: “This is a case about financial elder abuse.” Henry and Waters, he argued, had agreed to enter a joint real estate investment business. Waters then transferred her investment money, expecting to yield a return. Henry instead spent nearly everything. Therefore, Silver contended, Henry held Waters’s money—and all it had bought—on resulting trust. In other words, she owed it all back to the estate.</p>
  1393. <p>Arie Gaertner, Henry’s lead lawyer, urged Callaghan to consider important questions: Why would Waters, a renowned scholar and astute investor, have initiated a multimillion-dollar business partnership with Henry, a Grade 11 dropout? And if they were business partners, why weren’t there any agreements formalizing his supposed stake in Henry’s properties? Even when Waters’s advisers had pushed him to take legal action against Henry, he’d refused. Clearly, Gaertner argued, Waters had gifted the money to Henry and never expected to get it back. “The victim in this case,” he continued, “was Gillian Henry.”</p>
  1394. <p>She attended every day of the trial—silent, stony and impeccably dressed in the public gallery. She took the stand midway through the 20-day proceedings. Under questioning from her lawyers, she was composed. But, under cross-examination, her demeanour shifted. She accused Histrop and Kussinger of setting her up, suggested that the estate’s lawyers had doctored Waters’s financial statements, and claimed, “There are so many people out to get me.”</p>
  1395. <p>Henry also spoke at length about the alleged sexual assault—and launched a counterclaim against Waters’s estate for emotional damages resulting from it. There were inconsistencies in Henry’s recollection: the details of one of the incidents differed between tellings. And she disclosed another for the first time on the stand. Silver challenged these irregularities and questioned Henry’s reasons for not speaking up earlier. Was it because she didn’t want to speak poorly of Waters or because the assaults never happened?</p>
  1396. <p>“This is why women don’t come forward,” Henry retorted. “Do you know how hard it is being Black coming forward and saying a wealthy man like Dr. Waters assaulted me?” She told Silver he’d never understand the pain she’d endured, and he shot back, “Did the flow of money ease the pain?” After days of questioning, Henry concluded, “If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”</p>
  1397. <p>The same could be said of the trial’s central question: Had Waters intended for Henry to keep the money? In court, Henry’s children and sisters—who were also named in the lawsuit—claimed, unconvincingly, that they had never discussed the story behind Henry’s newfound riches, even as she gave them houses, cars and piles of cash. Though several of Waters’s advisers told the court that he’d referred to his transfers to Henry as “investments,” there was no documentation to support that claim.</p>
  1398. <p>Of all the paperwork produced at trial, only two single-sided pages seemed to directly address whether the transfers were gifts or loans. The first, a letter addressed “to whom it may concern,” written and notarized by Waters in June of 2014, explicitly stated, “In all, I and my corporation have provided—in addition to salaries and gifts of appreciation—$10,645,000 in loans in the expectation of [Henry’s] real estate and farm-based endeavours bearing fruit in due time.” But even this nominally case-cracking document proved puzzling, because two months later, Waters had notarized another letter stating that, in fact, only $1.4 million was loans, and the rest of the money represented “non-repayable imbursements.”</p>
  1399. <p>On the stand, Henry explained the reason for Waters’s flip-flop. The first letter, she said, was created for inclusion in her divorce proceedings, so that her ex-husband wouldn’t be able to claim half of her new assets. Once the divorce was finalized, she continued, Waters once again popped a bottle of champagne, handed her a copy of the second note and told her that she’d only need to repay $1.4 million. At the very least, the timing of Henry’s divorce lines up, and she did pay $1.4 million back to Waters—using a slice of the other $28.6 million he’d given her.</p>
  1400. <p>Henry claimed that Waters knew about—and approved of—every property she bought, every trip she took, every earring she purchased. He reviewed her Visa statements, signed off on renovation plans, and instructed his army of lawyers and accountants to stickhandle all of Henry’s real estate investments. “Dr. Waters never thought of any of these properties as his,” she testified. “I couldn’t spend a dime without Dr. Waters knowing what the money was for.”</p>
  1401. <p>This past January, after hearing both parties’ closing submissions, Justice Callaghan indicated that he saw no clear winner. Rendering a verdict, he said, would be neither quick nor simple. He’d need to revisit thousands of pages of evidence, sift through case law and carefully consider a textbook’s worth of legal concepts, including resulting trust, undue influence, civil fraud, fiduciary duty and limitation periods.</p>
  1402. <p>He will also need to decide whether to apply an arcane doctrine known as unconscionable procurement, which would make the transfers voidable if Callaghan concludes that Waters didn’t fully understand what he was doing and that Henry played an active role in obtaining a significant benefit for herself. There’s one hitch: unconscionable procurement has only been successfully applied in Ontario once in the past century, and no one’s quite sure whether it’s the law anymore. Though several recent cases—most of them Great Wealth Transfer disputes—have tried to resurrect this dormant doctrine, no judge has clarified whether lawyers can use it as a legal tool. Legal scholars will be watching to see whether <em>Waters v. Henry</em> is the case that tips the scales. As Callaghan put it before the trial concluded, “We’re in law school territory here.”</p>
  1403. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1404. <p><span class="drop-cap">W</span>henever it arrives, Callaghan’s verdict will provide a modicum of closure. It will lay out which parties are entitled to what money and who needs to pay millions of dollars in backlogged property taxes, mortgage payments and legal fees. He will likely reserve enough money to pay for Phyllis’s care for as long as she lives, but she’ll probably never see the $5.5 million her husband took from her accounts. To help her, the courts have already ordered the sale of Henry’s properties, save for her home and King of Hearts. Callaghan will decide whether she needs to put those on the market too.</p>
  1405. <p>The decision will almost certainly leave many more questions unanswered. Why did Waters give Henry so much money? Was he simply smitten? Wracked by guilt about their affair (whether or not it was consensual) and scared that his secret would get out? We may never know. Waters can’t tell us, and Henry declined multiple interview requests for this story.</p>
  1406. <p>Instead of certainty, we are left with grand stories told by skilled lawyers. From one point of view, Henry is the villain—a manipulative romance scammer who took advantage of a kind old man’s generosity and then smeared his legacy in a wicked attempt to keep his money. From another, Waters is the wrongdoer: a domineering monster who used his wealth to spoil his mistress and cover up his sexual crimes.</p>
  1407. <p>In their own ways, however, both Waters and Henry were vulnerable. They were both victims and villains. Whatever happened between them, they were the architects of this current mess. Whether Waters wanted Henry to keep his money or give it back, all he needed to do was put it in writing, as he did with every other transaction, phone call and passing thought. By neglecting to do so, he triggered a protracted, acrimonious and costly trial. Ultimately, both he and Henry failed the one person they were supposed to care for, the person Waters claimed he loved most in the world: Phyllis.</p>
  1408. <hr />
  1409. <p><em>This story originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of </em>Toronto Life<em> <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">magazine. To</span> subscribe</em><em> for just $39.99 a year, <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://secure.torontolife.com/W2NASHPT" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="click here."><span data-title="click here.">click here.</span></span></a></strong> To purchase single issues, <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://canadianmags.ca/collections/toronto-life-single-issues" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="click here."><span data-title="click here.">click here.</span></span></a></strong></em></p>
  1410. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-professor-the-caregiver-and-the-missing-30-million/">The professor, the caregiver and the missing $30 million</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  1422. <title>House of the Week: $3.7 million for a Beaches home with an angel statue in the living room</title>
  1423. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-forested-ravine/</link>
  1425. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Amad]]></dc:creator>
  1426. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:46:16 +0000</pubDate>
  1427. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  1428. <category><![CDATA[House of the Week]]></category>
  1429. <category><![CDATA[the beaches]]></category>
  1430. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  1431. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647128</guid>
  1432.  
  1433. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 3,000-square-foot property also comes with six bathrooms, a library, a basement rec room and a jumbo deck overlooking a forested ravine</p>
  1434. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-forested-ravine/">House of the Week: $3.7 million for a Beaches home with an angel statue in the living room</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1435. ]]></description>
  1436. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-647134" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-4-2000x1500.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-4-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-4-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-4-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-4-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-4-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1437. <p><strong>Neighbourhood: </strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/the-beaches/" class="article-link"><span data-title="The Beaches">The Beaches</span></a><br />
  1438. <strong>Price:</strong> $3,749,000<br />
  1439. <strong>Size:</strong> 3,000 square feet plus a 1,100-square-foot basement<br />
  1440. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 4+1<br />
  1441. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 6<br />
  1442. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 3<br />
  1443. <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent:</strong> Marc Trumphour, <a href="https://www.greathomestoronto.com/dashboard/home2" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real Estate Homeward">Real Estate Homeward</span></a></p>
  1444. <hr />
  1445. <h5>The place</h5>
  1446. <p>A four-plus-one-bedroom, six-bathroom detached in the Beaches. Sitting at the top of a cul de sac, the three-storey home comes with a one-car garage and a main suite with a private deck overlooking a forested ravine. It&#8217;s within walking distance of the businesses on Queen, several transit routes and Silver Birch Beach. And motorists are a short drive from both Kingston Road and Lake Shore Boulevard.</p>
  1447. <h5><b>The history </b></h5>
  1448. <p>In 2013, the previous owner tore down the original cottage that stood on this plot and replaced it with this house inspired by the American Foursquare style. Now, the current owners are downsizing, so they&#8217;ve put the place up for sale.</p>
  1449. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-beachhouse/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$2.8 million for an Upper Beaches home inspired by Greece and California">$2.8 million for an Upper Beaches home inspired by Greece and California</span></a></em></p>
  1450. <h5><b>The tour </b></h5>
  1451. <p>Here&#8217;s the classic front porch, with stone tiles and recessed lighting.</p>
  1452. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647135 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-7-2000x1500.jpg" alt="On the porch: stone tiling and recessed lighting. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-7-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-7-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-7-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-7-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-7-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-7-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1453. <p>The reclining angel statue and the gas fireplace anchor the living room, which has a bay window overlooking the street.</p>
  1454. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647136 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-12-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The gas fireplace and feature wall anchors the room. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-12-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-12-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-12-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-12-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-12-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-12-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1455. <p>Opposite the living room is the office and library.</p>
  1456. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647137 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-16-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The office and library face the front yard. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-16-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-16-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-16-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-16-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-16-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-16-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1457. <p>Note the custom bookcase with a rolling ladder.</p>
  1458. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647138 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-17-2000x1500.jpg" alt="Note the rolling ladder. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-17-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-17-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-17-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-17-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-17-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-17-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1459. <p>The dining room seats eight. There&#8217;s a built-in speaker system throughout the main floor.</p>
  1460. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647139 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-23-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The dining area sits next to the living area. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-23-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-23-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-23-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-23-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-23-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-23-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1461. <p>Down the hall is the powder room, equipped with a marble vanity designed to look like a dresser.</p>
  1462. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647140 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-28-2000x1500.jpg" alt="There's also a powder room on the main floor. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-28-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-28-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-28-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-28-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-28-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-28-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1463. <p>In the kitchen: a quartzite island, Miele appliances, plenty of storage and a skylight above the cooking station.</p>
  1464. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647141 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-32-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The kitchen is full of Miele appliances and quartzite surfaces. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-32-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-32-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-32-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-32-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-32-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-32-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1465. <p>There&#8217;s also a small breakfast nook and pantry in this space.</p>
  1466. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647142 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-39-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The breakfast area comes with its own pantry. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-39-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-39-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-39-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-39-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-39-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-39-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1467. <p>The lounge has its own gas fireplace and a wall of windows that walks out to the backyard patio.</p>
  1468. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647143 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-43-2000x1500.jpg" alt="Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the backyard ravine. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-43-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-43-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-43-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-43-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-43-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-43-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1469. <p>Moving to the second floor reveals this secondary bedroom with windows on three sides.</p>
  1470. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647144 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-50-2000x1500.jpg" alt="One of the secondary bedrooms on the second floor. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-50-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-50-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-50-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-50-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-50-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-50-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1471. <p>Its ensuite comes with an enclosed glass shower featuring porcelain tiles and a rainfall head.</p>
  1472. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647145 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-52-2000x1500.jpg" alt="This ensuite comes with a three-piece glass shower. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-52-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-52-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-52-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-52-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-52-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-52-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1473. <p>Here&#8217;s a peek inside the children&#8217;s room.</p>
  1474. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647149 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-61-2000x1500.jpg" alt="This bedroom could be converted into an office or lounge. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-61-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-61-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-61-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-61-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-61-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-61-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1475. <p>Now for the main bedroom, which is on the top floor. It has another gas fireplace, plus a walkout to a private deck with a view of the ravine.</p>
  1476. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647151 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-67-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The main suite has its own fireplace and balcony overlooking the ravine. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-67-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-67-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-67-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-67-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-67-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-67-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1477. <p>Here&#8217;s that private deck.</p>
  1478. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647153 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-77-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The back deck, accessed from the main bedroom. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-77-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-77-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-77-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-77-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-77-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-77-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1479. <p>And here&#8217;s the main walk-in closet.</p>
  1480. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647150 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-66-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The walk-in closet has storage for days. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-66-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-66-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-66-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-66-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-66-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-66-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1481. <p>The ensuite bathroom comes with a dramatic soaker tub overlooking the ravine, a double exposed vanity and panelled vaulted ceilings.</p>
  1482. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647152 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-73-2000x1500.jpg" alt="In the main ensuite: a double, exposed vanity, vaulted ceilings and a soaker tub. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-73-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-73-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-73-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-73-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-73-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-73-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1483. <p>Moving down below, the basement mudroom exits to both the backyard and the garage.</p>
  1484. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647154 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-79-2000x1500.jpg" alt="A mudroom's mudroom in the basement. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-79-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-79-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-79-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-79-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-79-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-79-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1485. <p>This spare room could be converted into a nanny suite or an extra office.</p>
  1486. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647156 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-82-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The basement could be its own separate unit for rental income, or a granny suite. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-82-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-82-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-82-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-82-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-82-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-82-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1487. <p>The spare room is attached to this three-piece ensuite.</p>
  1488. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647155 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-81-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The basement bathroom, with a subway-tiled glass shower. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-81-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-81-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-81-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-81-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-81-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-81-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1489. <p>There&#8217;s also a 300-square-foot theatre room down here.</p>
  1490. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647157 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-23" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-86-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The basement theatre room is 300 square feet. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-86-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-86-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-86-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-86-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-86-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-86-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1491. <p>Finally, here&#8217;s the rear of the home, with a stone patio, a gas grill and a hot tub.</p>
  1492. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647158 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-forested-ravine-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-90-2000x1500.jpg" alt="The rear of the home, with a hot tub and stone patio. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-90-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-90-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-90-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-90-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-90-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/168-Nellive-Park-Blvd-90-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  1493. <hr />
  1494. <p><em>Have a home that’s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a class="article-link" href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></span></a>. </em></p>
  1495. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-forested-ravine/">House of the Week: $3.7 million for a Beaches home with an angel statue in the living room</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1496. ]]></content:encoded>
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  1501. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  1502. <media:title></media:title>
  1503. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  1504. </media:content>
  1505. </item>
  1506. <item>
  1507. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Ricky and Olivia, a playful new restaurant and bottle shop in Leslieville</title>
  1508. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville/</link>
  1510. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  1511. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:40:15 +0000</pubDate>
  1512. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  1513. <category><![CDATA[Leslieville]]></category>
  1514. <category><![CDATA[Olivia Simpson]]></category>
  1515. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  1516. <category><![CDATA[Ricky and Olivia]]></category>
  1517. <category><![CDATA[Ricky Casip]]></category>
  1518. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647589</guid>
  1519.  
  1520. <description><![CDATA[<p>Including McDonald’s-inspired snacks and boozy slushies </p>
  1521. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Ricky and Olivia, a playful new restaurant and bottle shop in Leslieville</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1522. ]]></description>
  1523. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647523" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of dishes and drinks at Ricky and Olivia, a restaurant in Toronto's east end" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1524. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-new-restaurants">
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  1639.  
  1640. </section>
  1641.  
  1642. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Ricky and Olivia<br />
  1643. <strong>Contact:</strong> 996 Queen St. E., <a href="http://rickyandolivia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="rickyandolivia.com">rickyandolivia.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rickyandolivia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@rickyandolivia">@rickyandolivia</span></a><br />
  1644. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/leslieville/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Leslieville">Leslieville</span></a><br />
  1645. <strong>Previously:</strong> Wayla Bar<br />
  1646. <strong>Chef-owners:</strong> Olivia Simpson, Ricky Casipe and Adrian Proszowski<br />
  1647. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> Wheelchair accessible through the back of the restaurant off of Boston Ave.; one accessible restroom in the dining room</p>
  1648. <p>Partners in business and in life, Olivia Simpson and Ricky Casipe originally started their food-and-drink venture so that they could spend more time together. “We met while working together as chefs at Hawthorne Food and Drink, but shortly afterward I moved on to a different position at Aft Kitchen and Bar,” says Casipe. “With our crazy schedules, we never saw each other. So, in 2016, we decided to take a break from the gruelling restaurant hours and make money by starting our own pop-up.”</p>
  1649. <figure id="attachment_647507" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647507" style="width: 2001px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647507" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1.jpg" alt="Ricky Casipe, Olivia Simpson and Adrian Proszowski behind the bar at Ricky and Olivia, a restaurant in Leslieville" width="2001" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1.jpg 2001w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1-100x100.jpg 100w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1-180x180.jpg 180w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-owners-1-360x360.jpg 360w" sizes="(max-width: 2001px) 100vw, 2001px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647507" class="wp-caption-text">From left: Casipe, Simpson and front-of-house specialist Adrian Proszowski</figcaption></figure>
  1650. <p>The first Ricky and Olivia pop-ups took place at Leslieville wine bar Chez Nous. Then, the couple took their show on the road to Niagara. “We were also working as chef ambassadors for Feast On, so it was part of our job to showcase Ontario-grown and -raised ingredients,” says Casipe. “We decided to set up a few pop-ups out in the wine region.” A few events at Westcott Vineyards’ outdoor kitchen turned into a summer residency, where Casipe and Simpson ran a full-scale alfresco restaurant from May to October for five years until 2023. During that time, they lived in Niagara, running their restaurant during the summer and travelling to the city occasionally in the off months to host pop-ups. “We knew we were going to open a restaurant in the city eventually, so we needed to stay relevant,” says Simpson. When the former space of Wayla Bar—which happened to be where the couple shared their first kiss—came up for rent, it felt like fate. They signed the lease, then moved in with Casipe’s parents in East York to save money.</p>
  1651. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-lazy-daisys-leslieville/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Lazy Daisy’s, the east-end brunch institution that’s now doing dinner"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Lazy Daisy’s, the east-end brunch institution that’s now doing dinner</span></a></em></p>
  1652. <p>To make Ricky and Olivia an enduring fixture, Casipe and Simpson felt they needed something more than just their playful reinterpretations of comfort food. They brought in front-of-house veteran Adrian Proszowski, a close friend from the now-closed Hawthorne, and also decided to open a bottle shop in the front of the restaurant selling exclusively made-in-Ontario <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/wine/" class="article-link"><span data-title="wine">wine</span></a> and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/beer/" class="article-link"><span data-title="beer">beer</span></a>. “Our restaurant is divided into a few distinct spaces, with the front being entirely cut off from the dining area in the back. It could have been dead space,” says Simpson. “So we decided to use what we learned about the beautiful wines of Ontario while we were in Niagara and showcase and sell them here.”</p>
  1653. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647515" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-sign.jpg" alt="The sign outside of Ricky and Olivia, a restaurant in Leslieville" width="1321" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-sign.jpg 1321w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-sign-198x300.jpg 198w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-sign-768x1163.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-sign-1015x1536.jpg 1015w" sizes="(max-width: 1321px) 100vw, 1321px" /></p>
  1654. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  1655. <p>Inspired by the food Casipe grew up eating, the menu revisits classic ’90s snacks like chips and dip (shrimp-and-lobster chips served with a whipped tofu-peanut sauce) and a Big Mac take on <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/hot-plate-toronto-steak-tartare/" class="article-link"><span data-title="steak tartare">steak tartare</span></a>. There’s also an elevated version of Kraft Lunchables: Casipe subs out the mystery meat and processed cheese for beef pepperettes, a house-made cheddar cheese “whiz”, bread-and-butter pickles and deep-fried saltine crackers. Larger plates include a burger and a saucy half-chicken dinner.</p>
  1656. <figure id="attachment_647501" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647501" style="width: 1388px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647501" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fries.jpg" alt="The twice-fried R + O french fries come with (purposely) wilted lettuce and a McChicken-inspired, mayonnaise-based dipping sauce" width="1388" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fries.jpg 1388w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fries-208x300.jpg 208w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fries-768x1107.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fries-1066x1536.jpg 1066w" sizes="(max-width: 1388px) 100vw, 1388px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647501" class="wp-caption-text">The twice-fried french fries come with (purposely) wilted lettuce and a McChicken-inspired mayo-based dipping sauce. $9</figcaption></figure>
  1657. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1658. <figure id="attachment_647496" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647496" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647496" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-big-mac-tartare.jpg" alt="For the steak tartare, Ricky and Olivia plays with the flavours of a Big Mac, mixing hand-cut, locally sourced hangar steak with house bread-and-butter pickles, minced onion, fresh dill and lots of mayo. On top, sous-vide egg yolk, thinly sliced dills, shredded iceberg lettuce and toasted sesame seeds" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-big-mac-tartare.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-big-mac-tartare-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-big-mac-tartare-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-big-mac-tartare-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647496" class="wp-caption-text">For his steak tartare, Casipe plays with the flavours of a Big Mac, mixing hand-cut locally sourced hangar steak with house bread-and-butter pickles, minced onion, fresh dill and lots of mayo. On top, sous-vide egg yolk, thinly sliced dills, shredded iceberg lettuce and toasted sesame seeds. It’s served with deep fried saltines and a house-made cheddar-based Cheez Whiz–like spread to drive the McD’s energy home. $18</figcaption></figure>
  1659. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1660. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647512" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-prep-scaled.jpg" alt="A chef at Ricky and Olivia finishes off a dish with some furikake" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-prep-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-prep-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-prep-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-prep-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-prep-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-prep-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1661. <figure id="attachment_647498" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647498" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647498" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-cookstown-radish-salad-scaled.jpg" alt="This punchy Cookstown Radish Salad hits some real sushi notes" width="2560" height="1786" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-cookstown-radish-salad-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-cookstown-radish-salad-300x209.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-cookstown-radish-salad-2000x1395.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-cookstown-radish-salad-768x536.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-cookstown-radish-salad-1536x1072.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-cookstown-radish-salad-2048x1429.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647498" class="wp-caption-text">The punchy Cookstown Radish Salad hits some real sushi notes. To construct the dish, Ricky deep-fries rice paper and nori, using the crunchy sheets as the base. On top goes a medley of charred and chilled spicy radishes and cucumbers that have been tossed in a sesame oil vinaigrette. To finish, some house-fermented Anaheim chili mayo, crushed Sweet Chili Crispy Minis, furikake and Japanese tobiko (which will soon be replaced by local trout roe). $17</figcaption></figure>
  1662. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1663. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647510" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse.jpg" alt="PB&amp;J chicken liver mousse" width="1375" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse.jpg 1375w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-206x300.jpg 206w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-768x1117.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-1056x1536.jpg 1056w" sizes="(max-width: 1375px) 100vw, 1375px" /></p>
  1664. <figure id="attachment_647509" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647509" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647509" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-2-scaled.jpg" alt="A lunchbox sandwich meets high-end French cuisine with this PB&amp;J chicken liver mousse" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pbj-chicken-liver-mousse-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647509" class="wp-caption-text">Lunchbox sandwich meets high-end French cuisine with the PB&amp;J chicken liver mousse. A purée of chicken liver, butter and herbs with the consistency of smooth peanut butter is served in a mason jar and topped with Parallel Brothers beet tahini, local honey and house-made red wine gummy bears. Mini bundt cakes are deep fried to order and plated on the side for dunking. $17</figcaption></figure>
  1665. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1666. <figure id="attachment_647502" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647502" style="width: 1166px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647502" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-half-chicken-2.jpg" alt="The Half Chicken is wet brined overnight in salt and sugar, then roasted and glazed with fermented-chili hot sauce" width="1166" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-half-chicken-2.jpg 1166w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-half-chicken-2-175x300.jpg 175w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-half-chicken-2-768x1317.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-half-chicken-2-895x1536.jpg 895w" sizes="(max-width: 1166px) 100vw, 1166px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647502" class="wp-caption-text">The half-chicken is wet brined overnight in salt and sugar, then roasted and glazed with fermented-chili hot sauce. It sits on an emulsion of hot sauce, butter and pan drippings as well as a dill-garlic white tahini ranch sauce. Fresh dill and Cookstown microgreens are used for garnish. $28</figcaption></figure>
  1667. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1668. <figure id="attachment_647511" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647511" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647511" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pork-crepe-cake.jpg" alt="It might look like dessert, but this cake is made with layers upon layers of pork rillette and Hungarian-style crêpes" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pork-crepe-cake.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pork-crepe-cake-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pork-crepe-cake-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-pork-crepe-cake-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647511" class="wp-caption-text">It may look like dessert, but this cake is actually made with layers upon layers of pork rillette and Hungarian-style crêpes. Sour notes from Kozlik&#8217;s grainy Dijon and sweetness from a reduction of Ontario cherries and berries balance out the richness. $15</figcaption></figure>
  1669. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  1670. <p>The beverage offerings include local beer, cider and wine as well as some very fun signature <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/cocktails/" class="article-link"><span data-title="cocktails">cocktails</span></a>. The Saltini, Simpson’s take on a dirty martini, is built of vodka infused with deep-fried saltine crackers and funky olive brine, with a sweet-and-salty sesame rim. Another martini mimics the flavour of pizza. There’s also an old school slushy machine (left over from the former tenants) that pumps out a rotating selection of frozen concoctions, with booze or without. And more than one drink is garnished with gummy candy.</p>
  1671. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/best-dirty-martinis-ranked/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Six of Toronto’s best dirty martinis, ranked"><strong>Related:</strong> Six of Toronto’s best dirty martinis, ranked</span></a></em></p>
  1672. <figure id="attachment_647497" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647497" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647497" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-blue-raspberry-slush.jpg" alt="The Blue Raspberry slush is a summery sweet-and-sour conglomeration of blue verbena tea, Dillon’s Vodka and Southbrook’s framboise liqueur. It’s garnished with a blue raspberry gummy and a school of Swedish fish" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-blue-raspberry-slush.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-blue-raspberry-slush-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-blue-raspberry-slush-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-blue-raspberry-slush-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647497" class="wp-caption-text">The Blue Raspberry slush is a summery sweet-and-sour combo of blue verbena tea, Dillon’s vodka and Southbrook’s raspberry liqueur. It’s garnished with a blue raspberry gummy and a school of Swedish fish. $15</figcaption></figure>
  1673. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1674. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647516" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-slush.jpg" alt="A person pours a glass of orange-coloured slush from a slushie machine" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-slush.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-slush-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-slush-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-slush-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /></p>
  1675. <figure id="attachment_647505" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647505" style="width: 1232px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647505" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-lil-cap.jpg" alt="The Lil’ Cap—a frozen blend of house-made cold brew, fresh cream and maple-flavoured Top Shelf moonshine—is part espresso martini, part Tims’ Iced Cap" width="1232" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-lil-cap.jpg 1232w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-lil-cap-185x300.jpg 185w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-lil-cap-768x1247.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-lil-cap-946x1536.jpg 946w" sizes="(max-width: 1232px) 100vw, 1232px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647505" class="wp-caption-text">The Lil’ Cap—a frozen blend of house-made cold brew, fresh cream and maple-flavoured Top Shelf moonshine—is part espresso martini, part Tims’ Iced Capp. $15</figcaption></figure>
  1676. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1677. <figure id="attachment_647506" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647506" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647506" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-not-a-caesar.jpg" alt="The aptly named NAC is made with a mix of locally grown seabuckthorn, orange bitters, house-fermented Ontario chilies and a splash of Burdock’s Todo “Mexican” Lager" width="1708" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-not-a-caesar.jpg 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-not-a-caesar-256x300.jpg 256w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-not-a-caesar-768x899.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-not-a-caesar-1312x1536.jpg 1312w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647506" class="wp-caption-text">The aptly named NAC (Not a Caesar) lands somewhere between a caesar and a michelada. It’s made with a mix of locally grown seabuckthorn, orange bitters, house-fermented Ontario chilies and a splash of Burdock’s Todo Mexican-style Lager. The drink is served on the rocks with a rim of ketchup power, salt and sugar and garnished with fresh herbs and (more) gummy candy. $16</figcaption></figure>
  1678. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1679. <figure id="attachment_647504" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647504" style="width: 1656px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647504" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-kalimotxo.jpg" alt="The Kalimotxo is a take on the classic Spanish afternoon drink, which is usually equal parts red wine and cola" width="1656" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-kalimotxo.jpg 1656w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-kalimotxo-248x300.jpg 248w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-kalimotxo-768x928.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-kalimotxo-1272x1536.jpg 1272w" sizes="(max-width: 1656px) 100vw, 1656px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647504" class="wp-caption-text">The Kalimotxo is Simpson&#8217;s take on the classic Spanish afternoon drink, which is usually equal parts red wine and cola. For her fruit-forward spin, Simpson combines cola with Ontario-made sparkling red (Hot Rocket Red-Nat) and Southbrook’s cassis to emulate the flavour of Cherry Coke. $16</figcaption></figure>
  1680. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1681. <figure id="attachment_647524" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647524" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647524" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spring-in-the-city.jpg" alt="An ode to April in Toronto, Spring in the City is a balanced blend of fresh rhubarb juice, Dillon’s rhubarb gin and Traynor’s vermouth" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spring-in-the-city.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spring-in-the-city-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spring-in-the-city-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spring-in-the-city-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647524" class="wp-caption-text">An ode to April in Toronto, Spring in the City is a balanced blend of fresh rhubarb juice, Dillon’s rhubarb gin and Traynor’s vermouth. A salted lime rim makes the brightness beam. $17</figcaption></figure>
  1682. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1683. <figure id="attachment_647513" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647513" style="width: 1253px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647513" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-saltini.jpg" alt="The Saltini is a stirred blend of deep-fried-saltine-infused vodka, olive brine, sweet-and-salty house seasoning and sesame" width="1253" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-saltini.jpg 1253w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-saltini-188x300.jpg 188w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-saltini-768x1226.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-saltini-962x1536.jpg 962w" sizes="(max-width: 1253px) 100vw, 1253px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647513" class="wp-caption-text">The Saltini is a stirred blend of deep-fried-saltine-infused vodka, olive brine, sweet-and-salty house seasoning and sesame. It’s served in a vintage martini glass and garnished with a Castelvetrano olive. $17</figcaption></figure>
  1684. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1685. <figure id="attachment_647525" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647525" style="width: 1440px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647525" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-the-deluxe.jpg" alt="Olivia’s goal with the Deluxe was to feature all the flavors of a deluxe pizza in a martini. To do this, she chills, stirs and strains a mix of house-made chanterelle-infused gin, jalapeno-inflected moonshine, vermouth and olive brine" width="1440" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-the-deluxe.jpg 1440w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-the-deluxe-216x300.jpg 216w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-the-deluxe-768x1067.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-the-deluxe-1106x1536.jpg 1106w" sizes="(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647525" class="wp-caption-text">Olivia’s goal with the Deluxe was to feature all the flavors of a deluxe pizza in a martini. To do this, she chills, stirs and strains a mix of house-made chanterelle-infused gin, jalapeno-infused moonshine, vermouth and olive brine. The final touch is a sprinkle of dried chilies and some edible gold leaf—just to make the whole thing that much more deluxe. $17</figcaption></figure>
  1686. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  1687. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647500" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fridge.jpg" alt="A fridge stocked with bottles of wine and cans of beer" width="1199" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fridge.jpg 1199w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fridge-180x300.jpg 180w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fridge-768x1281.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-fridge-921x1536.jpg 921w" sizes="(max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px" /></p>
  1688. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  1689. <p>The whimsical room is decorated with original art as well as some refurbished hand-me-downs from Wayla Bar. The space is divided into three sections: a Keith Haring–inspired mural leads customers from the light-filled bottle shop into the lounge space, which acts as a perfect holding area for customers on the wait list or a cozy spot for a quick cocktail. A set of beaded curtains in the lounge opens up into the dining area, which feels equal parts ’50s lunch counter and—thanks to hanging planters made by Casipe’s mom—’70s living room.</p>
  1690. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647527" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-scaled.jpg" alt="Shelves filled with colourful bottles of wine and cans of beer" width="2560" height="1678" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2000x1311.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-768x503.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-1536x1007.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2048x1342.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1691. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647526" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2-scaled.jpg" alt="A shelf lined with wine bottles" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-wine-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1692. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647519" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-3-scaled.jpg" alt="Behind the bar and open kitchen at Ricky and Olivia in Toronto" width="2560" height="1473" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-3-300x173.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-3-2000x1151.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-3-768x442.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-3-1536x884.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-3-2048x1178.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1693. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647518" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-2.jpg" alt="The dining room, looking into the open kitchen, at Ricky and Olivia" width="1242" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-2.jpg 1242w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-2-186x300.jpg 186w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-2-768x1237.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-2-954x1536.jpg 954w" sizes="(max-width: 1242px) 100vw, 1242px" /></p>
  1694. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647517" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-1-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Ricky and Olivia is decked out with two-top tables, bright blue chairs and plants" width="2560" height="1752" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-1-300x205.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-1-2000x1368.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-1-768x525.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-1-1536x1051.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-1-2048x1401.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1695. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647522" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-6-scaled.jpg" alt="Two-top tables in the back section of Ricky and Olivia's dining room" width="2560" height="1698" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-6-300x199.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-6-2000x1327.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-6-768x509.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-6-1536x1019.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-6-2048x1359.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1696. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647521" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-5.jpg" alt="A two-top table and a couple of chairs are next to a wall designed with a mural at Ricky and Olivia, a restaurant in Toronto" width="1406" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-5.jpg 1406w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-5-211x300.jpg 211w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-5-768x1092.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-5-1080x1536.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1406px) 100vw, 1406px" /></p>
  1697. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647520" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-4.jpg" alt="A wine bottle in a crocheted holder hangs from a shelf" width="1412" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-4.jpg 1412w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-4-212x300.jpg 212w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-4-768x1088.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-space-4-1084x1536.jpg 1084w" sizes="(max-width: 1412px) 100vw, 1412px" /></p>
  1698. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647514" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-shirts-scaled.jpg" alt="T-shirts for sale hang on the wall inside Ricky and Olivia, a restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-shirts-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-shirts-300x211.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-shirts-2000x1406.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-shirts-768x540.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-shirts-1536x1080.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-shirts-2048x1440.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1699. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647499" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-exterior.jpg" alt="The exterior of Ricky and Olivia, a restaurant in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood" width="1375" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-exterior.jpg 1375w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-exterior-206x300.jpg 206w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-exterior-768x1117.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-exterior-1056x1536.jpg 1056w" sizes="(max-width: 1375px) 100vw, 1375px" /></p>
  1700. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Ricky and Olivia, a playful new restaurant and bottle shop in Leslieville</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1701. ]]></content:encoded>
  1705. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-ricky-and-olivia-leslieville-spread-scaled-1200x628-1713459243.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  1706. <media:copyright>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</media:copyright>
  1707. <media:title></media:title>
  1708. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  1709. </media:content>
  1710. </item>
  1711. <item>
  1712. <title>“As a kid, I had to steal to afford the sneakers I wanted. Now, I run an organization that gives them out for free”</title>
  1713. <link>https://torontolife.com/memoir/as-a-kid-i-had-to-steal-to-afford-the-sneakers-i-wanted-now-i-run-an-organization-that-gives-them-out-for-free/</link>
  1715. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  1716. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 13:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
  1717. <category><![CDATA[Memoir]]></category>
  1718. <category><![CDATA[Jamal Burger]]></category>
  1719. <category><![CDATA[kickback]]></category>
  1720. <category><![CDATA[photography]]></category>
  1721. <category><![CDATA[sneakers]]></category>
  1722. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647685</guid>
  1723.  
  1724. <description><![CDATA[<p>Jamal Burger used his childhood love of shoes as a launching pad for a successful photography career. Then he built Kickback, an organization that has distributed over 8,000 free pairs of sneakers to youth around the world </p>
  1725. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/memoir/as-a-kid-i-had-to-steal-to-afford-the-sneakers-i-wanted-now-i-run-an-organization-that-gives-them-out-for-free/">“As a kid, I had to steal to afford the sneakers I wanted. Now, I run an organization that gives them out for free”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1726. ]]></description>
  1727. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647691 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5754.jpg" alt="Jamal Burger, photographer in black and white, looking straight at the camera" width="1600" height="1061" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5754.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5754-300x199.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5754-768x509.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5754-1536x1019-1713452217.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5754-2048x1358-1713452217.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" />
  1728. <p>My mom had me when she was 16, and I grew up in housing provided by Jessie’s Centre for Young Women, a non-profit organization for teen mothers. It’s right between Regent Park and Moss Park, and for a time, my mom had a job as a receptionist there. I would go to school, come home and sit on the couch playing my Game Boy while my mom worked downstairs. We didn’t have a lot of money, so I wasn’t able to join any extracurricular activities.</p>
  1729. <p>I needed to fill my time, so when I was 11, in 2004, I started looking for ways to earn some money. I saw an ad on a streetlight pole for a job selling chocolate almonds. I earned a dollar for each box I sold, and most weekends I could sell 50 of them. I’d use the money to help with groceries, or sometimes I’d give $30 to my mom and save $20 for myself.</p>
  1730. <p>As I started growing into adult shoe sizes, I really wanted a pair of Air Jordan 19 sneakers—but my mom said we only had enough money for either new shoes or groceries. To get the kind of money it would take to buy new Air Jordans, it felt like the only option my friends and I had was to steal. We would take a Nintendo DS or Bose headphones from a store and sell them ourselves. I&#8217;d take a $200 pair of headphones, head to the shoe store and offer to sell them to the retail workers for $120. If they couldn’t meet my price, I’d cut them a deal: I’d sell for less if I could use their staff discount to buy new shoes for half price. Then I could get sneakers for me <em>and</em> my sister. I got myself a pair of Black Cat Jordan 3s that way.</p>
  1731. <p>Around this time, I managed to get my hands on a copy of <em>Slam </em>magazine. The mixture of sports and art in <em>Slam</em>, which is mostly dedicated to basketball, caught my attention. I’d grown up without a father, and seeing successful Black men in the magazine was really inspiring to me. I’d daydream about cover ideas, but when I brought it to read in class, my teacher took it away. She said it wasn’t “literature.”</p>
  1732. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/jamal-burger-jayscale-basketball-photography/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related:"><strong>Related:</strong></span></a></em><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/jamal-burger-jayscale-basketball-photography/" class="article-link"><span data-title=" Ten amazing pictures by Jamal Burger, the Toronto photographer who shot DeMar DeRozan for the cover of "> Ten amazing pictures by Jamal Burger, the Toronto photographer who shot DeMar DeRozan for the cover of </span></a></em><a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/jamal-burger-jayscale-basketball-photography/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Slam">Slam</span></a><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/jamal-burger-jayscale-basketball-photography/" class="article-link"><span data-title=" magazine"> magazine</span></a></em></p>
  1733. <p>So, when I saw a novel with a basketball on the cover at Indigo one weekend, I was intrigued. I’d never seen basketball represented in a book before. I thought, <em>Do</em> <em>I go to school on Monday with my</em><em> magazine and get in trouble again? Or do I try to take this basketball novel?</em> I decided to steal the book, but as I was leaving the store, an undercover security guard grabbed my arm. They detained me and then sent me home in a cop car. In a way, I was lucky—I learned my lesson then and there, and I stopped stealing. Some of my peers weren’t so fortunate. A few have since wound up in prison.</p>
  1734. <p>My love of sneakers persisted, and by the time I started my kinesiology degree at the University of Toronto, I had about 75 pairs. I started taking pictures of my collection with my phone and posting them to Instagram. I didn’t think of it as a potential job—I just really enjoyed it. Eventually, I borrowed a camera from a friend to try more professional shoots. I would photograph my shoes from different angles, sometimes even dangling them from skyscrapers. I continued posting on Instagram, and eventually, Livestock, a sneaker store, reached out. They asked if I could take product shots for them. So I made them an offer: if they bought me a camera, I’d do work for them for a year, free of charge. They agreed.</p>
  1735. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647690" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Copy-of-000400530024-scaled.jpg" alt="Jamal Burger, with his back to the camera, shooting a stack of shoes" width="2560" height="1697" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Copy-of-000400530024-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Copy-of-000400530024-300x199.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Copy-of-000400530024-2000x1326.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Copy-of-000400530024-768x509.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Copy-of-000400530024-1536x1018.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Copy-of-000400530024-2048x1358.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1736. <p>Once I had a camera, I started studying the work of sports photographers like Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer as well as photographers from the 1940s and ’50s who shot in black and white. I learned a lot about composition and timing. I kept growing <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamaljburger/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="my following on Instagram,">my following on Instagram,</span></a> which eventually reached over 100,000 people. Suddenly, brands like Nike started sending me free sneakers, hoping I would promote them on my page. I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were sending them to the wrong person, though. I&#8217;d spent my whole life trying to afford sneakers, but now I was getting them for free. I wondered if there was a way to pass them on to kids who actually needed them.</p>
  1737. <p>So, in September 2016, when I was 23, I organized a shoe drive. I needed a name for my organization, so I came up with Kickback. Livestock, the store that bought me my first camera, helped me collect 150 pairs of sneakers for me to give out to kids in my neighbourhood. I’d drop by every few days, pull boxes from their selection and take them back to my apartment. An old mentor of mine at the Regent Park community centre helped me pair the shoes with kids who needed them, and I’d tape up the boxes and label them with the name of the person they were going to. It was very DIY.</p>
  1738. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647689" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fn3-scaled.jpg" alt="Jamal Burger crouching on the street in front of a stack of shoe boxes" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fn3-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fn3-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fn3-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fn3-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fn3-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/fn3-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  1739. <p>At the drive, some of the kids were shocked when I gave them the shoes. They were like, <em>Whoa, I get these Air Jordans? I get to keep these Nikes? </em>I was surprised by how much I was able to connect with them just through the act of handing them these boxes. The shoes became a signal that I’d been where they were and I knew how expensive and inaccessible sneakers can be. When the kids put them on, it gave them a little pep in their step, some extra confidence. It was incredible.</p>
  1740. <p>We did another sneaker drive the next year, when we gave away 300 pairs of shoes. We also travelled to do one in Panama, bringing almost 150 pairs with us. Meanwhile, my photography career was taking off. In 2017, I went to six countries in Africa with Masai Ujiri’s Giants of Africa program. I shot Kobe Bryant, first when he was in Toronto for All-Star weekend and again for his jersey retirement. I did a Nike project where I followed LeBron James around before his games, photographing him in different pairs of sneakers that hadn’t even come out yet. I even ended up shooting DeMar DeRozan for the cover of <em>Slam </em>magazine in 2018. My younger self would have been over the moon.</p>
  1741. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/memoir/i-started-my-popcorn-business-from-behind-bars-it-gave-me-a-second-chance-at-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “I started my popcorn business from behind bars. It gave me a second chance at life”"><span data-title="Related: “I started my popcorn business from behind bars. It gave me a second chance at life”"><em><strong>Related: </strong>“I started my popcorn business from behind bars. It gave me a second chance at life”</em></span></span></a></p>
  1742. <p>Through it all, I stayed committed to growing Kickback. In 2018, I decided I would do one small event a month. As I did, the organization started to grow naturally. These days we have six <a href="https://kickback.org/programming/" class="article-link"><span data-title="ongoing programs">ongoing programs</span></a>: an elite basketball program, a run club, a sports photography program, a film program, One on One (which takes youth from underserved communities on outdoor excursions) and our Youth Ambassadors program, a 12-week partnership with the Raptors that helps 10 kids start their own community initiatives in the city. A lot of the kids we serve face serious financial barriers, so there are grants they can apply for to participate.</p>
  1743. <p>I try to use Kickback to let kids know that, whatever their passion is, it could become their profession. If I see a kid braiding hair, I tell them they could have a chain of barbershops. We just started an alumni program that connects youth with mentors in the professions they’re interested in. To date, we’ve distributed close to 8,000 shoes to kids around the world, and in 2023, we worked with 888 young people in Toronto. We now have an office at Broadview and Queen and wonderful full- and part-time staff members.</p>
  1744. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647694" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/week-6-puma-23-scaled.jpeg" alt="Jamal Burger speaking with two kids on a basketball court" width="2560" height="1697" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/week-6-puma-23-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/week-6-puma-23-300x199.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/week-6-puma-23-2000x1326.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/week-6-puma-23-768x509.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/week-6-puma-23-1536x1018.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/week-6-puma-23-2048x1358.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1745. <p>Of course, running a non-profit has its challenges. It’s difficult to get enough funding to pay our staff as much as we’d like. According to the <a href="https://www.forblackcommunities.org/assets/docs/Unfunded-Report.pdf" class="article-link"><span data-title="Foundation for Black Communities">Foundation for Black Communities</span></a>, Black-led organizations get as little as seven cents per 100 dollars donated to charities in this country. It’s an uphill climb, but there are always people in our corner. For example, Puma helped us build a community basketball court in Moss Park designed by and for neighbourhood youth. I walk by it every morning when I drop my little sisters off at school. I’m very proud of it.</p>
  1746. <p>The kids that participate in Kickback are often from neighbourhoods where they have limited opportunities, so it’s been amazing to see them thrive. One kid, Trevaun Douglas, came to our run club and was surprised to see how many people of colour were there. He was inspired, and the next week he came back with two 45-pound weights to carry while he ran. After that, he ran a marathon as a fundraiser, using the money to buy Christmas presents for kids who wouldn’t get them otherwise. Seeing Kickback inspire kids to not only succeed but to give back to their communities—to me, that’s the real success.</p>
  1747. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/memoir/as-a-kid-i-had-to-steal-to-afford-the-sneakers-i-wanted-now-i-run-an-organization-that-gives-them-out-for-free/">“As a kid, I had to steal to afford the sneakers I wanted. Now, I run an organization that gives them out for free”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  1753. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  1758. <item>
  1759. <title>“I’ve been a family doctor for more than 20 years. Now, I have no choice but to close my practice”</title>
  1760. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/family-doctor-clinic-closing-burnout-inflation/</link>
  1762. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  1763. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:34:28 +0000</pubDate>
  1764. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  1765. <category><![CDATA[burnout]]></category>
  1766. <category><![CDATA[doctor]]></category>
  1767. <category><![CDATA[family doctor]]></category>
  1768. <category><![CDATA[Fan-Wah Mang]]></category>
  1769. <category><![CDATA[health care]]></category>
  1770. <category><![CDATA[healthcare]]></category>
  1771. <category><![CDATA[Medicine]]></category>
  1772. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647649</guid>
  1773.  
  1774. <description><![CDATA[<p>Rising costs, new administrative duties and subsequent burnout have made it impossible for physician Fan-Wah Mang to keep her Mississauga clinic open. Delivering the news to her patients—many of whom have nowhere else to go—broke her heart</p>
  1775. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/family-doctor-clinic-closing-burnout-inflation/">“I’ve been a family doctor for more than 20 years. Now, I have no choice but to close my practice”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1776. ]]></description>
  1777. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647668" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-002-scaled.jpg" alt="Fan.Wah Mang, a family doctor who's closing her practice, sits in her scrubs in one of her exam rooms" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-002-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-002-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-002-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-002-768x614.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1778. <p><em>Everyone knows it&#8217;s <a href="https://nationalpost.com/health/canada-family-doctor-shortage#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20national%20survey,other%20%E2%80%9Cminor%E2%80%9D%20health%20problem." target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="nearly impossible">nearly impossible</span></a> to find a family doctor in Canada</em><em>, with 6.5 million people across the country going without a regular physician. Last year, Ontario </em><em>allowed</em><em> pharmacists to <a href="https://www.ocpinfo.com/ontario-pharmacists-now-authorized-to-prescribe-for-minor-ailments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="prescribe treatments">prescribe treatments</span></a> for some minor ailments, like pink eye and cold sores, but it’s far from the level of care patients receive in a doctor’s office. And private clinics are popping up across the province to fill the gap—for those who can pay. To make matters worse, a growing number of family doctors are </em><a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/many-family-doctors-poised-to-leave-practices-if-no-action-from-government-says-ontario-medical-association" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="walking away"><em>walking away</em></span></a><em> from the public system, citing poor funding and overwhelming paperwork. One such physician is Fan-Wah Mang, a 53-year-old family doctor who’s shutting down her Mississauga practice after more than 20 years because she’s overwhelmed by rising costs and administrative burdens. Here, she explains the dysfunction plaguing Ontario’s health care system.</em></p>
  1779. <hr />
  1780. <p>From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. And when I pictured a physician, it was always a family doctor—the only kind I’d ever met. So, in 1989, I started my undergrad at the University of Toronto, and after my second year, I was accepted into the school’s medical program. By then, I knew a bit more about the field, but I still liked the jack-of-all-trades aspect of family medicine. I got my independent medical licence in 1997, and after six years travelling across the province as a locum, or substitute doctor, I joined a family clinic in Mississauga in 2003. I became the fourth doctor to share the practice.</p>
  1781. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/hospitals-are-overwhelmed-physician-burnout-is-rampant-im-working-to-change-that/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;Hospitals are overwhelmed. Physician burnout is rampant. I&#8217;m working to change that&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;Hospitals are overwhelmed. Physician burnout is rampant. I&#8217;m working to change that&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  1782. <p>Over the years, I came to know my patients well. Family medicine is cradle to grave: some of my patients came to me as newborns and are now young adults. I’ve watched others transition into old age. It’s incredibly rewarding to see kids grow up and sick patients get better. My patients trust me deeply—some seek my opinion on treatments prescribed by specialists. They know I have their back.</p>
  1783. <p>Family doctors sharing a practice don’t share income, but we do pool expenses—rent, our secretary’s salary, the cost of office supplies. Each of us is paid by the government for every appointment. Currently, the rate is $37 per appointment, plus another $3 or so if they happen to be enrolled in the government’s Family Health Plan program. We also get a fee for each patient, with rates varying based on their sex and age. With my roughly 1,000 patients, that comes out to about $2,000 per month. When I was first building my practice, I made about $90,000 per year, after all our office expenses were accounted for. In 2022, that figure was about $142,000. For your typical doctor, family medicine isn’t the pathway to luxury people imagine it is.</p>
  1784. <p>For a while, the practice managed to do all right financially. We’ve been totally full since I started. By 2015, though, two of the doctors I originally shared the practice with left for larger operations. With just two of us left, we couldn’t afford to keep our nurse, and by the time we got back to three doctors, we couldn’t hire a new nurse because hospitals were offering far better salaries than we ever could.</p>
  1785. <p>Meanwhile, inflation was making all our equipment more expensive. By 2015, the government was cancelling subsidies for electronic medical records systems. We had to buy our software subscriptions ourselves, which cost $5,000 a year. The provider of that service also made us upgrade to internet faxing, which cost another $1,300 a year. In 2020, the pandemic brought even more stress. We scrambled to adapt to PPE and new precautions. The final financial blow was cyber insurance, which was mandated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons during that time. There’s no doubt it’s needed—cyber threats are very real, as we saw when <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sickkids-attack-1.6705843" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="SickKids was targeted in December 2023">SickKids was targeted in December 2023</span></a>—but it cost us another $2,500 a year.</p>
  1786. <p>At first, Doug Ford&#8217;s government decided to allow us to bill for phone appointments, which saved us. Then, in 2022, the province decreased the pay for phone appointments by 15 per cent. I’d started doing quite a few appointments that way, since many of my patients had moved to more affordable places (Guelph, Peterborough, even Sturgeon Falls) but worried that they wouldn’t find another family doctor if they left my practice. I wasn’t going to make them drive for hours just to speak with me. But, with a quarter of my visits occurring over the phone, that pay cut definitely hurt.</p>
  1787. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/i-can-see-a-world-where-we-end-up-with-robot-doctors-meet-the-researcher-investigating-the-future-of-ai-in-medicine/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;Meet the researcher investigating the future of AI in medicine&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;Meet the researcher investigating the future of AI in medicine&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  1788. <p>As medicine digitized, I also got more and more faxes and messages from partners in the health care system who required my sign-off as a doctor. For example, pharmacists who needed me to review patients’ medications. It didn’t help that, in 2023, when the province began allowing pharmacies to treat minor ailments, they required them to fax us for those too. As physicians, our oversight was supposed to bring a check and balance to the new system, but suddenly my inbox was flooded with 100 administrative reports a day, all needing my acknowledgement to move forward. By July of 2023, I had to go from seeing patients four days a week to seeing them three days a week, just so I could dedicate one entire workday to paperwork. That also meant I was cutting out one full day of income each week—after all, I get paid only when I’m seeing patients.</p>
  1789. <p>But, when messages from my patients started piling up, I couldn’t turn them down. With my reduced hours, the next available appointment would often be weeks away. Some would go to public walk-in clinics and then come back to me describing treatments that hadn’t worked. One had headaches he simply couldn’t wait months to address. I ended up calling them on my “off days” or seeing them in-person during my lunch hour and in the evenings.</p>
  1790. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647669" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-011-scaled.jpg" alt="Fan-Wah Mang standing in front of a window at her clinic, looking directly at the camera" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-011-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-011-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-011-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-011-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-011-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-011-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1791. <p>Burnout started to creep up on me. The more the tasks piled up, the longer it took me to get things done. In the end, it was impossible to fit all my admin tasks into a single workday. Before things went haywire, I’d get to the office at 8:30 a.m. and leave around 5 p.m. Now, I wasn’t leaving until 7 p.m., and after a short dinner, I&#8217;d be on the computer until midnight—plus all day Saturday and Sunday. My colleagues and I tried to make a pact to spend 24 hours offline every weekend, but I never managed to do it.</p>
  1792. <p>Other aspects of my life started suffering too. My two teenage sons frequently had to make themselves instant noodles for dinner and would ask me why I was always on my computer. I felt like I was failing not only as a physician but as a mother.</p>
  1793. <p>By September, it was all too much. I knew our lease on the office was up for renewal in May 2024. I wasn’t going to wait until I was so exhausted that I became sick myself. So I met with the two other doctors at my clinic and told them how badly I was doing. They were shocked. But then one of them turned to me and said, “If you’re going, I’m going.” Just like that, it was settled: the business was going to fold.</p>
  1794. <p>The guilt was terrible. I spent two months doing grief counselling in my office every 15 minutes. Many of my patients are women between 85 and 90 years old. I remember one crying, silently, behind her medical mask. I held her hand as she told me how terrified she was that no other practice would take her—that they’d see her as too old or her issues as too complex. When she left, the next patient came in and I did it all over again.</p>
  1795. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/my-clinic-saves-lives-the-ford-governments-funding-cuts-to-virtual-health-care-will-shut-us-down/" class="article-link"><span data-title="&#8220;My clinic saves lives. The Ford government’s funding cuts to virtual health care will shut us down&#8221;">&#8220;My clinic saves lives. The Ford government’s funding cuts to virtual health care will shut us down&#8221;</span></a></em></p>
  1796. <p>Rising costs, inflation and the burden of all this new administrative work has made running a family clinic untenable. I’m not surprised that so many physicians are moving into private health care—you can charge fees that make running a clinic feasible with way fewer patients. Personally, though, I would never consider going private: that kind of care is inaccessible to those who can’t afford it, and I wouldn’t want to run a clinic that’s only for the wealthy. Seeing a diverse array of patients makes me a better doctor. But I struggle to see what the plan for our public health care system is. It seems like, to some extent, the province wants to replace family doctors with other health professionals, like pharmacists and nurses—but it’s just not the same.</p>
  1797. <p>For example, I had one patient, a 19-year-old woman, who started experiencing pain urinating. She heard you could go to the pharmacy for minor ailments, so she did. She described the problem, and they gave her a treatment for a urinary tract infection. She didn’t tell the pharmacist that she was sexually active or that her boyfriend wasn’t using a condom. When the UTI treatment didn’t help, she came to me, and in the privacy of my exam room, she felt comfortable telling me the whole story. It was chlamydia, a disease that, if left untreated, could have led to infertility. I shudder to imagine having to tell her, 20 years from now, that she can’t have children because of a simple misdiagnosis. You can’t treat that kind of thing at a pharmacy. You need the consistency and resources of a family doctor’s office.</p>
  1798. <p>I wish I could stay and keep helping patients like her, but I can’t continue working like I have been. The fees doctors get paid for seeing patients needs to double, at the very least. With that money, family doctors would be able to hire the staff they need to sustain their practices, like more nurses. At the same time, we should be paid for the administrative work we do, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-doctor-supports-announcement-1.6635200" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="a policy that’s already been implemented in BC">a policy that’s already been implemented in BC</span></a>. And the government needs to find a way to reduce that administrative burden. It’s not a good use of my time to validate prescriptions that don’t require any follow-up or sign-off on the treatment of minor ailments. If those were taken off my hands, my inbox would be at least a quarter less full.</p>
  1799. <p>I love being a family doctor. I want to protect our public health care system because it has worked for my patients. But it’s getting impossible to care for them with expenses skyrocketing<em>, </em>income declining and only so many hours in a day. Family doctors are not trying to get rich. We just want to earn enough to keep the lights on and allow us to protect our patients.</p>
  1800. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/family-doctor-clinic-closing-burnout-inflation/">“I’ve been a family doctor for more than 20 years. Now, I have no choice but to close my practice”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1801. ]]></content:encoded>
  1805. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240410-TorontoLife-Doctor-Fan-Wah-Mang-BG-HALF-SIZE-002-scaled-1200x628-1713446791.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  1806. <media:copyright>© Brent Gooden 2024. All Rights Reserved</media:copyright>
  1807. <media:title></media:title>
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  1809. </media:content>
  1810. </item>
  1811. <item>
  1812. <title>Editor’s Letter: How Ontario schools lure and abandon international students</title>
  1813. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/editors-letter-how-ontario-schools-lure-and-abandon-international-students/</link>
  1815. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Malcolm Johnston]]></dc:creator>
  1816. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:03:21 +0000</pubDate>
  1817. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  1818. <category><![CDATA[Conestoga College]]></category>
  1819. <category><![CDATA[Editor's Letter]]></category>
  1820. <category><![CDATA[housing crisis]]></category>
  1821. <category><![CDATA[international students]]></category>
  1822. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647601</guid>
  1823.  
  1824. <description><![CDATA[<p>Our postsecondary institutions are raking it in by attracting students from China, India and beyond. But the situation they face on arrival is rarely as advertised</p>
  1825. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/editors-letter-how-ontario-schools-lure-and-abandon-international-students/">Editor’s Letter: How Ontario schools lure and abandon international students</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1826. ]]></description>
  1827. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-582413 size-medium alignright" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-300x300-1656000555.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-150x150.jpg 150w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-768x768.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-1536x1536-1656000550.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-100x100-1656000556.jpg 100w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-180x180-1656000556.jpg 180w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-360x360-1656000556.jpg 360w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-2048x2048-1656000551.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
  1828. <p>Conestoga College’s pamphlet for foreign students is a master class in seduction. The Viewbook, as it’s called, is lush with eye-popping numbers and images of cheerful transplants from China, India, Tanzania and beyond. The Waterloo region is presented as a wonderland of higher education, one that teems, as we learn on page two, with “bustling nightlife, affordable housing and public transit.” Were I a prospective student in, say, Delhi, Changsha or Manila, I’d be on the first plane out.</p>
  1829. <p>What I would discover upon setting foot on campus, however, would be soul-crushing. Kitchener, like Toronto and the rest of the GTA, is in the midst of a housing crisis that forces new arrivals, who are often on tight budgets, to live in squalor. One Conestoga student from India had no choice but to bunk with 13 other students. Last January, police discovered 25 international students crammed into a basement apartment in Brampton. Many of these students rely on food banks, and some spend their evenings driving Ubers to make ends meet. So much for bustling nightlife.</p>
  1830. <p>Coaxing students into attending your school when they are unlikely to find adequate housing is at best wilfully blind and at worst heartless. But many post-secondary institutions feel they have no choice. After Doug Ford’s government cut and froze domestic tuition in 2019, schools leaned harder than ever into the international market. Conestoga has led the pack, granting acceptance to 30,395 international students last year, but Fanshawe, Niagara and Seneca colleges each welcomed more than 11,000. These students shell out between three and 10 times the rate domestic students pay, which represents a financial bonanza for the colleges. Last year, post-secondary institutions in Ontario raked in an estimated $8.1 billion from inter­national tuition. (Conestoga posted a $106-million surplus, its highest ever.)</p>
  1831. <figure id="attachment_647537" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647537" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada/" class="article-link-img"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647537 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2.jpeg" alt="" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647537" class="wp-caption-text">Seneca College accepted more than 11,000 international students last year.</figcaption></figure>
  1832. <p>The housing situation has received plenty of attention, but as Simon Lewsen reports in his feature <a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada/" class="article-link"><span data-title="“The Perilous Lives of International Students,”">“The Perilous Lives of International Students,”</span></a> the problems extend beyond shelter. The students who arrive here are often alone and vulnerable, which makes them ripe targets for bad actors.</p>
  1833. <p>In 2017, hundreds of students from India received acceptance to Canadian colleges only to discover that most of the letters—the review is ongoing—were fake. Several of those students were deported as a result. Many students get defrauded by predatory landlords. Others get taken advantage of by employers looking to extract free labour. Others still are targeted by sexual predators who think that, because these kids lack friends, family and support networks here, they’re easy prey. And a startling number of students, mostly from China, have been kidnapped and held for ransom.</p>
  1834. <p>The situation, in short, is a mess. Recently, the federal and provincial governments both capped the number of international study permits. But it’s a dull-hatchet response to a problem that requires precision instruments. Optically, it also served to punish foreign students, which misses the point. These kids encountered the affordability crisis; they didn’t cause it. And while the province has introduced some protections for international students, what’s most desperately needed is more places to live. The National Housing Accord aims to build two million units across Canada by 2030, and Ontario intends to build 1.5 million units by 2031, which are positive signs. Yet, while we’re waiting, the crisis will claim even more victims.</p>
  1835. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/editors-letter-how-ontario-schools-lure-and-abandon-international-students/">Editor’s Letter: How Ontario schools lure and abandon international students</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1836. ]]></content:encoded>
  1840. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2-1200x628.jpeg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  1841. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  1842. <media:title></media:title>
  1843. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  1846. <item>
  1847. <title>Kiss and Tell: &#8220;I started sleeping with my roommmate. Then he fell in love with someone else&#8221;</title>
  1848. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-roommates-leigh/</link>
  1850. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  1851. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 13:20:58 +0000</pubDate>
  1852. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  1853. <category><![CDATA[dating]]></category>
  1854. <category><![CDATA[kiss and tell]]></category>
  1855. <category><![CDATA[leigh]]></category>
  1856. <category><![CDATA[rommates]]></category>
  1857. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647473</guid>
  1858.  
  1859. <description><![CDATA[<p>Leigh, a 23-year-old social worker, learned the hard way why “no hooking up” is the cardinal roommate rule </p>
  1860. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-roommates-leigh/">Kiss and Tell: &#8220;I started sleeping with my roommmate. Then he fell in love with someone else&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1861. ]]></description>
  1862. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647477" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_ROOMMATES.jpg" alt="An oven mitt and spoon on top of a background of blue hearts" width="2048" height="1364" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_ROOMMATES.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_ROOMMATES-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_ROOMMATES-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_ROOMMATES-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_ROOMMATES-1536x1023-1713289344.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  1863. <p><i data-stringify-type="italic"><em>Welcome to </em></i><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/tag/kiss-and-tell/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell">Kiss and Tell</span></span></a><i data-stringify-type="italic">,<em> a series about the steamy, surprising and frequently absurd world of Toronto dating. Send your most memorable stories from the pursuit of love and lust in the city to <a class="c-link" href="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" class="article-link"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com">submissions@torontolife.com</span></span></a>.</em></i></p>
  1864. <p><em>—As told to Juliann Garisto</em></p>
  1865. <hr />
  1866. <p>When I met Trevor, I had just gotten out of a long-term relationship. My ex and I had been living together, and when we broke up, we agreed that she would keep the apartment. Basically, I needed to move out as soon as possible.</p>
  1867. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-fish-bone-gigi/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;My date got a fish bone stuck in his teeth. He insisted on calling 911&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;My date got a fish bone stuck in his teeth. He insisted on calling 911&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  1868. <p>I came across an ad on Kijiji for a room in a four-bedroom house in the east end. It was three storeys tall, with two bathrooms, a giant backyard and a private balcony. It was well within my budget, and the room being advertised was on the top floor—a big improvement from my previous basement spot. It seemed perfect, but the only caveat was that the three other tenants were men. Since I’d only ever lived with women, it made me a little nervous.</p>
  1869. <p>I put in a request for a viewing so I could suss out the situation. The house was as good in person as it was in the photos. All the common areas were furnished: the living room couch looked new, and there was a giant TV mounted on the opposite wall. There was also a sunroom, a den, and in the backyard, an herb garden and a hammock underneath a weeping willow. <em>Damn,</em> I thought, <em>these dudes actually have good taste.</em> After seeing everything, I was pretty set on living in the house. I just needed to make sure I got along with the other tenants.</p>
  1870. <p>After some back-and-forth with the landlord, I met the three guys. They were all super friendly. Two of them worked for the same tech company, where they were in the office full time. The other one, Trevor, and I both worked hybrid jobs and would be home more often. We all got along right away, so I signed the lease that day and moved in the following week.</p>
  1871. <p>My ex and I were still on good terms, so she offered to help me move. Trevor was the only one there when we arrived. He saw us pull into the driveway, came out to help us unpack and ended up carrying most of my stuff into the house. I thought he was super polite and attentive. When he went back inside, my ex turned to me and said, “He wants to sleep with you.”</p>
  1872. <p>I was confused—I hadn’t noticed him flirting or anything. Then I was annoyed, because getting romantically involved with anyone at that time, let alone one of my new roommates, was <em>not</em> the plan. I asked my ex what made her think he was into me. She said he had stared at me the whole time we were unpacking. “Not true,” I said.</p>
  1873. <p>But, in the weeks after I moved in, sexual tension did start to build between me and Trevor. It turned out that we had a lot in common. We were both vegetarians who cared about the environment, and we were both obsessed with Bombay Bicycle Club. Plus we loved coffee. We’d drink cup after cup in the mornings when we were working from home. It didn&#8217;t hurt that he was undeniably handsome. He had brown hair, blue eyes and a really nice smile.</p>
  1874. <p>Our mutual attraction was hard to ignore, especially because Trevor often made really intense eye contact. It never made me uncomfortable—it actually made me excited. I started to crave being around him. If he happened to come into the kitchen while I was making breakfast, I got butterflies in my stomach. If he left one of the bathrooms right as I was about to try the door, I was destroyed.</p>
  1875. <p>It definitely complicated my living situation. Not only was I adjusting to a new home but I was crushing hard on one of my roommates, which made me second-guess every decision about my clothes, hair, makeup and even how I went about my day. I talked about it to some friends. They reassured me that, if things went south, I could just move out. It sounded like a simple getaway plan.</p>
  1876. <p>At first, it seemed like Trevor and I had an unspoken agreement to respect the cardinal rule of platonic cohabitation: not to cross the point of no return. In reality, it was only a matter of time before one of us made a move.</p>
  1877. <p>One night, after I’d been living there for about a month, our other roommates were both out at a work event. Trevor and I decided to watch a movie. It was the first time we’d officially made plans, and I wondered if this would count as our first date. Then I wondered if I’d been imagining the whole thing. Basically, I was nervous.</p>
  1878. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-i-tried-to-break-up-with-my-boyfriend-but-his-dad-wouldnt-let-me/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn’t let me”"><span data-title="Related: “I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn’t let me”"><em><strong>Related:</strong> “I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn’t let me”</em></span></span></a></p>
  1879. <p>Sure enough, twenty minutes into the movie, we leaned in at exactly the same time. Suddenly we were making out, then taking our clothes off, then he was carrying me up to his room. It was the hottest sex I’d ever had. Afterward, I honestly thought I might be in love.</p>
  1880. <p>Going forward, we tried to keep things discreet. We didn’t talk about what we were to each other, but we continued to hook up. Often, it was during the day, when everyone else was at work. But there were a couple of nights when I slept in Trevor’s bed. We had to be extra quiet those times since one of the other bedrooms was right next door. Even though I felt like I might have serious feelings for Trevor, I liked that our relationship status was ambiguous. I didn’t feel emotionally ready for anything official.</p>
  1881. <p>Then, one Saturday morning, one of the other guys in the house popped the question that was on everyone’s mind. “Are you guys dating or what?” he asked. I felt myself blush. “Or what,” Trevor answered. Our other roommate came back with, “If you’re not dating, then I dare you to download Hinge.” Trevor hated dating apps, but I guess he was hell-bent on denying the allegations against us. He downloaded it on the spot, and we all helped him make his profile. I thought it was hilarious. It was better than him admitting to our recent shenanigans and making everyone feel awkward.</p>
  1882. <p>Later that week, I noticed Trevor acting differently toward me. He didn&#8217;t seem as interested. He was still super nice and polite, but he spent more time in his room and didn’t actively seek me out. I asked him if everything was okay, and he said he was just super busy with work. I started to feel a little hurt, so I focused more on my work and tried to get out of the apartment by spending time with friends.</p>
  1883. <p>One night, I was in the living room when he came home around 11 p.m. I casually asked where he’d gone, and he told me flat out that he’d been on a date. That didn’t bother me so much, but it did take me by surprise. It was what he said next that hurt the most: “I think I might be in love.” I was shocked by how terrible it felt to hear that.</p>
  1884. <p>He told me more about the woman he’d been out with, how she danced for the National Ballet and was apparently very talented. Then he showed me pictures of her. <em>Damn, </em>I thought, <em>she looks like a model. </em>I knew right then that whatever had been going on between us was over.</p>
  1885. <p>Over the next few weeks, I realized why people warn against dating your roommates. I had to watch Trevor cook this woman elaborate candlelit dinners. Then I saw her sitting next to him on the couch, where we’d kissed not that long ago. I even heard them having sex. I started spending a lot of my time alone in my room. I was trying not to think about the situation, but obviously that was difficult when it was happening in my home. I seriously considered moving out. I browsed listings online, but none of them were as nice as my current place. I even considered moving back in with my ex, but that just felt regressive.</p>
  1886. <p>I finally decided to confront Trevor about it. It felt like the only way to regain some sense of dignity. So I pulled him aside and said, “Look, I’m really happy you’re in love, but it kind of sucks that you left our relationship undefined and then randomly started seeing someone else.” He was extremely apologetic. I was still pissed that he hadn’t thought about the consequences of his actions, but I could tell he felt terrible. “Do you want to move out?” he asked. “No!&#8221; I replied. &#8220;I love this apartment.”</p>
  1887. <p>The conversation helped. Trevor admitted to taking me for granted and assuming that I’d rather just “let things be” than talk about it. He said he’d been as surprised as I was that he met this woman and instantly developed feelings for her. Afterward, we hugged and went our separate ways on good terms.</p>
  1888. <p>Eventually, I even became friends with his Hinge date, who is now officially Trevor’s girlfriend. Sometimes, all five of us hang out, or just me and her will chat in the kitchen. It doesn’t feel weird at all, and I actually really like her. I’m happy for them both.</p>
  1889. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-roommates-leigh/">Kiss and Tell: &#8220;I started sleeping with my roommmate. Then he fell in love with someone else&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1890. ]]></content:encoded>
  1894. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_ROOMMATES-1200x628-1713289310.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  1895. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  1896. <media:title></media:title>
  1897. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  1900. <item>
  1901. <title>Sort-of Secret: Southeast Sandwiches, a fast-casual spot in Woodbridge serving Vietnamese and Filipino twists on sandwiches, tacos and poutine</title>
  1902. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge/</link>
  1904. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  1905. <pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 13:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
  1906. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  1907. <category><![CDATA[sandwiches]]></category>
  1908. <category><![CDATA[Sort-of Secret]]></category>
  1909. <category><![CDATA[Southeast Sandwiches]]></category>
  1910. <category><![CDATA[Woodbridge]]></category>
  1911. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647528</guid>
  1912.  
  1913. <description><![CDATA[<p>From two friends with fine-dining backgrounds who decided to break into the fast-food industry</p>
  1914. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge/">Sort-of Secret: Southeast Sandwiches, a fast-casual spot in Woodbridge serving Vietnamese and Filipino twists on sandwiches, tacos and poutine</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  1915. ]]></description>
  1916. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646778" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-scaled.jpg" alt="A man presses a sandwich on a flattop grill" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-press-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  1917. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-sort-of-secrets">
  1918.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More Sort-of Secrets</h2>
  1919.  
  1920.    <button class="feed-in-post-button" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">
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  1930. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
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  1933. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  1934. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/"  data-label="Slot 1">
  1935.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-scaled-803x603-1710526339.jpg" alt="Sort-of&#x20;Secret&#x3A;&#x20;Comma,&#x20;a&#x20;Korean&#x20;restaurant&#x20;on&#x20;Queen&#x20;West&#x20;serving&#x20;raw&#x20;marinated&#x20;crab" />
  1936. </a>
  1937. </div>
  1938.  
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  1941. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  1942.  
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  1944.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  1945.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  1946.        </a>
  1947.    
  1948.  
  1949. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  1950.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/" class="sjmvm-link-645075 sjmvm-title-645075">Sort-of Secret: Comma, a Korean restaurant on Queen West serving raw marinated crab</a>
  1951. </h2>
  1952.  
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  1955.  
  1956. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
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  1965. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  1966.  
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  1968. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  1969. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-golden-horseshoe-bbq-texas-style-barbecue/"  data-label="Slot 2">
  1970.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-life-restaurants-golden-horseshoe-bbq-barbecue-serving-2-scaled-803x603-1709654131.jpg" alt="Sort-of&#x20;Secret&#x3A;&#x20;Golden&#x20;Horseshoe&#x20;BBQ,&#x20;a&#x20;new&#x20;pop-up&#x20;attracting&#x20;crowds&#x20;with&#x20;Texas-style&#x20;barbecue" />
  1971. </a>
  1972. </div>
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  1977.  
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  1979.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  1980.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  1981.        </a>
  1982.    
  1983.  
  1984. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  1985.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-golden-horseshoe-bbq-texas-style-barbecue/" class="sjmvm-link-643920 sjmvm-title-643920">Sort-of Secret: Golden Horseshoe BBQ, a new pop-up attracting crowds with Texas-style barbecue</a>
  1986. </h2>
  1987.  
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  1990.  
  1991. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
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  2004. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-full-of-beans-coffee-house-roaster/"  data-label="Slot 3">
  2005.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/toronto-cafe-full-of-beans-coffee-roastery-owner-portrait-scaled-803x603-1710169041.jpg" alt="Sort-of&#x20;Secret&#x3A;&#x20;Full&#x20;of&#x20;Beans,&#x20;a&#x20;Little&#x20;Portugal&#x20;caf&#x00E9;&#x20;with&#x20;its&#x20;own&#x20;115-year-old&#x20;roaster" />
  2006. </a>
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  2011. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  2012.  
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  2014.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  2015.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  2016.        </a>
  2017.    
  2018.  
  2019. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  2020.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-full-of-beans-coffee-house-roaster/" class="sjmvm-link-644462 sjmvm-title-644462">Sort-of Secret: Full of Beans, a Little Portugal café with its own 115-year-old roaster</a>
  2021. </h2>
  2022.  
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  2032.  
  2033. </section>
  2034.  
  2035. <p><strong>The sort-of secret:</strong> <a href="https://www.southeastsandwiches.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Southeast Sandwiches">Southeast Sandwiches</span></a>, a fast-casual restaurant serving Southeast Asian takes on fast-food classics<br />
  2036. <strong>You may have heard of it if:</strong> You live nearby and have a thing for sandwiches<br />
  2037. <strong>But you probably haven&#8217;t tried it because:</strong> It&#8217;s in a <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/woodbridge/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Woodbridge">Woodbridge</span></a> strip mall</p>
  2038. <p>Southeast Sandwiches is a fast-casual takeout counter bringing a unique fusion to the table, taking familiar vessels like <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/sandwiches/" class="article-link"><span data-title="sandwiches">sandwiches</span></a> and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/tacos/" class="article-link"><span data-title="tacos">tacos</span></a> and—as the name suggests—filling them with Southeast Asian flavours. For the past six years, owners Mike Maderazo and Kirujan &#8220;KJ&#8221; Namasivayam have been crafting sandwiches that offer a delightful departure from the ordinary.</p>
  2039. <p>Maderazo and Namasivayam first crossed paths in the kitchen of Terra, an <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/italian/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Italian">Italian</span></a> restaurant in <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/thornhill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Thornhill">Thornhill</span></a>, where they worked together as line cooks for three years. While the world of fine dining instilled in them a dedication to perfection, Maderazo longed for something more simple. He always knew that one day he would open a sandwich shop where culinary excellence could meet everyday comfort food. In 2016, he took the first step by handing in his two weeks&#8217; notice, with Namasivayam following suit shortly afterward.</p>
  2040. <figure id="attachment_646774" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646774" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646774" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-owners-scaled.jpg" alt="Southeast Sandwich chef-owners Kirujan Namasivayam and Mike Maderazo" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-owners-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-owners-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-owners-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-owners-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-owners-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-owners-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646774" class="wp-caption-text">Chef-owners Kirujan Namasivayam (left) and Mike Maderazo</figcaption></figure>
  2041. <p>Maderazo moved on to work at a burrito shop in Brampton while Namasivayam found a job at a Burger&#8217;s Priest in <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/vaughan/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Vaughan">Vaughan</span></a>. They knew that working in fast food would be vastly different from working in the kitchen of a fine-dining restaurant, so they jumped in with a willingness to adapt and learn. &#8220;It was an unconventional route, transitioning from fine dining to a burrito shop, but I was eager to learn the intricacies of the fast-food service industry,” says Maderazo. After a few months, he was promoted to manager. &#8220;A year in that place taught me invaluable lessons. I learned the ins and outs of working with suppliers and even met the guy who would eventually handle renovations and help build the Southeast Sandwiches shop. It allowed me to understand what it took to manage a fast-food style restaurant.&#8221;</p>
  2042. <p>“Many aspire to be the next Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay, but I always had a passion for sandwiches,&#8221; says Maderazo. &#8220;I wanted to keep things simple.”</p>
  2043. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/bear-steak-sandwiches-little-italy/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: This is Toronto’s hottest new destination for steak sandwiches"><strong>Related:</strong> This is Toronto’s hottest new destination for steak sandwiches</span></a></em></p>
  2044. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646771" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-exterior-scaled.jpg" alt="The exterior of Southeast Sandwiches, a fast-casual restaurant in Woodbridge, Ontario" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-exterior-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-exterior-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-exterior-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-exterior-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-exterior-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-exterior-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2045. <p>Maderazo and Namasivayam soon began looking for a location. In June 2018, they saw their current spot in an ad on Kijii. They knew it would be an uphill battle to open a restaurant in downtown Toronto, so they jumped on the Woodbridge location—plus, the space happened to be a five-minute drive from Namasivayam&#8217;s house.</p>
  2046. <p>Their vision for Southeast Sandwiches was clear: to introduce <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/filipino/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Filipino">Filipino</span></a> and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/vietnamese/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Vietnamese">Vietnamese</span></a> ingredients and flavours in forms that were familiar to their customers—sandwiches, tacos and poutine. &#8220;We offer variations on classic dishes with our own unique twists,&#8221; says Maderazo. &#8220;For example, for our take on a pulled-pork sandwich, we might add ginger to the pork or incorporate lemongrass. Our Asian slaw, made with pickled carrots and daikon, is another example of blending traditional recipes with our own flair.&#8221;</p>
  2047. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646779" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-pressed-sandwich-scaled.jpg" alt="A pressed sandwich, sub and bubble tea at Southeast Sandwiches" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-pressed-sandwich-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-pressed-sandwich-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-pressed-sandwich-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-pressed-sandwich-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-pressed-sandwich-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-pressed-sandwich-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2048. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646783" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-tacos-scaled.jpg" alt="Tacos and bubble tea at Southeast Sandwiches, a fast-casual restaurant in Woodbridge" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-tacos-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-tacos-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-tacos-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-tacos-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-tacos-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-tacos-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2049. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-hot-pork-deli-sandwich-counter/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Hot Pork, a new deli counter serving sandwiches and house-made charcuterie"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Hot Pork, a new deli counter serving sandwiches and house-made charcuterie</span></a></em></p>
  2050. <p>Their deep-fried pork belly is more like chicharrón: they boil pork shoulder in a mix of soy sauce, vinegar, star anise, lemongrass, ginger, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar, letting it cool overnight before deep-frying it until it&#8217;s crispy on the outside, succulent on the inside. Their sliced chicken breast is marinated in their signature lemongrass-chili sauce. Vegetarian options include oven-roasted jackfruit glazed in a house barbecue sauce and affectionately dubbed the Jackie Champ. The evolving menu also features Korean-style bulgogi and a new customer favourite: <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/korean/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Korean">Korean</span></a> fried chicken in gochujang.</p>
  2051. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646777" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-prep-scaled.jpg" alt="The chef-owners of Southeast Sandwiches put together an order" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-prep-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-prep-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-prep-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-prep-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-prep-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-prep-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2052. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646770" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-dining-room-scaled.jpg" alt="Customers dine inside Southeast Sandwiches during the lunch rush" width="2560" height="1644" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-dining-room-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-dining-room-300x193.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-dining-room-2000x1284.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-dining-room-768x493.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-dining-room-1536x986.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-dining-room-2048x1315.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2053. <p>For the perfect sandwich buns, the duo partnered with Azores, a Brampton bakery that has been open for 42 years. The bread is light and airy yet sturdy enough to hold hefty fillings. They also offer pandesal, a Filipino brioche, sourced from a supplier in Scarborough, which adds a unique sweetness to their sandwiches. &#8220;A pandesal is something we would usually have in the morning in the Philippines with a bit of butter—we would never put any kind of fillings inside,” says Maderazo. “We decided to reimagine the pandesal as a sandwich vessel, and in all honesty, it just makes sense.&#8221;</p>
  2054. <p><em>Southeast Sandwiches, 9200 Weston Rd., unit 21, Woodbridge, <a href="https://www.southeastsandwiches.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="southeastsandwiches.ca">southeastsandwiches.ca</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/SoutheastSandwiches" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@southeastsandwiches">@southeastsandwiches</span></a></em></p>
  2055. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646775" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-packaging-scaled.jpg" alt="Southeast Sandwiches co-owner Mike Maderazo boxes up a takeout order" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-packaging-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-packaging-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-packaging-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-packaging-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-packaging-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-packaging-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2056. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646781" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of tacos, fries, sandwiches and bubble tea at Southeast Sandwiches in Woodbridge, Ontario" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-spread-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-spread-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-spread-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-spread-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge-spread-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2057. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-southeast-sandwiches-woodbridge/">Sort-of Secret: Southeast Sandwiches, a fast-casual spot in Woodbridge serving Vietnamese and Filipino twists on sandwiches, tacos and poutine</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2058. ]]></content:encoded>
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  2063. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  2068. <item>
  2069. <title>Cottage of the Week: $4.9 million for a Muskoka escape with a widescreen view of Kahshe Lake</title>
  2070. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake/</link>
  2072. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  2073. <pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 21:07:46 +0000</pubDate>
  2074. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  2075. <category><![CDATA[Cottage of the Week]]></category>
  2076. <category><![CDATA[gravenhurst]]></category>
  2077. <category><![CDATA[Muskoka]]></category>
  2078. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  2079. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647492</guid>
  2080.  
  2081. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 5,000-square-foot property also comes with a two-storey boathouse, a golf simulator, a smart TV and a quarry's worth of boulders </p>
  2082. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake/">Cottage of the Week: $4.9 million for a Muskoka escape with a widescreen view of Kahshe Lake</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2083. ]]></description>
  2084. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647643" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14.png" alt="" width="1534" height="1144" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14.png 1534w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-300x224.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-768x573.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1534px) 100vw, 1534px" /></p>
  2085. <p><strong>Location:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/gravenhurst/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Gravenhurst,">Gravenhurst,</span></a> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/muskoka/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Muskoka">Muskoka</span></a><br />
  2086. </span><strong>Price: </strong>$4,900,000<br />
  2087. <strong>Size:</strong> 5,000 square feet<br />
  2088. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 6<br />
  2089. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 5<br />
  2090. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agent:</strong> Maryrose Coleman and Ross Halloran, <a href="https://sothebysrealty.ca/en/real-estate-team/halloran-and-associates/property/ontario/muskoka-real-estate/gravenhurst/1654719/1016-oak-road/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sotheby’s International Realty Canada">Sotheby’s International Realty Canada</span></a></p>
  2091. <hr />
  2092. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The place</span></h5>
  2093. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A six-bedroom, five-bathroom retreat sitting on Kahshe Lake. The place comes with stunning views, a boathouse and a cedar sauna in the basement. It&#8217;s a short drive from Highway 11 and the businesses of downtown Orillia. It’s also close to popular hiking spots, including the <a href="https://www.torrancebarrens.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve">Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve</span></a> and the <a href="https://www.gravenhurst.ca/en/explore-and-play/kahshe-barrens-trail.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kahshe Barrens Trail.">Kahshe Barrens Trail.</span></a></span></p>
  2094. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The history</span></h5>
  2095. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The current owner bought the property last year as an investment, tearing down the original cottage and incorporating a lounge into the boathouse. Work completed in late 2023, and now the home is up for sale. </span></p>
  2096. <p><em><strong>Related: </strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$5.7 million for a Caledon home with a guest house and two swimming holes">$5.7 million for a Caledon home with a guest house and two swimming holes</span></a></em></p>
  2097. <h5>The tour</h5>
  2098. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This west-facing compound has a private beach and a one-bedroom, two-storey boathouse with a long deck. Note the huge stone patio lining the main house&#8217;s façade. </span></p>
  2099. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647622 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-2000x1123.png" alt="The main home faces west and comes with a two-storey boathouse." width="2000" height="1123" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-2000x1123.png 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-300x168.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-768x431.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-1536x862-1713379533.png 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-283x159-1713379561.png 283w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-386x217-1713379564.png 386w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1-2048x1150-1713379538.png 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo1.png 2034w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2100. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The entrance leads into the open-concept living, dining and kitchen area.</span></p>
  2101. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647628 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2.png" alt="Note the living room's exposed wood beams. " width="1708" height="1138" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2.png 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-768x512.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo2-1536x1023.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /></p>
  2102. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A reverse view reveals the gas fireplace with stone surround, the smart TV and the mini workstation.</span></p>
  2103. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647629 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3.png" alt="That painting is actually a smart TV. " width="1718" height="1144" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3.png 1718w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-768x511.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo3-1536x1023.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1718px) 100vw, 1718px" /></p>
  2104. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the kitchen: barn-board panels and timber beams as well as a built-in speaker system. </span></p>
  2105. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647630 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4.png" alt="Here's the designer kitchen and dining area, with a porcelain-tiled backsplash. " width="1706" height="1138" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4.png 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-768x512.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo4-1536x1025.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  2106. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The appliances are Wolf and Sub-Zero, and the kitchen has tons of storage. </span></p>
  2107. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647631 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5.png" alt="The appliances are Wold and Sub-Zero. " width="1710" height="1142" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5.png 1710w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-768x513.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1536x1026.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1710px) 100vw, 1710px" /></p>
  2108. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just beyond the kitchen sits the three-season Muskoka room, with pine ceilings.</span></p>
  2109. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647621 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6.png" alt="The Muskoka room has pine ceilings. " width="1712" height="1140" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6.png 1712w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-768x511.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo6-1536x1023.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1712px) 100vw, 1712px" /></p>
  2110. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It overlooks the stone patio, the hot tub and stunning (even when frozen) Kahshe Lake. </span></p>
  2111. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647633 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7.png" alt="The stone patio comes with a hot tub. " width="1698" height="1128" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7.png 1698w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-300x199.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-768x510.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo7-1536x1020.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1698px) 100vw, 1698px" /></p>
  2112. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The main-floor powder room is equipped with a solid-stone sink and a wood-beam counter.</span></p>
  2113. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647635 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8.png" alt="A peek inside the main-floor powder room. " width="1716" height="1138" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8.png 1716w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-300x199.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-768x509.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo8-1536x1019.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1716px) 100vw, 1716px" /></p>
  2114. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moving upstairs, we arrive at the main suite, with its own walk-in and bathroom. </span></p>
  2115. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647636 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9.png" alt="The main suite has a walk-in closet. " width="1714" height="1140" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9.png 1714w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-768x511.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo9-1536x1022.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1714px) 100vw, 1714px" /></p>
  2116. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now the view from the main bedroom, framed like a picture through sliding glass doors. </span></p>
  2117. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647637 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10.png" alt="The view from the bed, augmented by picture-frame windows. " width="1712" height="1142" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10.png 1712w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-768x512.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo10-1536x1025.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1712px) 100vw, 1712px" /></p>
  2118. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The walk-in closet is nearly 40 square feet.</span></p>
  2119. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647639 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11.png" alt="The closet is 33 square feet. " width="1716" height="1144" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11.png 1716w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-768x512.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo11-1536x1024.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1716px) 100vw, 1716px" /></p>
  2120. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And here&#8217;s the main ensuite. It has a jumbo shower with a bench, a rainfall head and a built-in niche for toiletries.</span></p>
  2121. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647640 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12.png" alt="The dramatic stone shower in the ensuite is a nice touch. " width="1712" height="1140" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12.png 1712w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-768x511.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo12-1536x1023.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1712px) 100vw, 1712px" /></p>
  2122. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This bedroom acts like a second main suite.</span></p>
  2123. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647642 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13.png" alt="One of the secondary bedrooms. " width="1726" height="1138" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13.png 1726w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-300x198.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-768x506.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo13-1536x1013.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1726px) 100vw, 1726px" /></p>
  2124. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The views may be the home&#8217;s greatest feature.</span></p>
  2125. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647643 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14.png" alt="What a view. " width="1534" height="1144" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14.png 1534w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-300x224.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo14-768x573.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1534px) 100vw, 1534px" /></p>
  2126. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The owner set up a golf simulator in the garage, just because. </span></p>
  2127. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647644 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15.png" alt="Fore!" width="1712" height="1142" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15.png 1712w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-768x512.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo15-1536x1025.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1712px) 100vw, 1712px" /></p>
  2128. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s also a theatre in the basement, with surround sound and room for four recliners.</span></p>
  2129. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647645 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo16.png" alt="The basement theatre has room for four recliners. " width="1710" height="1138" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo16.png 1710w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo16-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo16-768x511.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo16-1536x1022.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1710px) 100vw, 1710px" /></p>
  2130. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Down the hall is the gym, with rubber floors and a mirror wall. </span></p>
  2131. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647646 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo17.png" alt="The gym is equipped with a Peloton. " width="1716" height="1140" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo17.png 1716w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo17-300x199.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo17-768x510.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo17-1536x1020.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1716px) 100vw, 1716px" /></p>
  2132. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, a peek inside the basement bathroom and its fishbowl-like cedar sauna. </span></p>
  2133. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647647 size-full" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo18.png" alt="Finally, the basement bathroom, with its own cedar sauna. " width="1716" height="1144" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo18.png 1716w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo18-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo18-768x512.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo18-1536x1024.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1716px) 100vw, 1716px" /></p>
  2134. <hr />
  2135. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>. </em></p>
  2136. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-kahshe-lake/">Cottage of the Week: $4.9 million for a Muskoka escape with a widescreen view of Kahshe Lake</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  2142. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  2148. <title>国际学生的危险生活</title>
  2149. <link>https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada-simplified-chinese-translation/</link>
  2151. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  2152. <pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:18:07 +0000</pubDate>
  2153. <category><![CDATA[Deep Dives]]></category>
  2154. <category><![CDATA[international students]]></category>
  2155. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647529</guid>
  2156.  
  2157. <description><![CDATA[<p>他们来到这里是为了获得良好的教育和更美好的未来。然后，他们发现了自己的目标。</p>
  2158. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada-simplified-chinese-translation/">国际学生的危险生活</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2159. ]]></description>
  2160. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Read this article in English."><strong><em>Read this article in English.</em></strong></span></a></p>
  2161. <p><strong>认识陈伊恩</strong>（Ian Chan）的人都不相信他会卷入一起绑架案。作为一名移居加拿大学习商业的国际学生，他说话很慢，给人的印象是天真、乐于取悦别人。但他可能也会冲动和贪婪。</p>
  2162. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">有一次，在逛万锦市的太平洋购物中心时，陈闯入一个关闭的零售亭，抱着一大堆运动纪念品逃走了。几个小时后，他负疚不已，再次闯入零售亭，这次是为了归还赃物。两次违规都被摄像机拍到了。第一次违规的结果是陈被捕，第二次违规的结果是，允许他的律师协商一年的缓刑，而非牢狱之灾。</span></p>
  2163. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">2020年初，21岁的陈收到一条前室友藏泽宇（Zeyu Zang）的微信。陈很佩服藏。陈16岁时被单独送到加拿大，在日常生活中缺乏父母的指导。藏比他大12岁，就像他的大哥哥一样。有时候，他会请陈在万锦市的夜店狂欢。<br />
  2164. </span></p>
  2165. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">藏似乎总是有现成的现金，陈总是想办法补充父母寄给他的收入。在微信中，藏提出了一个赚钱的机会。他写道：“我想绑架某个人。”陈和藏通信的语言是普通话，最后一句话有点模棱两可。说“绑架”时，藏使用了汉语的动词“绑”，很口语化。这句话的意思可能是绑架某人，也或者仅仅只是把他绑起来。陈知道藏在从事非法活动——藏在士嘉堡的公寓里有一个文件实验室，在那里，他可以伪造包括驾照、健康卡在内的任何东西，但他并没有给陈留下邪恶的印象。陈告诉自己，藏的意图可能没有看上去那么险恶。也许，藏只是想以牙还牙，报复那些欺骗他的人。他决定不问太多关于任务性质的问题。他知道的越少越好。</span></p>
  2166. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2167. <p><strong>第二天一大早</strong>，陈就驱车前往藏所在大楼的大堂见他。这位年长的男子给了他一个跟踪设备，并给他发了一张白色宝马的照片，这辆宝马是24岁的金文博（Wenbo Jin）的，他是多伦多大学统计学专业的学生，他的父亲是中国一座煤矿的所有者之一。藏指示陈潜入学院街（College）和永利街（Yonge）附近，金所在的位于格林维尔街大楼，并将该设备安装在宝马的底盘上。在藏的要求下，陈还购买了两个滑雪面罩、一辆手推车和一台数码相机。</p>
  2168. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">金公寓的钥匙保管工作更为复杂。藏付钱给一个熟人去参加金将要参加的家庭聚会，从金的夹克口袋里偷走金的钥匙，丢在外面的邮箱里，这样，藏就可以把钥匙复制下来。钥匙到手，藏与陈会面，前往金位于格林维尔的32层公寓。一进去，这两人就开始寻找安全摄像头，发现没有摄像头，就匆忙翻找金的抽屉。藏找到了2000加元和人民币现金，他把这些钱给了陈，作为他服务的部分报酬。</span></p>
  2169. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">在他们开车离开公寓时，藏制定了计划：他雇佣了两个人绑架金，因为他知道他们可能会掠夺公寓，以获取贵重物品，所以，他想先把能拿的东西拿走。对陈来说，对于即将发生的事情，他不再有任何不清楚的地方，但他没有退出。相反，他坚持自己的立场：他不会直接参与绑架事件本身。<br />
  2170. </span></p>
  2171. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">三个晚上后，也就是1月21日凌晨3点多，陈在家里接了藏，开车带他去了格林维尔大楼附近的学院街。一辆道奇面包车在等他们。很快，藏为绑架案雇佣的两名男子也加入了他们的行列：克里斯托弗·马修斯（Kristopher Matthews）和杰沃恩·迈尔斯（Jevaughn Myers），前者的犯罪记录有入室盗窃、纵火和袭击。</span></p>
  2172. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">陈接到的指示是留在自己的车里，等待绑匪和金一起离开大楼，然后，跟随他们开着道奇车离开。如果有警车碰巧经过，他就会开始超速行驶，转移警查对面包车的注意。陈知道自己的所作所为是错误的。但是，他告诉自己，至少他没有直接参与绑架。</span></p>
  2173. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2174. <p><b>金开着一辆昂贵的车，</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">但他拒绝通常的富家子弟服饰，比如，名牌服装和派对药物。他的兴趣点是数据：数据可以用来预测各种现象，如，石油通过管道的速度，社区中疾病可能感染的人数。</span></p>
  2175. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">金被绑架的那天晚上，他在唐人街的一家餐馆里。他晚上11点到家，和往常一样，在上床睡觉前锁上了门。凌晨4点过后不久，他在公寓里的响声中醒来。他吓坏了，保持沉默。也许这些人是窃贼。也许他们会很快拿走他们想要的东西，然后离开。<br />
  2176. </span></p>
  2177. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">一分钟后，马修斯和迈尔斯戴着滑雪面罩闯入金的卧室。其中一人掐住金的脖子，另一人用枪指着他的头，事实证明，那是一把可以以假乱真的仿制品。这两人用胶带封住他的眼睛和嘴巴，并用拉链绑住他的手腕和脚踝。几分钟后，其中一人撕掉了金嘴上的胶带，强迫他吞下5毫克的思瑞康，这是一种强效镇静剂。</span></p>
  2178. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">绑架本来是要迅速发生的，马修斯和迈尔斯计划在金昏倒后立即带他离开公寓。</span></p>
  2179. <p>他们没有考虑到金会有多害怕。思瑞康与金体内循环的肾上腺素不匹配。在接下来的几个小时里，马修斯和迈尔斯又给金吃了三四剂，但他仍然清醒而恐惧。绑匪最初以洗劫公寓来打发时间。最后，他们只是坐下来等待。</p>
  2180. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-647532 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07_2.jpeg" alt="绑匪给金文博下药，把他塞在冰球袋里，然后，开车把他带到他们在列治文山的藏身处。" width="1920" height="1008" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07_2.jpeg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07_2-300x158.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07_2-768x403.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07_2-1536x806.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></span></p>
  2181. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>天一亮，陈就慌了。“你在干什么？已经6点了，”他给附近坐在自己车里的藏发短信。“等着。” 藏简短地回答。早上7点40分，藏开始担心绑匪在耍花招。“上去看看，我觉得他们在耍花招。”藏发短信给陈。陈死守与自己达成的协议，拒绝了。</p>
  2182. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">差10分钟9点的时候，金的早晨闹钟响了，他被绑了将近5个小时。藏决定他们不能再等了，因为金的旷课会被注意到，此时一个关心他的朋友可能会出现在公寓里。即使金还醒着，也是时候离开了。</span></p>
  2183. <p>上午9点左右，马修斯和迈尔斯带着一个大冰球袋进入金的房间，命令他蜷缩成紧紧一团。金的心一沉，照吩咐的做了。他一进袋子，这两个男子就给他盖上衣服。金很快就热得满头大汗，呼吸困难。这两个男子把袋子装到一辆手推车上，推着它穿过走廊，进入电梯。他们在四楼下车，把金抬下楼梯间，楼梯间通向后门。金感觉到冬天的空气刺破了袋子的布。然后，他感觉自己被塞进了一辆车。</p>
  2184. <p>在路上，金终于昏倒了。45分钟后，这两人在马伦戈大道2号停了下来，这是藏以化名租来的列治文山的房子。金在被抬到三楼时醒了。他不知道自己在哪里，也不知道自己已经在运输途中过了多久。他不知道，几个小时后，绑架他的人会索要赎金，来换取他的安全返回。</p>
  2185. <p><strong>像金这样的国际学生</strong>很容易受到一系列犯罪计划的影响，其中大多数案件对加拿大公民来说是不可想象的。他们可能会和土生土长的同龄人一起学习和参加讲座，但他们生活在一个剥削泛滥、法律保护渺茫、安全远未得到保障的现实中。</p>
  2186. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">几十年来，学生们从印度、巴基斯坦、中国和其它地方来到加拿大学习。早在1970年，他们就占到学生总数的5%左右。20世纪90年代，在各省取消对国外学费的管制，允许高等教育机构随心所欲地收费后，这一数字开始激增。最初对学校来说是，这是一笔意外之财，现在已经演变成了一种必需品：最近政府对高等教育的削减促使越来越多的机构共挖掘这一利润丰厚的收入来源。</span></p>
  2187. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">咨询公司高等教育战略协会的创始人兼总裁亚历克斯·乌舍尔（Alex Usher）表示：“从绝对值来看，安大略省政府在大专院校上的支出比10年前减少了28%。自道格·福特上任以来，国内学费减少了约25%。国外学费现在是该系统中唯一的周转资金来源。如果没有它，就无法真正经营一所大学。”（二月下旬，安大略省高校部长吉尔·邓洛普（Jill Dunlop）宣布在三年内向高校提供超过 12 亿加元的资金，但分摊到全省 48 所公立大专院校，这笔资金几乎九牛一毛。）</span></p>
  2188. <figure id="attachment_647537" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647537" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647537 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2.jpeg" alt="Seneca College" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02_2-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647537" class="wp-caption-text"><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">外国学费的最大受益者是安大略省的社区学院，据乌舍尔称，这些学院由55%的国际学生组成。如今，该省共有40多万国际学生，每个学生的学费是国内学费的3到10倍。乌舍尔估计，这一群体每年为学院和大学带来约81亿加元的收入，是省级政府拨款的四倍多。</span></figcaption></figure>
  2189. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">从理论上讲，这些都不是问题。我们的学校没有理由不寻求培养来自世界各地有才华的学生。然而，现实情况是，教育并不是唯一被出售的商品，不良行为者比比皆是。</span></p>
  2190. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">专业招聘人员经常会联系准学生，向他们保证毕业后可以在加拿大工作几年，届时，他们可以利用自己的工作经历申请留在加拿大。许多教育机构真正出售的是永久居留权的可能性，但这绝不保证。</span></p>
  2191. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647540 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04_2.jpeg" alt="International students at Seneca College" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04_2.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04_2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04_2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04_2-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2192. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">并非所有机构都如此愤世嫉俗。在一所受人尊敬的加拿大学院获得学位本身可能是一项有价值的投资：这个学位可以帮你在国内外找到收入丰厚的工作，或者进入著名的商学院/法学院。但是，即使是最有善意的大学，也未能保护好国际学生，使他们免受一心想要利用他们的人的伤害。<br />
  2193. </span></p>
  2194. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">今年1月，联邦移民部长马克·米勒（Marc Miller）宣布了一项为期两年的境外学生学习许可上限，将人数限制在36万人左右，约占2023年学生总数的65%。但这项措施主要是为了让住房和医疗保健部门有机会跟上需求（国际学生的涌入加剧了这个需求）。它无法保护学生免受阴暗的房东、剥削性老板、骗子和暴力施虐者的伤害。</span></p>
  2195. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2196. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>来自旁遮普邦的</strong>25岁锡克教男子洛夫普里特·辛格（Lovepreet Singh）2017年抵达加拿大时，已经向一名招聘人员支付了17500加元。这笔钱的近一半本来应该用于支付他在密西索加的莱姆顿学院的第一学期学费，他希望在该学院学习商业。招聘人员甚至给了辛格一封似乎是兰顿官方信纸的录取通知书。但是，当辛格在报名当天来到莱姆顿学院时，前台的服务员在报名名单上找不到他的名字。在接下来的几周里，辛格多次回到兰普顿，手里拿着录取通知书，在大学官员面前为自己的案件辩护。每次，他都碰一鼻子灰。在绝望中，他写信给院长，院长于2018年1月安排了一次面谈。辛格抵达时，加拿大边境服务局的特工正在等他。他们逮捕了辛格，并没收了他的护照，声称他是以欺诈为借口留在加拿大的。在印度，没有人去找那个假招聘人员，他在拿走辛格的钱后失踪了。</span></p>
  2197. <p>一场噩梦般的拉锯战随即展开。加拿大边境服务局发布了驱逐令，辛格在法庭上辩护，但最终败诉。辛格的律师直接向时任联邦移民部长艾哈迈德·胡森（Ahmed Hussen）提出上诉，后者推翻了这一命令。当辛格的护照最终归还给他时，他申请了蒙特利尔矩阵学院的一个商业项目，并被录取。他在2019年12月第一天上课，即他计划开始学习的两年后。</p>
  2198. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647544 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10_2.jpeg" alt="Lovepreet Singh came to Canada as an international student. He didn't know his admission letter was fraudulent " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10_2.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10_2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10_2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10_2-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2199. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">事实证明，拖延的代价是高昂的。辛格开始在矩阵学院学习，他的学生签证上就已经没有足够的时间来供他完成学位，所以，他申请了延期，但再次被拒。他现在正在为另一个遣返令而辩护，该命令一再被推迟，但尚未被废除。突然逮捕、即将被驱逐出境、法庭听证会，这些似乎都是对上当受骗的惩罚。与辛格支付的3万加元的法律费用相比，辛格支付给假招聘人员的钱几乎微不足道，所有这些都是为了纠正一个令人震惊的常见骗局。2023年6月，移民部成立了一个特别工作组，审查285起类似案件，每起案件都涉及来自印度、越南或中国的学生，他们都带着看似欺诈的录取通知书来到加拿大。<br />
  2200. </span></p>
  2201. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">当然，真正的录取通知书并不能保证安全。当国际学生抵达加拿大时，他们往往负债累累。对于黑心雇主来说，这种绝对是一项可利用的资源。一些老板会让学生在危险条件下工作，或者惩罚性地长时间轮班。一些老板则坚持以现金支付学生工资，工资远低于最低工资水平。目前，学习签证将学生每周的工作时间限制在20小时以内。知道了这一限制，老板可能会强迫学生加班，并拒绝支付额外的劳动报酬。学生们担心，如果他们报告工资被扣，他们最终会因为违反签证条款而被驱逐出境。<br />
  2202. </span></p>
  2203. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">2023年秋天，一位来自印度的国际学生卡瓦尔吉特（Kawaljeet）被聘为布兰普顿一家医疗诊所的接待员，她要求只透露自己的名字。这项工作并不复杂，在第一次培训的几个小时内，她就独自完成了许多任务。在轮班结束时，诊所经理向她解释了雇佣条款。诊所经理说，在她为期一个月的训练期间，她将无偿工作，之后，将评估她的表现，并决定是否让她继续工作。</span></p>
  2204. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">卡瓦尔吉特非常震惊。她立即向一位曾在加拿大留学的家庭成员寻求建议。她的亲戚解释说，卡瓦尔吉特是司空见惯的欺骗对象：在勒索她免费劳动后，雇主几乎肯定会解雇她。第二天，卡瓦尔吉特打电话给她的老板，拒绝了这份工作。然后，她花了四个月的时间才在其培训地方找到工作。她非但没有因为躲过了欺骗而感到宽慰，反而后悔错过了现在看来是她最有希望的工作机会。她说：“我想，为了获得经验，我应该接受这份工作。”卡瓦尔吉特发现，绝望会迫使人们做他们知道不应该做的事情。</span></p>
  2205. <p>2022年夏天，来自伊朗的工程系学生阿米娜·苏莱曼尼（Armina Soleymani）在滑铁卢大学读博士二年级时，她的室友说自己要搬走了。这俩学生每月分摊1400加元的租金，而苏莱曼尼无法独自承担。她立即通知房东，并开始寻找新的住处。</p>
  2206. <p>市场非常糟糕。新来的学生们都在抢公寓，很少有公寓在索莱曼尼可承受的价格范围内。索莱曼尼在脸书上发现了一位名叫桑德拉·罗利（Sandra Rowley）的女士发布的租房信息，她提出以每月1000加元的价格转租离校园不远的合租公寓的一间卧室。 周六上午9:30，苏莱曼尼去那栋大楼看那套多卧室公寓。这次出行很简短，罗利坚持要小声交流，她声称，其他租房者还在睡觉。</p>
  2207. <p>当索莱曼尼表示她对这个单元感兴趣时，罗利递给她一份租约，并建议她立即签署。她解释说，她很想搬出去，愿意马上把房间让给任何愿意租住的人。罗利还坚持要求苏莱曼尼以现金预付第一个月和上个月的租金。当索莱曼尼问罗利为什么不能接受电子转账时，罗利解释说她刚刚申请了一份新工作。她的潜在雇主可能会审查她的银行记录，如果他看到罗利的账户里有2000加元，他可能会认为罗利不需要这份工作，并将这份工作提供给其他人。</p>
  2208. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">罗利的解释对索莱曼尼来说毫无意义，但考虑到她对加拿大工作文化知之甚少，她没有再问任何问题。此外，她没有时间仔细考虑——她对住房的需求超过了渐涨的疑虑。她从银行取了1000加元（每日最高金额），又向朋友借了1000加元。</span></p>
  2209. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">为了保护自己，索莱曼尼坚持采取三项预防措施。第一，她要在大楼的门厅处付钱给罗利，那里有安全摄像头的全程监控。第二，她向罗利索要身份证。罗利向索莱曼尼出示了一张上面有名字和照片的驾照，该姓名和照片与罗利在Facebook上的个人资料相吻合。这张照片是否与她的脸相吻合就更难判断了：新冠肺炎疫情肆虐，罗利一直戴着口罩。</span></p>
  2210. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">在交出全部积蓄后，索莱曼尼在大楼前门测试她的新电子钥匙卡。电子钥匙卡不能用。但罗利准备好了一个解释：电子钥匙卡会在索莱曼尼的入住之日被激活。</span></p>
  2211. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">索莱曼尼在即将入住前不久回到公寓，无法摆脱不断增长的不安。她与大楼经理进行了交谈，经理告诉她，最近与罗利一起看公寓的其他人也联系过他，他们都被骗了。大楼经理推测，罗利化名工作，她将合租单元的一个房间转租了几天，在这足够长的时间内多次让人看房，并说服潜在租户交钱，然后失踪。索莱曼尼向警方报告了这起诈骗案，警方展开了调查，但没有结果。尽管这对苏莱曼尼来说是毁灭性的，但与同龄人相比，她的故事相对温和。因为房东通常不愿意租房给国际学生，那些愿意租给国际学生的房东对租户的影响很大。一些国际学生发现自己花钱住在家里，但在家里，他们受到侮辱、回避或行动被限制在卧室内。一些学生则生活条件恶劣：今年1月，布兰普顿市的法律执行官员发现25名国际学生挤在一户人家的地下室里。</span></p>
  2212. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647546 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma_02.jpeg" alt="Armina Soleymani was the victim of a rental scam" width="2000" height="1331" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma_02.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma_02-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma_02-768x511.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma_02-1536x1022.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2213. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">当苏莱曼尼开始向其他国际学生讲述她的故事时，她发现许多人都是类似案件的受害者。因为他们是学生，索莱曼尼和她的同龄人迫切需要稀缺的夏末租房；因为他们是新人，所以很容易成为被骗对象。他们不熟悉加拿大的习俗，所以，很难确定房东的行为是否正常。</span></p>
  2214. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">语言障碍、刑法知识有限以及缺少当地支持，会使国际学生容易受到其它形式的利用，如，雇主、房东和其他房客的性侵犯。2020年9月，19岁的印度女孩儿玛丽亚姆（Maryam）抵达加拿大，在蒙特利尔开始自己的本科学习。（玛丽亚姆是化名，她的身份受到出版禁令的保护。）在皮尔逊机场中转时，海关人员告诉她，她必须隔离两周才能继续前往目的地。她住不起酒店，但在家人熟人的帮助下，她在科克镇一个廉价的爱彼迎民宿平台上找到了一间共享厨房和浴室的房间。</span></p>
  2215. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">入住后不久，玛丽亚姆与和她住在同一楼层的26岁男子卡文（也是化名）开始聊天。玛丽亚姆主要说旁遮普语，但她的英语很好，足以让她和卡文建立良好的关系。第二天，他们在厨房里聊天，之后，又去了卡文的房间看电影。</span></p>
  2216. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">在玛丽亚姆被隔离的第五天，卡文来到她的房间，问她是否想一起看电影，她同意了。这次，卡文的态度变了，没有那么毕恭毕敬了。他们开始是坐在床的两侧，但卡文很快缩短了他们之间的距离，开始抚摩玛丽亚姆的手臂。玛丽亚姆叫他停下来，但他变得更加嚣张。突然，卡文亲吻玛丽亚姆的嘴巴，拉起她的衣服，强行压在她身上。这次强奸迅速而残忍。同样可怕的是，玛丽亚姆意识到，根据法律，她现在被困在一所房子里，但她唯一认识的人就是她的强奸犯。</span></p>
  2217. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">玛丽亚姆试图避开卡文，但几天后，卡文又一次强奸了她。强奸结束后，她问他是否在她体内射精了。“你难道不需要孩子吗？”他冷笑道。当晚，卡文再次回来，并试图强行进入她的房间。他们的抗争持续了10分钟，直到一名送餐员送来卡文的订单。这次中断使玛丽亚姆有足够的时间脱身。她跑到楼下，叫那里的住户报警。卡文当晚被捕。</span></p>
  2218. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">在两年后的审讯中，卡文的律师问玛丽亚姆，为什么她在第一次性侵后还继续住在那个房子里，为什么她等了好几天才给当局打电话。玛丽亚姆作证说，卡文用对待国际学生所惯用的谎言威胁她：他说自己人脉广，可以随时将她驱逐出境。玛丽亚姆对加拿大移民法一无所知，他的威胁似乎很可信，足以吓到她。她最不想看到的事情就是回到印度，这样，她接受外国教育的梦想就破灭了。</span></p>
  2219. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">2022年9月，法官判处卡文七年有期徒刑。卡文否认玛丽亚姆可能采取某种方式以避免性侵的说法，也否认玛丽亚姆对自己有实际诱惑的说法。和许多国际学生一样，玛丽亚姆认为性侵者大权在握。</span></p>
  2220. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2221. <p><strong>金的绑匪没有打他<span style="font-weight: 400;">，</span></strong>也没有折磨他，但也没有对他特别好。在马伦戈大道的房子里，金被关押的卧室窗户上盖了一块木板，一台摄像机监视着门。阳光透不进来，金学会了用周围的活动规律来计算天数：当客厅里震耳欲聋的说唱音乐渐渐平息时，他估计是晚上。各种各样的男人每天到他的房间来一两次，给他拿来匹萨或者麦当劳的外卖。</p>
  2222. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">他们不允许金洗澡或者换衣服。起初，他在房间角落的一个水桶里解手，但是，当臭气熏天时，那些男人让他使用附近的洗手间。过了几天，这些人还给了他其它的小恩惠。他们用更舒适的布眼罩取代他眼睛上的胶带。他们还把绑在他手腕和脚踝上的拉链换成了链子和挂锁，这样，他就能够更轻松地走动。金从来没有看见过绑架他的人，但他学会了辨认他们的声音，以及他们女朋友的声音，他们的女朋友经常来往。</span></p>
  2223. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">金与外界的唯一联系是与父亲裕民（Yumin）的两通电话。第一通电话是在绑架案发生后的那天晚上安排的，目的是传达赎金要求。在藏的指示下，陈用一次性手机和金的微信账号建立了通话。当电话接通时，看到儿子的名字窗口弹出，裕民松了一口气。（金失踪的消息是他的侄子通知他的，侄子是约克大学的学生，当金没有回复他的信息时，他就开始担心了。）随后，裕民从金的声音中听到了恐惧。金解释说，绑匪想要500比特币来换取他的安全归来。按照指示，他恳求父亲立即支付赎金，并警告他不要联系警方，他说此举可能会危及他的生命。</span></p>
  2224. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">通话几分钟后，绑匪通过金的微信向裕民发送了一个链接，链接到多伦多加密货币交易所的VirgoCX网站上。消息中写道：“这只是其中一种方式。你也可以找到自己的方式来购买比特币。如果你想让你的儿子安然无恙，越快越好。”藏想要的赎金高达550万加元。如果绑匪要得少一点，裕民可能会及时付清。但是，他们索要的赎金高得离谱，这就迫使他做他们警告过他不要做的事情：联系警方。</span></p>
  2225. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">裕民向绑匪保证，他会在三天内筹集到资金。然后，他和金的母亲悄悄地登上了飞往加拿大的飞机。1月25日，这对夫妇来到登打士西区（Dundas West）52号 ，在那里，他们把自己所知道的都告诉了警方。警察向裕民保证，他们会尽一切可能去找金，但他们担心赎金要求的窗口期很短。警察说，裕民能做的最好的事情就是争取时间。警方建议裕民假装与绑匪配合，同时，为赎金延迟的原因提供可信的借口。裕民把事情拖得越久，取得积极结果的机会就越大。</span></p>
  2226. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">命运给裕民提供了一个可信的借口。新冠疫情尚未抵达加拿大，但病毒正在中国肆虐，并在全球范围内引起恐慌。在与藏的微信交流中，裕民盯上了新冠肺炎。这些对话的文字记录是一项对比研究。裕民给人的印象是既苦恼又狡猾，他对儿子的被俘深感担忧，但又狡猾到足以骗过绑匪。另一方面，绑匪则显得绝望而残忍。</span></p>
  2227. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">1月24日，在离开中国之前，裕民恳求金再通一次电话。他在微信语音信息中说：“我想听听儿子的声音，请允许我儿子说点什么。希望你们不要打他，不要对他大喊大叫或者虐待他。”他的请求被拒绝了。那天，藏的回复很不祥，他发短信说：“不要强迫我们做任何我们不想做的事，如果你不配合我们，后果自负。”</span></p>
  2228. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">第二天，裕民告诉绑匪新冠肺炎在中国肆虐横行。他在语音留言中说：“现在，政府的通告遍布全市，一些城市被关闭，一些村庄也被封锁。” 裕民释说，由于银行关停，他没法取出赎金。但他乐观地认为，这种情况很快就会自行解决，他只需要再等几天。</span></p>
  2229. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">裕民一再要求延长期限。藏答应了他的请求，也许是因为他别无选择：他在计划中没有考虑到疫情。当裕民要求对金的安全做出保证时，他的回答简洁而隐晦：“至少他没有感染病毒。”</span></p>
  2230. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">1月31日，也许是为了证明金还活着，臧答应了裕民的请求，跟他的儿子通话。在拔通电话前，藏提醒金，如果他不想受伤或者被打的话，就必须谨慎说话。在电话中，金向裕民保证，他儿子的身体没有受伤。在结束通话前，玉民告诉儿子要勇敢。他保证道：“我会带你回家的。”</span></p>
  2231. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2232. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>从潜在绑匪的角度来看，</strong>富有的国际学生之所以有吸引力，部分原因是他们确信当地警察不称职，或者不关心外籍人士的苦难。菲莎河谷大学研究加拿大国际学生的历史学家戴尔·麦卡特尼（Dale McCartney）说：“没有加拿大人会相信绑匪会收买加拿大皇家骑警（RCMP）。但是，如果你对这个国家了解不多，这个想法似乎是合理的。”</span></p>
  2233. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">2019年3月23日，在金被塞进冰球袋不到一年的时候，22岁的国际学生陆万珍（Wanzhen Lu）在他位于万锦市的高端公寓楼的停车场被绑架。三名身穿连帽衫的男子用泰瑟枪袭击鲁，朝其头部猛击，并将其扔到一辆面包车的车箱。他们开车把他带到汉密尔顿市郊外一个没有暖气的谷仓，用胶带把他绑在椅子上。然后，打电话给他的女朋友，索要500比特币（当时价值250万加元）才能释放他。</span></p>
  2234. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">被绑架后不久，陆试图挣脱胶带，逃离谷仓。绑匪迅速追上他，用刀抵住他的喉咙，并威胁说，如果陆再次逃跑，就开枪打死他。之后，他们又把陆带回谷仓，铐上他的手，并用铁链锁住他的腿。这起犯罪事件很快在全国成为头条新闻，给绑匪施加了很大压力。</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">三天后，他们决定放弃计划：绑匪驱车200公里向北前往格雷文赫斯特镇，将陆放到一条乡村公路旁。陆来到附近的一所房子，房主报了警。</span></p>
  2235. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">最终，四名男子因绑架陆而被判有罪。在对其中一人的量刑听证会上，法官对罪行的极端性质表示愤慨。</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">法官把加拿大描述为一个人们可以“在世界上四处走动而不被搭讪和绑架”的国家，他的观点是绑架等犯罪不会在这里发生。但是，以一些国际学生为例，比如，李凯港杰基（Kai Kong Jackie Lee）于2004年在温哥华被绑架，李思浓（Si Nong Li）于2013年在不列颠哥伦比亚省列冶文市被绑架，金文博也是如此。</span></p>
  2236. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">勒索赎金并不总是涉及实际的绑架，有时，受害者会被诱骗躲藏起来。2017年11月，一位名叫张娟文（Juanwen Zhang）的20岁国际学生接到一个陌生人的电话，该人自称是中国领事馆的代表。打电话的人告诉张，犯罪分子正在利用她的银行账户进行非法活动，如，国际毒品销售，此人建议她潜逃，关掉手机，避开社交媒体，否则，她可能会被国际刑警组织逮捕。</span></p>
  2237. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">张乘坐公共汽车去了蒙特利尔市。但是，由于她行程中没有携带身份证，酒店拒绝为她提供住宿。她在一家24小时营业的麦当劳餐厅里度过了一个不眠之夜。然后，她又乘坐公共汽车去了渥太华，在那里，她设法找到了一张床和早餐。张一离开所在的小镇，骗子就给她在中国的父亲曾（Zeng）打了电话。打电话的人说他绑架了张，并索要100万加元才能让女儿安全返回。并补充道：“不要报警，否则，你会收到一具死尸。”</span></p>
  2238. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">最后，张在多伦多的男朋友报告了这起失踪事件。警方随后联系了张的室友，张的室友无意中听到了张与领事馆来电者的电话。警方发布通知，要求张的朋友与她联系，并鼓励她站出来。</span></p>
  2239. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">在渥太华呆了两天后，张打开手机，看到一连串的信息，解释说她被骗了。她立刻联系了家人。在她失踪的这段时间，另外两名学生——16岁的柯旭（Ke Xu）和17岁的岳璐（Yue Lui）也在类似的情况下失踪。他们也是在几天内被发现的。</span></p>
  2240. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2241. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>金的绑匪犯了</strong>一些大错误。一是高估了金裕民的财富状况；第二个是误判了一次性手机的匿名性。诚然，一次性手机通常不会连接到已知用户的IP地址，但它仍然是一个支持互联网的设备，里面有很多调查人员可以访问和分析的信息。</span></p>
  2242. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">为了从金的微信中拨打赎金电话，绑匪首先必须通过多因素识别程序，这就需要他们登录金的电子邮件。这就是确凿的证据。在微软的帮助下，警方的数字取证小组发现有人（他们不确定此人是谁）在绑架案发生的第二天访问了金的电子邮件账户。随后，加拿大贝尔（Bell Canada）公司可以通过已被访问的电子邮件账户来提供一次性手机的IP地址。继尔，苹果公司发现，一次性手机用户使用陈的电子邮件地址登录了该设备，警方已经将陈的电子邮件地址存档：当陈因运动纪念品零售亭抢劫案被捕时，他们已经将其记下。</span></p>
  2243. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 陈立即成为此案的关注对象，警方抓取了他最近的电话活动记录。警方现在知道，陈登录了马伦戈大道2号的WiFi，并与另一位手机用户保持着定期联系。警方还不知道第二个用户的身份，但他们有此人的电话号码，这意味着他们可以拨打这个电话，并在该用户在城市中活动时监控其行踪。2020年1月27日，当该用户上下407号公路时，警方跟踪到了他。为了收取管理通行费，407ETR特许经营公司（拥有这条高速公路的财团）会为每辆进出的车辆拍摄带有时间戳的照片。只有一辆车与嫌疑人的确切行踪相符：那就是藏泽宇的吉普牧马人。</span></p>
  2244. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">两天后的半夜，警方在马伦戈大道2号外的一根电线杆上秘密安装了一个监控摄像头，使他们能够看到这辆吉普牧马人的来来往往。他们现在有充分的理由怀疑金被关押在这个房子里，但他们还不能确定。警方面临着一个两难的境地：越早突袭这个房子，就越有可能找到活着的金，但是，如果突袭这个房子，也就宣布了警方的存在。如果金被关押在其它地方，绑匪就会知道裕民已经报告了这起绑架案件，从而进行报复，杀死裕民的儿子。</span></p>
  2245. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647569 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06.jpeg" alt="The room where Jin was held" width="1211" height="807" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06.jpeg 1211w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1211px) 100vw, 1211px" /></p>
  2246. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">该案的首席侦探迈克尔·克尔（Michael Kerr）推断，如果警察要进去，他们必须几乎确定他们所推断的位置是正确的。1月31日，当裕民第二次和儿子通话时，警察和他在一起。因为他们在监视马伦戈的房子，他们可以看到陈在通话开始前进入该所房子，通话结束后立即离开这所房子。这是克尔侦探采取行动所需要的证据。</span></p>
  2247. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">2月2日下午，警察和紧急任务组包围了这所房子，并冲进前门。他们扔了一枚眩晕手榴弹，让居民迷失方向，然后强行闯入。</span></p>
  2248. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">手榴弹一响，两名男子从二楼窗户跳下。第一个是杰沃恩·迈尔斯，他是最初的绑匪之一；另一个是一位37岁的男子，目前尚不清楚他在绑架案中的角色。两人都被蹲守在后院的警察制服了。</span></p>
  2249. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">一名警察走到三楼，踢开了金被关押的房间的门。他用断线钳剪断了金的铁链，把他扶到附近的凳子上。当他摘下眼罩时，金几乎无法睁开眼睛。他开始无法控制地抽泣起来。这是他13天来第一次看到阳光。</span></p>
  2250. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">当他们开车离开房子时，金告诉克尔侦探他确信自己会死。在车站，金被带到了会议室，他的父母正在那里等他。金哭着冲向家人，胳膊上还挂着断了的链子。</span></p>
  2251. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2252. <p><strong>剩下的多米诺骨牌</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">迅速倒下了。马伦戈突袭后的第二天早上，警方在北约克将藏拦下并逮捕了他。在吉普车里，他们发现了金的驾驶执照和格伦维尔公寓附近一家麦当劳餐厅的收据，日期是1月21日凌晨，当时绑架正在进行。警察在陈的女友家中找到陈，并将其逮捕。</span></p>
  2253. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">去年秋天，藏与两名同案被告一起受审。陪审团收到了大量证据——手机记录、微信日志、法医分析和监控录像，所有这些都由官方的主要证人为其作证：陈伊恩（Ian Chan）很配合，可能是希望获得减刑。证据确凿，10月21日，陪审团判定臧绑架金，并强行给金下药。</span></p>
  2254. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">四个月后，在宣判听证会上，藏坐在箱子里，双手抱头。没有人和他说话。藏的律师劳拉·维拉尼（Laura Villani）讲述了一个有关她当事人的感人故事。她透露，藏也是一名国际学生。他离开中国前往加拿大，在百年理工学院学习商业运营，并尽可能远离身受虐待的父亲。故事的其余部分似曾相识。和成千上万的同龄人一样，藏也很难找到工作，最终在一家摄影实验室找到了一份报酬微薄的工作，在那里上夜班。他总是疲惫不堪，2015年，他在开车时睡着了，撞了车。由于头部受伤，导致他在工作中犯了错误，最终被解雇。维拉尼律师声称，就是在那个时候，他把犯罪当成了赚钱的手段。</span></p>
  2255. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">审判法官肖恩·邓菲（Sean Dunphy）并不相信藏的辩护。3月6日，他判处藏20年有期徒刑。作为理由，他列举了绑架的预谋和邪恶性。他写道，“在我看来，作为这起精心策划案的犯罪主谋，臧的角色应该判处最高或接近最高的刑罚。”（两名绑匪马修斯和迈尔斯分别被判处15年和10年有期徒刑。截至发稿时，陈仍在等待宣判。）</span></p>
  2256. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">在许多方面，藏被卷入了伤害金和许多同龄人的同一体系中。这一体系建立在我们的教育机构之上，但与教育本身只有间接关系。尽管政府最近进行了干预，但这个问题不太可能显著改善。未来五年将有100多万国际学生来到加拿大。许多人将面临失业、贫困、住房条件差，以及恶劣的工作条件。犯罪分子将会继续对他们下手。</span></p>
  2257. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">在臧的量刑听审会上，最令人心酸的时刻是检察官埃琳·潘采尔（Erin Pancer）宣读了金的受害者影响声明。在这份文件中，金讲述了绑架的创伤如何改变了他的生活。自2020年以来，他一直害怕陌生人，无法集中精力学习。金写道：“有一段时间，我害怕独自在家里睡觉，我不得不开着灯睡觉，有时会从噩梦中醒来。”他离开自己的家和家人前往加拿大寻求高等教育，但却遭遇了暴力和恐怖。最后，金收拾好他在格伦维尔街公寓的行李，登上了回中国的飞机。他没有留下来完成他的学位。</span></p>
  2258. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada-simplified-chinese-translation/">国际学生的危险生活</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2259. ]]></content:encoded>
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  2264. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  2265. <media:title></media:title>
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  2269. <item>
  2270. <title>The perilous lives of Canada&#8217;s international students</title>
  2271. <link>https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada/</link>
  2273. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  2274. <pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:17:00 +0000</pubDate>
  2275. <category><![CDATA[Deep Dives]]></category>
  2276. <category><![CDATA[big stories]]></category>
  2277. <category><![CDATA[crime]]></category>
  2278. <category><![CDATA[housing crisis]]></category>
  2279. <category><![CDATA[Immigration]]></category>
  2280. <category><![CDATA[international students]]></category>
  2281. <category><![CDATA[True Crime]]></category>
  2282. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646931</guid>
  2283.  
  2284. <description><![CDATA[<p>They come here for the promise of a good education and a better future. Then they discover the target on their backs</p>
  2285. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada/">The perilous lives of Canada&#8217;s international students</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2286. ]]></description>
  2287. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada-simplified-chinese-translation/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Read this article in Mandarin."><em><strong>Read this article in Mandarin.</strong></em></span></a></p>
  2288. <p><span class="drop-cap"></p>
  2289. <p><span class="drop-cap">P</span>eople who knew Ian Chan didn’t believe he’d get involved in a kidnapping. An international student who’d moved to Canada to study commerce, he spoke slowly and came across as naive and eager to please. But he could also be impulsive and greedy.</p>
  2290. <p>Once, during a visit to the Pacific Mall in Markham, Chan broke into a closed retail kiosk and made off with an armful of sports memorabilia. A few hours later, overcome with guilt, he broke into the kiosk again, this time to return the stolen goods. Both breaches were caught on camera. The first one resulted in Chan’s arrest; the second allowed his lawyer to negotiate a year-long suspended sentence rather than jail time.</p>
  2291. <p>Chan was 21 years old when, in early 2020, he received a WeChat message from Zeyu Zang, his former roommate. Chan admired Zang. Sent to Canada, alone, at age 16, Chan lacked parental guidance in his day-to-day life. Zang, who was 12 years older, was like a big brother to Chan. Occasionally, he’d treat Chan to boozy nights out in Markham.</p>
  2292. <p>Zang always seemed to have ready cash, and Chan was always looking for ways to supplement the income his parents sent him. In the WeChat message, Zang proposed a lucrative opportunity. “I want to kidnap somebody,” he wrote. In Mandarin, the language of Chan and Zang’s correspondence, that last sentence was ambiguous. For “kidnap,” Zang used the Chinese verb “bang,” which has a few colloquial meanings. It can mean to abduct someone—or perhaps just to tie them up. Chan knew that Zang was into illegal activities—Zang had a documents lab in his Scarborough apartment, where he could forge seemingly anything, from driver’s licences to health cards—but he didn’t strike Chan as evil. Chan told himself that Zang’s intentions were likely less sinister than they might seem. Perhaps Zang was just looking to settle an old score, to get back at someone who’d ripped him off. He decided not to ask too many questions about the nature of the assignment. The less he knew, the better.</p>
  2293. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/akarshannoor-singh-international-student-cap-colleges-universities/" class="article-link"><span data-title="“Since the federal government capped international student enrolment, many of us haven’t felt welcome in Canada”">“Since the federal government capped international student enrolment, many of us haven’t felt welcome in Canada”</span></a></em></p>
  2294. <p>Early the next morning, Chan drove out to meet Zang in the lobby of his building. The older man gave him a tracking device and texted him a photograph of a white BMW belonging to Wenbo Jin, a 24-year-old statistics major at the University of Toronto whose father was a partial owner of a coal mine in China. Zang instructed Chan to infiltrate Jin’s building on Grenville Street, near College and Yonge, and plant the device on the chassis of the BMW. At Zang’s behest, Chan also purchased a couple of ski masks, a dolly and a digital camera.</p>
  2295. <p>Securing the keys to Jin’s apartment was more complicated. Zang paid an acquaintance to go to a house party where Jin would be in attendance, swipe Jin’s keys from his jacket pocket and drop them in a mailbox outside so Zang could get them copied. Keys in hand, Zang met up with Chan to head over to Jin’s 32nd-floor apartment on Grenville. Once inside, the men checked for security cameras and, seeing none, rifled through Jin’s drawers. Zang found $2,000 in Canadian and Chinese cash, which he gave to Chan as partial payment for his services.</p>
  2296. <p>As they drove away from the apartment, Zang laid out the plan: he’d hired a couple of men to kidnap Jin, and since he knew that they would likely pillage the apartment for valuables, he wanted to take what he could for himself first. For Chan, there was no longer any ambiguity regarding what was about to transpire, but he didn’t back out. Instead, he stood his ground on one point: he wouldn’t be directly involved in the abduction itself.</p>
  2297. <p>Three nights later, on January 21, at just past 3 a.m., Chan picked up Zang at his home and drove him to College Street near the Grenville building. A Dodge van was waiting for them. They were soon joined by two men Zang had hired for the abduction: Kristopher Matthews, whose rap sheet included burglary, arson and assault, and Jevaughn Myers.</p>
  2298. <p>Chan’s instructions were to stay in his vehicle, wait for the kidnappers to exit the building with Jin, and then follow them as they drove off in the Dodge. If a cop car happened to pass by, he’d begin speeding, diverting attention from the van. Chan knew that what he was doing was wrong. But, he told himself, at least he wasn’t participating directly in the violence.</p>
  2299. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2300. <p><span class="drop-cap">J</span>in drove an expensive car, but he otherwise rejected the usual rich-kid trappings like designer clothes and party drugs. His passion was data: the way it could be used to predict various phenomena, from the speed at which oil will move through a pipeline to the number of people a disease is likely to infect in a community.</p>
  2301. <p>The night he was kidnapped, Jin had been at a restaurant in Chinatown. He got home at 11 p.m. and, as always, locked his door before heading to bed. He awoke shortly after 4 a.m. to the sound of voices in his apartment. Terrified, he kept quiet. Maybe the men were burglars. Maybe they’d quickly take what they wanted and go.</p>
  2302. <p>A minute later, Matthews and Myers burst into Jin’s bedroom wearing ski masks. One of the men put Jin in a chokehold and the other pointed a gun—a convincing replica, it would turn out—at his head. The men covered his eyes and mouth with duct tape and bound his wrists and ankles with zip ties. After a few minutes, one of them ripped off the tape covering Jin’s mouth and forced him to swallow a five-milligram tab of Seroquel, a powerful sedative.</p>
  2303. <p>The kidnapping was meant to happen quickly—Matthews and Myers had planned to leave the apartment with Jin as soon as he passed out. They hadn’t factored in how terrified Jin would be. The Seroquel was no match for the adrenalin that coursed through Jin’s body. Over the next few hours, Matthews and Myers gave Jin three or four more doses, but he remained wide awake and fearful. The kidnappers initially passed the time by ransacking the apartment. Eventually, they just sat down and waited.</p>
  2304. <figure id="attachment_647262" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647262" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647262 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07.jpg" alt="The kidnappers drugged Wenbo Jin, stuffed him in a hockey bag and then drove him to their hideout in Richmond Hil" width="1920" height="1008" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07-300x158.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07-768x403.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL07-1536x806.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647262" class="wp-caption-text">The kidnappers drugged Wenbo Jin, stuffed him in a hockey bag and then drove him to their hideout in Richmond Hill.</figcaption></figure>
  2305. <p>As the sky brightened, Chan started to panic. “What are you up to? It’s already 6 o’clock,” he texted Zang, who was sitting in his own car nearby. “Waiting,” Zang replied curtly. By 7:40 a.m., Zang started worrying that the kidnappers were pulling a stunt of their own. “Go up there and take a look,” Zang texted Chan. “I think they are playing a trick.” Holding fast to the bargain he’d made with himself, Chan refused.</p>
  2306. <p>At 10 minutes to nine, Jin’s morning alarm went off. He’d been tied up for nearly five hours. Zang decided they couldn’t wait any longer—Jin’s absence would be noticed, at which point a concerned friend might show up at the apartment. It was time to clear out, even if Jin was still awake.</p>
  2307. <p>At roughly 9 a.m., Matthews and Myers entered Jin’s room with a large hockey bag and instructed him to curl up into a tight ball. His heart sinking, Jin did as he was told. Once he was in the bag, the men covered him with clothes. Jin quickly grew hot and sweaty and struggled to breathe. The men loaded the bag onto a dolly and wheeled it down a hallway and into an elevator. They got off at the fourth floor and carried Jin down a stairwell, which led to a back exit. Jin felt the winter air pierce the cloth of the bag. Then he felt himself being loaded into a vehicle.</p>
  2308. <p>On the road, Jin finally passed out. After 45 minutes, the men stopped at 2 Marengo Drive, a Richmond Hill house Zang had rented under an alias. Jin awoke as he was being carried to the third floor. He didn’t know where he was or how long he’d been in transit. And he had no idea that, in a few hours, his captors would demand a ransom in exchange for his safe return.</p>
  2309. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2310. <p><span class="drop-cap">I</span>nternational students like Jin are vulnerable to a range of criminal schemes, most of which would be unthinkable to Canadian citizens. They may study and attend lectures alongside their native-born peers, but they live in a reality in which exploitation is endemic, legal protections are elusive and safety is far from guaranteed.</p>
  2311. <p>For decades, students have come to Canada from India, Pakistan, China and elsewhere to study. As early as 1970, they made up about five per cent of the student population. But the numbers started surging in the 1990s, after provinces deregulated out-of-country tuition fees, allowing post-secondary institutions to charge as much as they wished. What was initially a windfall to schools has morphed into a necessity: recent government cuts to higher education have prompted more and more institutions to tap into this lucrative revenue stream.</p>
  2312. <p>“In absolute terms, the Ontario government is spending 28 per cent less on post-secondary institutions than it was 10 years ago,” says Alex Usher, founder and president of the consultancy Higher Education Strategy Associates. “Since Doug Ford took office, domestic tuition has been reduced by roughly 25 per cent. Foreign tuition is now the only source of swing money in the system. You can’t really run a university without it.” (In late February, ­Ontario’s minister of colleges and universities, Jill Dunlop, announced more than $1.2 billion in funding over three years to colleges and universities—but, spread across the province’s 48 public post-secondary institutions, it will barely make a difference.)</p>
  2313. <figure id="attachment_647258" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647258" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647258 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02.jpg" alt="Seneca College accepted more than 11,000 international students last year" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL02-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647258" class="wp-caption-text">Seneca College accepted more than 11,000 international students last year.</figcaption></figure>
  2314. <p>Among the biggest beneficiaries of foreign tuition are community colleges in Ontario, which, according to Usher, are composed of 55 per cent international students. In total, there are more than 400,000 international students in the province today, each paying between three and 10 times the domestic tuition rate. Usher estimates that this cohort brings in roughly $8.1 billion in annual college and university revenue, more than four times as much as provincial government grants.</p>
  2315. <p>In theory, none of this is a problem. There is no reason why our schools shouldn’t seek to educate talented students from around the world. In reality, though, education isn’t the only commodity being sold, and bad actors abound.</p>
  2316. <p>Prospective students are often approached by professional recruiters who assure them that they’ll be allowed to work for a few years in Canada after graduation, at which point they can leverage their employment history to apply to remain in the country. It is the possibility of permanent residency—by no means a guarantee—that many educational institutions are really selling.</p>
  2317. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647272 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04.jpg" alt="Inside Seneca College" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL04-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
  2318. <p>Not all institutions are quite so cynical. A degree at a respected Canadian academy may be a worthwhile investment in itself: it can lead to lucrative jobs, at home or abroad, or placements at prestigious business or law schools. But even the most well-meaning universities are failing to protect international students from people determined to exploit them.</p>
  2319. <p>This past January, federal immigration minister Marc Miller announced a two-year cap on study permits for out-of-country students, limiting the number to around 360,000—roughly 65 per cent of the 2023 cohort. But this measure is largely intended to give the housing and health care sectors an opportunity to catch up with demand, which has been exacerbated by the influx of international students. It won’t protect students from shady landlords, exploitative bosses, scam artists and violent abusers.</p>
  2320. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2321. <p><span class="drop-cap">W</span>hen Lovepreet Singh, a 25-year-old Sikh man from Punjab, arrived in Canada in 2017, he had already paid $17,500 to a recruiter. Nearly half of that money was supposed to cover his first semester at Lambton College in Mississauga, where he expected to study business. The recruiter had even given Singh an offer letter on what appeared to be official Lambton stationery. But, when Singh showed up at Lambton on registration day, the attendant at the front desk couldn’t find his name on the enrolment lists. Over the weeks that followed, Singh returned to Lambton several times, offer letter in hand, to plead his case in front of college officials. Each time, he was rebuffed. In desperation, he wrote to the dean, who set up an in-person meeting in January of 2018. When Singh arrived, agents from the Canadian Border Services Agency were waiting for him. They arrested him and seized his passport, claiming that he was in the country on a fraudulent pretext. Nobody went after the fake recruiter in India, who’d disappeared after taking Singh’s money.</p>
  2322. <p>A nightmarish tug of war ensued. The CBSA issued a deportation order, which Singh fought in court and lost. Singh’s lawyer appealed directly to Ahmed Hussen, then the federal minister of immigration, who reversed the order. When Singh’s passport was finally returned to him, he applied to a business program at Matrix College in Montreal and was accepted. His first day of class was in December of 2019, two years after he’d planned to begin his studies.</p>
  2323. <figure id="attachment_647259" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647259" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647259 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10.jpg" alt="Lovepreet Singh was lured to Canada as an international student with a fake admission letter" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL10-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647259" class="wp-caption-text">Lovepreet Singh was lured to Canada with a fake admission letter.</figcaption></figure>
  2324. <p>The delay proved costly. Once Singh started at Matrix, there wasn’t enough time left on his student visa to finish the degree, so he applied for an extension but was denied again. He is now fighting another removal order, which has been repeatedly deferred but not yet repealed. The surprise arrest, the pending deportations, the tribunal hearings—these are all punishments, it seems, for falling prey to a scam. The money Singh lost to the fake recruiter is almost paltry compared to the $30,000 he paid in legal fees—all to redress a shockingly common con. In June of 2023, the ministry of immigration struck a task force to review 285 similar cases, each involving students from India, Vietnam or China who came to Canada with what appear to be fraudulent admission letters.</p>
  2325. <p>Of course, a genuine acceptance letter is no guarantee of safety. When international students arrive in Canada, they’re often deep in debt. For shady employers, this desperation is an exploitable resource. Some bosses will subject students to dangerous conditions or punishingly long shifts. Others will insist on paying students in cash, at rates well below the minimum wage. Study permits currently limit the number of hours students can work to 20 per week. Knowing about this restriction, a boss may force a student to work overtime and decline to pay for the extra labour. Students fear that, if they report the wage theft, they’ll end up being deported for breaking the terms of their visa.</p>
  2326. <p>In the fall of 2023, an international student from India named Kawaljeet—who asked to be identified by her first name only—was hired as a receptionist at a medical clinic in Brampton. The job wasn’t complicated, and within hours of her first training session, she was tackling many tasks on her own. At the end of her shift, the clinic manager showed up to explain the terms of her employment. She would work unpaid, he said, for the duration of her month-long training, after which he’d evaluate her performance and decide whether to keep her on.</p>
  2327. <p>Kawaljeet was shocked. She immediately sought advice from a family member who had studied in Canada. Her relative explained that Kawaljeet was the target of a well-known scam: after extorting her for free labour, the employer would almost certainly fire her. The next day, Kawaljeet called her boss and turned down the job. It then took her four months to find work elsewhere. Rather than feeling relief at having dodged a scam, she regretted passing on what now seemed like her most promising employment opportunity. “I thought, <em>I should have taken the job just for the experience</em>,” she says. Desperation, Kawaljeet discovered, can compel people to do things they know they shouldn’t.</p>
  2328. <p>In the summer of 2022, Armina Soleymani, an engineering student from Iran, was in the second year of her PhD at the University of Waterloo when her roommate announced she was moving out. The pair had been splitting $1,400 a month in rent, which Soleymani couldn’t carry on her own. She immediately gave notice to her landlord and began looking for a new place.</p>
  2329. <hr />
  2330. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">Soleymani’s need for housing outweighed her skepticism</span></h5>
  2331. <hr />
  2332. <p>&nbsp;<br />
  2333. The market was terrible. Incoming students were snapping up units, few of which were in Soleymani’s price range anyway. On Facebook, Soleymani found a rental listing posted by a woman named Sandra Rowley, who was offering to sublet, for $1,000 a month, a bedroom in a shared apartment not far from campus. At 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, Soleymani showed up at the building for a look at the multi-bedroom unit. The tour was brief, and Rowley insisted on communicating in whispers because, she claimed, the other renters were still sleeping.</p>
  2334. <p>When Soleymani indicated that she was interested in the unit, Rowley handed her a lease and advised her to sign it immediately. She explained that she was eager to move out and would offer the room to anybody willing to take it right away. Rowley also insisted that Soleymani pay first and last month’s rent upfront, in cash. When Soleymani asked Rowley why she couldn’t accept an e-transfer, Rowley explained that she had just applied for a new job. Her prospective employer would likely review her bank records; if he saw that Rowley had $2,000 in her account, he might conclude that she didn’t need the work and offer the job to someone else.</p>
  2335. <p><em><strong>Related: </strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/adventures-real-estate-toronto-york-university-student-rental-abuse/" class="article-link"><span data-title="“I see now why landlords target international students—it’s easier to take advantage of us”">“I see now why landlords target international students—it’s easier to take advantage of us”</span></a></em></p>
  2336. <p>Rowley’s explanation made no sense to Soleymani, but given how little she knew about Canadian work culture, she didn’t ask any more questions. Plus, she didn’t have time to think things through—her need for housing outweighed her creeping skepticism. She withdrew $1,000 from her bank (the maximum daily amount) and borrowed the remaining $1,000 from a friend.</p>
  2337. <p>To protect herself, Soleymani insisted on three additional precautions. First, she paid Rowley in the vestibule of the building, in full view of security cameras. Second, she asked Rowley for ID. Rowley showed Soleymani a driver’s licence with a name and photograph that matched Rowley’s Facebook profile. Whether the photograph matched her face was harder to tell: Covid was in full swing, and Rowley was wearing a mask. After handing over her entire savings, Soleymani tested out her new fob on the front door of the building. It didn’t work. But Rowley was ready with an explanation: the fob would be activated on Soleymani’s move-in date.</p>
  2338. <p>Soleymani returned to the apartment shortly before she was due to move in, unable to shake her growing unease. She spoke with the building manager, who told her that he’d been contacted by other people who’d recently toured the apartment with Rowley—and that they’d all been scammed. The building manager speculated that Rowley, working under an alias, had sublet a room in the shared unit for several days—long enough to conduct a few tours and shake down a few prospective tenants—then disappeared. Soleymani reported the scam to the police, who opened an investigation, with no results.</p>
  2339. <figure id="attachment_647260" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647260" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647260 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma.jpg" alt="International student Armina Soleymani was the victim of a rental scam" width="2000" height="1331" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL05_alma-1536x1022.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647260" class="wp-caption-text">Armina Soleymani was the victim of a rental scam.</figcaption></figure>
  2340. <p>As devastating as it was for Soleymani, her story is relatively mild compared to those of her peers. Because landlords are often unwilling to rent to international students, those who do have enormous leverage over their tenants. Some international students have found themselves paying to live in family homes where they are insulted, shunned or restricted to their bedrooms. Others are subjected to appalling living conditions: in January, the City of Brampton’s bylaw enforcement officers discovered 25 international students crammed into the basement of a single home.</p>
  2341. <p>When Soleymani started telling her story to fellow international students, she discovered that many had been victims of similar crimes. Because they were students, Soleymani and her peers were desperate for scarce end-of-summer rentals; because they were newcomers, they were easy targets. They were unfamiliar with Canadian customs and struggled to determine whether a landlord’s behaviour was normal or shady.</p>
  2342. <p>Language barriers, limited knowledge of criminal codes and a lack of local support leave international students open to other forms of exploitation, including sexual assault by employers, landlords and fellow tenants. In September of 2020, a 19-year-old Indian woman named Maryam arrived in Canada to begin her undergraduate studies in Montreal. (Maryam is a pseudo­nym—her identity is protected by a publication ban.) During a layover at Pearson, customs officials told her that she’d have to quarantine for two weeks before continuing on to her destination. She couldn’t afford a hotel, but with the help of family acquaintances, she got a room at a cheap Airbnb in Corktown with a shared kitchen and bathroom.</p>
  2343. <p>Shortly after settling in, Maryam struck up a conversation with Kavin (also a pseudo­nym), a 26-year-old man staying on her floor. Maryam spoke primarily Punjabi, but her English was strong enough for her and Kavin to build a rapport. The next day, they chatted in the kitchen and then went to Kavin’s room to watch a movie.</p>
  2344. <p>Five days into Maryam’s quarantine, Kavin came to her room to ask if she wanted to watch another movie, and she agreed. His attitude was different this time, less deferential. They started out on opposite sides of the bed, but Kavin quickly closed the distance between them and began rubbing Maryam’s arm. She told him to stop, but he only became more aggressive. Suddenly, he was kissing Maryam on the mouth, pulling up her shirt and forcing himself on her. The assault was swift and brutal. Equally horrifying was Maryam’s realization that she was now trapped, by law, in a house where the only person she knew was her rapist.</p>
  2345. <p>She tried to avoid Kavin, but a few days later he raped her a second time. Once the attack was over, she asked him if he’d ejaculated inside her. “Don’t you need babies?” he sneered. Kavin returned again that night and tried to force himself into her room. Their struggle went on for 10 minutes, until a food-delivery man arrived with an order Kavin had placed. The interruption allowed Maryam just enough time to break away. She ran downstairs and told the residents there to call the police. Kavin was arrested that night.</p>
  2346. <p>At trial two years later, Kavin’s lawyer asked Maryam why she’d continued to live in the house after the first assault and why she’d waited days to call the authorities. Maryam testified that Kavin had threatened her with a lie commonly used by people who exploit international students: he said he was well connected and could have her deported at a moment’s notice. She knew nothing of Canadian immigration law, and his threat seemed credible enough to scare her. The last thing she wanted was to find herself back in India, her dreams of a foreign education crushed.</p>
  2347. <p>In September of 2022, a judge sentenced Kavin to seven years in prison. He rejected the notion that Maryam might have somehow avoided being assaulted or that she’d had any real leverage over Kavin. Like many international students, Maryam believed her abuser had all the power.</p>
  2348. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2349. <p><span class="drop-cap">J</span>in’s captors didn’t beat or torture him, but neither did they treat him particularly well. At the house on Marengo Drive, a board covered the window in the bedroom where Jin was held, and a camera monitored the door. With no access to sunlight, Jin learned to count days by the cycles of activity around him: when the rap music blaring in the living room died down, he figured it was nighttime. Various men came into his room once or twice a day to feed him pizza or takeout from McDonald’s.</p>
  2350. <p>Jin wasn’t allowed to shower or change clothes. At first, he relieved himself in a bucket in the corner of the room, but when the stench became overpowering, the men let him use a nearby toilet. After a few days, the men granted him other small mercies too. They replaced the duct tape over his eyes with a more comfortable cloth blindfold. They also traded the zip ties around his wrists and ankles for a chain and padlock, allowing him to move around more easily. Jin never saw his captors, but he learned to recognize their voices and those of their girlfriends, who came and went.</p>
  2351. <figure id="attachment_647251" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647251" style="width: 236px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647251 size-medium" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL08-236x300.jpg" alt="Zeyu Zang, the mastermind behind the abduction" width="236" height="300" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL08-236x300.jpg 236w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL08.jpg 374w" sizes="(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647251" class="wp-caption-text">Zeyu Zang, the mastermind behind the abduction.</figcaption></figure>
  2352. <p>Jin’s only contact with the outside world was two phone calls with his father, Yumin. The first, arranged the evening after the kidnapping, was to convey a ransom demand. At Zang’s directive, Chan set up the call using a burner phone and Jin’s WeChat account. When the call came through, Yumin was relieved to see his son’s name pop up. (He’d been notified of Jin’s disappearance by his nephew, a student at York University who had become concerned when Jin hadn’t returned his messages.) Then Yumin heard the terror in Jin’s voice. Jin explained that the kidnappers wanted 500 Bitcoins in exchange for his safe return. As instructed, he begged his father to immediately pay the ransom and warned him against contacting the police, a move that he said could put his life in jeopardy.</p>
  2353. <p>Minutes after the call, the kidnappers sent Yumin a link, via Jin’s WeChat, to the website of VirgoCX, a Toronto crypto exchange. “This is just one of the ways,” the message read. “You can also find your own way to buy Bitcoins. If you want your son to be safe and sound, the sooner the better.” The ransom Zang wanted amounted to $5.5 million. Had the kidnappers requested less, Yumin might have paid up promptly. But, by demanding an impossibly high ransom, they forced him to do the very thing they’d warned him against doing: contact the authorities.</p>
  2354. <p>Yumin promised his son’s captors that he’d gather the funds within three days. Then, he and Jin’s mother quietly boarded a plane for Canada. On January 25, the couple showed up at 52 Division on Dundas West, where they told the police what they knew. The cops reassured Yumin that they would do everything in their power to find Jin, but they were worried about the short window of the ransom request. The best thing Yumin could do, the cops said, was play for time. They advised him to pretend to cooperate with the kidnappers while giving compelling excuses for why the ransom was delayed. The longer Yumin could draw things out, the greater the chance of a positive outcome.</p>
  2355. <figure id="attachment_647252" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647252" style="width: 240px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647252 size-medium" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL09-240x300.jpg" alt="Ian Chan, Zang’s accomplice" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL09-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL09.jpg 384w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647252" class="wp-caption-text">Ian Chan, Zang’s accomplice.</figcaption></figure>
  2356. <p>Fate provided Yumin with a credible excuse. The pandemic hadn’t yet arrived in Canada, but the virus was raging across China and generating panicked headlines worldwide. In his WeChat exchanges with Zang, Yumin fixated on Covid. The transcript of those conversations is a study in contrasts. Yumin comes across as both anguished and cunning, a man deeply concerned with his son’s captivity but wily enough to deceive his captors. The kidnappers, on the other hand, appear desperate and cruel.</p>
  2357. <p>On January 24, before leaving China, Yumin begged for Jin to be put on the phone again. “I wish to hear my son’s voice,” he said in a WeChat audio message. “Please allow my son to say something. I also hope that you don’t beat him, yell at him or abuse him.” His request was denied. Zang’s response that day was ominous. “Don’t force us to do anything we don’t want to do,” he texted. “If you guys don’t cooperate with us, you’ll bear the consequences.”</p>
  2358. <p>The next day, Yumin told the kidnappers about the havoc that Covid was wreaking in China. “Right now, there are government notices all over the city,” he said in a voice note. “Some cities are being closed off. Some villages are being sealed off too.” With the banks closed, Yumin explained, he couldn’t possibly secure the ransom funds. But he was optimistic that the situation would soon resolve itself—he just needed a few more days.</p>
  2359. <p>Repeatedly, Yumin asked for a deadline extension. Zang granted his requests, perhaps because he had no other choice: his plans hadn’t factored in the possibility of a pandemic. When Yumin asked for reassurances about Jin’s safety, the reply was terse and cryptic: “At least he has not been infected with the virus.”</p>
  2360. <p>On January 31, perhaps to prove that Jin was still alive, Zang granted Yumen’s request to speak with his son. Before the call, Zang reminded Jin that if he didn’t want to be injured or beaten, he must speak guardedly. During their conversation, Jin reassured Yumin that he was physically unharmed. Before signing off, Yumin told his son to be brave. “I’m going to bring you home,” he promised.</p>
  2361. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2362. <p><span class="drop-cap">F</span>rom the perspective of a would-be kidnapper, wealthy international students are appealing marks in part because they can be convinced that the local police are incompetent or uninterested in the plight of foreign nationals. “No Canadian would think for a second that a kidnapper could buy off the RCMP,” says Dale McCartney, a historian at the University of the Fraser Valley who studies international students in Canada. “But, if you don’t know much about the country, this notion could seem plausible.”</p>
  2363. <p>On March 23, 2019—less than a year before Jin was stuffed into a hockey bag—a 22-year-old international student named Wanzhen Lu was abducted from the parking garage of his high-end condo building in Markham. Three men in hoodies tasered Lu, punched him in the head and threw him into the back of a van. They drove him to an unheated barn outside of Hamilton, where they duct taped him to a chair. Then they called his girlfriend and demanded 500 Bitcoins (worth, at the time, $2.5 million) for his release.</p>
  2364. <p>Shortly after his capture, Lu attempted to escape by wriggling free of the duct tape and running from the barn. The kidnappers quickly caught up to him, held a knife to his throat and threatened to shoot him if he tried to flee again. They then brought him back to the barn, where they cuffed his hands and chained his legs. The crime soon generated headlines across the country, putting pressure on the kidnappers. After three days, they decided to abandon the plan: the men drove 200 kilometres north to Gravenhurst and dropped Lu off on the side of a rural road. He made his way to a nearby house, where the owner called the police.</p>
  2365. <p>Ultimately, four men were convicted for Lu’s kidnapping. At the sentencing hearing for one of them, the judge expressed out­rage over the extreme nature of the offence. He described Canada as a country where people can “walk about in the world without being accosted and kidnapped,” his point being that crimes like abduction don’t happen here. But, in the case of some international students—like Kai Kong Jackie Lee, who was kidnapped in Vancouver in 2004; Si Nong Li, who was kidnapped in Richmond, BC, in 2013; and Wenbo Jin—they clearly do.</p>
  2366. <hr />
  2367. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">In Canada, Jin was met with violence and terror</span></h5>
  2368. <hr />
  2369. <p>&nbsp;<br />
  2370. Ransom schemes don’t always involve actual kidnappings—sometimes the victim is tricked into going into hiding. In November of 2017, a 20-year-old international student at U of T named Juanwen Zhang got a call from a stranger claiming to be a representative from the Chinese consulate. The caller told Zhang that criminals were using her bank account to conduct illegal activities, including international drug sales, and advised her to go on the lam, shut off her phone and avoid social media—or else she could be arrested by Interpol.</p>
  2371. <p>Zhang took a bus to Montreal. But, because she was travelling without ID, hotels refused to put her up. She spent a sleepless night at a 24-hour McDonald’s. Then she got another bus to Ottawa, where she managed to find a bed and breakfast that would take her. Once Zhang had left town, the scammer called her father, Zeng, in China. The caller said he’d kidnapped Zhang and demanded $1 million for her safe return. “Do not call the police,” he added, “or you’ll get a dead body.”</p>
  2372. <p>Eventually, Zhang’s boyfriend in Toronto reported the disappearance. Police then contacted Zhang’s roommate, who’d overheard the phone conversation with the alleged caller from the consulate. Police put out a notice asking Zhang’s friends to contact her and encourage her to come forward.</p>
  2373. <p>After two days in Ottawa, Zhang turned on her phone and saw a stream of messages explaining that she’d been tricked. She contacted her family right away. At the time of her disappearance, two other students—16-year-old Ke Xu and 17-year-old Yue Lui—had also gone missing under similar circumstances. They, too, were found within days.</p>
  2374. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2375. <p><span class="drop-cap">J</span>in’s kidnappers made some big mistakes. The first was overestimating Yumin Jin’s wealth; the second was misjudging the anonymity of a burner phone. True, a burner isn’t usually connected to a known user’s IP address, but it’s still an internet-enabled device, full of information that investigators can access and analyze.</p>
  2376. <p>In order to make the ransom call from Jin’s WeChat, the kidnappers first had to get through a multi-factor identification process, which required them to log in to Jin’s email. This was the smoking gun. With the help of Microsoft, the police’s digital forensics team was able to see that somebody—they weren’t sure who—had accessed Jin’s email account the day after the kidnapping. Bell Canada was then able to supply the IP address of the burner phone from which the email account had been accessed. And Apple, in turn, found that the user of the burner phone had logged on to the device using Ian Chan’s email address, which police already had on file: they’d taken it down when Chan had been arrested for the sports-kiosk robbery.</p>
  2377. <p>Chan immediately became a person of interest in the case, and police seized the records of his recent phone activity. They now knew that he’d logged on to the Wi-Fi at 2 Marengo Drive and that he’d been in regular contact with another cellphone user. They didn’t yet know the second user’s identity, but they had a phone number, which meant they could ping the phone and monitor that individual’s whereabouts as he moved through the city. On January 27, 2020, they tracked him as he got on and off Highway 407. To administer tolls, the 407 ETR Concession Company—the consortium that owns the highway—takes timestamped photos of every vehicle that enters and exits. Only one car matched the exact movements of the suspect: a Jeep Wrangler belonging to Zeyu Zang.</p>
  2378. <figure id="attachment_647270" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647270" style="width: 236px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647270 size-medium" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL11-236x300.jpg" alt="Terrified and confused, Jin believed the kidnappers would eventually kill him" width="236" height="300" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL11-236x300.jpg 236w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL11.jpg 673w" sizes="(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647270" class="wp-caption-text">Terrified and confused, Jin believed the kidnappers would eventually kill him.</figcaption></figure>
  2379. <p>In the middle of the night two days later, police secretly installed a surveillance camera on a telephone pole outside 2 Marengo Drive, enabling them to watch the Wrangler as it came and went. They now had good reason to suspect that Jin was being held inside the house, but they weren’t certain. They faced a dilemma: the sooner they raided the property, the more likely they would be to find Jin alive—but by raiding the house, they’d also announce their presence. If Jin was being held elsewhere, the kidnappers would know that Yumin had reported the abduction and might retaliate by killing his son.</p>
  2380. <p>If police were to go in, reasoned Michael Kerr, the lead detective on the case, they’d have to be almost certain they had the right location. On January 31, when Yumin spoke to his son for the second time, the cops were with him. And because they were keeping watch on the Marengo house, they could see Chan enter the property right before the call began and leave right after it ended. It was the evidence Kerr needed to make his move.</p>
  2381. <p>On the afternoon of February 2, cops with the Emergency Task Force surrounded the house and broke through the front door. They threw a stun grenade to disorient the residents, then pushed their way inside.</p>
  2382. <p>At the sound of the grenade going off, two men jumped from a second-floor window. The first was Jevaughn Myers, one of the original kidnappers; the other was a 37-year-old whose role in the kidnapping remains unclear. Both were subdued by police stationed in the backyard.</p>
  2383. <p>An officer headed up to the third floor and kicked open the door to the room where Jin was held. Using bolt cutters, he broke the chains that held Jin down and helped him onto a nearby stool. When he removed the blindfold, Jin could barely open his eyes. He started sobbing uncontrollably. It was the first sunlight he’d seen in 13 days.</p>
  2384. <p>As they drove away from the house, Jin told Kerr he’d been certain he was going to die. At the station, he was brought to the meeting room where his parents were ­waiting. Weeping, Jin rushed to his family, the broken chains still dangling from his arms.</p>
  2385. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2386. <p><span class="drop-cap">T</span>he rest of the dominoes fell swiftly. The morning after the Marengo raid, police pulled Zang over in North York and arrested him. In his Jeep, they found Jin’s driver’s licence and a receipt from a McDonald’s close to the Grenville apartment, dated to the wee hours of January 21, when the kidnapping was underway. The cops found Chan at his girlfriend’s house and arrested him too.</p>
  2387. <p>Last fall, Zang stood trial alongside two of the co-accused. The jury was presented with a barrage of evidence—cellphone records, WeChat logs, forensic analyses and surveillance ­footage—all of it backed by testimony from the Crown’s star witness: Ian Chan, who was cooperating, likely in the hopes of getting a reduced sentence. The evidence was overwhelming, and on October 21, the jury convicted Zang for kidnapping and forcibly drugging Jin.</p>
  2388. <p>Four months later, at his sentencing hearing, Zang sat in the box, his head buried in his hands. Nobody spoke to him. Zang’s lawyer, Laura Villani, told a sympathetic story about her client. She revealed that Zang, too, had been an international student. He’d left China for Canada to study business operations at Centennial College and to get as far away as possible from his physically abusive father. The rest of the story was achingly familiar. Like hundreds of thousands of his peers, Zang had struggled to find employment and had settled, ultimately, for a poorly paid job at a photography lab, where he worked the night shift. He was perpetually exhausted, and in 2015, he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car. A resulting head injury led him to make mistakes at work, and he was eventually fired. It was only then, Villani claimed, that he’d turned to crime as a means of making money.</p>
  2389. <figure id="attachment_647268" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647268" style="width: 1211px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647268 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06.jpg" alt="For 13 days, Jin was chained and blindfolded in a cramped bedroom with barricaded windows" width="1211" height="807" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06.jpg 1211w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STUDENTS_FINAL06-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1211px) 100vw, 1211px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647268" class="wp-caption-text">For 13 days, Jin was chained and blindfolded in a cramped bedroom with barricaded windows.</figcaption></figure>
  2390. <p>The trial judge, Sean Dunphy, wasn’t persuaded by Zang’s defence. On March 6, he gave Zang a 20-year sentence. As justification, he cited the premeditated and vicious nature of the kidnapping. “In my view,” he wrote, “Mr. Zang’s role as master­mind of this carefully planned crime warrants an exemplary sentence at or near the top of the range.” (The two kidnappers, Matthews and Myers, got 15 and 10 years, respectively. At press time, Chan was still awaiting sentencing.)</p>
  2391. <p>In many ways, Zang was caught up in the same system that had victimized Jin and so many of his peers. That system is built atop our educational institutions but is only tangentially related to education itself. And despite recent government interventions, the problem is unlikely to significantly improve. More than one million international students will come to Canada over the next five years. Many will face joblessness, poverty, subpar housing and punishing work conditions. Criminals will continue to prey on them.</p>
  2392. <p>The most poignant moment in Zang’s sentencing hearing came when Erin Pancer, the Crown prosecutor, read out Jin’s victim-impact statement. In the document, Jin explains how the trauma of the kidnapping changed his life. Since 2020, he has been afraid of strangers and unable to concentrate on school work. “There was also a time where I was afraid to sleep alone at home,” Jin wrote, “and I had to sleep with the light on, sometimes waking up with nightmares.” He’d left his home and family in search of higher education in Canada but was met instead with violence and terror. Eventually, Jin packed up his Grenville Street apartment and boarded a plane back to China. He didn’t stick around to finish his degree.</p>
  2393. <hr />
  2394. <p><em>This story originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of </em>Toronto Life<em> <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">magazine. To</span> subscribe</em><em> for just $39.99 a year, <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://secure.torontolife.com/W2NASHPT" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="click here."><span data-title="click here.">click here.</span></span></a></strong> To purchase single issues, <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://canadianmags.ca/collections/toronto-life-single-issues" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="click here."><span data-title="click here.">click here.</span></span></a></strong></em></span></p>
  2395. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-perilous-lives-of-international-students-canada/">The perilous lives of Canada&#8217;s international students</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2396. ]]></content:encoded>
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  2401. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  2402. <media:title></media:title>
  2403. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  2404. </media:content>
  2405. </item>
  2406. <item>
  2407. <title>What’s on the menu at Charlemagne, Café Renée&#8217;s second-floor speakeasy</title>
  2408. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-charlemagne-cafe-renees-cocktail-bar-king-west/</link>
  2410. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  2411. <pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 11:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
  2412. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  2413. <category><![CDATA[Angus Edmundson]]></category>
  2414. <category><![CDATA[Cafe Renee]]></category>
  2415. <category><![CDATA[Charlemagne]]></category>
  2416. <category><![CDATA[Cocktail Bar]]></category>
  2417. <category><![CDATA[Cocktails]]></category>
  2418. <category><![CDATA[King West]]></category>
  2419. <category><![CDATA[Nick Liu]]></category>
  2420. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  2421. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647229</guid>
  2422.  
  2423. <description><![CDATA[<p>Including an all-dumpling snack menu</p>
  2424. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-charlemagne-cafe-renees-cocktail-bar-king-west/">What’s on the menu at Charlemagne, Café Renée&#8217;s second-floor speakeasy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2425. ]]></description>
  2426. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646652" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bartender-1-scaled.jpg" alt="A bartender adds a sprinkle of salt into a shaker" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bartender-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bartender-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bartender-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bartender-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bartender-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bartender-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
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  2544.  
  2545. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Charlemagne<br />
  2546. <strong>Contact:</strong> 100 Portland St., <a href="https://www.instagram.com/charlemagnecocktailbar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@charlemagnecocktailbar">@charlemagnecocktailbar</span></a><br />
  2547. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/king-west/" class="article-link"><span data-title="King West">King West</span></a><br />
  2548. <strong>Owners:</strong> Operating manager Bianca Rossi and Nick Liu (Dailo)<br />
  2549. <strong>Chefs:</strong> Executive chef <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/nick-liu/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Nick Liu">Nick Liu</span></a> and chef de cuisine Josh Ling (Dailo)<br />
  2550. <strong>Beverage director:</strong> Angus Edmundson (BarChef)<br />
  2551. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> Not fully accessible (up a flight of stairs)</p>
  2552. <p>On the second floor of Café Renée, behind an unmarked black door, is Charlemagne. The hidden cocktail lounge—designed to look like something out of London, England, circa 1940—was inspired by beverage director Angus Edmundson’s British heritage. The cozy space fits around 25 guests, and behind the bar, seriously talented mixologists make cocktails to the sounds of Sinatra.</p>
  2553. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-cafe-renee-italian-french-nick-liu-king-west/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Café Renée, chef Nick Liu’s Italian-inspired French restaurant"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Café Renée, chef Nick Liu’s Italian-inspired French restaurant</span></a></em></p>
  2554. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646658" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-lineup-scaled.jpg" alt="A lineup of cocktails at Charlemagne, a speakeasy-inspired bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-lineup-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-lineup-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-lineup-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-lineup-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-lineup-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-lineup-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2555. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  2556. <p>Edmundson leads an expert crew: there’s a rum specialist who studied in a Cuban bar; a recruit from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and someone who worked at Bar Mood in Taipei. Guests unsure of what to order from the menu can simply tell their bartender what their preferences are for either a recommendation or a custom-made cocktail.</p>
  2557. <figure id="attachment_646662" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646662" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646662" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-red-shoots-scaled.jpg" alt="The Rabbit Hole is a blend of bourbon, Campari, Lillet and a bit of earthy lion’s mane mushroom tincture" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-red-shoots-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-red-shoots-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-red-shoots-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-red-shoots-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-red-shoots-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-red-shoots-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646662" class="wp-caption-text">The Rabbit Hole is a blend of bourbon, Campari, Lillet and a bit of earthy lion’s mane mushroom tincture. A splash of carrot-and-orange-blossom syrup brightens up the bittersweet cocktail. $24</figcaption></figure>
  2558. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2559. <figure id="attachment_646659" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646659" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646659" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-manhattan.jpg" alt="The Redwood is a blend of Rémy Martin VSOP, some Amaro Lucano, a bit of saffron syrup, some mole bitters, anise, a red cedarwood chip tincture and some absinthe for a little oomph." width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-manhattan.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-manhattan-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-manhattan-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-manhattan-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646659" class="wp-caption-text">The Redwood is loosely based on a black Manhattan, but with a Cognac base. It’s made with Rémy Martin VSOP, some Amaro Lucano, a bit of saffron syrup, some mole bitters, anise, a red cedar tincture and some absinthe for a little oomph. And that simple-seeming cherry garnish is infused with orange liqueur, absinthe, sugar, brandy, cacao nibs and tonka beans. $29</figcaption></figure>
  2560. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2561. <figure id="attachment_646661" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646661" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646661" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-pink-olive.jpg" alt="The Verona is a tangy, herbal blend of gin infused with green olive leaf, lime leaf cordial, lemon juice, Aperol and Cointreau" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-pink-olive.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-pink-olive-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-pink-olive-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-pink-olive-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646661" class="wp-caption-text">The Verona is a tangy, herbal blend of gin infused with green olive leaf, lime leaf cordial, lemon juice, Aperol and Cointreau. It’s garnished with a single olive that sits on an ice cube in a chiselled-out divot so it doesn’t roll away. “You could take this drink on a train and that olive wouldn&#8217;t go anywhere,” says Edmundson. $24</figcaption></figure>
  2562. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2563. <figure id="attachment_646654" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646654" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646654" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bubbles-orange.jpg" alt="The Gilded Rose is a low-ABV sherry highball–style cocktail. It’s made with rose-infused Fino Sherry, a touch of agave, Strega, house-made gentian, a splash of Champagne and verjus, a an acidic juice of pressed unripened grapes" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bubbles-orange.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bubbles-orange-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bubbles-orange-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-bubbles-orange-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646654" class="wp-caption-text">The Gilded Rose is a low-ABV highball-style cocktail. It’s made with rose-infused Fino Sherry, a touch of agave, Strega, house-made gentian, a splash of champagne and verjus, an acidic juice of pressed unripened grapes. A pinch of salt brings out all those mellow flavours. It’s refreshing, light and floral. $25</figcaption></figure>
  2564. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2565. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646663" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-serving.jpg" alt="A bartender at Charlemagne passes a drink across the bar" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-serving.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-serving-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-serving-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-serving-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /></p>
  2566. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  2567. <p>The all-dumpling menu features shrimp har gow, veggie potstickers and Dailo’s popular pork-and-shrimp wontons. Each order includes three pieces and comes with a dipping sauce.</p>
  2568. <figure id="attachment_646657" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646657" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646657" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-hargow15-scaled.jpg" alt="Shrimp har gow in a pool of flavourful chili and sesame oil" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-hargow15-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-hargow15-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-hargow15-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-hargow15-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-hargow15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-hargow15-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646657" class="wp-caption-text">Shrimp har gow arrive in a pool of flavourful chili and sesame oil. $15</figcaption></figure>
  2569. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2570. <figure id="attachment_646655" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646655" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646655" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-dumplings16-scaled.jpg" alt="Vegetable pot stickers drizzled with curry oil" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-dumplings16-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-dumplings16-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-dumplings16-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-dumplings16-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-dumplings16-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-dumplings16-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646655" class="wp-caption-text">The vegetable pot stickers are drizzled with curry oil. $15</figcaption></figure>
  2571. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2572. <figure id="attachment_646664" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646664" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646664" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-shumai18.jpg" alt="Pork-and-shrimp wontons, in house XO sauce with toasted sesame oil and an almond crumble" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-shumai18.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-shumai18-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-shumai18-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-shumai18-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646664" class="wp-caption-text">And here are Dailo’s popular pork-and-shrimp wontons, in house XO sauce with toasted sesame oil and an almond crumble. $15</figcaption></figure>
  2573. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  2574. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646670" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-spread-2-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of dumplings and cocktails at Charlemagne, a cocktail bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-spread-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-spread-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-spread-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-spread-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-spread-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-spread-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2575. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  2576. <p>Much like the Redwood, Edmundson’s favourite drink on the menu, the place is decked out in earthy tones, including milk-chocolate-brown leather banquettes and barstools and warm wood panelling. With the curtains closed, the only source of light in the moody room comes from the glowing, backlit bottles of liquor behind the bar.</p>
  2577. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646668" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-4-scaled.jpg" alt="Charlemagne, a cocktail bar in Toronto, is lit only by the glowing bottles behind the bar" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2578. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646666" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-2-scaled.jpg" alt="The moody room at Charlemagne, a speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2579. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646669" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-5-scaled.jpg" alt="Horseshoe-shaped brown leather banquettes are surrounded by wood panelling and mirrors at Charlemagne, a cocktail bar" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2580. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646665" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Inside Charlemagne, a moody speakeasy-inspired bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-charlemagne-cocktail-bar-king-west-space-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2581. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-charlemagne-cafe-renees-cocktail-bar-king-west/">What’s on the menu at Charlemagne, Café Renée&#8217;s second-floor speakeasy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2582. ]]></content:encoded>
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  2587. <media:copyright>RYAN NANGREAVES 9053013344~</media:copyright>
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  2591. </item>
  2592. <item>
  2593. <title>Surreal Estate: $15 million for a turnkey Muskoka resort with 41 guest rooms</title>
  2594. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-muskoka-resort/</link>
  2596. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  2597. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 19:27:15 +0000</pubDate>
  2598. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  2599. <category><![CDATA[Muskoka]]></category>
  2600. <category><![CDATA[Port Severn]]></category>
  2601. <category><![CDATA[Surreal Estate]]></category>
  2602. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  2603. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647388</guid>
  2604.  
  2605. <description><![CDATA[<p>What inn on a lake would be complete without a private beach, a tennis court, a salon and an island accessible by helicopter? </p>
  2606. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-muskoka-resort/">Surreal Estate: $15 million for a turnkey Muskoka resort with 41 guest rooms</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2607. ]]></description>
  2608. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647391 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_2-1.jpg" alt="This $15-million resort in Port Severn sits on 17 acres of land. " width="885" height="571" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_2-1.jpg 885w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_2-1-300x194.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_2-1-768x496.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px" /></p>
  2609. <p><strong>Location:</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/port-severn/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Port Severn,">Port Severn,</span></a> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/muskoka/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Muskoka">Muskoka</span></a><br />
  2610. </span><strong>Price:</strong> $14,999,000<br />
  2611. <strong>Size:</strong> 17 acres of land with 41 guest rooms and a three-bedroom cottage<br />
  2612. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agent:</strong> <a href="https://sothebysrealty.ca/en/real-estate-team/the-booth-team/about/ali-booth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Ali Booth,">Ali Booth,</span></a> Sotheby&#8217;s International Realty</p>
  2613. <hr />
  2614. <h5><b>The place</b></h5>
  2615. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A fully operational vacation escape sitting on 17 acres of land on Little Lake in Muskoka. The property comes with 41 guest rooms, a three-bedroom cottage, a private island accessible by helicopter and more than 600 metres of shoreline. It&#8217;s a short drive from Highway 400 and several neighbouring resorts.</span></p>
  2616. <h5><b>The history </b></h5>
  2617. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This getaway was originally built in the 1950s. The current owners purchased the place in 2021 and immediately invested $1 million to replace the roof and rebuild the guest cottage. After serving as a filming location for <em>Bachelor in Paradise Canada</em>, it reopened for business in July of 2022. The owners are now taking on a new venture and looking to sell the resort to a wealthy investor. </span></p>
  2618. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-bracebridge/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$11.9 million for a Muskoka compound perched atop its own peninsula">$11.9 million for a Muskoka compound perched atop its own peninsula</span></a></em></p>
  2619. <h5>The tour</h5>
  2620. <p>To begin, here&#8217;s an aerial view of the peninsula, with its many docks, green spaces and lodges. That&#8217;s Port Severn North Road just beyond the parking lot.</p>
  2621. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647393 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Aerial.jpg" alt="The property sits on Little Lake." width="1800" height="1200" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Aerial.jpg 1800w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Aerial-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Aerial-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Aerial-1536x1024-1713275086.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Aerial-2048x1365-1713275088.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /></p>
  2622. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">And here&#8217;s the main entrance. The original hotel was renovated around Y2K, and the current owners bought it in 2021.</span></p>
  2623. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647397 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_CurrentExterior-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The resort was originally built in the 1950s. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_CurrentExterior-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_CurrentExterior-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_CurrentExterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_CurrentExterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1_CurrentExterior-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2624. <p>In the lobby: guest check-in, a lounge and doric columns.</p>
  2625. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647410 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/198384032print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The lobby reads like a living room. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/198384032print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/198384032print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/198384032print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/198384032print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/198384032print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2626. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The full-service restaurant overlooks the lake and includes a café and lounge.</span></p>
  2627. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647398 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Restaurant-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The restaurant overlooks the water. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Restaurant-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Restaurant-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Restaurant-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Restaurant-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5_Restaurant-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2628. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">This reverse angle shows off the bar and dramatic circular ceiling. </span></p>
  2629. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647399 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6_Lounge-2000x1333.jpg" alt="A view of the lounge and bar. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6_Lounge-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6_Lounge-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6_Lounge-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6_Lounge-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6_Lounge-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2630. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&#8217;s also a nail salon down the hall. </span></p>
  2631. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647400 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Salon-2000x1333.jpg" alt="There's also a spa and nail salon. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Salon-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Salon-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Salon-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Salon-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7_Salon-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2632. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The indoor pool and hot tub are open year-round. </span></p>
  2633. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647401 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_IndoorPool-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The indoor pool and hot tub. Note the shiplap ceilings. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_IndoorPool-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_IndoorPool-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_IndoorPool-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_IndoorPool-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8_IndoorPool-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2634. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The shiplap ceilings and wall of windows add warmth to the massive space. </span></p>
  2635. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647404 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_IndoorPoolArea-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The pool is lined with a wall of windows. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_IndoorPoolArea-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_IndoorPoolArea-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_IndoorPoolArea-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_IndoorPoolArea-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9_IndoorPoolArea-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2636. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s the 24-hour gym, with rubber floors.</span></p>
  2637. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647403 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_17.jpg" alt="The gym is open 24 hours. " width="903" height="682" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_17.jpg 903w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_17-300x227.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_17-768x580.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 903px) 100vw, 903px" /></p>
  2638. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now for a peek inside one of the European-style suites, which are larger than traditional hotel rooms. This one is outfitted with hardwood floors, a stone fireplace, a floor-to-ceiling walkout and gold accents throughout.</span></p>
  2639. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647406 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_GuestRoom1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The European-style suites comes with hardwood floors, fireplaces and gold accents. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_GuestRoom1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_GuestRoom1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_GuestRoom1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_GuestRoom1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11_GuestRoom1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2640. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hotel also rents out its 90-seat conference centre for weddings and corporate retreats. </span></p>
  2641. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647407 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_ConferenceSpace-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The place also comes with a bookable conference centre." width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_ConferenceSpace-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_ConferenceSpace-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_ConferenceSpace-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_ConferenceSpace-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/12_ConferenceSpace-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2642. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s another look at the cavernous conference centre. </span></p>
  2643. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647408 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_ConferenceArea-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The conference centre, lined with crystal chandeliers. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_ConferenceArea-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_ConferenceArea-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_ConferenceArea-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_ConferenceArea-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13_ConferenceArea-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2644. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Outside, it&#8217;s all about the amenities: a tennis court, a patio, a private beach, many docks for water sports and a private island accessible by helicopter. </span></p>
  2645. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647405 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_Helipad-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The private island can be accessed by helicopter. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_Helipad-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_Helipad-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_Helipad-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_Helipad-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10_Helipad-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2646. <p><b></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of water sports, guests are free to explore Little Lake and its seemingly endless waterways. </span></p>
  2647. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647409 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_Dock-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The escape is ideal for guests who love water sports. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_Dock-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_Dock-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_Dock-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_Dock-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14_Dock-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  2648. <p><b></b>Here&#8217;s the tropical-themed beach.</p>
  2649. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647411 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_19.jpg" alt="The tiki-themed private beach. " width="896" height="682" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_19.jpg 896w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_19-300x228.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_19-768x585.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 896px) 100vw, 896px" /></p>
  2650. <p>Finally, another bird&#8217;s eye view of the compound, highlighting the ample space for expansion. While there have been no<span style="font-weight: 400;"> formal approvals for development, the town has provided zoning guidelines on what could be built here.</span></p>
  2651. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647412 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Muskoka-resort-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_21.jpg" alt="The bird's eye view of the property highlights the plot of land for potential expansion. " width="895" height="567" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_21.jpg 895w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_21-300x190.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/40535093_21-768x487.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 895px) 100vw, 895px" /></p>
  2652. <hr />
  2653. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  2654. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-muskoka-resort/">Surreal Estate: $15 million for a turnkey Muskoka resort with 41 guest rooms</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2655. ]]></content:encoded>
  2659. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2_Aerial-1200x628-1713275126.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  2660. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  2661. <media:title></media:title>
  2662. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  2663. </media:content>
  2664. </item>
  2665. <item>
  2666. <title>Inside the kitchen of Solomon Mason, executive chef at Auberge du Pommier</title>
  2667. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-soloman-mason-auberge-du-pommier/</link>
  2669. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  2670. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 16:44:23 +0000</pubDate>
  2671. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  2672. <category><![CDATA[Auberge du Pommier]]></category>
  2673. <category><![CDATA[french food]]></category>
  2674. <category><![CDATA[Kitchen Diaries]]></category>
  2675. <category><![CDATA[solomon mason]]></category>
  2676. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647415</guid>
  2677.  
  2678. <description><![CDATA[<p>Stocked with a pieced-together pasta maker, fancy Dijon and three different coffee makers</p>
  2679. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-soloman-mason-auberge-du-pommier/">Inside the kitchen of Solomon Mason, executive chef at Auberge du Pommier</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2680. ]]></description>
  2681. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647437" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0175_V2-scaled.jpg" alt="Mason standing in his kitchen, which has a long island and light grey cabinets" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0175_V2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0175_V2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0175_V2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0175_V2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2682. <p>When Solomon Mason was 18 and living in his hometown of North Bay, he started writing daily letters to Alinea, a Michelin-star restaurant in Chicago. In them, the now–executive chef at <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/auberge-du-pommier/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Auberge du Pommier ">Auberge du Pommier </span></a>begged for a shot at an internship. The last letter even included a mixtape Mason had curated, featuring songs like “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” After three months of this, his persistence paid off: he was invited to Chicago to face off against 18 other aspiring chefs for a single coveted internship—and in the end, he won. “I was fortunate to know what I wanted to do when I was so young,” says Mason. “I had no desire to be a cook in a regular restaurant. I wanted to do something special.”</p>
  2683. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-pay-chen-food-writer-tv-host/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of food writer and television host Pay Chen"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of food writer and television host Pay Chen</em></span></a></p>
  2684. <p>After Alinea, Mason went on to work in a string of other acclaimed kitchens, including two Thomas Keller–led restaurants (The French Laundry, in California, and Per Se, in New York). In 2016, he moved back to Canada to join the team at <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/alo/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Alo">Alo</span></a>, eventually helming its sister restaurant, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/aloette/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Aloette">Aloette</span></a>.</p>
  2685. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647436" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0158-scaled.jpg" alt="A clearer look at Mason's kitchen" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0158-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0158-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0158-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0158-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0158-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0158-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2686. <p>After six years with the Alo Food Group, Mason took over the kitchen at Oliver and Bonacini’s Auberge du Pommier. “I needed to try something else,” he says. “I wanted to be able to replicate that success.” The job change resulted in a longer commute; Mason had chosen his condo because it was just a three-minute stroll from Aloette. “I think every cook is afraid they’re going to burn down the restaurant after closing for the night, so the fact that I could see Aloette from my balcony was a selling point.”</p>
  2687. <p>Between the one-hour TTC trek to North York and the long days spent behind the pass at Auberge, Mason has time for only breakfast and snacks at home. For the past six months, he’s started every day with a French omelette. “I’m half expecting someone to test me on it,” he says. “Back in the day, you’d make a French omelette for your chef so they could judge your skill level. Now that I’m running a French restaurant, I feel like I should be the best at it.”</p>
  2688. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647423" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0086-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the contents of Mason's condo-sized fridge" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0086-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0086-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0086-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0086-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0086-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0086-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  2689. <p>Mason’s fridge is usually stocked with long-lasting snacks and condiments like cornichons and Kewpie mayo. He also has a few ready-to-drink cocktails from Watson’s, a bar nearby. The container of “Fancy Dijon” came from Auberge. “Anything in a deli container like that is always stolen from the restaurant,” he says.</p>
  2690. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647424" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0087-scaled.jpg" alt="A zoomed-in shot of the fridge, including a large clear jar labelled &quot;fancy mustard&quot;" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0087-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0087-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0087-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0087-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0087-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0087-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2691. <p>His freezer is filled with quick, easy meals, including grocery store frozen pizzas and sourdough bagels from Stonemill Bakehouse in St. Lawrence Market.</p>
  2692. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647428" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0097-scaled.jpg" alt="One of Mason's freezer drawers, which holds a frozen pizza" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0097-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0097-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0097-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0097-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0097-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0097-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2693. <p>Mason says he&#8217;s a sucker for McCain’s tater tots. He also stocks his favourite flavour of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/good-behaviour-ice-cream/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Good Behaviour">Good Behaviour</span></a> ice cream: Torta Della Nonna, which is made with pine nuts, ricotta and lemon zest. When he was at Aloette, Mason collaborated with Good Behaviour on a lemon meringue pie ice cream.</p>
  2694. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647427" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0093-scaled.jpg" alt="Mason's second freezer drawer, which has tater tots and ice cream" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0093-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0093-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0093-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0093-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0093-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0093-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2695. <p>A cupboard packed with cereal, oatmeal, chips and nuts reflects the kitchen’s primary use as a breakfast and snacking hub. There’s also a bottle of organic maple syrup from Northumberland County&#8217;s Tamarack Farms, which Mason partners with to source ethically raised meats and non-GMO produce for Auberge.</p>
  2696. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647417" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0034-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at Mason's pantry" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0034-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0034-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0034-2000x2999.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0034-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0034-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0034-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  2697. <p>For Japanese snacks like wasabi-covered peanuts and mochi, Mason heads to Sanko on Queen West. He does a lot of grocery shopping in Kensington Market and at Kai Wei Supermarket in Chinatown, which are both within walking distance of his place. <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/chinatown/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Chinatown">Chinatown</span></a> is also a go-to destination for quick meals when he’s at home and doesn’t feel like cooking—Hey Noodles and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/mothers-dumplings/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mother&#8217;s Dumplings">Mother&#8217;s Dumplings</span></a> are a couple of standbys.</p>
  2698. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-andrew-carter-the-oxley/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley</em></span></span></a></p>
  2699. <p>Other items in Mason’s pantry include Tajín, which he likes to sprinkle on popcorn, and organic Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes. “These tomatoes are amazing—I can’t stop talking about them,” he says. The pack of ramen is for late-night snacking. Mason likes to top it with a fried egg and furikake seasoning. There’s also Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, the same brand Mason uses at Auberge. “I’m a firm believer that you have to pick a salt and stick to it for your entire life,” he says. “It’s easy to over-salt or under-salt if you’re always switching.”</p>
  2700. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647418" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0037-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at some of Mason's pantry staples" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0037-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0037-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0037-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0037-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0037-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0037-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2701. <p>Mason’s coffee set-up has something for every mood and occasion. “The espresso machine is for when I don’t need a lot of volume,” he says. “The pot is for when I do need a lot of volume. Then the pour-over is for when I want to take the time to do something a little nicer.” He gets his beans from Hot Black Coffee or De Mello’s new location in the Well.</p>
  2702. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647421" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0054-scaled.jpg" alt="Mason's extensive coffee set up" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0054-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0054-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0054-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0054-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0054-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0054-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2703. <p>Mason steps up his home-cooking game when friends come over for dinner. These gatherings often feature ravioli-making sessions, for which Mason relies on this pasta maker. He pieced it together from various broken ones at Auberge.</p>
  2704. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647422" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0072-scaled.jpg" alt="A silver pasta maker" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0072-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0072-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0072-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0072-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0072-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0072-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2705. <p>In honour of Aloette’s Michelin recommendation, Mason made this Michelin Man mat during a rug tufting class.</p>
  2706. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647420" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0044-scaled.jpg" alt="A Michelin man shaped rug" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0044-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0044-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0044-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0044-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0044-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0044-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2707. <p>Mason keeps his bar cart well stocked. He’s carefully rationing the bottle of Chartreuse Green, which has been produced by Carthusian monks in France since the 18th century—the former staple has been tougher to find since the monks capped production volumes in 2023. Mason also keeps some Amaro Montenegro (his favourite after-dinner drink) and bubbly on hand. “I believe in always having champagne in the fridge, just in case something really good happens,” says Mason. Nicolas Feuillatte Brut is his go-to because he believes it offers great value for its price point.</p>
  2708. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647435" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0144-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at Mason's bar-cart staples" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0144-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0144-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0144-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0144-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0144-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0144-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2709. <p>“I think every cook has a plethora of well-travelled cookbooks,” says Mason. His most treasured ones have been signed by the teams of restaurants he’s worked at over the years, including Alinea. “It’s a nice reminder, because you keep these for your whole career,” he says. “It’s kind of like having a high school yearbook.” His bookshelf also sports some more Michelin memorabilia.</p>
  2710. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647434" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0131-scaled.jpg" alt="Mason's collection of signed cookbooks" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0131-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0131-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0131-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0131-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0131-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0131-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2711. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647431" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0111-scaled.jpg" alt="Mason's bookshelf" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0111-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0111-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0111-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0111-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0111-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0111-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  2712. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-soloman-mason-auberge-du-pommier/">Inside the kitchen of Solomon Mason, executive chef at Auberge du Pommier</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2713. ]]></content:encoded>
  2717. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/032724_TorontoLife_0175_V2-scaled-1200x628-1713277144.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  2718. <media:copyright>Craig Bagol</media:copyright>
  2719. <media:title></media:title>
  2720. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  2721. </media:content>
  2722. </item>
  2723. <item>
  2724. <title>Less touristy but totally amazing holiday hotspots</title>
  2725. <link>https://torontolife.com/life/scotiabank-amazing-holiday-spots/</link>
  2727. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephanie Matas]]></dc:creator>
  2728. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 13:15:39 +0000</pubDate>
  2729. <category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
  2730. <category><![CDATA[Things To Do]]></category>
  2731. <category><![CDATA[Scotiabank]]></category>
  2732. <category><![CDATA[sponsored]]></category>
  2733. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
  2734. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644367</guid>
  2735.  
  2736. <description><![CDATA[<p>With these insider tips, you can take the road less travelled and sidestep the crowds while saving your hard-earned dollars</p>
  2737. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/scotiabank-amazing-holiday-spots/">Less touristy but totally amazing holiday hotspots</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2738. ]]></description>
  2739. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Created for <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1550879&amp;s=1550861" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link-img"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-630319 alignnone" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Scotiabank-logo.jpg" alt="" width="162" height="73" /></a></strong></p>
  2740. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some destinations get all the love (think Paris, London and New York). But if you’re in search of a unique, unforgettable adventure that prioritizes local experiences, consider venturing beyond the tourist circuit. </span></p>
  2741. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A recent poll conducted by Maru Public Opinion for Scotiabank<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">1</sup></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> says more than four in five Canadians</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">2</sup></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (81 per cent) prioritize learning about regional customs and communities while travelling. When you veer off the beaten path, you can blend in with the locals and explore incredible places that you may never have known existed.</span></p>
  2742. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While popular spots like Rome, Tokyo and Costa Rica are </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1550877&amp;s=1550861" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="trending"><span style="font-weight: 400;">trending</span></span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">this year, in nearby sort-of-secret locales you can indulge your curiosity and satisfy your vacation itch, minus the crowds. Best of all, you’ll become a traveller instead of a tourist. Here are three worthwhile destinations you won’t yet find on top-10 lists. </span></p>
  2743. <h5><b>For charm and relaxation, visit Budapest</b></h5>
  2744. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reminiscent of the Italian capital, with cobblestone streets, mouth-watering cuisine and the largest complex of thermal spas in Europe, Budapest offers the added bonus of incredible art nouveau architecture, the world-famous Danube River and an elaborate network of underground caves to wander beneath the city.</span></p>
  2745. <figure id="attachment_644394" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644394" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644394 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST1.png" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST1.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST1-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST1-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST1-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644394" class="wp-caption-text">Hungarian Parliament Building overlooking the Danube River</figcaption></figure>
  2746. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A fairy-tale-like vibe permeates both sides of the river. Sightsee on the hilly Buda side, which teems with natural beauty and culturally rich architecture, like the regal Buda Castle, the 13</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">-century Matthias Church, the scenic lookout towers of Fisherman’s Bastion and the Budapest History Museum, offering insights into the area’s rugged Roman past.</span></p>
  2747. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Riverside, the Gellért Thermal Bath and Rudas Thermal Bath provide ample space to relax and rejuvenate in a serene spa setting. Thermal baths here are revered for their medicinal purposes and are popular gathering spots to catch up with friends. Some of the baths in Budapest were founded as early as the 16</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> century, but even those built more recently provide a spectacular step back in time, adorned with beautiful stained-glass windows and colourful porcelain tiles. </span></p>
  2748. <figure id="attachment_644396" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644396" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644396 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST3.png" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST3.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST3-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST3-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BUDAPEST3-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644396" class="wp-caption-text">Széchenyi Thermal Bath</figcaption></figure>
  2749. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the Pest side of the city, enjoy</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">extensive shopping and dining, coupled with lively nightlife among iconic landmarks, such as the Hungarian State Opera House, St. Stephen’s Basilica and the picturesque Hungarian Parliament Building, which illuminates the river after dark. </span></p>
  2750. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At night, stop by one of the city’s renowned ruin bars—unpretentious pubs and clubs that have popped up in forgotten pre-war buildings, brimming with junk upcycled into furniture and art. Each bar has its own distinct style and atmosphere, so you’ll never have the same experience twice. </span></p>
  2751. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Szimpla Kert, for example, offers two levels of circus-style fun bathed in colourful tapestries. Boasting nine bars serving over 400 drinks, it hosts concerts, live theatre and even a farmers’ market. Tap your Scotiabank Passport</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">®</sup></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Visa Infinite Card for quick, easy payments and enjoy no foreign transaction fees on foreign currency purchases.<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">4</sup></span></p>
  2752. <div style="position: relative; margin-bottom: 25px; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 25px; height: 0;"><iframe loading="lazy" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5PsWL2thlck" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><br />
  2753. </iframe></div>
  2754. <h5><b>For fun and enlightenment, go to Hamamatsu</b></h5>
  2755. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Tokyo is likely where you’ll begin your Japanese adventure, plan a side trip to the coastal city of Hamamatsu, just three hours away. Pro tip: save on your car rental with Avis</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">® </sup></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Preferred Plus membership with your Scotiabank Passport</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">®</sup></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Visa Infinite Card.<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">4</sup></span></p>
  2756. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With fewer than one million people, it’s a very manageable city to explore that’s loaded with history, culture and dramatic natural landscapes. From sprawling sand dunes and beaches to picturesque lakes and mountains (not to mention world-famous unagi restaurants), you’ll experience Japan as the locals do. </span></p>
  2757. <figure id="attachment_646076" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646076" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646076" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU1.png" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU1.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU1-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU1-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU1-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646076" class="wp-caption-text">Japan Stock Photography / Alamy Stock Photo</figcaption></figure>
  2758. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Known as the City of Music, Hamamatsu</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">is home to a rich musical heritage, with world-renowned musical instrument companies such as Yamaha, Kawai and Roland founded there. The astounding Hamamatsu City Museum of Musical Instruments showcases more than 1,300 instruments from across the globe.</span></p>
  2759. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At Hamamatsu Flower Park on the shores of Lake Hamana, marvel at 3,000 varieties of plants and flowers on display year-round, including tulips, wisteria, roses and hydrangeas, along with fun mosaiculture sculptures. Take the ropeway to the top of Mount Okusa for a stunning view (and if you can, aim for sunset).</span></p>
  2760. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hamamatsu Castle provides a breathtaking vista, too, surrounded by a large, well-kept park. Visit at the end of March or in early April to witness the blooming of the plum and cherry trees.</span></p>
  2761. <figure id="attachment_646134" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646134" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646134 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU.png" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-HAMAMATSU-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646134" class="wp-caption-text">Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
  2762. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When booking a hotel, use your Scotiabank Passport</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">®</sup></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Visa Infinite card to find the best available rates through the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection. You’ll receive an automatic room upgrade (when available) and free Wi-Fi in your room when you check in.<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">‡</sup></span></p>
  2763. <h5><b>For sun and sand, head to Belize</b></h5>
  2764. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quiet beaches, exotic wildlife, exhilarating watersports and roadside lunches—the Placencia Peninsula, nestled between the mainland of southern Belize and the Caribbean Sea, is Central America’s best-kept secret (move over, Costa Rica). This very narrow spit of once-sleepy fishing villages is now an ecotourism hub for smart travellers, noted for its laid-back crowd, charming guest houses and ample golden sand.</span></p>
  2765. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The water is the main draw here, with great diving, snorkelling, boating and fishing offered throughout the day. Explore reef channels in search of parrotfish, moray eels and nurse sharks, and book tours to swim with whale sharks.</span></p>
  2766. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s an eclectic mix of delicious food, too, with some of the freshest seafood dishes prepared in the tiniest beach shacks. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cultural and culinary tours highlight the heritage and foodways of the Garifuna people. </span></p>
  2767. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you need help planning a day trip, making restaurant reservations or finding event tickets, take advantage of the personalized concierge service available for Scotiabank Passport</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">®</sup></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Visa Infinite cardholders,<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">‡</sup> which </span>will ensure you find what you’re looking for.</p>
  2768. <figure id="attachment_644416" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644416" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644416 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BELIZE4.png" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BELIZE4.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BELIZE4-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BELIZE4-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-BELIZE4-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644416" class="wp-caption-text">Zip lining at Mayflower Bocawina National Park</figcaption></figure>
  2769. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to the archaeological site Lubaantun, or the “place of fallen stones” in Yucatec Maya, rainforest adventures await on the mainland. At Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world’s first jaguar reserve, wander the jungle and take in awe-inspiring panoramic views along its winding trails.</span></p>
  2770. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At Mayflower Bocawina National Park, you can get an adrenalin rush waterfall rappelling and ziplining across the longest canopy-zipline course in Central America. While there, be on the lookout for pumas, jaguars, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, ocelots, pacas, armadillos and over 200 species of birds.</span></p>
  2771. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">No matter where your next adventure takes you, make the most of your trip with <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1550879&amp;s=1550861" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Card.">Scotiabank Passport<sup style="vertical-align: super; font-size: smaller;">®</sup> Visa Infinite Card.</span></a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
  2772. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647064" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/ScotiabankTipbox_v5.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/ScotiabankTipbox_v5.jpg 1280w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/ScotiabankTipbox_v5-300x211.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/ScotiabankTipbox_v5-768x540.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></p>
  2773. <p style="font-size: 11px;">1 This Maru Public Opinion survey conducted on behalf of Scotiabank was undertaken between February 7-8, 2024, by the sample and data management experts at Maru/Blue. The survey was of 1,534 randomly selected Canadian adults of which 792 are eligible for Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport credit card based on income requirements.<br />
  2774. All are Maru Voice Canada online panelists. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of 792 has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of ± 3.5%, 19 times out of 20.<br />
  2775. 2 ‘Canadians’ refers to survey respondents who are eligible for Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport credit card based on income requirements.<br />
  2776. 3 Certain limitations, restrictions and exclusions apply. Coverages are underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary First North American Insurance Company.<br />
  2777. 4 Actual savings and rewards earned will depend on individual card usage and eligibility for applicable offers. Conditions apply. Visit <a href="https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/visa/passport-infinite-card.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/visa/passport-infinite-card.html">scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/credit-cards/visa/passport-infinite-card.html</span></a> for more.<br />
  2778. <span style="font-weight: 400;">‡</span> Concierge Service provided by a duly licensed third-party premium concierge provider: AXA Assistance USA, Inc.</p>
  2779. <div id="pressboard-ad-sponsorship-msg"></div>
  2780. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/scotiabank-amazing-holiday-spots/">Less touristy but totally amazing holiday hotspots</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2781. ]]></content:encoded>
  2785. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SCOTIABANK-VISA-FEATURE1-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  2786. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  2787. <media:title></media:title>
  2788. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  2789. </media:content>
  2790. </item>
  2791. <item>
  2792. <title>How technology is enabling exceptional care at Canada’s No. 1 hospital</title>
  2793. <link>https://torontolife.com/life/uhn-foundation-technology/</link>
  2795. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cassandre Cadieux]]></dc:creator>
  2796. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 13:04:19 +0000</pubDate>
  2797. <category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
  2798. <category><![CDATA[sponsored]]></category>
  2799. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645696</guid>
  2800.  
  2801. <description><![CDATA[<p>At the heart of University Health Network, a fusion of advanced technology and human expertise is shaping the future of medicine—ushering in a new era of health care</p>
  2802. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/uhn-foundation-technology/">How technology is enabling exceptional care at Canada’s No. 1 hospital</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2803. ]]></description>
  2804. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With tools like virtual reality and ChatGPT, society has made powerful leaps toward a future that’s powered by technology and innovation. But far from invasion of the robots, at Canada’s leading health-care centre, cutting-edge medical advances require a human touch—and a strong partnership between people and technology.</p>
  2805. <p>“You really need both to innovate,” says Dr. Thomas Forbes, surgeon-in-chief at the Sprott Department of Surgery at Toronto&#8217;s University Health Network (UHN). “Technology is playing a crucial role in propelling advancements in surgery and health care at UHN and beyond, to make care more personalized, better, safer and more accurate. These new tools augment human surgeons and push the boundaries of surgical techniques.”</p>
  2806. <h5>Breaking ground across the health-care spectrum</h5>
  2807. <p>It’s a powerful partnership that’s enabling UHN’s 17,000-plus staff to deliver life-changing breakthroughs that are improving outcomes and dissolving barriers to better patient care across specialties and the entire care continuum.</p>
  2808. <p>Dr. Forbes is proud of UHN’s long list of recent advances in health care, including the exciting technologies that are making headlines and piquing interest and curiosity around the world.</p>
  2809. <p>“We’re seeing improved precision, faster recovery times and better outcomes conducting Canada- and world-first robot-assisted surgeries,” he says.</p>
  2810. <p>“We’re using AI to analyze medical images and clinical information to help with early disease detection as well as to identify patients at risk for deterioration and to assist surgeons during procedures. In training, we’re employing virtual reality to allow surgeons to practise complex procedures in a simulation before taking them to the operating room.” New, minimally invasive surgical techniques that rely on computer vision; 3-D printing for planning and education; technology that maintains and repairs organs for transplants, including lungs, outside the body—UHN’s list of advances runs long.</p>
  2811. <h5>Helping staff deliver better care</h5>
  2812. <p>UHN’s spirit of innovation and pioneering approach have indirect benefits too, helping health-care workers to overcome common challenges and barriers they face on the job.</p>
  2813. <p>According to Pam Hubley, vice-president and chief nurse executive at UHN, “Technology can remove administrative burdens, reduce cognitive overload, streamline information sharing, support access to care for diverse groups of people and enable connection and therapeutic relationships that are easy for patients to navigate to get the right information and the guidance they need. It can extend the efforts of nurses to ensure patients get the best care in a timely manner.”</p>
  2814. <p>Most importantly, Hubley believes leaning into technology can help make health care more human. “We will always need nurses who are smart, compassionate and capable of caring to meet the mental health and physical needs of patients and their families,” she says.</p>
  2815. <p>New UHN-developed programs, such as HaloCare—a telemonitoring system that can remotely identify changes in a patient’s condition, now used in all of UHN’s hospitals and other health centres across the country—help free up capacity to deliver even more human-centred care.</p>
  2816. <p>Hubley and Dr. Forbes agree that innovation couldn’t be achieved without the support of not only UHN’s own teams, but the community at large, whose donations help UHN continue to invest in technology and research that help keep Canada at the forefront of medicine.</p>
  2817. <p>“Our future is exciting,” says Hubley. “Those in Canada should be very proud and excited to have UHN in their backyard. We are leaders in our field, and we are collaborators and innovators across all disciplines, so that new and exciting ideas and approaches can be generated and realized right here in Toronto.”</p>
  2818. <p>To learn more about how you can help UHN leverage people and technology to drive the future of health care, visit <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1563532&amp;s=1563526" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="UHNITED.ca">UHNITED.ca</span></a>.</p>
  2819. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/uhn-foundation-technology/">How technology is enabling exceptional care at Canada’s No. 1 hospital</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2820. ]]></content:encoded>
  2824. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL_UHN_FeatureImage-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  2825. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  2826. <media:title>At UHN, both the human and not-so-human touch are required to deliver the best patient care and drive the future of medicine</media:title>
  2827. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  2828. </media:content>
  2829. </item>
  2830. <item>
  2831. <title>Strike the perfect work-life balance in Sault Ste. Marie</title>
  2832. <link>https://torontolife.com/life/sault-ste-marie-work-life-balance/</link>
  2834. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephanie Matas]]></dc:creator>
  2835. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2024 13:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
  2836. <category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
  2837. <category><![CDATA[doctors]]></category>
  2838. <category><![CDATA[healthcare]]></category>
  2839. <category><![CDATA[Sault Ste. Marie]]></category>
  2840. <category><![CDATA[sponsored]]></category>
  2841. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644932</guid>
  2842.  
  2843. <description><![CDATA[<p>Forget the city hustle and bustle. Rewarding perks for health care professionals await in Ontario’s outdoor-adventure playground.</p>
  2844. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/sault-ste-marie-work-life-balance/">Strike the perfect work-life balance in Sault Ste. Marie</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2845. ]]></description>
  2846. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For Carrie Stewart, the list of reasons why she loves living and working in Sault Ste. Marie is long and centres around one thing—the great outdoors. “There’s literally an outdoor adventure for every season, weather and condition possible,” says the avid cyclist, skier and hiker. “I can wrap up in my office at 5 p.m. and be in the forest surrounded by beauty by 5:30 p.m.”</span></p>
  2847. <h5><b>A league of its own</b></h5>
  2848. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A lifelong resident of Sault Ste. Marie, Stewart is its physician recruitment and retention manager, and she’s quick to laud a decision to relocate to her city. She’s as much an ambassador for her hometown’s exciting professional opportunities for doctors as she is an enthusiastic cheerleader for its breathtaking surroundings and abundance of nature activities.</span></p>
  2849. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645311 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE2.png" alt="Two people standing by canoes on the shore of a serene lake in Sault Ste. Marie surrounded by autumn foliage." width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE2.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE2-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE2-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE2-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  2850. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I love that we have access to the Great Lakes, inland lakes, mountainous terrain, amazing vistas, beautiful hardwood forests, waterfalls, sunsets and a vast variety of trails,” she says, citing the Hiawatha Highlands, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Bellevue Valley and the nearby town of Searchmont as some of her favourite spots for open-air fun. “And a ride on Highway 638 in the midst of the fall colours should be on every cyclist’s bucket list!”</span></p>
  2851. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645312 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE3.png" alt="A train in Sault Ste. Marie travelling through a forest of colourful trees next to a lake. " width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE3.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE3-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE3-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE3-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  2852. <h5><b>Beauty and benefits abound</b></h5>
  2853. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nestled on the shores of Lake Superior, about a seven-hour drive or one-hour flight northwest of Toronto and 10 minutes from the Michigan border, “the Soo,” as it’s fondly known, boasts a bounty of benefits for residents.</span></p>
  2854. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646203 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE-BIKING.jpg" alt="Two bicyclists biking along a wooden platform in a green forest." width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE-BIKING.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE-BIKING-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE-BIKING-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE-BIKING-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  2855. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With its remarkably </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1552511&amp;s=1552505" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="affordable housing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">affordable housing</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, low unemployment rates, five-minute commute times, vibrant </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1552515&amp;s=1552505" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="arts and culture scene"><span style="font-weight: 400;">arts and culture scene</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and awe-inspiring natural beauty, it’s no surprise more and more Torontonians are </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1552519&amp;s=1552505" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="trading big-city stress"><span style="font-weight: 400;">trading big-city stress</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for tranquility and a vastly improved work-life balance by moving there. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The city pays homage to its </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1552524&amp;s=1552505" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Indigenous roots"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Indigenous roots</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, too, with areas to explore the influence and importance of First Nations people, including Whitefish Island and Agawa Bay.</span></p>
  2856. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645316 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE6.png" alt="A man sings and plays a powwow drum next to a woman on a cliff overlooking a vast forest. " width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE6.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE6-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE6-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE6-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  2857. <h5><b>Rewarding healthcare work</b></h5>
  2858. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stewart says that making the move to Sault Ste. Marie can be immensely rewarding, especially for doctors, thanks to a grateful patient population and a strong sense of community and support that can be lacking in larger cities’ hospitals and health care facilities. “You’ll be part of the team from day one,” she says. “Physicians have access to transition-to-practice models, mentorship programs, retention events and medical-staff wellness initiatives. New physicians are often pleasantly surprised how friendly, helpful and engaging everyone is, from the IT staff to the nurses and physicians.”</span></p>
  2859. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-645315 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE7.jpg" alt="The entrance to Sault Area Hospital." width="1200" height="700" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE7.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE7-300x175.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-SSM-INLINE7-768x448.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  2860. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to Sault Area Hospital, a state-of-the-art 300-bed facility with a comprehensive range of health care services, including the Algoma District Cancer Program, a Regional Renal Program and a full suite of diagnostic-imaging equipment, the city is home to the Group Health Centre, a pioneering multi-specialty ambulatory-care facility. “It’s a collaborative, patient-focused model unique to Sault Ste. Marie,” Stewart says. “There are also many more community-outpatient facilities here delivering outstanding care.”</span></p>
  2861. <h5><b>Inclusion, respect and appreciation</b></h5>
  2862. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She adds that physicians who move to the Soo enjoy remuneration packages with financial incentives, turnkey operations without overhead expenses, and a multitude of opportunities and resources for professional development, education and research. “There is an average of 35 medical learners on site at any time, so many of our physicians are also </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1552526&amp;s=1552505" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="NOSM University"><span style="font-weight: 400;">NOSM University</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> faculty, and directly involved in program development, medical education and leadership,” she says.</span></p>
  2863. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For Stewart, life in Sault Ste. Marie—especially for health care workers—is about being able to truly have it all. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I love to travel and visit other places, but I can’t imagine a better place to live, work and play,” she says. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The lifestyle here is the true definition of work-life balance. You can have the most fulfilling career, with support in development and advancement, plus have time to spend with your family and a daily dose of outdoor adventure!”</span></p>
  2864. <p><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1552528&amp;s=1552505" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link-img"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646244 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL24_SSM_01.png" alt="" width="1200" height="240" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL24_SSM_01.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL24_SSM_01-300x60.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL24_SSM_01-768x154.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></a></p>
  2865. <div id="pressboard-ad-sponsorship-msg"></div>
  2866. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/sault-ste-marie-work-life-balance/">Strike the perfect work-life balance in Sault Ste. Marie</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2867. ]]></content:encoded>
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  2872. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  2873. <media:title></media:title>
  2874. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  2875. </media:content>
  2876. </item>
  2877. <item>
  2878. <title>House of the Week: $2.8 million for an Upper Beaches home inspired by Greece and California</title>
  2879. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-beachhouse/</link>
  2881. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Yu]]></dc:creator>
  2882. <pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 20:44:39 +0000</pubDate>
  2883. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  2884. <category><![CDATA[House of the Week]]></category>
  2885. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  2886. <category><![CDATA[upper beaches]]></category>
  2887. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647076</guid>
  2888.  
  2889. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 2,000-square-foot property comes with a 14-foot-tall mahogany front door, heated porcelain floors, camouflaged cupboards and a fenced-in backyard</p>
  2890. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-beachhouse/">House of the Week: $2.8 million for an Upper Beaches home inspired by Greece and California</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2891. ]]></description>
  2892. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647079 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-20.09.23_7b-maughan-24.jpg" alt="This 2,000-square-foot semi in the Upper Beaches is currently going for $2.8 million." width="1616" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-20.09.23_7b-maughan-24.jpg 1616w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-20.09.23_7b-maughan-24-237x300.jpg 237w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-20.09.23_7b-maughan-24-768x973.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-20.09.23_7b-maughan-24-1212x1536.jpg 1212w" sizes="(max-width: 1616px) 100vw, 1616px" /></p>
  2893. <p><strong>Neighbourhood: </strong><span data-title="Summerhill">Upper Beaches</span><br />
  2894. <strong>Price:</strong> $2,880,000<br />
  2895. <strong>Size:</strong> 2,000 square feet plus a 700-square-foot lower level<br />
  2896. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 3+1<br />
  2897. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 5<br />
  2898. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 2<br />
  2899. <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent:</strong> Barry and Justin Cohen, <a href="https://barrycohenhomes.com/properties/coastal-tranquility" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Barry Cohen Homes">Barry Cohen Homes</span></a></p>
  2900. <hr />
  2901. <h5><b>The place</b></h5>
  2902. <p>A three-plus-one-bedroom, five-bathroom, two-storey detached in the Upper Beaches. It comes with a one-car garage plus room to park another vehicle in the driveway. Close to Dundas and Coxwell, it&#8217;s within walking distance of the many businesses and transit options along Queen and Gerrard. And motorists are a short drive from both Lake Shore and Kingston Road.</p>
  2903. <h5><b>The history</b></h5>
  2904. <p>In 2017, James Manesh and his father, Parviz Bozorgmanesh, co-founders of the development studio Protopia, bought the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house that once stood on this plot, with the intention of building two new detached homes. Construction completed in 2022.</p>
  2905. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-summerhill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$4.2 million for a never-lived-in minimalist marvel steps from Summerhill station">$4.2 million for a never-lived-in minimalist marvel steps from Summerhill station</span></a></em></p>
  2906. <h5><b>The tour</b></h5>
  2907. <p>James and Parviz were inspired by coastal regions like Santorini and California. They used white stucco cladding with cedar accents for the home&#8217;s exterior.</p>
  2908. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647100 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-60.jpg" alt="The designers drew inspiration from Santorini and California. " width="1497" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-60.jpg 1497w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-60-219x300.jpg 219w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-60-768x1051.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-60-1123x1536.jpg 1123w" sizes="(max-width: 1497px) 100vw, 1497px" /></p>
  2909. <p>The 14-foot-tall front door is made of mahogany.</p>
  2910. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647101 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-64.jpg" alt="The mahogany door is 14 feet." width="1364" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-64.jpg 1364w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-64-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-64-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20.09.23_7b-maughan-64-1023x1536.jpg 1023w" sizes="(max-width: 1364px) 100vw, 1364px" /></p>
  2911. <p>The foyer has a small landing with a built-in coat closet.</p>
  2912. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647190 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="The foyer landing, with built-in storage. " width="2048" height="1367" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2913. <p>Atop the foyer is this open living and dining space with floor-to-ceiling windows.</p>
  2914. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647082 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3-20.10.01_7b-maughan-38.jpg" alt="The living room has floor-to-ceiling windows. " width="1369" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3-20.10.01_7b-maughan-38.jpg 1369w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3-20.10.01_7b-maughan-38-201x300.jpg 201w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3-20.10.01_7b-maughan-38-768x1149.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/3-20.10.01_7b-maughan-38-1027x1536.jpg 1027w" sizes="(max-width: 1369px) 100vw, 1369px" /></p>
  2915. <p>Here&#8217;s another angle of the living room, which comes with engineered hardwood.</p>
  2916. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647081 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.5-7b-maughan.jpg" alt="The flooring here is engineered hardwood. " width="2048" height="1388" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.5-7b-maughan.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.5-7b-maughan-300x203.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.5-7b-maughan-2000x1355.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.5-7b-maughan-768x521.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2.5-7b-maughan-1536x1041.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2917. <p>Opposite the living and dining area is a cupboard and wine rack crafted by Parviz himself.</p>
  2918. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647083 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4-20.10.01_7b-maughan-111.jpg" alt="The display was made by Bozorgmanesh himself. " width="1641" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4-20.10.01_7b-maughan-111.jpg 1641w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4-20.10.01_7b-maughan-111-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4-20.10.01_7b-maughan-111-768x958.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4-20.10.01_7b-maughan-111-1231x1536.jpg 1231w" sizes="(max-width: 1641px) 100vw, 1641px" /></p>
  2919. <p>The kitchen is equipped with Miele appliances, including a five-burner gas cooktop, a wall oven, a speed oven and an integrated fridge. The surfaces are Caesarstone.</p>
  2920. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647085 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-118.jpg" alt="In the kitchen: Miele appliances and Caesarstone. " width="1509" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-118.jpg 1509w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-118-221x300.jpg 221w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-118-768x1042.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-118-1132x1536.jpg 1132w" sizes="(max-width: 1509px) 100vw, 1509px" /></p>
  2921. <p>Inside one of the cupboards is this LED-lit coffee station.</p>
  2922. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647088 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8-20.10.01_7b-maughan-205.jpg" alt="The LED-lit coffee station, with even more storage. " width="1367" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8-20.10.01_7b-maughan-205.jpg 1367w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8-20.10.01_7b-maughan-205-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8-20.10.01_7b-maughan-205-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8-20.10.01_7b-maughan-205-1025x1536.jpg 1025w" sizes="(max-width: 1367px) 100vw, 1367px" /></p>
  2923. <p>There&#8217;s also a mini workstation in the kitchen. That narrow panel on the right is yet another closet, ideal for brooms and cleaning products.</p>
  2924. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647087 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7-20.10.01_7b-maughan-154.jpg" alt="No space is wasted: that panel on the right of the desk holds brooms and other supplies. " width="1350" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7-20.10.01_7b-maughan-154.jpg 1350w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7-20.10.01_7b-maughan-154-198x300.jpg 198w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7-20.10.01_7b-maughan-154-768x1165.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7-20.10.01_7b-maughan-154-1013x1536.jpg 1013w" sizes="(max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px" /></p>
  2925. <p>Now for the family room, with a 54-inch gas fireplace surrounded by porcelain plus floating storage on either side. That&#8217;s a walkout to a small balcony on the left.</p>
  2926. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647086 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-20.10.01_7b-maughan-190-JPEG-Full-2.jpg" alt="The gas fireplace here is 54 inches wide and surrounded by porcelain. " width="2048" height="1367" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-20.10.01_7b-maughan-190-JPEG-Full-2.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-20.10.01_7b-maughan-190-JPEG-Full-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-20.10.01_7b-maughan-190-JPEG-Full-2-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-20.10.01_7b-maughan-190-JPEG-Full-2-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6-20.10.01_7b-maughan-190-JPEG-Full-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2927. <p>The main-floor powder room comes with a Dolomite-tiled backsplash and a Dolomite counter.</p>
  2928. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647089 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9-20.10.01_7b-maughan-78.jpg" alt="The powder room is lined with Dolomite marble. " width="1449" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9-20.10.01_7b-maughan-78.jpg 1449w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9-20.10.01_7b-maughan-78-212x300.jpg 212w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9-20.10.01_7b-maughan-78-768x1085.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9-20.10.01_7b-maughan-78-1087x1536.jpg 1087w" sizes="(max-width: 1449px) 100vw, 1449px" /></p>
  2929. <p>Here&#8217;s the white-oak staircase and MDF-panelled wall.</p>
  2930. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647084 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-53.jpg" alt="That wall is made of MDF panels. " width="1398" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-53.jpg 1398w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-53-205x300.jpg 205w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-53-768x1125.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4.5-20.10.01_7b-maughan-53-1049x1536.jpg 1049w" sizes="(max-width: 1398px) 100vw, 1398px" /></p>
  2931. <p>Three of the home&#8217;s eight skylights are above the second-floor landing.</p>
  2932. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647091 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10.5-69-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="There are eight skylights on the second floor. " width="2048" height="1366" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10.5-69-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10.5-69-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10.5-69-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10.5-69-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10.5-69-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2933. <p>The main bedroom is lined with another MDF feature wall and built-in Bluetooth speakers.</p>
  2934. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-647092 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11-40-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="Those are Bluetooth speakers in the ceiling. " width="2048" height="1366" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11-40-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11-40-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11-40-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11-40-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/11-40-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2935. <p>Its ensuite bathroom has a floating quartz double vanity and a walk-in shower with a rainfall head and a herringbone tile surround.</p>
  2936. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647094 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13-46-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="The Dolomite herringbone surround is a nice touch. " width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13-46-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13-46-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13-46-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13-46-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/13-46-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2937. <p>A reverse view of the principal ensuite highlights the soaker tub, porcelain floors and speaker system.</p>
  2938. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647095 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14-51-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="The soaker tub has a nice view of the backyard. " width="2048" height="1367" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14-51-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14-51-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14-51-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14-51-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/14-51-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2939. <p>Here&#8217;s one of the south-facing secondary bedrooms, with one jumbo window.</p>
  2940. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647097 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16-62-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="This secondary bedroom has an enormous south-facing window. " width="2048" height="1367" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16-62-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16-62-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16-62-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16-62-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16-62-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2941. <p>And here&#8217;s one of the secondary ensuites, with a rainfall shower head and a white hexagonal ceramic tile surround.</p>
  2942. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647099 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18-65-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="Note the rainfall shower head and floating vanity. " width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18-65-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18-65-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18-65-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18-65-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18-65-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2943. <p>The lower level serves as a rec room and comes with 11-foot ceilings and a walkout to the backyard.</p>
  2944. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647111 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/89-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="The basement is lined with heated Spanish porcelain tiles. " width="2048" height="1368" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/89-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/89-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/89-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1336.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/89-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/89-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2945. <p>Also in the rec room: this kitchenette, with quartz counters, storage and a wine fridge.</p>
  2946. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647110 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-23" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/88-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="There's a kitchenette in the rec room. " width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/88-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/88-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/88-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/88-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/88-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2947. <p>This office could be converted into a bedroom.</p>
  2948. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647107 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/76-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="This office could be converted into a bathroom. " width="2048" height="1366" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/76-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/76-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/76-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/76-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/76-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2949. <p>Outside, the deck is equipped with a direct gas line to hook up a grill.</p>
  2950. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647112 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-26" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/92-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="The deck has a gas line hookup for a grill. " width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/92-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/92-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/92-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/92-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/92-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2951. <p>The backyard is fenced in on all sides.</p>
  2952. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647113 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-27" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/93-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg" alt="The backyard is completely fenced in for privacy. " width="2048" height="1366" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/93-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/93-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/93-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/93-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/93-web-or-mls-7b-maughan-crescent-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  2953. <p>Finally, a shot of the front of the home at dusk.</p>
  2954. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647080 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-29" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2-20.10.09_7b-maughan-6.jpg" alt="The home at dusk. " width="1652" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2-20.10.09_7b-maughan-6.jpg 1652w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2-20.10.09_7b-maughan-6-242x300.jpg 242w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2-20.10.09_7b-maughan-6-768x952.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2-20.10.09_7b-maughan-6-1239x1536.jpg 1239w" sizes="(max-width: 1652px) 100vw, 1652px" /></p>
  2955. <hr />
  2956. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>. </em></p>
  2957. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-beachhouse/">House of the Week: $2.8 million for an Upper Beaches home inspired by Greece and California</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2958. ]]></content:encoded>
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  2963. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  2964. <media:title></media:title>
  2965. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  2966. </media:content>
  2967. </item>
  2968. <item>
  2969. <title>&#8220;I live in a 300-square-foot condo downtown. Here&#8217;s how I&#8217;ve optimized the space&#8221;</title>
  2970. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/elise-yu-300-square-foot-studio-tiny-living/</link>
  2972. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  2973. <pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 18:33:08 +0000</pubDate>
  2974. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  2975. <category><![CDATA[300-square-feet]]></category>
  2976. <category><![CDATA[Condos]]></category>
  2977. <category><![CDATA[elise yu]]></category>
  2978. <category><![CDATA[small spaces]]></category>
  2979. <category><![CDATA[tiny living]]></category>
  2980. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647286</guid>
  2981.  
  2982. <description><![CDATA[<p>Elise Yu’s $465,000 condo is equipped with a Murphy bed, a pull-down projector and a large carpet that creates an optical illusion </p>
  2983. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/elise-yu-300-square-foot-studio-tiny-living/">&#8220;I live in a 300-square-foot condo downtown. Here&#8217;s how I&#8217;ve optimized the space&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  2984. ]]></description>
  2985. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h6><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647290" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8038-scaled.jpg" alt="Elise Yu standing in her 300-square-foot apartment, wearing a purple sweater vest" width="2560" height="1709" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8038-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8038-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8038-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8038-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></h6>
  2986. <p>In 2021, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thisiseliseyu/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Elise Yu">Elise Yu</span></a> bought her 300-square-foot studio condo sight unseen. She’d been living with her parents in Vancouver and itching to move out. &#8220;​​I definitely saw myself living that city girl life in downtown Toronto,” she says. With help from her grandparents, Yu, a 27-year-old marketing manager at a media monitoring company, was able to afford the down payment on the small condo.</p>
  2987. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/garden-suite-build-450000-condo-ryan-rohin/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;I wanted my mom to live nearby, so I spent $450,000 to build her a garden suite&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;I wanted my mom to live nearby, so I spent $450,000 to build her a garden suite&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  2988. <p>Since she was in Vancouver, she had to make her decision based on lengthy videos (taken by a friend) and listing photos. Ultimately, she took the risk, purchasing a studio at the intersection of Queen and University for $465,000. She bought it in October 2021 and moved in shortly afterward. “My initial feeling when I arrived was, <em>Oh my god, this place is so small. This is where all my money went?</em>&#8221; says Yu. &#8220;It really is just a box in the sky, which freaked me out a little bit.”</p>
  2989. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647292" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8100-scaled.jpg" alt="Elise Yu's apartment, which is a small condo at Queen and Bathurst" width="2560" height="1709" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8100-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8100-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8100-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8100-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8100-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8100-2048x1367.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2990. <p>The space was barely big enough to do a jumping jack in, but it had everything else she wanted in a home—including a balcony, plenty of direct sunlight, a concierge and an unbeatable location. After the initial shock wore off, Yu was excited to start decorating. “I’m really into interior design, so it’s important that my home reflects who I am.”</p>
  2991. <p>There was one issue: the condo came furnished, and most of the furniture was black and austere, which didn&#8217;t mesh with Yu’s light, airy aesthetic. “It looked modern and clean but also very cold,” she says. Her first order of business was ridding the unit of its harsh decor. She sold most of it on Facebook Marketplace, keeping only the Murphy bed, before embarking on the tricky task of replacing it. “Because the apartment is so small, it wasn&#8217;t like I could buy a piece of furniture, realize it didn&#8217;t work and put it somewhere else,” she says. Yu did extensive research and triple-checked measurements before every purchase.</p>
  2992. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647301" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8225-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at Yu's apartment from the other side, facing out the large windows" width="2560" height="1688" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8225-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8225-300x198.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8225-2000x1319.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8225-768x506.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8225-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8225-2048x1350.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2993. <p>In a single-room apartment that consists of a kitchen and not much else, finding functional pieces was a priority. The first item she bought was a shoe cabinet, to keep shoes from cluttering up the hallway. While it’s right at the end of the entrance to the apartment, it’s also technically located in the kitchen, beside the island.</p>
  2994. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647302" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8267-scaled.jpg" alt="Elise's shoe holder, which is beside the kitchen island" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8267-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8267-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8267-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8267-768x1150.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8267-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8267-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  2995. <p>Every evening, Yu pulls a latch down to reveal her queen-sized bed, hidden within her two-seater couch. In the morning, she lifts it back up, then she hides her pillows and blanket away in a covert container under her kitchen island. She&#8217;s a self-professed neat freak, so she loves the Murphy bed’s disappearing effect. “I’m not one of those people who likes to work in bed,&#8221; Yu says, &#8220;so it&#8217;s nice to have it tucked away all day.”</p>
  2996. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647303" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8283-scaled.jpg" alt="Elise's Murphy bed, which, when folded out, takes up much of her living space" width="2560" height="1709" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8283-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8283-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8283-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8283-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8283-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8283-2048x1367.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  2997. <p>Yu works remotely, so creating a dedicated desk space was a priority. “Having designated areas helps me separate work from life,” she says. She found a standing desk on Amazon that fits perfectly into the nook she dedicated as her home office, a 2.5-foot space between the Murphy bed and the window. She also decorated nearby shelves with ceramics and Pampas grass so she could gaze at beautiful objects while she works.</p>
  2998. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647293" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8127-scaled.jpg" alt="Yu's desk space, which is tucked between the couch and the window" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8127-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8127-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8127-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8127-768x1150.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8127-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8127-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  2999. <p>The apartment is full of plants—half real, half fake—which conjure the greenery of Yu&#8217;s native Vancouver. “I’m not good at taking care of plants, and I’ve come to be okay with that,” she says. The plants are also an antidote to the urban environment she sees out her window. “I’m surrounded by tall buildings. Bringing some element of the outdoors into my space makes me feel more connected to nature.” A bird feeder on the balcony also attracts plenty of sparrows.</p>
  3000. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/kate-fincham-houseboat-tiny-living/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “When I bought my 625-square-foot houseboat, I had no idea what I was doing. It was the best decision I ever made”"><span data-title="Related: “When I bought my 625-square-foot houseboat, I had no idea what I was doing. It was the best decision I ever made”"><em><strong>Related:</strong> “When I bought my 625-square-foot houseboat, I had no idea what I was doing. It was the best decision I ever made”</em></span></span></a></p>
  3001. <p>Yu’s biggest splurge—and her favourite part of the apartment—is the digital projector and retractable screen she had installed between the kitchen and the living room/bedroom area, which she pulls down whenever she wants to watch a movie. While it was an expensive job (the unit and installation cost close to $1,500), a high-end TV would have cost about as much. “Now every night is like movie night,” she says. “I have no desire to go out to the theatre anymore.”</p>
  3002. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647304" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8309-scaled.jpg" alt="Yu's projector set up" width="2560" height="1716" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8309-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8309-300x201.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8309-2000x1341.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8309-768x515.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8309-1536x1030.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8309-2048x1373.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3003. <p>Clothing storage is an ongoing struggle. “My closet is the biggest challenge,&#8221; Yu says. &#8220;I have too many clothes and nowhere to put them.” She maintains a small storage unit, where she keeps her out-of-season clothing, swapping her winter and summer wardrobes when the weather changes.</p>
  3004. <p>She also misses having a full-size oven—her current kitchen has only a two-burner stovetop, so the microwave does a lot of heavy lifting. “I can cook a frozen pizza, but I can’t exactly bake a loaf of bread.”</p>
  3005. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647295" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8178-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at Yu's kitchen, which has a two-burner stove and a microwave oven" width="1770" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8178-scaled.jpg 1770w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8178-207x300.jpg 207w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8178-2000x2893.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8178-768x1111.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8178-1062x1536.jpg 1062w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8178-1416x2048.jpg 1416w" sizes="(max-width: 1770px) 100vw, 1770px" /></p>
  3006. <p>Yu picked up a number of clever design hacks from watching interior decor YouTube videos. For instance, she has a rug with an oversized abstract pattern—rather than a small repeating pattern—which helps create the impression of more space. She also hung floor-to-ceiling curtains, another optical illusion that helps the apartment seem bigger than it is.</p>
  3007. <p>Now that she’s been in the space for two years, the decor is exactly how she likes it—yet she’s starting to itch for a new space. Yu craves the separation of a real bedroom, ideally one without the sliding doors that divide so many condos. She would also love an accent wall in a moody colour like forest green, but it would make her current space feel even more crammed. So she’s saving up for a future move.</p>
  3008. <p>In the meantime, she couldn’t be happier with her tiny slice of paradise. “People definitely widen their eyes when I tell them my place is only 300 square feet,” she says. “What makes me happy, though, is that whenever I bring new people over, they&#8217;re always impressed with how well I&#8217;ve used the space. That’s the best compliment I can get—that I&#8217;ve been able to make my humble apartment into a place I&#8217;m proud to call home.”</p>
  3009. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/elise-yu-300-square-foot-studio-tiny-living/">&#8220;I live in a 300-square-foot condo downtown. Here&#8217;s how I&#8217;ve optimized the space&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3010. ]]></content:encoded>
  3014. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC8038-scaled-1200x628-1713198806.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3015. <media:copyright>Lucy Lu</media:copyright>
  3016. <media:title></media:title>
  3017. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3018. </media:content>
  3019. </item>
  3020. <item>
  3021. <title>How actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee spends a day off in Toronto</title>
  3022. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/actor-paul-sun-hyung-lee-day-off-in-toronto/</link>
  3024. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maddy Mahoney]]></dc:creator>
  3025. <pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 16:14:02 +0000</pubDate>
  3026. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  3027. <category><![CDATA[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]></category>
  3028. <category><![CDATA[day off]]></category>
  3029. <category><![CDATA[kim's convenience]]></category>
  3030. <category><![CDATA[Paul Sun-Hyung Lee]]></category>
  3031. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647256</guid>
  3032.  
  3033. <description><![CDATA[<p>Including family breakfast at a ’50s-style diner, shopping for sci-fi collectibles and coaching his son’s baseball team</p>
  3034. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/actor-paul-sun-hyung-lee-day-off-in-toronto/">How actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee spends a day off in Toronto</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3035. ]]></description>
  3036. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647265 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00002-scaled-e1713194891208.jpeg" alt="Paul Sun-Hyung Lee in front of Treehouse Collectibles on Donlands Avenue in Toronto" width="1920" height="1632" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00002-scaled-e1713194891208.jpeg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00002-scaled-e1713194891208-300x255.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00002-scaled-e1713194891208-768x653.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00002-scaled-e1713194891208-1536x1306.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  3037. <p><em>Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s breakout role in</em> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/kims-convenience/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kim’s Convenience">Kim’s Convenience</span></a> <em>may have been rooted in realism, but sci-fi and fantasy were always the end goal. “That&#8217;s all I wanted to do, but I was never afforded the opportunity because of the colour of my skin,” he says. “Apparently there are no Asians in space.” Then <a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/mandalorian-star-paul-sun-hyung-lee/" class="article-link"><span data-title="he landed a role in">he landed a role in</span></a></em><a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/mandalorian-star-paul-sun-hyung-lee/" class="article-link"><span data-title=" The Mandalorian"> The Mandalorian</span></a>—<em>and if there’s any franchise that can instantly confer sci-fi credibility, it’s</em> Star Wars. <em>Case in point: he went on to make appearances in</em> The Book of Boba Fett <em>and</em> Ahsoka.</p>
  3038. <p><em>Most recently, he broke out of the </em>Star Wars <em>universe to appear as Uncle Iroh in</em> Avatar: The Last Airbender, <em>which premiered in February. “I was a fan of</em> Avatar <em>before they announced this series, so it felt like the stakes were high, but I was happy to rise to the challenge,” he says. Now that the show is out in the world, Lee is able to return to earth—and his family in Toronto—for some downtime. Here’s what he does on his days off.</em></p>
  3039. <hr />
  3040. <h5>Morning</h5>
  3041. <p>My alarm goes off around 6 a.m. I’m a night owl, but I have to get up early because of our dog, Podrick. He’s a rescue, so we’re not sure what breed he is, but we think he’s mostly black lab with a bit of pit bull. He’s a creature of habit, and he doesn’t care if I stayed up late or if I’m hungover. My wife, Anna, and I get up, feed him, clean his teeth and give him a treat.</p>
  3042. <p>Then we get dressed and take him for a half-hour or 45-minute walk. We like going up by the East York Civic Centre or the S. Walter Stewart Library. It’s one of my favourite parts of the day because I get to connect with my wife. Sometimes we’re quiet; sometimes we talk a lot. Either way, it’s a nice way to start the morning.</p>
  3043. <p>When we get home, around 7:30, I usually have a coffee while Anna has a tea. Refined coffee drinkers will hate me: I take mine with sweetener and cream, kind of like a double double. Then, if it’s a school day, we’ll rouse the boys. My youngest, Miles, is in high school, so that’s an eternal struggle. Noah, my older son, is in his first year at Toronto Metropolitan University. Getting them up is a big task—if they don’t physically get out of bed, they’ll fall back asleep.</p>
  3044. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647266 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00001-scaled-e1713194959819.jpeg" alt="Paul Sun-Hyung Lee in front of the Donlands Diner" width="1920" height="1945" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00001-scaled-e1713194959819.jpeg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00001-scaled-e1713194959819-296x300.jpeg 296w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00001-scaled-e1713194959819-768x778.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00001-scaled-e1713194959819-1516x1536.jpeg 1516w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00001-scaled-e1713194959819-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  3045. <p>If it’s not a school day, we try to hang out as a family. Miles has been really pushing us to do that, which I love. We often go to the Donlands Diner in East York for breakfast. It’s a great ’50s-style joint with a lot of nostalgic decor. If I’m looking to load up on food, I’ll get the Lumberjack Breakfast, which comes with pancakes, eggs, home fries and a side of bacon, sausage or ham. They also do a great eggs Benedict.</p>
  3046. <h5>Afternoon</h5>
  3047. <p>I collect toys, so there are a few places I like to shop on my days off. First and foremost is Treehouse Collectibles on Donlands Avenue. They sell comic books, vinyl, new toys and vintage stuff. I’ve gotten a lot of great <em>Star Wars</em> toys there, and I recently got a replica of the Romulan Bird-of-Prey, a ship from <em>Star Trek.</em> It’s a collector’s item, but the box was open, so it was only $25. I like opening up my toys anyway.</p>
  3048. <p>Sometimes people recognize me while I’m there and are shocked to find out that I live in the area. Others have heard I’m around but are excited to finally run into me. For me, those encounters are always kind of unexpected, but it’s a real delight getting to talk to people. Other stores I like for toys are Planet X, in the Beaches, and Heroes World, which moved from Markham to Richmond Hill last year.</p>
  3049. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/style/funko-pop-collector/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated Funko Pop collector">Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated Funko Pop collector</span></a></em></p>
  3050. <p>Noah recently got into vinyl, so sometimes we’ll make a trip over to Sonic Boom on Spadina. I’ve started collecting original soundtracks on vinyl for movies I love. I just bought a collection of all the soundtracks John Carpenter composed for his movies, including <em>The Thing</em>, <em>Halloween</em> and <em>Monster Madness</em>.</p>
  3051. <p>For lunch, I have a group of friends who like to eat together. Right now, we’re really into Harry’s Charbroiled—they do a great smash burger, and their poutine is fantastic. We’ll also read through different lists of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/burgers/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Toronto’s best burgers">Toronto’s best burgers</span></a> or best kebabs and pick spots we want to try. Right now we have a bunch of barbecue places that we’re planning to check out.</p>
  3052. <p>I’m also one of the coaches for my son Miles’s baseball team. He’s at the double-A level in rep baseball, and he plays for the Scarborough Stingers. We spend a lot of time training. Our two favourite places to play are Sunrise Fields, in East York, and Total Baseball Training Centre, in Scarborough. I love coaching and helping him train whenever I can. I want to be around as long as he’ll have me, because there’s going to come a day when he’s like, <em>It’s cool, Dad—you can go wait in the car.</em></p>
  3053. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647264 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00003-scaled-e1713195005283.jpeg" alt="Paul Sun-Hyung Lee at his son's baseball practice" width="1920" height="1843" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00003-scaled-e1713195005283.jpeg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00003-scaled-e1713195005283-300x288.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00003-scaled-e1713195005283-768x737.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00003-scaled-e1713195005283-1536x1474.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  3054. <p>In the summer, we’ll also go see Jays games. We share season tickets with three other families, so we get about 20 games per season. Noah, my eldest, will come with us sometimes, but I think he likes <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/all-the-new-food-at-the-rogers-centre-ranked/" class="article-link"><span data-title="the food at the Rogers Centre">the food at the Rogers Centre</span></a> more than the games. Right now, I am absolutely in love with Davis Schneider. Last year, when he hit a home run at Fenway Park during his first time at bat, I became a huge fan. I love his story. He wasn’t a top prospect, so he had to work for everything. I can relate to that. I was always underestimated as an actor, and when I finally got cast in <em>Kim’s Convenience</em>, I knew I had to seize the opportunity.</p>
  3055. <h5>Evening</h5>
  3056. <p>I’m a bit of a homebody, so I usually cook dinner at our place. I make a pretty wide variety of dishes, including <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/korean/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Korean food,">Korean food,</span></a> roasts, steaks, lasagna, and garlic fried rice with spam and eggs. That said, we do sometimes go out for dinner. We like Pai for Thai food, and I love Storm Crow Manor. That’s where I bring any of my nerdy friends from out of town: there’s all kinds of sci-fi stuff there—a lot of<em> Star Wars—</em>and the basement is modelled after sets from <em>The Walking Dead</em>. There’s also Korean Village Restaurant, which is my favourite Korean place. Jason, the owner, has been a big supporter of mine ever since <em>Kim’s Convenience.</em></p>
  3057. <p>After that, there are a few spots Anna and I like to go for drinks in our neighbourhood. One is a fun ’80s-style retro bar called Mom’s Basement. There are LPs, CDs and cassette tapes all over the walls. I also like the Dylan, which has a great selection of whiskeys.</p>
  3058. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/life/jordan-miller-the-beaches-day-off-toronto/" class="article-link"><span data-title="How Jordan Miller, the lead singer of">How Jordan Miller, the lead singer of</span></a></em><a href="https://torontolife.com/life/jordan-miller-the-beaches-day-off-toronto/" class="article-link"><span data-title=" The Beaches, spends a day off in Toronto"> The Beaches, <em>spends a day off in Toronto</em></span></a></p>
  3059. <p>After dinner, I like to head home and watch movies and shows. I have an extensive collection of physical media. I used to collect VHSs, then I updated to DVDs, then Blu-ray and now, finally, mostly 4K. I’m not a huge fan of streaming because you’re always at the mercy of your Wi-Fi. And if a streamer decides not to carry something anymore, it’s just gone. Nothing beats a disc because you own it. We have a TV in every room in the house, which was my doing—my wife’s family only had one tiny TV when she was growing up.</p>
  3060. <p>I will watch new stuff via streaming, though. I’ve been watching <em>Masters of the Air</em> on AppleTV Plus, <em>Blue Eye Samurai</em> on Netflix and <em>Star Wars: The Bad Batch</em> on Disney Plus.</p>
  3061. <p>Some days, I’ll do work for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&amp;list=PLwXQ70s1hbeEW73Vci7hXuJcJ4Ry6QR71" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="The Boba Squadron,"><em>The Boba Squadron</em>,</span></a> a podcast I’m a part of. We do episode breakdowns for different<em> Star War</em>s series and talk about new toys that are coming out. I also have my own YouTube channel, and I’ll do some filming for that. I unbox new toys and do half-assed reviews of them—mostly I just chat. It’s got a small but loyal following: I just broke the 20,000-subscriber mark, which feels like a million to me. I like that I get to spend so much time around toys. I believe that we get old only when we stop playing, so it keeps me young at heart.</p>
  3062. <p>Most days, my wife will crash early, and I’ll try to claim a few hours for myself. I’ll watch a game if there’s something on or maybe a movie. I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos on my iPad lately, especially videos of people camping or doing bushcraft. It’s a lot of ASMR, and there’s something really soothing about watching someone out in the wilderness. To be honest, though, I hate camping—it’s such an effort. But I love watching someone else do it. My favourite channel for that right now is called Outdoor Boys.</p>
  3063. <p>Sometime between midnight and 1:30 a.m., I’ll close my iPad. Then I’ll go upstairs, put my very sexy mouthguard in and head to bed.</p>
  3064. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/actor-paul-sun-hyung-lee-day-off-in-toronto/">How actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee spends a day off in Toronto</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3065. ]]></content:encoded>
  3069. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image00002-scaled-e1713194891208-1200x628-1713195379.jpeg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3070. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3071. <media:title></media:title>
  3072. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3073. </media:content>
  3074. </item>
  3075. <item>
  3076. <title>A first look at LSL, a nine-seat tasting restaurant with three Michelin-star chefs coming soon to North York</title>
  3077. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york/</link>
  3079. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  3080. <pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:30:31 +0000</pubDate>
  3081. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  3082. <category><![CDATA[christian le squer]]></category>
  3083. <category><![CDATA[Didier Leroy]]></category>
  3084. <category><![CDATA[Leroy Saito Le Squer]]></category>
  3085. <category><![CDATA[LSL]]></category>
  3086. <category><![CDATA[Masaki Saito]]></category>
  3087. <category><![CDATA[North York]]></category>
  3088. <category><![CDATA[tasting menu]]></category>
  3089. <category><![CDATA[william cheng]]></category>
  3090. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646703</guid>
  3091.  
  3092. <description><![CDATA[<p>It’s a collaboration between Didier Leroy, Masaki Saito and Christian Le Squer </p>
  3093. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york/">A first look at LSL, a nine-seat tasting restaurant with three Michelin-star chefs coming soon to North York</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3094. ]]></description>
  3095. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647036" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-scaled.jpg" alt="A person holds up a golden sign for LSL, a new nine-seat restaurant in Toronto from three Michelin-star chefs" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sign-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3096. <p>While Covid was by no means a boon to the restaurant industry, without it, <a href="https://lslrestaurant.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="LSL Restaurant">LSL Restaurant</span></a>—an elite nine-seat tasting room conceived by Michelin-star chefs Christian Le Squer, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/masaki-saito/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Masaki Saito">Masaki Saito</span></a> and Didier Leroy, opening soon near Avenue and Wilson—would not exist.</p>
  3097. <p>About a year and a half ago, Yo-Yo Ma was in town for a concert, and while he was here, he enjoyed a private dinner at Sushi Masaki Saito, Canada&#8217;s only two-Michelin-star restaurant. “We all needed to test for Covid before he came in because he was on a world tour and couldn’t get sick,” says Saito. “Unfortunately, I tested positive—that was a real problem.”</p>
  3098. <figure id="attachment_647020" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647020" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-647020" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-scaled.jpg" alt="Chefs Didier Leroy, Masaki Saito and Christian Le Squer pose together in the kitchen of LSL" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-scaled-803x603-1713030705.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647020" class="wp-caption-text">From left: chefs Didier Leroy, Masaki Saito and Christian Le Squer</figcaption></figure>
  3099. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/guy-one-bankable-names-big-money-world-fish-rice/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: This guy is one of the most bankable names in the big-money world of fish on rice"><strong>Related:</strong> This guy is one of the most bankable names in the big-money world of fish on rice</span></a></em></p>
  3100. <p>For that evening, as always, Saito had amassed a treasure trove of coveted, costly—and a little crazy—ingredients imported from Japan that couldn’t go to waste. But, as the sole chef of his eponymous <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/yorkville/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Yorkville">Yorkville</span></a> restaurant, he had no backup plan. So Saito and his business partner, proprietor William Cheng, had to pivot fast. “I love French food as it’s very similar to <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/japanese/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Japanese">Japanese</span></a> cuisine, with its strong focus on technique,&#8221; says Saito. &#8220;I had eaten Chef Leroy’s food many times at William’s home—the two have been friends for 25 years. We both trusted that he could take my place and make the meal beautifully.&#8221;</p>
  3101. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647022" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-scaled.jpg" alt="Sushi master Masaki Saito picks up a hairy crab from Hokkaido" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-crab-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3102. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647032" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-products.jpg" alt="Trays of various imported Japanese produce at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-products.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-products-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-products-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-products-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3103. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647021" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-scaled.jpg" alt="Chefs Christian Le Squer, Didier Leroy and Masaki Saito examine fresh Japanese ingredients" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-products-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3104. <p>From that meal—which Cheng says “brought tears to Yo-Yo Ma’s eyes”—the concept of the restaurant grew. Its acronym was originally going to be LWS, for Leroy With Saito. “The <em>W</em> was also a way to get my first name in there, like a hidden message,” says Cheng, who has been building the restaurant based on the way he wants to eat.</p>
  3105. <p>In 2023, during the recipe development phase of LWS, Cheng and the two chefs felt like something was missing. “Our benchmark for elevated cuisine is extremely high, and we didn’t think we were hitting it,” says Cheng. To find the missing piece, the three travelled to Paris to dine in its many Michelin-star restaurants for inspiration. This tour culminated at Cheng’s favourite: Christian Le Squer&#8217;s three-Michelin-star Le Cinq. “I was shocked at the quality, purity and lightness of the food,” says Saito. “I&#8217;d always thought of French food as being slightly heavy, but it shouldn’t be. Very few chefs are able to execute the level of technique it takes to make <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/french/" class="article-link"><span data-title="French">French</span></a> food with such delicate precision. Chef Le Squer can. We all agreed, upon returning to Toronto and reflecting on our trip, that he is the best of the best.”</p>
  3106. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647034" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Masaki Saito opens a container of imported Japanese sea urchin" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3107. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647033" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-hand.jpg" alt="A chef puts a lobe of sea urchin onto the back of another chef's hand" width="1600" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-hand.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-hand-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-hand-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-sea-urchin-hand-1229x1536.jpg 1229w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  3108. <p>Last Christmas, with the construction of LWS well underway, Leroy cold-called Le Squer to invite him to consult on the project. “Christian does not usually answer the phone,” says Cheng. “But, when I heard he&#8217;d picked up for Didier and was open to consulting for us, I got him and a sous-chef on a flight to Paris the next day.” In early 2024, Le Squer came to Toronto to dine at Saito’s restaurant with the rest of the team. He was so impressed he asked to have his name on the project. “I very happily dropped the <em>W</em>,” says Cheng.</p>
  3109. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-mssm-masaki-saito-sushi-yorkville/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at MSSM, sushi chef Masaki Saito’s more casual omakase spot in Yorkville"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at MSSM, sushi chef Masaki Saito’s more casual omakase spot in Yorkville</span></a></em></p>
  3110. <p>Their collective vision is a Japanese omakase experience reinterpreted through French cooking, with each chef taking on a special role. Saito focuses on sourcing exceptional ingredients, like Hokkaido hairy crab, wild mountain vegetables and purple sea urchin that costs $800 per tiny box. Le Squer forms the concepts for seasonal tasting menus inspired by the produce and protein Saito brings in.</p>
  3111. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647026" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-scaled.jpg" alt="Chefs Didier Leroy and Christian Le Squer share a laugh in the kitchen of LSL" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-lesquer-laughing-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3112. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647019" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-mandolin.jpg" alt="Chefs look on as Christian Le Squer, Masaki Saito and Didier Leroy examine Japanese-imported ingredients at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-mandolin.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-mandolin-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-mandolin-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-mandolin-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3113. <p>And, as the only chef in LSL on a day-to-day basis, Leroy—who has worked in multiple Michelin-star restaurants and helmed many kitchens of his own over a 50-year career—executes the vision. Under his leadership, Saito’s ingredients are transformed into exquisite dishes that bring together techniques and flavours from French and Japanese cuisines. It’s a magical arrangement between a triumvirate of top-tier chefs that works harmoniously and is bound to delight—if one can afford the $680-a-head price tag (and another $300 per person for wine pairings).</p>
  3114. <p>Much of the first tasting menu (sampled by nine lucky people earlier this month during a practice run) was modelled after dishes Le Squer has served at Le Cinq. A pair of chefs from his team made the trip from Paris a week before the dinner to thoroughly school LSL’s culinary team on the precise techniques required to recreate the signature recipes.</p>
  3115. <p><strong>Here&#8217;s a look at what was served for LSL&#8217;s inaugural dinner. Stay tuned to the restaurant&#8217;s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lsltoronto" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Instagram">Instagram</span></a> and <a href="https://www.exploretock.com/leroywithsaito" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Tock">Tock</span></a> pages to learn when reservations will become available.</strong></p>
  3116. <hr />
  3117. <figure id="attachment_647042" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647042" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647042 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-vichyssoise-sea-urchin.jpg" alt="This cool and creamy vichyssoise features a celery and cucumber sorbet, along with some Japanese sea urchin" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-vichyssoise-sea-urchin.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-vichyssoise-sea-urchin-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-vichyssoise-sea-urchin-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-vichyssoise-sea-urchin-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647042" class="wp-caption-text">This cool, creamy vichyssoise features a celery and cucumber sorbet along with lobes of that expensive Japanese sea urchin</figcaption></figure>
  3118. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647023" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cutlery-gloves.jpg" alt="A server wearing white gloves doles out silverware at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cutlery-gloves.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cutlery-gloves-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cutlery-gloves-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cutlery-gloves-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3119. <figure id="attachment_647041" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647041" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647041 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-tomato-tuna.jpg" alt="Hidden inside this juicy Japanese tomato topped with French caviar is raw fatty tuna" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-tomato-tuna.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-tomato-tuna-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-tomato-tuna-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-tomato-tuna-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647041" class="wp-caption-text">Hidden inside this juicy Japanese tomato is raw fatty tuna. French caviar is piled on top to complete the sweet-and-savoury interplay. The tomato is meant to be sliced in half and eaten in two palate-punching bites</figcaption></figure>
  3120. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647035" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-servers-plates.jpg" alt="Chefs at LSL prepare to pass finished dishes across the counter to waiting guests" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-servers-plates.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-servers-plates-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-servers-plates-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-servers-plates-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3121. <figure id="attachment_647015" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647015" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647015 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cabbage-lobster-mousse.jpg" alt="Here, cabbage moulded into a chunky disc swims in lobster mousse and a shallot, vinegar and white wine reduction" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cabbage-lobster-mousse.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cabbage-lobster-mousse-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cabbage-lobster-mousse-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cabbage-lobster-mousse-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647015" class="wp-caption-text">Here, cabbage moulded into a chunky disc swims in lobster mousse and a shallot, vinegar and white wine reduction. On top: a teeny-tiny squid</figcaption></figure>
  3122. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647031" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-preparing-bisque.jpg" alt="Chefs plate a dessert dish at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-preparing-bisque.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-preparing-bisque-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-preparing-bisque-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-preparing-bisque-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3123. <figure id="attachment_647028" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647028" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647028 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-lobster-bisque-ice-cream.jpg" alt="A server pours lobster bisque over ice cream in a goblet at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-lobster-bisque-ice-cream.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-lobster-bisque-ice-cream-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-lobster-bisque-ice-cream-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-lobster-bisque-ice-cream-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647028" class="wp-caption-text">This surprising pairing marries rich lobster bisque and a silky ice cream made with pistachios sourced from Milan and Sicily</figcaption></figure>
  3124. <figure id="attachment_647038" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647038" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647038 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle.jpg" alt="One of Le Squer’s signature dishes at Le Cinq, this rectangular block of handmade spaghetti is filled with a mushroom and cream mixture, then crowned with ham and black truffle" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647038" class="wp-caption-text">One of Le Squer’s signature dishes at Le Cinq, this rectangular block of handmade spaghetti is filled with a mushroom and cream mixture, then crowned with ham&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
  3125. <figure id="attachment_647037" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647037" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647037 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-shavings.jpg" alt="A chef grates fresh truffle onto a pasta dish for a guest at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-shavings.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-shavings-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-shavings-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-spaghetti-ham-truffle-shavings-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647037" class="wp-caption-text">&#8230;and shavings of black truffle</figcaption></figure>
  3126. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647027" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-tasting.jpg" alt="Chef Didier Leroy uses a spoon to sample a dish at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-tasting.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-tasting-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-tasting-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-leroy-tasting-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3127. <figure id="attachment_647024" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647024" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647024 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-foie-gras-pebble.jpg" alt="Another Le Cinq staple, this trompe-l'œil-style dish features foie gras poached in an iodized broth and fashioned to look like a pebble on the plate" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-foie-gras-pebble.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-foie-gras-pebble-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-foie-gras-pebble-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-foie-gras-pebble-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647024" class="wp-caption-text">Another Le Cinq staple, this trompe-l&#8217;œil-style dish features foie gras poached in an iodized broth and fashioned to look like a pebble</figcaption></figure>
  3128. <figure id="attachment_647025" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647025" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647025 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-scaled.jpg" alt="A layered grapefruit dessert at LSL" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-grapefruit-dessert-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-647025" class="wp-caption-text">This tiered confection starts with a layer of confit grapefruit followed by fresh grapefruit marinated in honey and lime. The stack continues with a crunchy layer of basil sugar, some grapefruit sorbet, more of that basil sugar, more fresh grapefruit and a final crunchy layer topped with a bit of orange marmalade</figcaption></figure>
  3129. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647016" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheers.jpg" alt="Guests at LSL, a tasting menu restaurant in North York, clink wine glasses with the chefs" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheers.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheers-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheers-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheers-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3130. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647029" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-petit-fours.jpg" alt="A person presents a tray lined with three jewel-like desserts at LSL" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-petit-fours.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-petit-fours-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-petit-fours-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-petit-fours-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  3131. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647017" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-scaled.jpg" alt="A chef plates a cheese course at LSL" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-cheese-2-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3132. <p><em>LSL Restaurant, 2066 Avenue Rd., <a href="https://lslrestaurant.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="lslrestaurant.ca">lslrestaurant.ca</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lsltoronto" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@lsltoronto">@lsltoronto</span></a></em></p>
  3133. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york/">A first look at LSL, a nine-seat tasting restaurant with three Michelin-star chefs coming soon to North York</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3134. ]]></content:encoded>
  3138. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-lsl-leroy-saito-lesquer-north-york-chefs-portrait-scaled-1200x628-1713030715.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3139. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3140. <media:title>From left to right: chefs Didier Leroy, Masaki Saito and Christian Le Squer</media:title>
  3141. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3142. </media:content>
  3143. </item>
  3144. <item>
  3145. <title>How top Toronto chefs keep customers coming back</title>
  3146. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/american-express-culinary-creators/</link>
  3148. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephanie Matas]]></dc:creator>
  3149. <pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
  3150. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  3151. <category><![CDATA[American Express]]></category>
  3152. <category><![CDATA[Chefs]]></category>
  3153. <category><![CDATA[restaurants in Toronto]]></category>
  3154. <category><![CDATA[sponsored]]></category>
  3155. <category><![CDATA[Square]]></category>
  3156. <category><![CDATA[Steam Whistle]]></category>
  3157. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646755</guid>
  3158.  
  3159. <description><![CDATA[<p>Some of the biggest names in food share what makes their restaurants successful</p>
  3160. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/american-express-culinary-creators/">How top Toronto chefs keep customers coming back</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3161. ]]></description>
  3162. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The restaurant industry is exhilarating but not for the faint of heart—</span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1579991&amp;s=1579978" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="more than half"><span style="font-weight: 400;">more than half</span></span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">of restaurants in Canada are currently operating at a loss. And running a successful one is about so much more than just food. </span></p>
  3163. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Culinary Creators Project, presented by American Express and Square, invited the restaurant community to Steam Whistle Brewing on March 25 to network, discuss industry challenges and learn from one another while sampling chef-crafted bites and drinks.</span></p>
  3164. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646789 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE5.png" alt="A large group of people mingling and sampling food in an open-concept space at Steam Whistle Brewery. " width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE5.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE5-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE5-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE5-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  3165. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s about coming together to tell restaurant owners about our commitment to their industry,” said Kerri-Ann Santaguida, vice-president and general manager of merchant services Canada, American Express. “At American Express, we have a long legacy of supporting small businesses. By partnering with Square, we’re able to continue to bring impactful marketing opportunities to restaurant owners.”</span></p>
  3166. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The event’s panel included some of the biggest names in the local food scene: </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1579996&amp;s=1579978" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Patrick Kriss"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patrick Kriss</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, chef and founder of Alo Food Group; </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1580004&amp;s=1579978" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Craig Harding"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Craig Harding</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, executive chef and TV personality; </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1580008&amp;s=1579978" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Nicki Laborie"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nicki Laborie</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, owner of Reyna Hospitality Group and founder of View the Vibe; and </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1580012&amp;s=1579978" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Derek Wasser"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Derek Wasser</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, chief operating officer of The Food Dudes. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">They shared how to navigate challenges that restaurants face today. Here’s their advice. </span></p>
  3167. <h5><b>Create an impactful brand</b></h5>
  3168. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A thriving restaurant delivers something that can’t be matched by its competitors, whether that’s price, high-quality service, atmosphere or unique food and drinks. With her Reyna restaurants, said Laborie, she was “looking to create something ultra-feminine because at the time everything was very masculine.” She’s always kept the branding strong and consistent, from the decor, logo and business cards to the brand’s Instagram and TikTok feeds, and this attention to detail has attracted a lot of guests. “I’m very stringent about our marketing and social media,” Laborie said. “If it’s not right, it’s taken down.”</span></p>
  3169. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646784 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE2.png" alt="Nicki Laborie, owner of Reyna Hospitality Group and founder of View the VIBE, speaks on the panel in a white-collar shirt and aqua-blue blazer. " width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE2.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE2-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE2-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE2-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  3170. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Offering the right food and atmosphere, as well as giving people the ability to pay how they want, is a great way to establish long-term customers. Insights from American Express and Square can help restaurant owners better understand what their customers prefer so they can better serve them. </span>“Square really is this all-in-one technology platform that gives restaurant owners time back to spend on other things,” said Karisa Marra, head of sales for Square Canada.</p>
  3171. <h5><b>Develop a content strategy</b></h5>
  3172. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Engaging content marketing is how businesses create a connection with their customers when they’re not in the restaurant. The stronger this connection, the more likely the business is to attract guests. “You have to be really smart about crafting your brand and content,” said Wasser. “You need a really authentic story, but it should be tight and concise so people don’t get confused about what it is.”</span></p>
  3173. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646786 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE1.png" alt="An interview between two women being recorded by a man on his phone in front of the Culinary Creators Project Toronto backdrop." width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE1.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE1-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE1-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE1-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  3174. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">American Express and Square can help restaurant owners create content strategies where their customers interact most, so that they can expand their customer base. “By understanding restaurants’ goals and aspirations, we are able to use our marketing assets to bring them to life in a very real way,” said Santaguida. </span></p>
  3175. <h5><b>Be prepared to adapt</b></h5>
  3176. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Uncontrollable things will happen. During the pandemic, restaurants struggled to maintain consistent revenue and fill vacant positions. Harding said his restaurants streamlined services, focusing on busy periods. Some places took on more events that offered great margins, while others grappled with restructuring their teams. But Laborie said her restaurants have actually suffered more in the last six months due to inflation and other challenges.</span></p>
  3177. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646787 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE3.png" alt="Moderator Karisa Marra and chef panelists Patrick Kriss, Craig Harding, Nicki Laborie and Derek Wasser talk on stage." width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE3.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE3-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE3-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE3-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  3178. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Square keeps what you can control in check with innovative inventory management, scheduling, invoicing and payment tools. Plus, data insights can provide restaurant owners with real-time info on the health of their restaurants so they can see, for example, how well the special is selling.</span></p>
  3179. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Demand for contactless payment methods has increased, too. With Square, merchants can seamlessly accept any type of card or online payment so they never miss a sale. “It’s about helping businesses grow by always keeping the door open to any customer,” said Marra. </span></p>
  3180. <h5><b>Know when to grow</b></h5>
  3181. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Changing up the menu and branching out with new services can positively impact a restaurant’s bottom line, but it’s important to consider what will actually sell. Rising food and labour costs are putting a big dent in budgets, so a close eye on spending is critical. “We took for granted that theoretical costs used to just work,” said Wasser. “Now, we need to be hypervigilant.”</span></p>
  3182. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646788 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE4.png" alt="Patrick Kriss, chef and founder of Alo Food Group, speaks to the audience wearing navy blue sweater." width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE4.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE4-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE4-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/04/TL-AMEX-SQUARE-INLINE4-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  3183. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A solid, trustworthy team is pivotal to successful scaling, too. “Being able to delegate and feel good about not being there for every decision can be a challenge, but you can move forward and drive what’s next,” said Kriss. And always use your intuition. “Trust yourself and act quickly,” added Wasser. Mistakes will happen, but sometimes it’s the only way to learn. “If you’re not making wrong decisions, you’re not making any decisions,” said Kriss. Both Harding and Laborie reflected that at one point they thought it was feasible for their restaurants to be open seven days a week—which did not work well. “Focus on a few things and do them really well,” said Harding. </span></p>
  3184. <div id="pressboard-ad-sponsorship-msg"></div>
  3185. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/american-express-culinary-creators/">How top Toronto chefs keep customers coming back</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3186. ]]></content:encoded>
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  3191. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  3195. </item>
  3196. <item>
  3197. <title>&#8220;Being from Toronto gave me a global perspective&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Don McKellar, co-creator of Crave&#8217;s The Sympathizer</title>
  3198. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/being-from-toronto-gave-me-a-global-perspective-a-qa-with-don-mckellar-co-creator-of-craves-the-sympathizer/</link>
  3200. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Haley Steinberg]]></dc:creator>
  3201. <pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 20:33:30 +0000</pubDate>
  3202. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  3203. <category><![CDATA[Crave]]></category>
  3204. <category><![CDATA[Don McKellar]]></category>
  3205. <category><![CDATA[HBO]]></category>
  3206. <category><![CDATA[The Sympathizer]]></category>
  3207. <category><![CDATA[Viet Thanh Nguyen]]></category>
  3208. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647169</guid>
  3209.  
  3210. <description><![CDATA[<p>The Canadian screen star talks making the leap from theatre to TV, adapting Viet Thanh Nguyen's famous novel and getting Robert Downey Jr. to play multiple characters</p>
  3211. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/being-from-toronto-gave-me-a-global-perspective-a-qa-with-don-mckellar-co-creator-of-craves-the-sympathizer/">&#8220;Being from Toronto gave me a global perspective&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Don McKellar, co-creator of Crave&#8217;s &lt;em&gt;The Sympathizer&lt;/em&gt;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3212. ]]></description>
  3213. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647188 size-full aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Don-e1712953311281.jpeg" alt="" width="500" height="470" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Don-e1712953311281.jpeg 500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Don-e1712953311281-300x282.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></p>
  3214. <p dir="ltr"><em>Toronto’s Don McKellar has had a long career as an actor, writer, director and showrunner, collaborating with Canadian filmmakers like Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and François Girard. Together with South Korean director and screenwriter Park Chan-wook </em>(Oldboy<em>, </em>Decision to Leave)<em>, McKellar heads up the new <a href="https://www.crave.ca/en/tv-shows/the-sympathizer" class="article-link"><span data-title="HBO/Crave series">HBO/Crave series</span></a></em><a href="https://www.crave.ca/en/tv-shows/the-sympathizer" class="article-link"><span data-title=" The Sympathizer, "> The Sympathizer, </span></a><em>adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel </em><em>of the same name</em><em>. Starring Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey Jr. and Sandra Oh, the show is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire that follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his subsequent exile in Los Angeles. Here, we spoke to McKellar about adapting Nguyen&#8217;s acclaimed novel and having a successful film career without moving to Hollywood.</em></p>
  3215. <hr />
  3216. <p><strong>How did you get involved with the show?<b><br />
  3217. </b></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Viet Thanh Nguyen, the author of the book we adapted, had said that Park Chan-wook was his dream director. As it happened, I had written a screenplay with Park years ago—</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Ax</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, an adaptation of a Donald Westlake novel. One of our executives approached Park, who agreed to adapt the series and asked me to co-showrun with him.</span></p>
  3218. <p><strong>What did you make of Nguyen’s book?</strong><b><br />
  3219. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I loved it. It had intelligence and subversive wit—it’s full of entertaining set pieces and surprising humour. I saw the visual language, so it made sense that it could be adapted for the screen. I thought, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Okay, Park and I can be the showrunners with “two faces,” like our lead character, The Captain. </span></em></p>
  3220. <p><strong>You started out as an actor. What&#8217;s it like being on the other side of the camera?</strong><b><br />
  3221. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I started out in theatre—acting, directing and writing—so I&#8217;ve always thought of those disciplines as intertwined. For this production, I found myself explaining the backstory to the actors and modulating their performances on set. I think my theatre background gave me an advantage for making television. </span></p>
  3222. <p><strong>Showrunning is often the result of a singular vision. What was it like sharing that experience with Park Chan-wook?</strong><b><br />
  3223. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fortunately, we have very similar tastes. There’s also trust there since we’ve worked together before. Early on, I wanted Park to set the style and tone—which is dark yet fun and humorous—but I understood those decisions and was on the same page. On that front, it was surprisingly easy, and the partnership felt natural.</span></p>
  3224. <p><strong>Adapting books for the screen—especially ones that are so highly acclaimed—can be tricky. Was the plan to stay faithful to the source material, or did you want the show to feel distinct?</strong><b><br />
  3225. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">In my early conversations with Viet, I think his priority was to preserve the unique voice of the book. We wanted to honour that and the book&#8217;s spirit. But we didn&#8217;t feel beholden to the book, and Viet was very good about giving us the creative freedom to go for it. He let us play around, and that playful spirit was something important that we borrowed from the book. Thankfully, Viet really likes how the series turned out.</span></p>
  3226. <p><strong>How involved was Viet in the process?</strong><b><br />
  3227. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">We kept him involved at every level. Early on, I spoke to him about my ideas and the general shape of the story, and he was enormously helpful. In terms of writing, the very first and very last words in the show are his. But Viet was always there, giving input, recommendations, research and historical checks. He also has a cameo in the third episode, which is crucial. </span></p>
  3228. <p><strong>Robert Downey Jr. plays multiple characters in the series. How did you get such a range from him?<br />
  3229. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">All the credit goes to Park—having Robert play multiple characters was his idea. In the book, there are several figures who represent the American establishment, these mentor types who keep popping up, and they&#8217;re all sort of intertwined. Having Robert Downey Jr. play all of those parts gave a hint of the tone that we were going for and allowed for the kind of subversion and playfulness that we want the audience to experience. In Robert, we cast an actor who was capable of doing that.</span></p>
  3230. <p><strong>The Captain is a complex character—he embodies this dual identity of East and West. How did you find that in Hoa Xuande?</strong><b><br />
  3231. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since there weren’t any obvious American stars to cast, we had people coming in to audition from every corner of the world. The Captain needed to be like a ’70s action hero, except Vietnamese. He had to be charismatic and sexy, with a bit of mystery—a possible dark side that makes you wonder what he&#8217;s up to. We auditioned Hoa for the role what felt like a hundred times, and it was the best decision we made. He had all those qualities we were looking for.</span></p>
  3232. <p><strong><em>The Sympathizer</em> hinges on an East-West dichotomy and explores the divisions within its lead character and in the world. How relevant is this theme today?</strong><b><br />
  3233. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">That&#8217;s exactly right—the question almost answers itself. It&#8217;s about binaries in the world and how we contain them within ourselves. The main thing the show is proposing, for North American viewers, is, regarding the Vietnam War, which people may know mostly from the movies:</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> take the leap and see it from the other side</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Because there is another side—the Vietnamese side. And then realize that this side also has divisions within it and that the world is full of these contradictions. </span></p>
  3234. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But these divisions can also be contained. This show was made 50 years after the Vietnam War, and it feels like we’re still processing the lessons from that period. The show’s world, like our world, is fractured. And although these divisions can seem unbridgeable, the show is trying to say, “Remember that we all contain these divisions.” Allowing for that demands a certain kind of empathy and humility to move forward.</span></p>
  3235. <p><strong>You initially tried to shoot the series in Vietnam but ran into censor issues, so you moved the shoot to Thailand. What was it like filming there?</strong><b><br />
  3236. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">We tried really hard to shoot in Vietnam, of course. I wrote many letters to the censor board. But the book is banned for reasons that become clear when you get to the end of the story. Ultimately, the government turned us down. It was going to be impossible to shoot the show with the censorship, so we decided to go to Thailand. </span></p>
  3237. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was difficult to replicate Vietnam; we had a ton of work to do. Filming was a challenge—plus Park has a phobia of tropical insects. In the end, though, it turned out to be a great shoot.</span></p>
  3238. <p><strong>The book strikes a tonal balance between humour and drama. How did you manage that balance on screen?</strong><b><br />
  3239. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">That&#8217;s the key thing about the book—and, I hope, about the show. It has an unusual tone, and that’s also present in Park&#8217;s work. We wanted to keep viewers engaged by switching between heartbreak and satire. When Viet saw the finale, he said, “I&#8217;m glad you captured all of the pain there, but at the same time, it really seemed like you had fun in that world.”</span></p>
  3240. <p><strong>Did being from Toronto inform your approach to making <em>The Sympathizer</em>, a show that foregrounds a non-American perspective?</strong><b><br />
  3241. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I don&#8217;t mean to brag, but Niv Fichman (one of our producers who is also from Toronto) and I have an international perspective that we bring to the show. Being from Toronto gives you a perspective on America, but it also gives you a global perspective, because this city is a meeting place. That’s what Toronto gave me, and that’s what the show is really about: the other side.</span></p>
  3242. <p><strong>You&#8217;ve had a successful film and TV career without leaving Toronto. How important was that to you?</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
  3243. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I stayed in Toronto because I was able to work and get things done. I had a huge amount of control over my work, and I liked the city and the community. </span></p>
  3244. <p><strong>What if you weren’t able to pursue your career here?</strong><b><br />
  3245. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I would have moved, I guess. But, now, of course, it&#8217;s much easier not to. I did my entire writers’ room for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sympathizer</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> remotely. You don’t need to be in LA or New York the way you used to. </span></p>
  3246. <p><strong>You&#8217;ve worked with many Canadian film stars, including Sandra Oh, David Cronenberg and Denis Villeneuve. What&#8217;s your sense of where Canadian TV and film is headed?</strong><b><br />
  3247. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&#8217;s a hard time for independent cinema. We&#8217;re seeing a reshuffling of power and how production works on an international level. I actually had drinks with Denis the other night. We both have this nostalgia for the excitement around Canadian film that existed when we were growing up. There was this feeling of possibility when we started out. </span></p>
  3248. <hr />
  3249. <p><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
  3250. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/being-from-toronto-gave-me-a-global-perspective-a-qa-with-don-mckellar-co-creator-of-craves-the-sympathizer/">&#8220;Being from Toronto gave me a global perspective&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Don McKellar, co-creator of Crave&#8217;s &lt;em&gt;The Sympathizer&lt;/em&gt;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3251. ]]></content:encoded>
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  3256. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3257. <media:title></media:title>
  3258. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  3261. <item>
  3262. <title>Dear Urban Diplomat: A rowdy Blue Jays fan is ruining my season</title>
  3263. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/dear-urban-diplomat-rowdy-blue-jays-fan/</link>
  3265. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  3266. <pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 13:25:39 +0000</pubDate>
  3267. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  3268. <category><![CDATA[blue jays]]></category>
  3269. <category><![CDATA[Urban Diplomat]]></category>
  3270. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647168</guid>
  3271.  
  3272. <description><![CDATA[<p>He kicks the back of my seat, sprays sunflower seeds and screams obscenities. How do I get him to stop?</p>
  3273. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/dear-urban-diplomat-rowdy-blue-jays-fan/">Dear Urban Diplomat: A rowdy Blue Jays fan is ruining my season</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3274. ]]></description>
  3275. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-647170" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/May_24-final.jpg" alt="Dear Urban Diplomat: A rowdy Blue Jays fan is ruining my season" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/May_24-final.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/May_24-final-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/May_24-final-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/May_24-final-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3276. <p>After years of dithering, I finally splurged on Blue Jays season tickets for me and my son. We got great seats, and the renovations to the stadium are amazing. The problem is the guy behind us. He drinks too much, kicks our seats and sprays us with sunflower seeds. And he’s always bellowing nasty, inappropriate things at the opposing players. At this rate, he’s going to ruin the entire season for us. What’s the best course of action?<br />
  3277. <strong>—Pitched Battle,</strong> <em>High Park</em></p>
  3278. <p>Trying to reason with a boozehound is like attempting to steal home with a torn ACL. Instead of jeopardizing your father-son time, I suggest you ship out. As you know, season ticket holders have a dedicated account representative. Yours can help you swap seats. Your new location may not be quite as nice, but the lower bowl has plenty of perches far beyond the blast radius of this impassioned meathead. So cut your losses, find a new dugout and play ball.</p>
  3279. <hr />
  3280. <p><strong>Dear Urban Diplomat,</strong><br />
  3281. My wife celebrates our five-year-old daughter’s every tiny achievement like she’s just won a Nobel Prize. While most parents quietly shuffle their kids’ drawings from the fridge to the recycling bin, we’re collecting hers in a bound anthology. If she reads a few pages from a picture book, it’s cause for cake. I’ve heard that this parenting fad is called “marking inchstones.” How do I get my wife to quit it? One of our girl’s baby teeth has started coming loose, and at this rate, we’ll be throwing a street party when it falls out.<br />
  3282. <strong>—Daddy Issues,</strong> <em>Richview </em></p>
  3283. <p>Celebrating mini achievements is a confidence-building concept that’s been applied to children with special needs for years. But it sounds like your wife got the inchstone memo and ran a mile with it. Sometimes just taking a beat to acknowledge these moments is enough. Talk to her about dialling back the celebrations—rather than cutting them out altogether—and sit down as a team to come up with a list that distinguishes between confetti-worthy victories and those where a high-five will more than suffice.</p>
  3284. <hr />
  3285. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-urban-diplomat">
  3286.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More Urban Diplomat</h2>
  3287.  
  3288.    <button class="feed-in-post-button" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">
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  3290.             viewBox="0 0 25 15" style="enable-background:new 0 0 25 15;" xml:space="preserve">
  3291.             <path d="M0,1l0-1l25,0v1H0z M25,8V7H0l0,1H25z M25,15v-1H0l0,1H25z"/>
  3292.        </svg>
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  3294.  
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  3296.  
  3297.  
  3298. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  3299.  
  3300.  
  3301. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  3302. <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/dear-urban-diplomat-rowdy-blue-jays-fan/"  data-label="Slot 1">
  3303.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/May_24-final-803x603.jpg" alt="Dear&#x20;Urban&#x20;Diplomat&#x3A;&#x20;A&#x20;rowdy&#x20;Blue&#x20;Jays&#x20;fan&#x20;is&#x20;ruining&#x20;my&#x20;season" />
  3304. </a>
  3305. </div>
  3306.  
  3307.  
  3308.  
  3309. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  3310.  
  3311.  
  3312.        <a class="card__label feed-card-aside--split__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/city/">
  3313.        <span class="topic-link__text">City</span>
  3314.    </a>
  3315.  
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  3317. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  3318.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/dear-urban-diplomat-rowdy-blue-jays-fan/" class="sjmvm-link-647168 sjmvm-title-647168">Dear Urban Diplomat: A rowdy Blue Jays fan is ruining my season</a>
  3319. </h2>
  3320.  
  3321.  
  3322. </div>
  3323.  
  3324. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  3325.    
  3326. </div>
  3327.  
  3328.  
  3329. </article>
  3330.    
  3331.  
  3332.  
  3333. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  3334.  
  3335.  
  3336. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  3337. <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-dressing-up-for-a-flight/"  data-label="Slot 2">
  3338.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Apr_24_final-803x603.jpg" alt="Dear&#x20;Urban&#x20;Diplomat&#x3A;&#x20;What&#x20;ever&#x20;happened&#x20;to&#x20;dressing&#x20;up&#x20;for&#x20;a&#x20;flight&#x3F;" />
  3339. </a>
  3340. </div>
  3341.  
  3342.  
  3343.  
  3344. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  3345.  
  3346.  
  3347.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/city/">
  3348.            <span class="topic-link__text">City</span>
  3349.        </a>
  3350.    
  3351.  
  3352. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  3353.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-dressing-up-for-a-flight/" class="sjmvm-link-645808 sjmvm-title-645808">Dear Urban Diplomat: What ever happened to dressing up for a flight?</a>
  3354. </h2>
  3355.  
  3356.  
  3357. </div>
  3358.  
  3359. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  3360.    
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  3362.  
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  3364. </article>
  3365.    
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  3368. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  3369.  
  3370.  
  3371. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  3372. <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/dear-urban-diplomat-my-boyfriend-is-becoming-my-clone/"  data-label="Slot 3">
  3373.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/UD_FINAL-803x603.jpg" alt="Dear&#x20;Urban&#x20;Diplomat&#x3A;&#x20;My&#x20;boyfriend&#x20;is&#x20;becoming&#x20;my&#x20;clone" />
  3374. </a>
  3375. </div>
  3376.  
  3377.  
  3378.  
  3379. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  3380.  
  3381.  
  3382.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/city/">
  3383.            <span class="topic-link__text">City</span>
  3384.        </a>
  3385.    
  3386.  
  3387. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  3388.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/dear-urban-diplomat-my-boyfriend-is-becoming-my-clone/" class="sjmvm-link-643369 sjmvm-title-643369">Dear Urban Diplomat: My boyfriend is becoming my clone</a>
  3389. </h2>
  3390.  
  3391.  
  3392. </div>
  3393.  
  3394. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  3395.    
  3396. </div>
  3397.  
  3398.  
  3399. </article>
  3400.  
  3401. </section>
  3402.  
  3403. <p><strong>Dear Urban Diplomat,</strong><br />
  3404. My recently widowed father-in-law has come to live with us. He’s a doting grandpa and pretty spry for a guy in his late 70s. But his Ford F-150 bears two of those “F!CK TRUDEAU” bumper stickers. I’m all for free expression, but I’m embarrassed to have his truck in our driveway. How do I handle this indelicate situation delicately?<br />
  3405. <strong>—Political Prisoner,</strong> <em>Leslieville </em></p>
  3406. <p>It sounds like you want to avoid a showdown. Don’t be afraid to use your kids as leverage here. Seeing curse words every day will normalize that language, and the last thing you need is a call from the principal about your potty-mouthed kid. So explain this to your father-in-law. No doubt, he will come to his senses. As a devoted granddad, I’m sure he’d rather stick up for his babies than stick it to Trudeau.</p>
  3407. <hr />
  3408. <p><strong>Dear Urban Diplomat,</strong><br />
  3409. My best friend and I have always agreed on the healing power of a $6 latte and the role of brunch in a happy life. But she’s a recent convert to those loud budgeting videos on TikTok, and she now refuses to spend money on anything she deems frivolous. Last time we went for a drink, she had a glass of water. It’s not as if she’s lost her job or hit the skids. She just seems to enjoy being sanctimonious about<br />
  3410. saving. How do I get my free-­spirited, free-spending friend back?<br />
  3411. <strong>—Binge Watch,</strong> <em>Little Portugal </em></p>
  3412. <p>It’s probably a phase, but given that the cost of living in Toronto has never been higher, a little frugality isn’t a terrible idea. I’d cut her some slack. Now that the weather is getting warmer, plan activities you can do together that won’t cost much—hikes, bike rides, street festivals, going to the beach. Maybe if you show some enthusiasm for her new austerity program instead of pooh-poohing every penny she pinches, she’ll be more willing to shell out for the occasional fancy coffee.</p>
  3413. <hr />
  3414. <p class="p1"><em>Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at <a href="mailto:urbandiplomat@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="urbandiplomat@torontolife.com">urbandiplomat@torontolife.com</span></a></em></p>
  3415. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/dear-urban-diplomat-rowdy-blue-jays-fan/">Dear Urban Diplomat: A rowdy Blue Jays fan is ruining my season</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3416. ]]></content:encoded>
  3420. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/May_24-final-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3421. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3422. <media:title></media:title>
  3423. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3424. </media:content>
  3425. </item>
  3426. <item>
  3427. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Café Renée, chef Nick Liu&#8217;s Italian-inspired French restaurant</title>
  3428. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-cafe-renee-italian-french-nick-liu-king-west/</link>
  3430. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  3431. <pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 13:00:55 +0000</pubDate>
  3432. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  3433. <category><![CDATA[Cafe Renee]]></category>
  3434. <category><![CDATA[French]]></category>
  3435. <category><![CDATA[Italian]]></category>
  3436. <category><![CDATA[King West]]></category>
  3437. <category><![CDATA[Nick Liu]]></category>
  3438. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  3439. <category><![CDATA[pasta]]></category>
  3440. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=647069</guid>
  3441.  
  3442. <description><![CDATA[<p>Including a sheet of ravioli and a crème brûlée espresso martini that are blowing up on Instagram</p>
  3443. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-cafe-renee-italian-french-nick-liu-king-west/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Café Renée, chef Nick Liu&#8217;s Italian-inspired French restaurant</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3444. ]]></description>
  3445. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646642" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of dishes and drinks at Cafe Renee, in Toronto's King West neighbourhood" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3446. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-new-restaurants">
  3447.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More New Restaurants</h2>
  3448.  
  3449.    <button class="feed-in-post-button" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">
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  3451.             viewBox="0 0 25 15" style="enable-background:new 0 0 25 15;" xml:space="preserve">
  3452.             <path d="M0,1l0-1l25,0v1H0z M25,8V7H0l0,1H25z M25,15v-1H0l0,1H25z"/>
  3453.        </svg>
  3454.    </button>
  3455.  
  3456.    
  3457.  
  3458.  
  3459. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  3460.  
  3461.  
  3462. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  3463. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-arbequina-halal-roncesvalles/"  data-label="Slot 1">
  3464.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-scaled-803x603-1712162295.jpg" alt="What&amp;&#x23;8217&#x3B;s&#x20;on&#x20;the&#x20;menu&#x20;at&#x20;Arbequina,&#x20;a&#x20;new&#x20;halal,&#x20;alcohol-free&#x20;restaurant&#x20;on&#x20;Roncesvalles" />
  3465. </a>
  3466. </div>
  3467.  
  3468.  
  3469.  
  3470. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  3471.  
  3472.  
  3473.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  3474.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  3475.        </a>
  3476.    
  3477.  
  3478. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  3479.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-arbequina-halal-roncesvalles/" class="sjmvm-link-646379 sjmvm-title-646379">What&#8217;s on the menu at Arbequina, a new halal, alcohol-free restaurant on Roncesvalles</a>
  3480. </h2>
  3481.  
  3482.  
  3483. </div>
  3484.  
  3485. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  3486.    
  3487. </div>
  3488.  
  3489.  
  3490. </article>
  3491.    
  3492.  
  3493.  
  3494. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  3495.  
  3496.  
  3497. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  3498. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-sounds-good-cocktail-listening-bar/"  data-label="Slot 2">
  3499.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-scaled-803x603-1710265689.jpg" alt="What&amp;&#x23;8217&#x3B;s&#x20;on&#x20;the&#x20;menu&#x20;at&#x20;Sounds&#x20;Good,&#x20;the&#x20;newest&#x20;addition&#x20;to&#x20;Toronto&amp;&#x23;8217&#x3B;s&#x20;burgeoning&#x20;listening&#x20;bar&#x20;scene" />
  3500. </a>
  3501. </div>
  3502.  
  3503.  
  3504.  
  3505. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  3506.  
  3507.  
  3508.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  3509.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  3510.        </a>
  3511.    
  3512.  
  3513. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  3514.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-sounds-good-cocktail-listening-bar/" class="sjmvm-link-644738 sjmvm-title-644738">What&#8217;s on the menu at Sounds Good, the newest addition to Toronto&#8217;s burgeoning listening bar scene</a>
  3515. </h2>
  3516.  
  3517.  
  3518. </div>
  3519.  
  3520. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  3521.    
  3522. </div>
  3523.  
  3524.  
  3525. </article>
  3526.    
  3527.  
  3528.  
  3529. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  3530.  
  3531.  
  3532. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  3533. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-bar-ardo-a-new-sicilian-inspired-cocktail-bar/"  data-label="Slot 3">
  3534.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-scaled-803x603-1711652714.jpg" alt="What&amp;&#x23;8217&#x3B;s&#x20;on&#x20;the&#x20;menu&#x20;at&#x20;Bar&#x20;Ardo,&#x20;a&#x20;new&#x20;Sicilian-inspired&#x20;cocktail&#x20;bar" />
  3535. </a>
  3536. </div>
  3537.  
  3538.  
  3539.  
  3540. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  3541.  
  3542.  
  3543.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  3544.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  3545.        </a>
  3546.    
  3547.  
  3548. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  3549.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-bar-ardo-a-new-sicilian-inspired-cocktail-bar/" class="sjmvm-link-646059 sjmvm-title-646059">What&#8217;s on the menu at Bar Ardo, a new Sicilian-inspired cocktail bar</a>
  3550. </h2>
  3551.  
  3552.  
  3553. </div>
  3554.  
  3555. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  3556.    
  3557. </div>
  3558.  
  3559.  
  3560. </article>
  3561.  
  3562. </section>
  3563.  
  3564. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Café Renée<br />
  3565. <strong>Contact:</strong> 100 Portland St., <a href="http://cafereneebar.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="cafereneebar.com">cafereneebar.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cafereneebar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@cafereneebar">@cafereneebar</span></a><br />
  3566. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> King West<br />
  3567. <strong>Previously:</strong> Jimmy’s Coffee<br />
  3568. <strong>Owners:</strong> Bianca Rossi and Nick Liu<br />
  3569. <strong>Chefs:</strong> Executive chef Nick Liu (DaiLo) and chef de cuisine Josh Ling<br />
  3570. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> Not fully accessible</p>
  3571. <p>Wedged between Little Sister and Sara on Portland Street, Café Renée is a joint effort between chef Nick Liu of DaiLo and BarChef&#8217;s beverage director Angus Edmundson—so it’s little wonder the not-even-two-month-old spot is already a hit. Along with DaiLo chef Josh Ling, Liu leads a team that serves up Italian-inspired French dishes and cocktails to the after-work and late-night crowds.</p>
  3572. <p><figure id="attachment_646624" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646624" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646624" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-chefs-scaled.jpg" alt="Café Renée's chef de cuisine Josh Ling and executive chef Nick Liu" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-chefs-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-chefs-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-chefs-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-chefs-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-chefs-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-chefs-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646624" class="wp-caption-text">Chef de cuisine Josh Ling (left) and executive chef Nick Liu</figcaption></figure><br />
  3573. &nbsp;</p>
  3574. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  3575. <p>The menu is pasta-heavy, and the dish currently blowing up social media is the kitchen&#8217;s version of ravioli du Dauphiné—essentially a sheet of attached ravioli pockets, each filled with Comté cheese and chives. But there&#8217;s also protein to complement all those carbs, like steak frites and the Banh Mi du Paris, a chicken liver sandwich with all the fun banh mi fixings. Coming soon: brunch.</p>
  3576. <figure id="attachment_646644" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646644" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646644" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-tartare-scaled.jpg" alt="Steak tartare with potato gaufrettes and pickles" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-tartare-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-tartare-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-tartare-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-tartare-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-tartare-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-tartare-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646644" class="wp-caption-text">The steak tartare mixes chopped striploin with salty capers, grainy mustard and diced shallot. Instead of the typical egg yolk, it’s crowned with a rich truffle aioli. On the side: house-made potato gaufrettes and pickles. $23</figcaption></figure>
  3577. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3578. <figure id="attachment_646634" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646634" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646634" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-ravioli-scaled.jpg" alt="Cafe Renee's Ravioli du Dauphine" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-ravioli-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-ravioli-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-ravioli-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-ravioli-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-ravioli-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-ravioli-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646634" class="wp-caption-text">The ravioli du Dauphiné is a whole sheet of ravioli, each pocket is stuffed with Comté cheese and chives, in a silky beurre monté sauce with a splash of soy, parmesan and olive oil. $24</figcaption></figure>
  3579. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3580. <figure id="attachment_646635" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646635" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646635" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-rigatoni-scaled.jpg" alt="Rigatoni alla vodka" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-rigatoni-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-rigatoni-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-rigatoni-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-rigatoni-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-rigatoni-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-rigatoni-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646635" class="wp-caption-text">For the rigatoni alla vodka, pasta from Gran Duro in Woodbridge is blanketed in a creamy vodka sauce that gets an extra layer of umami from a hit of dashi. $24</figcaption></figure>
  3581. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3582. <figure id="attachment_646631" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646631" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646631" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-fish.jpg" alt="A deboned, deconstructed, whole fried branzino dressed with an olive salsa, preserved lemon and brown butter" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-fish.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-fish-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-fish-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-fish-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646631" class="wp-caption-text">This show-stopper is a deboned, deconstructed whole fried branzino dressed in olive salsa, preserved lemon and brown butter. $50</figcaption></figure>
  3583. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3584. <figure id="attachment_646629" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646629" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646629" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-dessert.jpg" alt="Pavlova topped with a Chantilly cream, Saskatoon berry compote and fresh berries" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-dessert.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-dessert-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-dessert-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-dessert-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646629" class="wp-caption-text">For dessert: pavlova topped with Chantilly cream, Saskatoon berry compote and fresh berries. $16</figcaption></figure>
  3585. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3586. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  3587. <p>There&#8217;s a long list of old- and new-world wines and champagnes that play into the European vibe. House cocktails, meanwhile, include low-proof spritzes, a martini that leans toward the sweeter side, and a crème brûlée take on an espresso martini that first needs to be (gently) cracked open with a spoon. From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., the bar offers a different drink deal every hour.</p>
  3588. <figure id="attachment_646633" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646633" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646633" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-old-fashioned.jpg" alt="The Il Abito is a blend of bourbon, sweet marsala, Amaro Montenegro, black tea and Angostura bitters finished off with an orange twist" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-old-fashioned.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-old-fashioned-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-old-fashioned-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-old-fashioned-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646633" class="wp-caption-text">The Il Abito is a blend of bourbon, sweet marsala, Amaro Montenegro, black tea and Angostura bitters finished off with an orange twist. $21</figcaption></figure>
  3589. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3590. <figure id="attachment_646625" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646625" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646625" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-cocktail-lineup-scaled.jpg" alt="A lineup of cocktails at Café Renée in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-cocktail-lineup-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-cocktail-lineup-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-cocktail-lineup-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-cocktail-lineup-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-cocktail-lineup-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-cocktail-lineup-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646625" class="wp-caption-text">In the middle we have a sweet French martini made with vodka, pineapple, raspberry liqueur and Chambord ($18), and on the right is the crème brûlée espresso martini. A layer of torched sugar over egg white on top means this drink must be gently cracked open with a spoon before it can be sipped ($18)</figcaption></figure>
  3591. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3592. <figure id="attachment_646643" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646643" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-646643" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spritzes.jpg" alt="Two Italian spritzes at Cafe Renee in Toronto" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spritzes.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spritzes-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spritzes-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spritzes-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646643" class="wp-caption-text">Le Reine (left), made with Empress gin, grapefruit liqueur, crème de violette, grapefruit bitters, lemon juice and prosecco, is a dry and floral sip. The Fragola, meanwhile, is a fruit-forward spritz made with reposado tequila, strawberry syrup, black currant bitters, a bit of orange blossom honey, prosecco and soda. During the late-night cocktail hour, each one is $15</figcaption></figure>
  3593. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  3594. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  3595. <p>The former coffee shop has been transformed into a lively Parisian-inspired brasserie, all white marble and red leather under a tin ceiling. The standout feature is a greenhouse-like two-floor glass atrium at the back. During the warmer months, alfresco dining on the front and back patios will make things even more European.</p>
  3596. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646640" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-5-scaled.jpg" alt="One section of the dining room and bar at Cafe Renee, looking out to the restaurant's back patio" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3597. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646639" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-4-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3598. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646641" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-6.jpg" alt="The dining room and bar at Cafe Renee, with stairs leading up to the second-floor cocktail lounge" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-6.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-6-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-6-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-6-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /></p>
  3599. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646636" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Horseshoe-shaped red leather booths at Cafe Renee" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3600. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646637" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-2.jpg" alt="Looking down to the dining room and bar at Cafe Renee in Toronto" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-2.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-space-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /></p>
  3601. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-cafe-renee-italian-french-nick-liu-king-west/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Café Renée, chef Nick Liu&#8217;s Italian-inspired French restaurant</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3602. ]]></content:encoded>
  3606. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-cafe-renee-king-west-italian-spread-scaled-1200x628-1712801090.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3607. <media:copyright>RYAN NANGREAVES 9053013344~</media:copyright>
  3608. <media:title></media:title>
  3609. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3610. </media:content>
  3611. </item>
  3612. <item>
  3613. <title>This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?</title>
  3614. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/this-king-west-sales-consultant-makes-90000-a-year-how-does-he-spend-it/</link>
  3616. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Brunet]]></dc:creator>
  3617. <pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:14:03 +0000</pubDate>
  3618. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  3619. <category><![CDATA[cost of living]]></category>
  3620. <category><![CDATA[King West]]></category>
  3621. <category><![CDATA[The Well]]></category>
  3622. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646905</guid>
  3623.  
  3624. <description><![CDATA[<p>“I saved for a year to live in the Well”</p>
  3625. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/this-king-west-sales-consultant-makes-90000-a-year-how-does-he-spend-it/">This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3626. ]]></description>
  3627. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646914" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-1.jpg" alt="This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-1.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3628. <p><strong>Who:</strong> Dylan Usher, 28<br />
  3629. <strong>What he does:</strong> He’s a sales and client services consultant for a tech company<br />
  3630. <strong>What he makes:</strong> $90,000<br />
  3631. <strong>Where he lives:</strong> A one-bedroom apartment at FourFifty The Well, in King West</p>
  3632. <hr />
  3633. <h5>Regular Expenses</h5>
  3634. <p><strong>Rent:</strong> $2,700 a month. “This is my first solo apartment. I saved for a year to live here.”</p>
  3635. <p><strong>Cell:</strong> $145 a month with Rogers. “I bought an iPhone 15 Pro Max last September, so part of my bill is paying off the phone.”</p>
  3636. <p><strong>Internet:</strong> $56 a month with Rogers. “Our building had a pre-existing deal with Rogers. It’s better than my old plan.”</p>
  3637. <p><strong>Groceries:</strong> $350 a month. “There’s a Farm Boy nearby, but I prefer to shop at Sobeys on the Queensway because it’s cheaper and has a bigger selection.”</p>
  3638. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-toronto-budgets">
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  3742. </h2>
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  3755.  
  3756. <p><strong>Car:</strong> $700 a month. “I’m financing an SUV. I call it my grocery getter.”</p>
  3757. <p><strong>Ride shares:</strong> $30 a month. “I’ll do short trips if I’m going out at night or I don’t feel like driving—usually $8 or $9 a pop.”</p>
  3758. <p><strong>Dining out:</strong> $180 a month. “I’m having fun eating my way through King West and Ossington. I’ll go to a nice restaurant once or twice a month. I love Oretta. I’ll also go out to a bar every two weeks or so, like Sneaky Dee’s, to catch up with a friend over beer.”</p>
  3759. <p><strong>Movies:</strong> $25 a month. “I love watching movies on IMAX, but they’re not cheap.”</p>
  3760. <p><strong>Comedy:</strong> $35 a month. “The Corner Comedy Club is just up the street, so I wander in now and then.”</p>
  3761. <p><strong>Candle subscription:</strong> $40 a month. “I’m always burning some kind of scent in my apartment—I’ve got a hazelnut latte candle from Old Firehall Confectionery going right now, and it smells super delicious.”</p>
  3762. <p><strong>YouTube Premium subscription:</strong> $25 a month. “Interior design is a passion of mine, and I use the videos as a source of inspiration. I don’t have any art on my walls yet because I’m taking it slow.”</p>
  3763. <p><strong>Music aggregator subscription:</strong> $80 a year. “I’m an alt-pop singer-songwriter, with music on Apple and Spotify. I subscribe to a service called Landr, which uses AI to mix and master the songs before uploading them to a platform.”</p>
  3764. <p><strong>AGO annual pass:</strong> $35 “I love the AGO. A ticket for one visit is around $30—an extra $5 for the entire year is a steal. Sometimes I’ll go with friends, other times alone.”</p>
  3765. <p><strong>Savings:</strong> $800 to $1,500 a month. “I don’t have a specific target, but I’m looking at investing in a property or buying a place in another province or country as a vacation home.”</p>
  3766. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646915" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-10.jpg" alt="This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-10.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-10-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-10-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-10-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3767. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646917 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-5.jpg" alt="This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-5.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3768. <h5><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646918" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-6.jpg" alt="This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-6.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></h5>
  3769. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646916" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-2.jpg" alt="This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-2.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3770. <h5>Recent Splurges</h5>
  3771. <p><strong>Nespresso machine:</strong> $170. “I need my hit in the morning, and going out for coffee every day isn’t financially sustainable.”</p>
  3772. <p><strong>Wayfair coffee table:</strong> $350. “It’s a knock-off of a higher-end Scandi-style table from a company overseas.”</p>
  3773. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/this-king-west-sales-consultant-makes-90000-a-year-how-does-he-spend-it/">This King West sales consultant makes $90,000 a year. How does he spend it?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3774. ]]></content:encoded>
  3778. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Dylan-Usher-1-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3779. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3780. <media:title></media:title>
  3781. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3782. </media:content>
  3783. </item>
  3784. <item>
  3785. <title>&#8220;I work as a bottle girl in a club. Here&#8217;s what it&#8217;s like behind the scenes”</title>
  3786. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/i-work-as-a-bottle-girl-in-a-club-heres-what-its-like-behind-the-scenes/</link>
  3788. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  3789. <pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
  3790. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  3791. <category><![CDATA[Bars]]></category>
  3792. <category><![CDATA[bottle girl]]></category>
  3793. <category><![CDATA[bottle service]]></category>
  3794. <category><![CDATA[clubs]]></category>
  3795. <category><![CDATA[VIP club]]></category>
  3796. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646921</guid>
  3797.  
  3798. <description><![CDATA[<p>Victoria Cunningham, 27, once made $2,500 in tips in a single night. She also spends $15,000 a year on treatments like filler and Botox to stay club-ready</p>
  3799. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/i-work-as-a-bottle-girl-in-a-club-heres-what-its-like-behind-the-scenes/">&#8220;I work as a bottle girl in a club. Here&#8217;s what it&#8217;s like behind the scenes”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3800. ]]></description>
  3801. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646936" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Halloween-2023-scaled-e1712684114240.jpg" alt="Victoria blowing a kiss at the camera while working at the club" width="2278" height="1644" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Halloween-2023-scaled-e1712684114240.jpg 2278w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Halloween-2023-scaled-e1712684114240-300x217.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Halloween-2023-scaled-e1712684114240-2000x1443.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Halloween-2023-scaled-e1712684114240-768x554.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2278px) 100vw, 2278px" /></p>
  3802. <p>In June of 2016, I moved to the city to study biology at Toronto Metropolitan University. My first apartment was a two-bedroom condo near the TMU campus that I shared with my brother. In total, our rent was around $2,300 a month. Thankfully, my parents provided us some financial support, but they expected my brother and I to contribute as well.</p>
  3803. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/toronto-best-resto-clubs/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Toronto&#8217;s best, most lively new resto-clubs"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Toronto&#8217;s best, most lively new resto-clubs</em></span></a></p>
  3804. <p>I needed to find a way to make extra money. I’d worked as a waitress back home in London, Ontario, so that seemed like a no-brainer. But, after serving for a few years in Toronto, I noticed another opportunity. My friends and I frequented various clubs and bars, and I noticed the bottle girls—women who served the VIP tables, where guests bought liquor by the bottle. I loved serving, and I loved nightlife, so it seemed like the perfect combination.</p>
  3805. <p>In 2019, I connected with a former manager of mine who had started working at a club on King Street. When he offered me a job doing bottle service, it seemed too good to pass up. From what I understood, King Street was like the Wall Street of clubbing—it&#8217;s where all the celebrities and big spenders went for a night out, so I assumed the tips would be much higher than at my serving job. Plus, it sounded like I was going to get paid to party.</p>
  3806. <p>When I walked into my first shift, I was immediately intimidated. All the women working had perfect hair and makeup, and they seemed very experienced. The club had me shadow another bottle girl for my first few shifts. Before we headed onto the floor, she explained the job to me. First, I’d have to book my own patrons, which meant finding people who wanted a VIP experience on my own time. If I didn’t book clients, I wouldn’t get shifts. Second, I’d have to serve them, and the more I got them to buy, the more likely I was to take home serious tips.</p>
  3807. <p>There were some other logistics too. She showed me how to make drinks, clean off the tables, take orders and cash people out. At the end of the shift, we tallied up her sales and tips and sent that information off to the office for processing. After a few more shadowing sessions, my manager told me I was ready to try it out on my own.</p>
  3808. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646937" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-and-DJ-John-easy-with-casamigos-resposado.jpg" alt="" width="1284" height="854" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-and-DJ-John-easy-with-casamigos-resposado.jpg 1284w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-and-DJ-John-easy-with-casamigos-resposado-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-and-DJ-John-easy-with-casamigos-resposado-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1284px) 100vw, 1284px" /></p>
  3809. <p>The first month of work was a complete reality check for me. My shifts started around 9 p.m. and went late—I would get home around 5 or 6 in the morning. On top of that, I had to balance my classes and coursework. I started getting sick constantly because my schedule was so imbalanced. I was exhausted.</p>
  3810. <p>Fortunately, I never missed a class or assignment because of work, but it took a lot of discipline. I used the weekends to catch up on sleep, so I had to be very productive in the afternoons and on weekdays. And I had to miss out on socializing with my friends—they often got together when I was working. My job was helping me pay for my education, though, so I pushed through.</p>
  3811. <p>I started to get into the swing of things. I built up my rapport with regular customers at the club and starting seeking out new clients at other high-end restaurants and clubs. I discovered that the best strategy is not to be pushy. When I met people who seemed interested, I just invited them to come by and check things out. Usually, they ended up enjoying it and inquired about booking their own table.</p>
  3812. <p>Once I’d identified a client who wanted bottle service, I gave the club&#8217;s VIP host their name, the date they wanted to visit and the number of guests they were bringing. Then the host determined the party’s minimum spend based on the number of people, the location of their table and the date they were visiting. On a weekend, the lowest minimum spend was around $500 per table, which typically gets you one bottle.</p>
  3813. <p>In 2023, I moved to the club I work at now, which is called Deer Lady. As is the case for most bottle girls, tips make up the majority of my income. Hourly, bottle girls make minimum wage, which is $16.55. On average, in the years I&#8217;ve been doing this, I&#8217;ve made between $300 and $500 in tips per night, but I’ve also brought home well over $1,000. On my highest-paying night to date, I made $2,500 in tips—but that was pure luck. I booked a very wealthy client who also happened to be a very generous tipper.</p>
  3814. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646938" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-bringing-Joey-K-belaire-champage.jpg" alt="A look at the club where Victoria works" width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-bringing-Joey-K-belaire-champage.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-bringing-Joey-K-belaire-champage-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-bringing-Joey-K-belaire-champage-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-bringing-Joey-K-belaire-champage-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Vic-bringing-Joey-K-belaire-champage-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  3815. <p>Generally, the more money people spend, the more I make in tips. But that doesn’t always mean encouraging people to buy more—sometimes it means suggesting a more expensive bottle instead. Sometimes, a table comes in with a budget that is fairly firm. In those cases, I might just suggest they add a $100 bottle of champagne. It’s really a sales job, just like real estate or marketing.</p>
  3816. <p>Unfortunately, there’s also an unspoken rule that the way you look will affect the amount of money you make. I&#8217;ve started investing more in things like hair care, makeup, tanning, clothes, working out, and getting Botox and fillers. Combined, it all costs me between $12,000 and $15,000 a year. I do cut some corners to save money. For instance, I’ve started doing my nails at home.</p>
  3817. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/the-new-face-how-unnatural-beauty-standards-became-a-multi-billion-dollar-medical-industry/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: How unnatural beauty standards become a multibillion-dollar medical industry"><em><strong>Related:</strong> How unnatural beauty standards become a multibillion-dollar medical industry</em></span></a></p>
  3818. <p>The financial benefits of having this job have been huge. It’s financed my undergraduate degree as well as a master&#8217;s of applied science, which I’m in the middle of right now. I’ve also had enough money to buy a membership at a boutique gym, <a href="https://torontolife.com/style/inside-sweat-and-tonic-a-new-boutique-fitness-club-with-a-cocktail-lounge-and-a-meditation-pod/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sweat and Tonic">Sweat and Tonic</span></a>, and higher-quality groceries that help me maintain my vegan diet. And I’ve improved my social skills by talking with the many successful people who frequent the club. Without a doubt, being a bottle girl has been worth it.</p>
  3819. <p>Currently, in addition to doing my master&#8217;s, I have three other jobs: I’m a teaching assistant and an outreach coordinator at TMU, and I do social media influencing. It’s a lot, so I only work at the club a couple of times a month now. But I’m a big believer in “work hard, play hard,” and I still love to go out clubbing myself. Which is why, despite the demands of being a bottle girl, I’ve been able to make the best of it for all these years.</p>
  3820. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/i-work-as-a-bottle-girl-in-a-club-heres-what-its-like-behind-the-scenes/">&#8220;I work as a bottle girl in a club. Here&#8217;s what it&#8217;s like behind the scenes”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  3825. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Halloween-2023-scaled-e1712684114240-1200x628-1712684306.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3826. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3827. <media:title></media:title>
  3828. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3829. </media:content>
  3830. </item>
  3831. <item>
  3832. <title>Inside the kitchen of food writer and television host Pay Chen</title>
  3833. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-pay-chen-food-writer-tv-host/</link>
  3835. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maddy Mahoney]]></dc:creator>
  3836. <pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 13:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
  3837. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  3838. <category><![CDATA[breakfast television]]></category>
  3839. <category><![CDATA[cityline]]></category>
  3840. <category><![CDATA[Kitchen Diaries]]></category>
  3841. <category><![CDATA[Pay chen]]></category>
  3842. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646847</guid>
  3843.  
  3844. <description><![CDATA[<p>Stocked with exotic fruit, an epic chocolate drawer and stacks of cookbooks</p>
  3845. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-pay-chen-food-writer-tv-host/">Inside the kitchen of food writer and television host Pay Chen</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3846. ]]></description>
  3847. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646869" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8013-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Pay Chen standing in her kitchen at her counter" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8013-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8013-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8013-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8013-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3848. <p>Pay Chen, who appears as a food-and-travel guest host on daytime shows like <em>Cityline</em> and <em>Breakfast Television</em>, was born in Taiwan and raised in Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia. Her parents ran a stall at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, where they sold dumplings, buns and noodles. “My brother and I would tag along because my parents couldn’t afford a babysitter,” she says. Watching her parents work ignited Chen’s passion for spotlighting new Canadians, particularly those who dare to dive into the food industry, a field notorious for its long hours and razor-thin margins.</p>
  3849. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-andrew-carter-the-oxley/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley</em></span></a></p>
  3850. <p>While her parents were beloved in Halifax for their mouth-watering dishes, Chen landed in Toronto in the mid-’90s with only enough kitchen skills to boil pasta and smother it in store-bought sauce. “My mom never taught us how to cook—and that was a deliberate choice,” Chen says. “My parents didn’t want us to follow in their footsteps. They never wanted us to work as hard as they did for so little.”</p>
  3851. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646859" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7839-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A wide shot of Chen's kitchen, which has a large island and concrete features" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7839-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7839-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7839-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7839-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7839-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7839-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3852. <p>Today, Chen is an adept home cook and a better baker. She credits her hours spent watching the Food Network, particularly Anna Olson. Chen&#8217;s kitchen, in the King West condo she’s called home for the past six years, has a few quirks—like its too-narrow fridge. She vastly prefers it to her previous place, though, which had an oven so small it couldn’t fit a standard cookie sheet. Her current kitchen is equipped with a gas range, which she says is a chore to clean (she’d prefer an induction stovetop). In the warmer months, she does most of her meal prep on the balcony barbecue.</p>
  3853. <p>The extra-large kitchen island was custom-built by Chen’s friend Andrew Hachey, a designer for HGTV. It’s topped with Dekton (which doesn’t stain or scratch easily), and it&#8217;s where Chen filmed her at-home food segments throughout the pandemic.</p>
  3854. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646856" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7809-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at Chen's large kitchen Island" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7809-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7809-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7809-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7809-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7809-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7809-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3855. <p>As a car-free urbanite, Chen prefers to shop within walking or biking distance of her home. She makes frequent trips to Kensington, where she hits up <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/sanagans-meat-locker/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sanagan’s Meat Locker">Sanagan’s Meat Locker</span></a> for meats and local condiments, Essence of Life Organics for dairy and eco-friendly cleaners, Cheese Magic for artisanal cheeses, and Blackbird for baked goods. Then she’ll head to Chinatown to check out the fresh produce at Hua Sheng and Kai Wei. Chen is also a regular at various farmers&#8217; markets, typically visiting two a week. Her favourites are in St. Lawrence Market, Leslieville, Sorauren, Trinity Bellwoods and Dufferin Grove.</p>
  3856. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646848" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7713-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A look inside Chen's fridge" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7713-min-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7713-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7713-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7713-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7713-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7713-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  3857. <p>While Chen’s fridge is stuffed to bursting with made-in-Canada condiments (from SupiCucu, Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co., Abokichi, Tropic Thunders 168, Fresh and more), she also loves quality imported products—especially when it comes to cheese. “It’s good that I don’t have a car,” says Chen. “If I did, I’d probably be at <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/the-cheese-boutique/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cheese Boutique">Cheese Boutique</span></a> every day, and Afrim would start charging me rent.”</p>
  3858. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-afrim-pristine-cheese-boutique/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique</em></span></span></a></p>
  3859. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646849" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7717-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the shelf in Chen's fridge that holds her condiments" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7717-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7717-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7717-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7717-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7717-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7717-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3860. <p>Everything in this freezer drawer is made in Toronto. There’s Smoke Bloke gravlax, Loga’s Corner momos, heat-and-eat Ramen Raijin and Chen’s favourite Soma gelato flavour: almond toffee crunch. “A lot of gelato is just too sweet, but this one is rich and decadent, with a beautiful roasted almond flavour.”</p>
  3861. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646850" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7724-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at what's inside Chen's freezer " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7724-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7724-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7724-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7724-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7724-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7724-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3862. <p>The pantry is in keeping with the locavore trend. It’s stocked with Toronto-made mustard (Kozlik’s), jerk paste (Nerpy’s and Albert’s Real Jamaican Foods), fancy peanut butter (Mumgry), celeb-chef barbecue sauce (Matheson Food Company) and ginger-scallion seasoning (Hong Shing).</p>
  3863. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646851" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7735-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A shot of all the items in Chen's pantry" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7735-min-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7735-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7735-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7735-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7735-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7735-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  3864. <p>“I inherited my love of spice from my dad,” says Chen, who owns an assortment of chili oils and hot sauces. “But, honestly, half of these aren’t even that spicy. Nothing should be so fiery that it burns your tongue and you can’t taste your food. The best hot condiments add a layer of flavour.”</p>
  3865. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646866" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7948-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Chen's extensive spice collection " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7948-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7948-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7948-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7948-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7948-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7948-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3866. <p>Chen recently collaborated with Zing, a Toronto-based company, to create her own sauce called Sacha-ish. It’s a nod to sacha sauce, a Scoville-packed Taiwanese condiment. She calls it her “instant flavour booster” and adds it to everything, including noodles (be they Chinese or Italian) and scrambled eggs.</p>
  3867. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646865" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7934-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Chen's own sauce, Sacha-ish" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7934-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7934-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7934-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7934-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7934-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7934-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3868. <p>When she eats out, Chen’s go-to spots are <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-casa-paco-chef-rob-bragagnolos-new-spanish-restaurant-and-bar-in-little-italy/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Casa Paco">Casa Paco</span></a> (for excellent paella and unparalleled service), <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-wonton-hut-chef-owner-eddie-yeung-eats-chinese-food-in-north-york/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Wonton Hut">Wonton Hut</span></a> (for, according to Chen, the best dumplings in the city) and <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-kiin-chef-nuit-regulars-royal-thai-restaurant-including-a-cocktail-inspired-by-mango-sticky-rice/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kiin">Kiin</span></a> (for Nuit Regular, whom Chen thinks is a culinary magician). She’s also a big fan of the Singaporean spot Kiss My Pans (she advises everyone to order the carrot cake, which is neither a cake nor made with carrots), <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-dottys-a-new-diner-on-dupont-from-dandylion-chef-jay-carter/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Dotty’s">Dotty’s</span></a> and <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-porzias-chef-basilio-pesces-long-awaited-lasagna-restaurant/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Porzia’s.">Porzia’s.</span></a></p>
  3869. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-diego-reyes-chantecler/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler</em></span></span></a></p>
  3870. <p>She tries to balance the scales at home by whipping up hearty soups, salads and other wholesome stuff. But, from time to time, she likes to indulge. Case in point: she has a chocolate drawer crammed with over two dozen varieties. Cynthia Leung, the co-owner of Soma, recently chided Chen for hoarding chocolate that’s past its prime. (It seems last year’s Easter bunnies have overstayed their welcome and need to hop on out.) But Chen’s curiosity for new flavours outpaces her appetite for snacking, which means her stash is ever-expanding.</p>
  3871. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646855" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7782-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Chen's chocolate drawer" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7782-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7782-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7782-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7782-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7782-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7782-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3872. <p>Chen’s current chocolate crush hails from Montreal. The dark chocolate–gianduja bar by Allo Simonne is sinfully smooth and delightfully decadent.</p>
  3873. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646864" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7913-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at Chen's current favourite chocolate bar" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7913-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7913-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7913-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7913-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7913-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7913-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3874. <p>For premium mangoes and other exotic fruit, Chen orders from Fruter, an importer that works with farmers in Peru, Thailand, Vietnam, Colombia and Australia to deliver just-picked produce to homes in North America. She’s currently waiting on a shipment of snake fruit. The quantities are usually pretty large, so Chen splits the haul with friends.</p>
  3875. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646857" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7828-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at Chen's bowl of mangos" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7828-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7828-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7828-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7828-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7828-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7828-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3876. <p>Although she’s a talented baker, Chen prefers eating what other people make. Some of her favourite Toronto bakeries include Roselle (for cakes and madeleines), Barbershop Patisserie (for the lemon bichon), Geste (for classic French pastries with an Indian twist), Castle and Coal (for canelés) and Robinson Bread (for the white country loaf or the green onion swirl).</p>
  3877. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646860" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7860-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at Chen's stand mixer" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7860-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7860-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7860-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7860-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7860-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7860-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3878. <p>Publishing houses often send Chen cookbooks to review, so her condo is filled with stacks on just about every surface. Her favourites are those that delve deep into a specific cuisine to provide historical context and cultural insight, like food scholar Carolyn Phillips’s <em>All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China</em> or Clarissa Wei’s <em>Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation</em>.</p>
  3879. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646868" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7965-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A stack of cookbooks on top of a small suitcase" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7965-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7965-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7965-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7965-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7965-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7965-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3880. <p>Chen found this first-edition copy of <em>Pei Mei’s Chinese Cook Book</em> in her parents’ house. The recipes, by Fu Pei-mei (a Taiwanese television host who was a household name in the 1960s), are written in English and traditional Chinese.</p>
  3881. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646863" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7895-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A vintage cookbook with recipes in English and Traditional Chinese" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7895-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7895-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7895-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7895-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7895-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7895-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3882. <p>Chen is a collector of many things, including Pyrex bowls. She also has a vintage Honest Ed’s poster on display.</p>
  3883. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/vintage-pyrex-kitchenware-collector/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated collector of vintage kitchenware"><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated collector of vintage kitchenware</span></a></em></p>
  3884. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646854" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7766-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A shot of Chen's pyrex bowl collection, which is in front of a poster from Honest Ed's" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7766-min-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7766-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7766-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7766-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7766-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7766-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  3885. <p>There are only a few bottles of booze on this bar cart, but they’re all domestic: wine from Rosewood, whiskey from Newfoundland’s Signal Hill and a Polish spiced honey liqueur from BC’s Wayward Distillery. Chen doesn’t drink much at home, so most of this space is occupied by cookbooks, vintage cooking paraphernalia and a framed photo of her dad.</p>
  3886. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646853" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7755-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Chen's sparsely populated bar cart" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7755-min-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7755-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7755-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7755-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7755-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7755-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  3887. <p>Since the pandemic, Chen has taken to regrowing her green onions from the stems. Come summer, she’ll cultivate everything from fiery hot peppers to Swiss chard to peas on her balcony garden.</p>
  3888. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646867" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7963-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Chen's green onions, which she regrows from stems" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7963-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7963-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7963-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7963-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7963-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-7963-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3889. <p>Last year, Chen ventured farther afield and secured a plot at the Alex Wilson Community Garden. She says her carrots were a huge disappointment and her tomatoes often vanished before she could pick them, victims of either two- or four-legged thieves. However, her leafy greens thrived. “I donated most of the greens and herbs to the community fridge at 782 Adelaide Street West,” she says. It&#8217;s a spot where people can donate food for others to take home. “There’s a huge income gap in our city. This is a little way I can share what I have with my neighbours in need.”</p>
  3890. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646870" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8077-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Chen standing in front of the community fridge on Adelaide Street" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8077-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8077-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8077-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8077-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8077-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8077-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3891. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-pay-chen-food-writer-tv-host/">Inside the kitchen of food writer and television host Pay Chen</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3892. ]]></content:encoded>
  3896. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JoshuaBest-8013-min-scaled-1200x628-1712675294.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3897. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3898. <media:title></media:title>
  3899. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3900. </media:content>
  3901. </item>
  3902. <item>
  3903. <title>Before and After: How a $300,000 reno transformed a stuffy Leaside craftsman into a vision of black and white</title>
  3904. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/before-and-after-leaside/</link>
  3906. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  3907. <pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:40:51 +0000</pubDate>
  3908. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  3909. <category><![CDATA[Before and After]]></category>
  3910. <category><![CDATA[Leaside]]></category>
  3911. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  3912. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646825</guid>
  3913.  
  3914. <description><![CDATA[<p>Goodbye, tiny kitchen, dated dining room and forgotten fireplace. Hello, airy spaces, modern bar and cute powder room</p>
  3915. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/before-and-after-leaside/">Before and After: How a $300,000 reno transformed a stuffy Leaside craftsman into a vision of black and white</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3916. ]]></description>
  3917. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646827 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-2000x1143.jpg" alt="THis Leaside craftsman underwent a $300,000 renovation. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-scaled-1536x878-1712604643.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-scaled-2048x1170-1712604648.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3918. <hr />
  3919. <h5>The place</h5>
  3920. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A three-bedroom, two-plus-one-bathroom semi-detached craftsman home in </span><a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/leaside/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Leaside."><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leaside.</span></span></a></p>
  3921. <h5>The history</h5>
  3922. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The current owners, a young couple, purchased the house in 2017 and dreamed of transforming its main floor into a more contemporary and functional open-concept space. In 2021, they reached out to designer Amanda Beer of <a href="https://www.abinteriors.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="AB Interiors">AB Interiors</span></a> to make their vision a reality. Her design was all about creating airy gathering spots flooded with natural light. The project<span style="text-decoration: underline;">,</span> which included a new kitchen, bar and powder room among other upgrades, ended up costing $300,000.</span></p>
  3923. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/before-and-after-notl/" class="article-link"><span data-title="How a reno turned a dated house on the Niagara River into a pristine nature escape">How a reno turned a dated house on the Niagara River into a pristine nature escape</span></a></em></p>
  3924. <h5>The tour</h5>
  3925. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the foyer, Beer kept the antique front door and repainted the original staircase and railing black. “I remember insisting that we have to keep the door—it&#8217;s got character,” she says. She also gave the coat closet a sleek update and moved the heirloom Mason and Risch upright piano to the front of the stairs.</span></p>
  3926. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646980 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_01-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Designer Amanda Beer insisted on keeping the original staircase. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_01-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_01-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_01-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_01-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_01-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3927. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646981 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_01-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The new space been re-painted, with more storage added. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_01-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_01-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_01-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_01-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_01-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3928. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team replaced the old floors with wide-plank white oak. The thinking was that a neutral palette of white, grey and black would contrast nicely with the wood details. Beer preserved the bay window and banquette and installed an asymmetrical chandelier.</span></p>
  3929. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646982 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_02-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The old floors have been replaced with white oak. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_02-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_02-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_02-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_02-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_02-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3930. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646983 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_02-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Note the funky asymetrical chandelier. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_02-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_02-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_02-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_02-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_02-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3931. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next, they removed a wall in the kitchen to open it up to the front of the house. The coffered ceilings are by Straight A Woodwork. </span></p>
  3932. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646984 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_03-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The old kitchen was tired and dated. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_03-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_03-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_03-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_03-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_03-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3933. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646989 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_03-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Bear removed a wall and added coffered ceilings. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_03-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_03-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_03-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_03-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_03-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3934. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In place of the old decor: custom storage (including under-cabinet shelving), soft-vein quartz counters and backsplash, and a wine rack that conceals the previously exposed HVAC stack.</span></p>
  3935. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646986 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-1-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Goodbye old appliances. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-1-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-1-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-1-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-1-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-1-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3936. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646985 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_04-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Hello stainless steel equipment. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_04-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_04-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_04-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_04-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_04-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3937. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The kitchen is now oriented north to south, with the west wall serving as the anchor. This allowed Beer to set up a long island with hidden storage and pendant lighting above. </span></p>
  3938. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646991 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_05-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The new kitchen now fully lines the west wall. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_05-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_05-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_05-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_05-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_05-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3939. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646987 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_05-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The new island and pendant lighting bring contemporary flair. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_05-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_05-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_05-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_05-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_05-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3940. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The once-cramped cottagecore kitchen is now equipped with stainless steel appliances, pull-out spice and oil racks on either side of the stove, and a microwave embedded in the island. </span></p>
  3941. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646992 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_10-2000x1143.jpg" alt="A peek inside the island. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_10-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_10-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_10-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_10-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_10-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3942. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646993 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_09-2000x1143.jpg" alt="There are now racks for cooking ingredients on both sides of the stove. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_09-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_09-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_09-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_09-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_09-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3943. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646994 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_08-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Here's the microwave garage. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_08-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_08-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_08-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_08-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_08-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3944. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beer swapped the dining table just off the kitchen with a bar, a mini fridge and custom cupboards—more storage that wouldn’t impede foot traffic. </span></p>
  3945. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646995 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_06-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The east wall was extended to make room for the new bar. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_06-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_06-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_06-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_06-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_06-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3946. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646996 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_06-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The cupboards here are custom. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_06-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_06-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_06-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_06-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_06-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3947. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A portion of the</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> east wall </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">was extended to add this powder room. Beer brought in modern fixtures, whimsical wallpaper and bubble lights to liven up the space. She also fashioned a vanity from a table crafted by the owners&#8217; friends. </span></p>
  3948. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646997 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_11-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The funky wallpaper in the new powder room is a nice touch. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_11-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_11-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_11-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_11-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_11-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3949. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646998 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_12-2000x1143.jpg" alt="The vanity is actually made of an old table. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_12-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_12-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_12-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_12-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_12-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3950. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Previously, the sunken living room overlooking the backyard came with a fireplace that blended into its environs. The team turned it into a focal point by adding a dark porcelain-tile floor-to-ceiling surround. “It was a bit tricky because you don&#8217;t typically see fireplaces with a massive window above them,” says Beer. The clients also requested that the chandelier be replaced with a fan to distribute cooler air in the summer.</span></p>
  3951. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647000 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_07-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Before, the fireplace disappeared among the scenery. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_07-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_07-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_07-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_07-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_07-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3952. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-647001 size-large" title="toronto-life-before-and-after-leaside-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_07-2000x1143.jpg" alt="Today, the fireplace is the star of the sunken room, surrounded by dark porcelain. " width="2000" height="1143" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_07-2000x1143.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_07-300x171.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_07-768x439.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_07-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AFTER_07-2048x1170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  3953. <hr />
  3954. <p><em>Stoked about your staging? Recently finished a renovation? Send your story to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.</em></p>
  3955. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/before-and-after-leaside/">Before and After: How a $300,000 reno transformed a stuffy Leaside craftsman into a vision of black and white</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3956. ]]></content:encoded>
  3960. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BEFORE_04-scaled-1200x628-1712604666.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  3961. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  3962. <media:title></media:title>
  3963. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  3964. </media:content>
  3965. </item>
  3966. <item>
  3967. <title>Better Days, a new Dovercourt Village bakery, is bringing back classic Canadian doughnuts</title>
  3968. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/better-days-coffee-and-doughnuts-dovercourt-village/</link>
  3970. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  3971. <pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:42:21 +0000</pubDate>
  3972. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  3973. <category><![CDATA[Bakeries]]></category>
  3974. <category><![CDATA[Bakery]]></category>
  3975. <category><![CDATA[Better Days Coffee and Donuts]]></category>
  3976. <category><![CDATA[Dave Fish]]></category>
  3977. <category><![CDATA[doughnuts]]></category>
  3978. <category><![CDATA[Dovercourt Village]]></category>
  3979. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646973</guid>
  3980.  
  3981. <description><![CDATA[<p>And pairing everything with nothing but good old fashioned drip coffee</p>
  3982. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/better-days-coffee-and-doughnuts-dovercourt-village/">Better Days, a new Dovercourt Village bakery, is bringing back classic Canadian doughnuts</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  3983. ]]></description>
  3984. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646881" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-scaled.jpg" alt="A person holds a box open to reveal a dozen doughnuts inside" width="2560" height="1823" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-300x214.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-2000x1424.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-768x547.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-1536x1094.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-2048x1458.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3985. <p>For the past two years, Dave Fish has been staring at photographs of coffee shops and restaurants from the 1960s and trying to pack as much mid-century nostalgia and atomic-grade kitsch as possible into a 400-square-foot storefront on Dovercourt. The result: <a href="https://www.betterdaysdonuts.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Better Days Coffee and Donuts">Better Days Coffee and Donuts</span></a>, Fish’s ode to the doughnut shops of his youth in St. Thomas, Ontario, when chains like Tim Hortons, Mister Donut and Robin’s Donuts were still bakeries churning out hot and fresh <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/doughnuts/" class="article-link"><span data-title="doughnuts">doughnuts</span></a> every morning. “You could go to Tim Hortons and get a slice of Black Forest cake!&#8221; says Fish. &#8220;And people would come in and smoke a pack of cigarettes at their seats–the good old days.&#8221;</p>
  3986. <p>Anyone nostalgic for the doughnut diners of the past will immediately recognize the menu at Better Days. My eyes went immediately to the crown-like Chocolate Coconut, with shreds of toasted coconut identical to the ones that coated the car seats of my childhood.</p>
  3987. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646886" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-exterior-scaled.jpg" alt="The exterior of Better Days Coffee and Doughnuts in Toronto" width="2560" height="2075" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-exterior-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-exterior-300x243.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-exterior-2000x1621.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-exterior-768x623.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-exterior-1536x1245.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-exterior-2048x1660.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3988. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646889" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Dave Fish, owner of Better Days Coffee and Donuts, holds five boxes of donuts" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3989. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-the-donuterie-artisanal-doughnuts-from-a-leslieville-lunch-counter/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: The Donuterie, artisanal doughnuts from a Leslieville lunch counter"><strong>Related:</strong> The Donuterie, artisanal doughnuts from a Leslieville lunch counter</span></a></em></p>
  3990. <p>“Someone came in earlier today and said, ‘No one in Toronto does cake doughnuts!’ It was important for me to have those on the menu,” says Fish. What <em>won&#8217;t</em> be on the menu? What Fish refers to as &#8220;stunt doughnuts,&#8221; unremarkable rings of dough covered with chunks of chocolate bars, candy or bacon. Better Days&#8217; doughnuts don’t rely on excessive toppings or avant-garde fillings: the Sprinkle, Double Chocolate and Sour Cream cake doughnuts are satisfying in their simplicity.</p>
  3991. <p>But Fish makes more than just cake doughnuts. There are also classic chocolate and maple dips; a colossal, perfectly craggy apple fritter; and a light, delicate French cruller, the ideal breakfast doughnut. Filled yeasted doughnuts include a Boston Cream stuffed with fresh custard, one crammed with raspberry jam and covered with powdered sugar, and another packed with tart lemon curd.</p>
  3992. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646882" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-display-case-scaled.jpg" alt="A display case of doughnuts at Better Days Coffee and Doughnuts in Dovercourt Village" width="2560" height="1625" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-display-case-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-display-case-300x190.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-display-case-2000x1270.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-display-case-768x487.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-display-case-1536x975.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-display-case-2048x1300.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3993. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646893" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sprinkle-doughnut-scaled.jpg" alt="A person holds a sprinkle doughnut at Better Days Coffee and Donuts" width="2560" height="1905" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sprinkle-doughnut-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sprinkle-doughnut-300x223.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sprinkle-doughnut-2000x1488.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sprinkle-doughnut-768x571.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sprinkle-doughnut-1536x1143.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sprinkle-doughnut-2048x1524.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3994. <p>“Growing up, there was this place near my house that had a lemon-filled doughnut. I loved it because instead of powdered sugar, they put granulated sugar on top. I always thought that was the best,” Fish says about the inspiration behind Better Days’ version, with its satisfyingly crunchy coating.</p>
  3995. <p>The current crowd favourite is the Cherry Stick, another powerful throwback. Tim Hortons tried to resurrect its own Cherry Stick last year, decades after it disappeared from menus in the early aughts, when the brand started shipping all its doughnuts in frozen from a Brantford-based factory.</p>
  3996. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646877" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-cherry-stick-doughnut-scaled.jpg" alt="A cherry stick doughnut at Better Days in Toronto" width="2560" height="1876" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-cherry-stick-doughnut-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-cherry-stick-doughnut-300x220.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-cherry-stick-doughnut-2000x1465.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-cherry-stick-doughnut-768x563.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-cherry-stick-doughnut-1536x1125.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-cherry-stick-doughnut-2048x1500.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3997. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646884" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnuts-tray-scaled.jpg" alt="A tray of chocolate, maple and sprinkle doughnuts" width="2560" height="1815" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnuts-tray-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnuts-tray-300x213.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnuts-tray-2000x1418.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnuts-tray-768x544.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnuts-tray-1536x1089.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnuts-tray-2048x1452.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  3998. <p>Maybe this is why biting into a Better Days Cherry Stick—golden brown on the outside, vivid maraschino pink on the inside–feels like reclaiming a lost memory. A bite of the sweet pastry is best followed with a sip of hot, slightly acidic drip coffee.</p>
  3999. <p>Which is another feature of the Better Days experience: you won’t find an espresso machine here. Fish is convinced that drip coffee is the superior pairing for classic doughnuts. And he’s right: the slight tartness of the medium and dark roasts from Detour Coffee cuts right through the sugary pastries.</p>
  4000. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646888" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-mugs-scaled.jpg" alt="Coffee mugs from Better Days Coffee and Doughnuts" width="2560" height="1665" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-mugs-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-mugs-300x195.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-mugs-2000x1301.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-mugs-768x500.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-mugs-1536x999.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-mugs-2048x1332.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4001. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646891" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-coffee-scaled.jpg" alt="Dave Fish, owner of Better Days Coffee and Donuts, takes a sip of coffee from a paper cup" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-coffee-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-coffee-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-coffee-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-coffee-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-coffee-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-owner-coffee-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4002. <p>As for the retro look and feel of the place, years ago, Fish came across a book about the architecture of coffee shops and restaurants in Southern California in the ’60s. It captivated him. When it came time to build Better Days, he passed that brief on to local designer Alisha Sturino, who filled the space with mood-boosting, retro-inspired details like stained glass windows by artist Kristie-Lee and a ceiling mural by painter Maxine McCrann. Andrew Kidder was responsible for the logo, hand-painted signs and fun neon.</p>
  4003. <p>“The store has an optimistic feel to it,&#8221; says Fish. &#8220;There&#8217;s not a whole lot of optimism in the world right now, so if someone can come in here and get a nice cup of coffee and a couple of doughnuts, maybe they’ll have a better day.”</p>
  4004. <p><em>Better Days Coffee and Donuts, 963 Dovercourt Rd., <a href="https://www.betterdaysdonuts.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="betterdaysdonuts.ca">betterdaysdonuts.ca</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/betterdaysdonuts/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@betterdaysdonuts">@betterdaysdonuts</span></a></em></p>
  4005. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646883" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-rack-scaled.jpg" alt="A rack filled with trays of doughnuts at Better Days in Toronto" width="1915" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-rack-scaled.jpg 1915w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-rack-224x300.jpg 224w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-rack-2000x2674.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-rack-768x1027.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-rack-1149x1536.jpg 1149w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-rack-1532x2048.jpg 1532w" sizes="(max-width: 1915px) 100vw, 1915px" /></p>
  4006. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646892" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sign-scaled.jpg" alt="A sign outside Better Days Coffee and Donuts in Toronto's Dovercourt Village" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sign-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sign-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sign-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sign-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sign-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-sign-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4007. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/better-days-coffee-and-doughnuts-dovercourt-village/">Better Days, a new Dovercourt Village bakery, is bringing back classic Canadian doughnuts</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4008. ]]></content:encoded>
  4012. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-restaurants-better-days-donuts-dovercourt-village-doughnut-box-scaled-1200x628-1712713965.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  4013. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  4016. </media:content>
  4017. </item>
  4018. <item>
  4019. <title>Kiss and Tell: &#8220;My date got a fish bone stuck in his teeth. He insisted on calling 911”</title>
  4020. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-fish-bone-gigi/</link>
  4022. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  4023. <pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
  4024. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  4025. <category><![CDATA[dating]]></category>
  4026. <category><![CDATA[kiss and tell]]></category>
  4027. <category><![CDATA[New Year's Eve]]></category>
  4028. <category><![CDATA[toronto dating]]></category>
  4029. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646903</guid>
  4030.  
  4031. <description><![CDATA[<p>Gigi, a 32-year-old design consultant, tried to help—but couldn’t prevent an unnecessary visit from the paramedics</p>
  4032. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-fish-bone-gigi/">Kiss and Tell: &#8220;My date got a fish bone stuck in his teeth. He insisted on calling 911”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4033. ]]></description>
  4034. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646908" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_FISH.jpg" alt="A photo of a fish on a background of orange hearts" width="2048" height="1364" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_FISH.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_FISH-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_FISH-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_FISH-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_FISH-1536x1023-1712681404.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  4035. <p><i data-stringify-type="italic"><em>Welcome to </em></i><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/tag/kiss-and-tell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell">Kiss and Tell</span></span></a><i data-stringify-type="italic">,<em> a series about the steamy, surprising and frequently absurd world of Toronto dating. Send your most memorable stories from the pursuit of love and lust in the city to <a class="c-link" href="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" class="article-link"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com">submissions@torontolife.com</span></span></a>.</em></i></p>
  4036. <p><em>—As told to Kirsten Fee</em></p>
  4037. <hr />
  4038. <p>A mutual friend introduced me to this well-dressed personal support worker at a Halloween party. I found him attractive: he was tall, with salt-and-pepper hair and glasses. We hit it off, so we met up for a coffee soon afterward. On the date, he boasted about himself, how good he was at his job and how much he knew about Jungian analysis. But he seemed emotionally mature, plus we had good banter.</p>
  4039. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-i-tried-to-break-up-with-my-boyfriend-but-his-dad-wouldnt-let-me/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn&#8217;t let me&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn&#8217;t let me&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  4040. <p>Admittedly, there were other red flags. He was constantly complaining about his exes, saying he&#8217;d felt like “a father to them,” and he called his mom a “bitch.” But I had just ended an engagement a few months earlier, and it had been almost a decade since I’d been on a date. My self-confidence wasn’t at its highest, so I decided to ignore the warning signs.</p>
  4041. <p>We went out a few more times, getting coffees or drinks. It was almost New Year’s Eve, and I really didn’t want to spend the night alone. So when he suggested we spend it together, I agreed. Our plan was that I would grab ingredients for dinner, then we’d meet outside Loblaws at 5 p.m. and walk to his apartment together. His job was to prepare a cheesecake for dessert.</p>
  4042. <p>On the day, I arrived at our meeting spot, dinner ingredients in hand. My bags were clearly heavy, so I assumed he would offer to carry some. But he didn’t, even as we started walking. Eventually, I asked for his help. Reluctantly, he took a couple, but he didn’t seem to be able to carry much weight: he struggled for the rest of the walk back. It was pretty unattractive, but I brushed it off.</p>
  4043. <p>When we got to his apartment, I suggested we hang out briefly before I started cooking. He explained that we couldn’t watch TV because his Prime Video had been cut off after Amazon caught him lying multiple times about packages not showing up. We ended up skipping straight to dinner prep.</p>
  4044. <p>He started taking out all the ingredients for the cheesecake. <em>He should have pre-made the dessert,</em> I thought. <em>Every cook knows it takes hours for cheesecake to set.</em> But one thing was for sure: he was <em>not</em> a cook. His fridge consisted of cheese, salami and bread. It seemed like he was on a Lunchables-only diet.</p>
  4045. <p>He claimed he&#8217;d been overwhelmed by the cheesecake recipe and thought it would be fun to make it together. Reluctantly, I obliged, but then I noticed that he didn’t have all the ingredients. Unbothered, he offered to run to the closest Shoppers. I stayed back to start the strawberry sauce that we wanted to put on top.</p>
  4046. <p>I was excited for some peaceful time alone, but before he left, he sprayed his entire place with catnip. So I had to contend with his very high cat jumping all over everything—not super relaxing. By that point, I should have made a run for it, but I still had a sliver of hope that the night could take a turn for the better.</p>
  4047. <p>I tried to work on the strawberry sauce but couldn’t find a mixer, measuring cups or any baking utensils, really. When he returned with the ingredients, he explained that his ex-girlfriend had taken all the cooking tools with her when she moved out.</p>
  4048. <p>Making do with what was available, he started preparing the cheesecake. I instructed him to put the cream cheese on the stove at a low heat, so it could melt. Instead, he added all the ingredients into the same pot on high. After a few minutes, he had made sweet scrambled eggs. It was unsalvageable.</p>
  4049. <p>I shifted my attention to dinner and, after an hour of cooking, had made delicious salmon, potatoes and salad. We were both enjoying the start of our meal when, minutes in, he said he had a fish bone stuck in his teeth. I thought I’d removed all the bones from the salmon, but I must have missed one.</p>
  4050. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-cruise-ship-grandma/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date’s grandma walked in on us”"><span data-title="Related: “The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date’s grandma walked in on us”"><em><strong>Related: </strong>“The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date’s grandma walked in on us”</em></span></span></a></p>
  4051. <p>He tried to get the bone out himself but couldn’t, so he asked me to search for it. I did <em>not</em> want to touch the inside of his mouth—I didn’t know him well enough for that. I said so, and in a panic, he suggested I go to the bathroom to get tweezers and dental floss. <em>Whatever keeps my hands out of his mouth</em>, I thought.</p>
  4052. <p>In the bathroom, I was met with a horrific scene: there were tiny hairs everywhere, all over the floor and bathtub. Clearly, he’d done a thorough shave before I arrived. I guess he thought he was going to get lucky. To make matters worse, I couldn’t find tweezers or dental floss anywhere.</p>
  4053. <p>Upon my returning and delivering the news, he asked me to call 911 so paramedics could come remove the bone. At this point, I was convinced he was out of his mind. I told him there was no way I was calling an ambulance for something so minor, so he decided to call himself. “I’m choking on a fish bone,” he told the operator. He started to make choking sounds, though in my opinion, his acting was subpar. But the operator asked that I stay with him until the paramedics arrived, so I did.</p>
  4054. <p>In all his panic over the bone, we missed the New Year&#8217;s countdown. By then, I had no interest in celebrating anyway. I regretted not spending the night with my family—or even going to sleep early.</p>
  4055. <p>When the paramedics arrived, just after midnight, he decided to cut the choking act—maybe he had a tiny bit of shame after all. He slipped into this kind of cool-guy persona while chatting with them, acting like he knew everything about their jobs because he was a personal support worker.</p>
  4056. <p>The paramedics were having none of it. As they easily removed the bone, they told him the situation was not an emergency and that he should have gone to a clinic instead. By this point, I was just thankful it was over so I could finally leave.</p>
  4057. <p>Once the paramedics left, he offered me a drink as if nothing had happened. I said no and told him all I wanted was to head home and relax with a bath. “You’re just going to leave without cleaning up the dishes?” he said. “You can’t just make dinner for somebody and leave everything out like this.” I couldn’t believe his audacity—he was the one who hadn&#8217;t held up his end of the bargain. He was acting like such a baby, but I wanted to avoid any conflict, so I compromised by putting the dishes in the sink to soak.</p>
  4058. <p>I was about to make a beeline for the elevator when I realized I couldn’t find my purse. While pretending to be busy cleaning up, he said it was in the closet—without specifying which closet or offering to retrieve it for me. I searched everywhere before I finally found it in his bedroom closet. I knew I hadn&#8217;t left my bag there, so I could only conclude that he&#8217;d moved it to try to keep me at his place longer. By this point, I was livid. The night had been a total bust.</p>
  4059. <p>He rode down the elevator with me as I left, complaining about work for the whole ride. When I finally left the building, I felt an immediate sense of freedom. I could barely believe how the night had gone. I decided to walk home to clear my mind, hoping he would at least check in to make sure I got back safe. But I didn’t hear from him that night or the following day. That was the last straw for me. I blocked him.</p>
  4060. <p>A couple of days later, I received a call from a private number and heard him and a friend giggling in the background. Very mature. Even though our date had been truly horrible, I’m thankful that it revealed his true colours. It was a bit of a reality check: I needed to raise my standards and take better note of early red flags. Since then, I’ve been much better off.</p>
  4061. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-fish-bone-gigi/">Kiss and Tell: &#8220;My date got a fish bone stuck in his teeth. He insisted on calling 911”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4062. ]]></content:encoded>
  4066. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_FISH-1200x628-1712681376.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  4067. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  4073. <title>Rental of the Week: $4,800 to live in the top two floors of a renovated Annex semi</title>
  4074. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-annex-semi/</link>
  4076. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Alex Cyr]]></dc:creator>
  4077. <pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 19:44:27 +0000</pubDate>
  4078. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  4079. <category><![CDATA[rental of the week]]></category>
  4080. <category><![CDATA[The Annex]]></category>
  4081. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  4082. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646686</guid>
  4083.  
  4084. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 1,500-square-foot unit comes with three bedrooms, cathedral ceilings, a private third-floor deck and a parking spot out back</p>
  4085. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-annex-semi/">Rental of the Week: $4,800 to live in the top two floors of a renovated Annex semi</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4086. ]]></description>
  4087. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-647043" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/229-Howland-Front-Image.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/229-Howland-Front-Image.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/229-Howland-Front-Image-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/229-Howland-Front-Image-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/229-Howland-Front-Image-2048x1367-1712761276.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4088. <p><strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/the-annex/" class="article-link"><span data-title="The Annex">The Annex</span></a><br />
  4089. <strong>Price:</strong> $4,800<br />
  4090. <strong>Size: </strong>1,500 square feet<br />
  4091. <strong>Bedrooms: </strong>3<br />
  4092. <strong>Bathrooms: </strong>2<br />
  4093. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 1<br />
  4094. <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent:</strong> <a href="https://www.jennybosworth.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Jenny Bosworth">Jenny Bosworth</span></a>, Sutton Group Associates</p>
  4095. <hr />
  4096. <h5><b>The place </b></h5>
  4097. <p>A three-bedroom, two-bathroom rental on the top two stories of an Annex row house, complete with its own HVAC system and private parking spot. It also comes with brand new appliances and hardwood floors. Sandwiched between Spadina and Bathurst just south of Dupont, the place is within walking distance of Dupont station, Casa Loma and George Brown College. And motorists are a short drive from Davenport and Avenue.</p>
  4098. <h5><b>The history</b></h5>
  4099. <p>The owners renovated this house in 2015. They lived in it for about three years before finding more space in another neighbourhood. So they converted their place into a family-friendly rental.</p>
  4100. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-bowling-alley/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$4,275 for a two-bedroom with a bowling alley and a pet spa">$4,275 for a two-bedroom with a bowling alley and a pet spa</span></a></em></p>
  4101. <h5><b>The tour</b></h5>
  4102. <p>The front porch overlooks the typically verdant Annex street—a peaceful spot for a morning coffee.</p>
  4103. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646702 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland2.jpeg" alt="The front porch overlooks the leafy neighbourhood. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland2.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland2-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4104. <p>This unit starts on the second storey and has hardwood flooring throughout.</p>
  4105. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646689 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland15.jpeg" alt="This unit takes up the second and third floors. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland15.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland15-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland15-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland15-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4106. <p>A reverse angle highlights the living space and its three-panelled bay window with a view of the neighbourhood.</p>
  4107. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646701 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland3.jpeg" alt="The living room is anchored by its three-panelled bay window. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland3.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland3-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland3-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland3-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4108. <p>Beyond the living area is the kitchen, equipped with pendant lighting and a quartz island with a built-in microwave.</p>
  4109. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646688 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland16.jpeg" alt="The quartz island seats for and has an embedded oven." width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland16.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland16-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland16-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland16-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4110. <p>It also comes with new stainless steel appliances, California-style storage, a subway-tiled backsplash and an electric cooktop.</p>
  4111. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646690 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland14.jpeg" alt="The ivory kitchen is like something out of California. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland14.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland14-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland14-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland14-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4112. <p>Behind the kitchen is the first washroom, with a glass-encased rainfall shower.</p>
  4113. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646697 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland7.jpeg" alt="The three-piece washroom comes with a tiled glass shower. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland7.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland7-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland7-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland7-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4114. <p>This secondary bedroom sits at the rear of the home and faces west.</p>
  4115. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646692 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland12.jpeg" alt="This secondary bedroom sits at the rear of the home and faces west. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland12.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland12-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland12-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland12-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4116. <p>There&#8217;s also a new LG stacked washer-dryer hiding in the hallway closet.</p>
  4117. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646705 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland18.jpeg" alt="This closet houses the new LG washer-dryer unit" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland18.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland18-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland18-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland18-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4118. <p>Now for upstairs. The main bedroom has cathedral ceilings, a street view and a walk-in closet (not pictured).</p>
  4119. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646691 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland13.jpeg" alt="Note the cathedral ceilings in the main bedroom" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland13.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland13-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland13-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland13-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4120. <p>Here&#8217;s the second bathroom. It has a double vanity, marble floors, built-in storage and another rainfall shower.</p>
  4121. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646694 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland10.jpeg" alt="Here's the second bathroom, with a super-wide vanity. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland10.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland10-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland10-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland10-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4122. <p>The third bedroom could be set up as an office.</p>
  4123. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646695 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland9.jpeg" alt="This bedroom could be converted into an office." width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland9.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland9-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland9-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland9-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4124. <p>Also on the top floor: a private deck for drinks with friends or alfresco dining.</p>
  4125. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646698 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland6.jpeg" alt="The deck is a nice place for al fresco evening. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland6.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland6-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland6-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland6-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4126. <p>Finally, the mini patio and parking spot out back.</p>
  4127. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646700 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-annex-semi-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland4.jpeg" alt="Here's the back parking spot. " width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland4.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland4-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland4-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Howland4-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  4128. <hr />
  4129. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  4130. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-annex-semi/">Rental of the Week: $4,800 to live in the top two floors of a renovated Annex semi</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4131. ]]></content:encoded>
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  4136. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  4140. </item>
  4141. <item>
  4142. <title>Super fizzy and ice cold, highballs are an exercise in simplicity</title>
  4143. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/highballs-915-dupont-overpressure-club/</link>
  4145. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  4146. <pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 13:23:22 +0000</pubDate>
  4147. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  4148. <category><![CDATA[915 Dupont]]></category>
  4149. <category><![CDATA[Cocktails]]></category>
  4150. <category><![CDATA[Drinks]]></category>
  4151. <category><![CDATA[highballs]]></category>
  4152. <category><![CDATA[Mhel]]></category>
  4153. <category><![CDATA[Overpressure Club]]></category>
  4154. <category><![CDATA[Sakai Bar]]></category>
  4155. <category><![CDATA[shochu]]></category>
  4156. <category><![CDATA[Whiskey]]></category>
  4157. <category><![CDATA[Whisky]]></category>
  4158. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646719</guid>
  4159.  
  4160. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring spirit ideas and bar recommendations for the city’s most understated sippers </p>
  4161. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/highballs-915-dupont-overpressure-club/">Super fizzy and ice cold, highballs are an exercise in simplicity</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4162. ]]></description>
  4163. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646720" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10863-1.jpg" alt="915 Dupont owner Nigel Wang making an icy highball" width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10863-1.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10863-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10863-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10863-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10863-1-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  4164. <p>The highball is simple on paper: a high-quality spirit, ice and soda. But the drink is greater than the sum of its parts. Serious bartenders like to fuss over the details. The glass should be slender to preserve carbonation. Soda is selected based on salt content and CO2 levels—in other words, the regular canned corner-store variety won’t do. If possible, a long spear of hand-cut ice is best, so it fits snug in the glass and melts at a glacial pace. Good highballs are a refined and much less sweet version of a whiskey soda. They’re everywhere in Japan (even available in cans at 7-Eleven stores), and now they’re having a moment in Toronto.</p>
  4165. <p>At <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-915-dupont-japanese-listening-bar/" class="article-link"><span data-title="915 Dupont">915 Dupont</span></a>, a Japanese listening bar west of Ossington, highballs make up more than two-thirds of the daytime cocktail menu. “They’re easy to make and easy to drink,” says owner Nigel Wang. His are straightforward, featuring things like whiskey, shochu and palm wine with house-carbonated filtered water.</p>
  4166. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/cocktail-trends-espresso-martini-coffee-liqueur/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: The city&#8217;s new coffee cocktails offer two types of buzz"><em><strong>Related:</strong> The city&#8217;s new coffee cocktails offer two types of buzz</em></span></a></p>
  4167. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646721 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10819.jpg" alt="An icy highball" width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10819.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10819-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10819-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10819-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10819-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  4168. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646722 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10845.jpg" alt="The highball is simple on paper: a high-quality spirit, ice and soda. But the drink is greater than the sum of its parts" width="1946" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10845.jpg 1946w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10845-292x300.jpg 292w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10845-768x789.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10845-1495x1536.jpg 1495w" sizes="(max-width: 1946px) 100vw, 1946px" /></p>
  4169. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646723 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10884.jpg" alt="Highballs go down easy, like pop, but pack a sneaky punch" width="2000" height="1515" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10884.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10884-300x227.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10884-768x582.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10884-1536x1164.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  4170. <p>At Overpressure Club, a new cocktail bar across from Christie Pits, highballs are served over a long spear of ice with a top-up of bubbly water (owner Alfred Siu says Fever-Tree’s works the best). It all helps to open up the delicate flavours of the dozen Japanese whiskeys available. Warning: highballs go down easy, like pop, but pack a sneaky punch.</p>
  4171. <hr />
  4172. <h5>Three spirits best topped with sparkling water</h5>
  4173. <hr />
  4174. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646724 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL03.jpg" alt="No Regrets Sweet Potato Shochu" width="338" height="450" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL03.jpg 615w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL03-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px" /></p>
  4175. <p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>No Regret Sweet Potato Shochu</strong></span><br />
  4176. Do as the Japanese do and build your highball with shochu, a slick, silky, umami-driven spirit. This version highlights purple sweet potato, which adds floral, creamy notes. $48.95, <a href="https://www.lcbo.com/en/no-regret-sweet-potato-shochu-33678" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="lcbo.com">lcbo.com</span></a></p>
  4177. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646725 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL04.jpg" alt="Roku Gin" width="338" height="450" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL04.jpg 480w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL04-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px" /></p>
  4178. <p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Roku Gin</strong></span><br />
  4179. This gin leans on Japanese botanicals, including sakura flower, sencha tea, sansho pepper, gyokuro (a green tea) and yuzu peel. It’s best in a highball but also adds oomph to a negroni, martini or G&amp;T. $54.95, <a href="https://house.suntory.com/roku-gin" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="house.suntory.com">house.suntory.com</span></a></p>
  4180. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646726 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL05.jpg" alt="Suntory Toki Whisky" width="338" height="450" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL05.jpg 480w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DRINKS_FINAL05-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px" /></p>
  4181. <p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Suntory Toki</strong></span><br />
  4182. In Japan, Suntory highballs are ubiquitous—available everywhere from serious cocktail bars to 7-Elevens. The oldest whiskey producer in Japan, Suntory makes Toki by blending its higher-end Hakushu and Yamazaki single malts with grain whiskey. $63.95, <a href="https://house.suntory.com/toki-whisky" class="article-link"><span data-title="house.suntory.com">house.suntory.com</span></a></p>
  4183. <hr />
  4184. <h5>More places to get fizzy</h5>
  4185. <hr />
  4186. <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mhelisanchovy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mhel:"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Mhel:</strong></span></span></a> This <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-mhel-bloorcourts-new-spot-for-japanese-korean-small-plates-and-sake/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Korean-Japanese restaurant">Korean-Japanese restaurant</span></a> has just one—maybe two—cocktails on the menu at any given time, and it’s almost always a highball, as the neutral notes let their small plates shine.</p>
  4187. <p><a href="https://sakaibar.ambassador.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sakai Bar:"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Sakai Bar:</strong></span></span></a> A tight cocktail program focuses on all the highball hits: Topo Chico with Suntory or umeshu, the Five Alive Chu-Hi (a citrusy shochu highball), and a Collins made with yuzu sake and gin.</p>
  4188. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/highballs-915-dupont-overpressure-club/">Super fizzy and ice cold, highballs are an exercise in simplicity</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4189. ]]></content:encoded>
  4193. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2402_0115_TorontoLife-915Dupont_10863-1-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  4194. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  4195. <media:title></media:title>
  4196. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  4197. </media:content>
  4198. </item>
  4199. <item>
  4200. <title>House of the Week: $4.2 million for a never-lived-in minimalist marvel steps from Summerhill station</title>
  4201. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-summerhill/</link>
  4203. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Amad]]></dc:creator>
  4204. <pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2024 19:47:36 +0000</pubDate>
  4205. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  4206. <category><![CDATA[House of the Week]]></category>
  4207. <category><![CDATA[Summerhill]]></category>
  4208. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  4209. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646601</guid>
  4210.  
  4211. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 2,000-square-foot property has an EV-ready driveway, a gallery-like bathroom and a Japanese-style walk-in closet</p>
  4212. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-summerhill/">House of the Week: $4.2 million for a never-lived-in minimalist marvel steps from Summerhill station</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4213. ]]></description>
  4214. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646619 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Exterior02_001-2000x1756.jpg" alt="This semi right by Summerhill station is currently going for $4.3 million. " width="2000" height="1756" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Exterior02_001-2000x1756.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Exterior02_001-300x263.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Exterior02_001-768x674.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Exterior02_001-scaled-1536x1348-1712595886.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Exterior02_001-scaled-2048x1798-1712595892.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  4215. <p><strong>Neighbourhood: </strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/summerhill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Summerhill">Summerhill</span></a><br />
  4216. <strong>Price:</strong> $4,250,000<br />
  4217. <strong>Size:</strong> 2,075 square feet plus a 700-square-foot basement<br />
  4218. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 3<br />
  4219. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 5<br />
  4220. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent:</strong> Cailey Heaps and Jeannine Volpe, Royal LePage Real Estate Services, <a href="https://heapsestrin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Heaps Estrin Team">Heaps Estrin Team</span></a></p>
  4221. <hr />
  4222. <h5><b>The place </b></h5>
  4223. <p>A three-bedroom, five-bathroom semi steps from Summerhill station. The three-storey home comes with white-oak millwork throughout, 19-foot ceilings and a wine fridge as tall as a basketball hoop. Outside, there&#8217;s a heated parking pad (EV charger included) and a landscaped backyard. It&#8217;s within walking distance of David A. Balfour Park and the businesses on St. Clair. And motorists are a short drive from Mount Pleasant Road and the DVP.</p>
  4224. <h5><b>The history</b></h5>
  4225. <p>The owner—a mortgage broker and developer—purchased the original vacant lot with the goal of building a new home and then selling it. Though a stickler for modernist interiors, he incorporated white brick, a dormer window and the slender silhouette typical of Victorian townhouses in the neighbourhood. Construction completed early in 2024. Now, the never-lived-in property is up for sale.</p>
  4226. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-backyard-office/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$4.3 million for a Mississauga home with a floating bathtub and a backyard office">$4.3 million for a Mississauga home with a floating bathtub and a backyard office</span></a></em></p>
  4227. <h5><b>The tour</b></h5>
  4228. <p>Residents are greeted by the living room, which is fitted with a 10-foot floor-to-ceiling window, a bespoke ethanol fireplace and polished concrete floors with radiant heating.</p>
  4229. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646605 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-101-EDIT-2000x1336.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1336" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-101-EDIT-2000x1336.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-101-EDIT-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-101-EDIT-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-101-EDIT-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-101-EDIT-2048x1368.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  4230. <p>Just beyond is the kitchen, equipped with custom-stained white-oak cabinets and a four-seater marble island. The ceiling above the sink stretches to 19 feet.</p>
  4231. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646606 " title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-104.jpg" alt="" width="830" height="555" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-104.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-104-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-104-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-104-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px" /></p>
  4232. <p>Then there&#8217;s the dining area facing the backyard. That&#8217;s a super-tall integrated wine fridge on the left and subtle storage on the right.</p>
  4233. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646607 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-109.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-109.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-109-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-109-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-109-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4234. <p>A reverse angle highlights the mini workstation, which can be hidden behind retractable doors.</p>
  4235. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646608 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-113.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-113.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-113-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-113-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-113-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4236. <p>Moving upstairs reveals the second-floor landing.</p>
  4237. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646609 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-116.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-116.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-116-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-116-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-116-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4238. <p>There are two bedrooms on the second floor, each with a three-piece ensuite bathroom.</p>
  4239. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646610 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-117-EDIT-2000x1336.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1336" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-117-EDIT-2000x1336.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-117-EDIT-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-117-EDIT-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-117-EDIT-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-117-EDIT-2048x1368.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  4240. <p>This is the second bedroom, with a view of the neighbourhood.</p>
  4241. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646612 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-122.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-122.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-122-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-122-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-122-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4242. <p>Here&#8217;s a peek inside the second bedroom&#8217;s ensuite, with porcelain tiles and a rainfall shower head.</p>
  4243. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646611 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-summerhill-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-121.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-121.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-121-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-121-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-121-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4244. <p>Now for the main suite, on the top floor. It has its own gas fireplace, built-in shelves and a Juliet balcony overlooking the backyard.</p>
  4245. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646614" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-132.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-132.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-132-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-132-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-132-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4246. <p>Here&#8217;s the Japanese-style walk-in closet, illuminated by a skylight.</p>
  4247. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646613" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-131.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-131.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-131-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-131-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-131-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4248. <p>And here&#8217;s the five-piece main ensuite. Deceptively sparse, it comes with radiant floor heating, a limestone vanity, vaulted ceilings and an understated shower.</p>
  4249. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-646615" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-138.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-138.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-138-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-138-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-138-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4250. <p>Below, in the 700-square-foot finished basement, is the theatre room, with a built-in media wall (sans screen right now) and in-ceiling speakers.</p>
  4251. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646618" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-153.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-153.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-153-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-153-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-153-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4252. <p>The basement bathroom has a penny-tiled shower and black accents.</p>
  4253. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-646617" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-150.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-150.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-150-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-150-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-150-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4254. <p>Finally, there&#8217;s the soon-to-be gym, lined with durable rubber flooring, a mirror wall and a recessed ceiling.</p>
  4255. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646616" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-148.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1283" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-148.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-148-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-148-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/z-48-Shaftesbury-Ave-148-1536x1026.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4256. <hr />
  4257. <p><em>Have a home that’s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a class="article-link" href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></span></a>.  </em></p>
  4258. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-summerhill/">House of the Week: $4.2 million for a never-lived-in minimalist marvel steps from Summerhill station</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4259. ]]></content:encoded>
  4263. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Exterior02_001-scaled-1200x628-1712595940.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  4264. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  4265. <media:title></media:title>
  4266. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  4267. </media:content>
  4268. </item>
  4269. <item>
  4270. <title>The Chase: With the birth of their daughter months away, this couple raced to find a new home</title>
  4271. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-with-the-birth-of-their-daughter-months-away-this-couple-raced-to-find-a-new-home/</link>
  4273. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Alex Cyr]]></dc:creator>
  4274. <pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2024 15:42:38 +0000</pubDate>
  4275. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  4276. <category><![CDATA[The Chase]]></category>
  4277. <category><![CDATA[The Junction]]></category>
  4278. <category><![CDATA[toronto housing market]]></category>
  4279. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646710</guid>
  4280.  
  4281. <description><![CDATA[<p>“Two of the most stressful things in life are to have a child and to buy<br />
  4282. a house. We did both at the same time.”</p>
  4283. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-with-the-birth-of-their-daughter-months-away-this-couple-raced-to-find-a-new-home/">The Chase: With the birth of their daughter months away, this couple raced to find a new home</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4284. ]]></description>
  4285. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646714" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien_TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien__DSF8922_01_31_24_ClaudineBaltazar_02_15_24_ClaudineBaltazar.jpg" alt="Erica and Julien with their daughter and their dog" width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien_TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien__DSF8922_01_31_24_ClaudineBaltazar_02_15_24_ClaudineBaltazar.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien_TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien__DSF8922_01_31_24_ClaudineBaltazar_02_15_24_ClaudineBaltazar-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien_TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien__DSF8922_01_31_24_ClaudineBaltazar_02_15_24_ClaudineBaltazar-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien_TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien__DSF8922_01_31_24_ClaudineBaltazar_02_15_24_ClaudineBaltazar-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien_TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien__DSF8922_01_31_24_ClaudineBaltazar_02_15_24_ClaudineBaltazar-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  4286. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-house-hunts">
  4287.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More House Hunts</h2>
  4288.  
  4289.    <button class="feed-in-post-button" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">
  4290.        <svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
  4291.             viewBox="0 0 25 15" style="enable-background:new 0 0 25 15;" xml:space="preserve">
  4292.             <path d="M0,1l0-1l25,0v1H0z M25,8V7H0l0,1H25z M25,15v-1H0l0,1H25z"/>
  4293.        </svg>
  4294.    </button>
  4295.  
  4296.    
  4297.  
  4298.  
  4299. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  4300.  
  4301.  
  4302. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  4303. <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-house-hunt-whitby-under-800000/"  data-label="Slot 1">
  4304.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/THECHASE_AnnaAnastasia_IMG_3125_Nov-23-2023_CLAUDINE-BALTAZAR-803x603.jpg" alt="The&#x20;Chase&#x3A;&#x20;One&#x20;couple&#x2019;s&#x20;race&#x20;to&#x20;find&#x20;a&#x20;house&#x20;within&#x20;an&#x20;hour&#x20;of&#x20;the&#x20;city&#x20;for&#x20;under&#x20;&#x24;800,000" />
  4305. </a>
  4306. </div>
  4307.  
  4308.  
  4309.  
  4310. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  4311.  
  4312.  
  4313.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/">
  4314.            <span class="topic-link__text">Real Estate</span>
  4315.        </a>
  4316.    
  4317.  
  4318. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  4319.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-house-hunt-whitby-under-800000/" class="sjmvm-link-633087 sjmvm-title-633087">The Chase: One couple’s race to find a house within an hour of the city for under $800,000</a>
  4320. </h2>
  4321.  
  4322.  
  4323. </div>
  4324.  
  4325. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  4326.    
  4327. </div>
  4328.  
  4329.  
  4330. </article>
  4331.    
  4332.  
  4333.  
  4334. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  4335.  
  4336.  
  4337. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  4338. <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/n12-order-to-vacate-midtown-durham-rental-market/"  data-label="Slot 2">
  4339.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/29-09-23_NOV_Chase_SarahIsrael_0V8A2120_ClaudineBaltazar-803x603.jpg" alt="The&#x20;Chase&#x3A;&#x20;After&#x20;an&#x20;order&#x20;to&#x20;vacate&#x20;their&#x20;midtown&#x20;rental,&#x20;this&#x20;couple&#x20;raced&#x20;to&#x20;find&#x20;a&#x20;new&#x20;home&#x20;in&#x20;Durham" />
  4340. </a>
  4341. </div>
  4342.  
  4343.  
  4344.  
  4345. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  4346.  
  4347.  
  4348.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/">
  4349.            <span class="topic-link__text">Real Estate</span>
  4350.        </a>
  4351.    
  4352.  
  4353. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  4354.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/n12-order-to-vacate-midtown-durham-rental-market/" class="sjmvm-link-627593 sjmvm-title-627593">The Chase: After an order to vacate their midtown rental, this couple raced to find a new home in Durham</a>
  4355. </h2>
  4356.  
  4357.  
  4358. </div>
  4359.  
  4360. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  4361.    
  4362. </div>
  4363.  
  4364.  
  4365. </article>
  4366.    
  4367.  
  4368.  
  4369. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  4370.  
  4371.  
  4372. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  4373. <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-long-branch-real-estate-house-hunt/"  data-label="Slot 3">
  4374.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/0V8A1653-803x603.jpg" alt="The&#x20;Chase&#x3A;&#x20;This&#x20;family&#x20;scoured&#x20;Long&#x20;Branch&#x20;to&#x20;upsize&#x20;without&#x20;uprooting" />
  4375. </a>
  4376. </div>
  4377.  
  4378.  
  4379.  
  4380. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  4381.  
  4382.  
  4383.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/">
  4384.            <span class="topic-link__text">Real Estate</span>
  4385.        </a>
  4386.    
  4387.  
  4388. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  4389.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-long-branch-real-estate-house-hunt/" class="sjmvm-link-623395 sjmvm-title-623395">The Chase: This family scoured Long Branch to upsize without uprooting</a>
  4390. </h2>
  4391.  
  4392.  
  4393. </div>
  4394.  
  4395. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  4396.    
  4397. </div>
  4398.  
  4399.  
  4400. </article>
  4401.  
  4402. </section>
  4403.  
  4404. <p><strong>The buyers:</strong> Erica Lemieux, 39, a geomatics engineer, and her partner, Julien Murphy, 37, a customer sales and service agent, with their daughter, Isabel, and their French bulldog, Frankie.</p>
  4405. <p><strong>The story:</strong> Erica and Julien met while bartending in the Distillery District in 2013. In 2014, they moved to Calgary for new career opportunities: she earned her degree in geomatics, and he landed a gig as an agent with Air Canada. In May of 2020, they returned to Toronto to be close to family. They rented a two-bedroom townhouse in Queen West, but Erica longed for a yard. In the summer of 2022, after discovering that Erica was pregnant, they set a budget of $850,000 and fast-tracked their search.</p>
  4406. <hr />
  4407. <h5>Option 1: Perth Avenue, near Dupont and Symington</h5>
  4408. <p><strong>Listed at:</strong> $899,000<br />
  4409. <strong>Sold for:</strong> $1,010,000</p>
  4410. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646715" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02.jpg" alt="Perth Avenue, near Dupont and Symington " width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL02-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  4411. <p>This 2,600-square-foot semi-detached in the Junction was an early favourite. The place had a backyard and was within walking distance of the UP Express. It was also divided into three two-bedroom units. In the short term, Erica and Julien envisioned living on the ground floor and renting out the basement and upstairs apartments. The problem: the basement tenants had stopped paying rent and refused to leave. The couple didn’t want the fuss. “The house had money-making potential,” Erica says, “but everyone was telling us to dodge this bullet.”</p>
  4412. <hr />
  4413. <h5>Option 2: Pelham Avenue, near Davenport and Symington</h5>
  4414. <p><strong>Listed at:</strong> $849,000<br />
  4415. <strong>Sold for:</strong> $825,000</p>
  4416. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646716" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03.jpg" alt="Pelham Avenue, near Davenport and Symington" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL03-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  4417. <p>Next, they saw this three-bedroom semi a few blocks north in Carleton Village. It was newly renovated and in better condition than the first property, plus it came with a sunroom, quartz counters and a backyard with a shed. But Erica and Julien had reservations. The house had no driveway, and it faced an elementary school—meaning that, during the day, the street would routinely flood with school buses and parents picking up kids, making on-street parking impossible. They moved on, hoping to score a property on a quieter stretch.</p>
  4418. <hr />
  4419. <h5>The buy: Royal Street, near Runnymede and St. Clair</h5>
  4420. <p><strong>Listed at:</strong> $825,000<br />
  4421. <strong>Sold for:</strong> $760,000</p>
  4422. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646717" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL04.jpg" alt="Royal Street, near Runnymede and St. Clair" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL04.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL04-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL04-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CHASE_FINAL04-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  4423. <p>Erica and Julien hit a months-long dry spell, visiting dozens of houses without finding a fit. Some had mould and mildew in the basement; others had crumbling foundations. Then, in January of 2023, about six weeks from their baby’s due date, they saw this three-bedroom semi with a backyard and a driveway for sale in Rockcliffe-Smythe. It was the one. In May, they moved in with their daughter, Isabel. “Two of the most stressful things in life are to have a child and to buy a house,” Julien says. “We did both at the same time.”</p>
  4424. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/the-chase-with-the-birth-of-their-daughter-months-away-this-couple-raced-to-find-a-new-home/">The Chase: With the birth of their daughter months away, this couple raced to find a new home</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4425. ]]></content:encoded>
  4429. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien_TL_APRIL_THECHASE_EricaJulien__DSF8922_01_31_24_ClaudineBaltazar_02_15_24_ClaudineBaltazar-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  4430. <media:copyright>Claudine Baltazar</media:copyright>
  4431. <media:title></media:title>
  4432. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  4433. </media:content>
  4434. </item>
  4435. <item>
  4436. <title>Where Ann Kim, co-owner of Donna&#8217;s eats Korean food in Thornhill</title>
  4437. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-korean-thornhill-north-york/</link>
  4439. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  4440. <pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2024 14:33:56 +0000</pubDate>
  4441. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  4442. <category><![CDATA[Ann Kim]]></category>
  4443. <category><![CDATA[Chefs in the Burbs]]></category>
  4444. <category><![CDATA[Donna's]]></category>
  4445. <category><![CDATA[Korean]]></category>
  4446. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646674</guid>
  4447.  
  4448. <description><![CDATA[<p>Her favourite spots for gimbap, kimchi stew and raw marinated crab</p>
  4449. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-korean-thornhill-north-york/">Where Ann Kim, co-owner of Donna&#8217;s eats Korean food in Thornhill</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4450. ]]></description>
  4451. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646562" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-scaled.jpeg" alt="Ann Kim uses chopsticks to eat at Gimbap Shop, a Korean restaurant" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-eating-scaled-803x603-1712581773.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4452. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-chefs-in-the-burbs">
  4453.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More Chefs in the Burbs</h2>
  4454.  
  4455.    <button class="feed-in-post-button" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">
  4456.        <svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
  4457.             viewBox="0 0 25 15" style="enable-background:new 0 0 25 15;" xml:space="preserve">
  4458.             <path d="M0,1l0-1l25,0v1H0z M25,8V7H0l0,1H25z M25,15v-1H0l0,1H25z"/>
  4459.        </svg>
  4460.    </button>
  4461.  
  4462.    
  4463.  
  4464.  
  4465. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  4466.  
  4467.  
  4468. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  4469. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-canoe-chef-ron-mckinlay-eats-riverdale-east-chinatown/"  data-label="Slot 1">
  4470.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-scaled-803x603-1711467772.jpeg" alt="Where&#x20;Canoe&#x20;executive&#x20;chef&#x20;Ron&#x20;McKinlay&#x20;eats&#x20;in&#x20;Riverdale&#x20;and&#x20;East&#x20;Chinatown" />
  4471. </a>
  4472. </div>
  4473.  
  4474.  
  4475.  
  4476. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  4477.  
  4478.  
  4479.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  4480.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  4481.        </a>
  4482.    
  4483.  
  4484. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  4485.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-canoe-chef-ron-mckinlay-eats-riverdale-east-chinatown/" class="sjmvm-link-645847 sjmvm-title-645847">Where Canoe executive chef Ron McKinlay eats in Riverdale and East Chinatown</a>
  4486. </h2>
  4487.  
  4488.  
  4489. </div>
  4490.  
  4491. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  4492.    
  4493. </div>
  4494.  
  4495.  
  4496. </article>
  4497.    
  4498.  
  4499.  
  4500. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  4501.  
  4502.  
  4503. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  4504. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-chef-braden-chong-eats-chinese-food-in-markham-and-richmond-hill/"  data-label="Slot 2">
  4505.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/toronto-restaurants-nian-yi-kuai-zi-chinese-markham-braden-chong-portrait-scaled-803x603-1709302829.jpeg" alt="Where&#x20;chef&#x20;Braden&#x20;Chong&#x20;eats&#x20;Chinese&#x20;food&#x20;in&#x20;Markham&#x20;and&#x20;Richmond&#x20;Hill" />
  4506. </a>
  4507. </div>
  4508.  
  4509.  
  4510.  
  4511. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  4512.  
  4513.  
  4514.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  4515.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  4516.        </a>
  4517.    
  4518.  
  4519. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  4520.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-chef-braden-chong-eats-chinese-food-in-markham-and-richmond-hill/" class="sjmvm-link-643496 sjmvm-title-643496">Where chef Braden Chong eats Chinese food in Markham and Richmond Hill</a>
  4521. </h2>
  4522.  
  4523.  
  4524. </div>
  4525.  
  4526. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  4527.    
  4528. </div>
  4529.  
  4530.  
  4531. </article>
  4532.    
  4533.  
  4534.  
  4535. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  4536.  
  4537.  
  4538. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  4539. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-chef-dwight-smith-eats-jamaican-patties-scarborough/"  data-label="Slot 3">
  4540.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-dwight-smith-scarborough-sumilicious-dwight-with-smoked-meat-scaled-803x603-1700510124.jpeg" alt="Where&#x20;chef&#x20;Dwight&#x20;Smith&#x20;eats&#x20;Jamaican&#x20;patties,&#x20;smoked&#x20;meat&#x20;sandwiches&#x20;and&#x20;Cantonese&#x20;chow&#x20;mein&#x20;in&#x20;Scarborough" />
  4541. </a>
  4542. </div>
  4543.  
  4544.  
  4545.  
  4546. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  4547.  
  4548.  
  4549.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  4550.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  4551.        </a>
  4552.    
  4553.  
  4554. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  4555.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-chef-dwight-smith-eats-jamaican-patties-scarborough/" class="sjmvm-link-631176 sjmvm-title-631176">Where chef Dwight Smith eats Jamaican patties, smoked meat sandwiches and Cantonese chow mein in Scarborough</a>
  4556. </h2>
  4557.  
  4558.  
  4559. </div>
  4560.  
  4561. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  4562.    
  4563. </div>
  4564.  
  4565.  
  4566. </article>
  4567.  
  4568. </section>
  4569.  
  4570. <p>Despite the recent volatile weather, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/ann-kim/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Ann Kim">Ann Kim</span></a>, co-owner of Donna’s, is optimistically focused on patio season. “Peter, Jed and I are getting excited for warmer weather by revamping our food and drink menus to reflect the upcoming sunnier days,” she says.</p>
  4571. <p>When Kim isn’t at her Wallace-Emerson café and wine bar, she often returns to the area where she grew up. “I have fond memories of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/thornhill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Thornhill">Thornhill</span></a> because we spent a lot of time eating around there.” These days, she finds herself back in the burb with her husband and business partner, Peter, and their two kids. “My dad and grandma are buried at Holy Cross cemetery, so after we visit our loved ones, we’ll head to one of our go-to spots—some of which were also my dad’s favourites—to eat.”</p>
  4572. <p>Here, a couple of Kim&#8217;s favourite <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/korean/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Korean">Korean</span></a> spots in Thornhill (and one in <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/north-york/" class="article-link"><span data-title="North York">North York</span></a>).</p>
  4573. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-piggys-island-korean-barbecue-thornhill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Piggy’s Island, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Thornhill that bounced back from a devastating fire"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Piggy’s Island, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Thornhill that bounced back from a devastating fire</span></a></em></p>
  4574. <hr />
  4575. <h5><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/gimbapshop/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Gimbap Shop">Gimbap Shop</span></a></strong></h5>
  4576. <p><em>7368 Yonge St., unit 9A, Thornhill, 905-597-7273 (Central Park on Yonge)</em></p>
  4577. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646563" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-exterior-scaled.jpeg" alt="The exterior of Gimbap Shop, a Korean restaurant in a Thornhill plaza" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-exterior-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-exterior-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-exterior-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-exterior-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-exterior-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-exterior-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4578. <p>“The plaza Gimbap Shop is in is so popular because Sariwon is just a few doors down, and it’s where so many people have celebratory banquets. My friend Grace, who is also Donna’s kitchen manager, had her wedding there. She&#8217;s the one who introduced me to Gimbap Shop.”</p>
  4579. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646566" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-scaled.jpeg" alt="A takeout container of tteokbokki at Gimbap Shop in Thornhill" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-tteokbokki-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4580. <p><strong>Go-to dish #1:</strong> Gimbap tteokbokki</p>
  4581. <p>“I love its sweet and spicy profile. The rice-and-fish cakes have a soft and chewy texture. This dish also comes with a perfectly hard-boiled egg, which I usually give to my son. Gimbap tteokbokki is quite common in Korean bars as a snack—likely because beer is the perfect drink to wash it down with. But, for me and my family, this along with the rolls make for a great lunch.”</p>
  4582. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646565" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-scaled.jpeg" alt="A takeout container of mini gimbap at Gimbap Shop, a Korean restaurant in Thornhill" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-mini-gimbap-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4583. <p><strong>Go-to dish #2:</strong> Mini gimbap</p>
  4584. <p>“The rice is seasoned here with a bit of salt and sesame oil. And the portion size is why my kids love it—it’s small and light but flavourful. And it has the perfect ratio of spinach, carrots, pickled radish and seaweed inside. Sometimes I like to dip the rolls in the tteokbokki sauce.”</p>
  4585. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646561" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-scaled.jpeg" alt="A takeout container of bulgogi gimbap at Gimbap Shop in Thornhill" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-gimbap-shop-thornhill-korean-bulgogi-gimbap-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4586. <p><strong>Go-to dish #3:</strong> Bulgolgi gimbap</p>
  4587. <p>“It’s like the Korean version of a futomaki. And you really must eat each piece in one go—which I do because I take pride in my big bites. Again, I love the ratio of ingredients—there’s the perfect amount of julienned lettuce, carrots, cucumber, burdock, egg and seaweed. But, most importantly, there’s a generous amount of marinated sliced beef inside.”</p>
  4588. <hr />
  4589. <h5><strong><a href="https://www.chosunok.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cho Sun Ok Korean Restaurant">Cho Sun Ok Korean Restaurant</span></a></strong></h5>
  4590. <p><em>7353 Yonge St., Thornhill, 905-707-8426</em></p>
  4591. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646577" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-scaled.jpeg" alt="A server at Cho Sun Ok, a Korean restaurant, helps Ann Kim navigate the menu" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-server-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4592. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646567" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-scaled.jpeg" alt="Korean banchan" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-banchan-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4593. <p>“This is my favourite Korean restaurant, and it was also my dad’s favourite spot. In my opinion, it’s the best in the city. They’re so popular that they doubled the size of the restaurant, but customers still have to anticipate long wait times if they go between noon and 2 p.m., and again at 6 p.m. That’s why there’s a sign-in wait list at the front.&#8221;</p>
  4594. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646576" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-scaled.jpeg" alt="A bowl of naengmyun, chilled noodle soup, at Cho Sun Ok, a Korean restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-naengmyun-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4595. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646571" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-scaled.jpeg" alt="A person uses scissors to cut Korean short ribs at a restaurant" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-galbi-scissors-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4596. <p><strong>Go-to dish #1:</strong> Naengmyun and galbi in slushy broth</p>
  4597. <p>“I’d say this dish is an acquired taste because the noodles are ice cold. It’s typically eaten in the summer, but I can enjoy it any time of the year. The broth is refreshing and savoury because the base is made with gochujang and Korean chilies, then rounded out with toasted flavours, a bit of sweetness and a hint of vinegar. For anyone who wants to season the broth further, there’s house-made spicy mustard and vinegar on every table. But I love it as it is, so I don’t add anything extra. As for the noodles, they have this ultra stretchy, chewy quality to them. To round out the meal, I typically ask for some galbi, which has been marinated in soy, sesame, garlic, oil and sugar from fruit, like an Asian pear. The short ribs have the perfect amount of char but are also very tender. What I like to do first is give everything a good mix before digging in. And I don’t waste anything—I even enjoy eating the &#8216;rubber band,&#8217; the connective tissue wrapped around the bone.”</p>
  4598. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646575" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-scaled.jpeg" alt="A bowl of kimchi jiim at Cho Sun Ok, a Korean restaurant in Thornhill" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-3-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4599. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646574" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-scaled.jpeg" alt="A woman holding chopsticks lifts up a piece of kimchi" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-jiim-2-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4600. <p><strong>Go-to dish #2:</strong> Kimchi jjim</p>
  4601. <p>“This is a rich dish that comes with miso soup and purple rice on the side. What I like to do is make little bundles with some of everything. I take a bit of the kimchi, add a slice of unctuous pork belly, finish it with rice, then pop it into my mouth for a perfect, balanced bite. Because they’ve braised the kimchi and pork belly together, the kimchi has a tangy and nutty flavour, which actually tones down the spice in this dish. For a bit of a palate reset, I like to eat some of their house banchan—particularly the sweet pickled radish—in-between bites.”</p>
  4602. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646572" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-scaled.jpeg" alt="A fridge full of jars of kimchi at Cho Sun Ok, a Korean restaurant in Thornhill" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-burbs-ann-kim-cho-sun-ok-korean-thornhill-kimchi-fridge-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4603. <hr />
  4604. <h5><strong><a href="https://www.jungsoonae.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Finch JungSooNae">Finch JungSooNae</span></a></strong></h5>
  4605. <p><em>5754 Yonge St., North York, 416-222-4267</em></p>
  4606. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646581" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-scaled.jpeg" alt="The exterior of Jungsoonae, a Korean restaurant in North York" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-exterior-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4607. <p>“This restaurant is located on the ground floor of an apartment building, and the parking lot is hidden around the back. It was my dad who first took me here over 15 years ago, and I still come back for their signature dish: raw crab.”</p>
  4608. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Comma, a Korean restaurant on Queen West serving raw marinated crab"><strong>Related:</strong> Comma, a Korean restaurant on Queen West serving raw marinated crab</span></a></em></p>
  4609. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646585" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-scaled.jpeg" alt="A plate of raw marinated crab a Jungsoonae in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4610. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646584" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-scaled.jpeg" alt="A person wearing plastic gloves eats raw marinated crab" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-raw-crab-closeup-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4611. <p><strong>Go-to dish #1:</strong> Ganjang-gejang (raw marinated crab)</p>
  4612. <p>“This is a homestyle dish that you can’t often find in restaurants, so it’s a rare treat. It reminds me of a dish my grandma used to make. She would boil the crabs in soy and use the residual sauce for seasoning. The difference here is that they take fresh raw crabs and marinate them in soy sauce along with other aromatics like ginger, chili, onion and garlic. After about 24 hours of marinating, the meat takes on a sweet-salty flavour and a jelly-like texture. They give you plastic gloves so you can really get in there and extract the meat. My pro tip is to squeeze the legs from the bottom and then suck out the meat. I usually save the head for last because I like to mix it with the purple rice. I can usually finish one order all by myself because it’s more like an appetizer.&#8221;</p>
  4613. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646582" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-scaled.jpeg" alt="A bowl of aged kimchi stew at Jungsoonae in North York" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-kimchi-stew-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4614. <p><strong>Go-to dish #2:</strong> Mukeunji jjigae (aged kimchi stew)</p>
  4615. <p>“Their old menu used to say how long each batch of kimchi was aged for, but unfortunately those details aren’t included anymore. In any case, I find this to be a super spicy and super sour dish—it’s really bold compared with regular kimchi stews. It’s basically like a solid block of kimchi braised down with soft tofu, to which they add tender pork. But, even with the other elements, the kimchi remains the star of the show. I like to scoop up some of the stew and ladle it over the purple rice. It’s an incredibly hearty and comforting dish.”</p>
  4616. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646580" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-scaled.jpeg" alt="Ann Kim uses plastic gloves to eat raw marinated crab at Jungsoonae, a Korean restaurant" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-finch-jungsoonae-korean-north-york-eating-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4617. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/chefs-in-the-burbs-ann-kim-korean-thornhill-north-york/">Where Ann Kim, co-owner of Donna&#8217;s eats Korean food in Thornhill</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4618. ]]></content:encoded>
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  4623. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  4624. <media:title></media:title>
  4625. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  4626. </media:content>
  4627. </item>
  4628. <item>
  4629. <title>Real Weddings: Inside a scenic ceremony on Lake Como</title>
  4630. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-destination-lake-como/</link>
  4632. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  4633. <pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 19:36:10 +0000</pubDate>
  4634. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  4635. <category><![CDATA[Christianah Okunade]]></category>
  4636. <category><![CDATA[destination weddings]]></category>
  4637. <category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
  4638. <category><![CDATA[nigeria]]></category>
  4639. <category><![CDATA[Real Weddings]]></category>
  4640. <category><![CDATA[Temi Ogbonnewo]]></category>
  4641. <category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
  4642. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646478</guid>
  4643.  
  4644. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring a boutique villa, a private dock and a four-course Italian dinner</p>
  4645. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-destination-lake-como/">Real Weddings: Inside a scenic ceremony on Lake Como</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4646. ]]></description>
  4647. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Christianah Okunade, a real estate agent, first met Temi Ogbonnewo, a software engineer, through mutual friends in 2013, when they were both at university in Ottawa. They started dating soon afterward and went long-distance after Temi moved to Toronto for work. In 2020, just before the pandemic, Christianah relocated to Toronto, and the couple got engaged in 2022. Their three-part wedding took place in 2023: a small civil ceremony at Toronto City Hall, a 1,000-person Nigerian wedding in Lagos and a destination ceremony in Lake Como, Italy. Here’s how it all came together. </em></p>
  4648. <hr />
  4649. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-646495 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT507-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Christiannah and Temi at the altar on their wedding day " width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT507-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT507-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT507-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT507-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT507-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT507-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4650. <p><strong>Christianah</strong>: In 2012, I moved from Nigeria to do Grade 12 at Ridley College, in St. Catharines. I had some friends from Nigeria attending Columbia International College, in Hamilton, where Temi was studying. We started following each other on Twitter before we met in person.</p>
  4651. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-stylish-celebration-at-soos-restaurant/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside a stylish wedding celebration at Soos restaurant"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside a stylish wedding celebration at Soos restaurant</em></span></a></p>
  4652. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> My older brother had attended Ridley College a few years before I came to Canada. I tweeted something about it, and Christianah DM&#8217;d me afterward.</p>
  4653. <p><strong>Christianah</strong>: There weren’t a lot of Nigerian kids at my school. It was nice to hear that he was from Nigeria and had heard of Ridley.</p>
  4654. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646487" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT159-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Temi adjusting his cuff links in Italy " width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT159-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT159-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT159-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT159-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT159-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT159-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  4655. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> I was just excited that a cute girl was messaging me. So we kept chatting. It was a lot of banter about school and the assignments we had, or I’d tease her about the photos she was posting.</p>
  4656. <p><strong>Christianah</strong>: Temi and I both ended up moving to Ottawa after high school. I went to Carleton, and he was at the University of Ottawa. Early in the school year, there was a gathering at a mutual friend’s house. That’s when we first met in person.</p>
  4657. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>There were about 10 of us. We acknowledged each other when we first arrived, but there were a lot of other people around. We didn’t actually get to talk much. After that, Christianah and I kept running into each other because of friends we had in common. I would also go over to her school to play soccer. Eventually, we started having more one-on-one conversations about how our days were going and what we were up to at school.</p>
  4658. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-646488 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT191-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Christiannah standin gin her wedding dress in front of a mirror" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT191-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT191-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT191-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT191-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT191-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT191-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4659. <p><strong>Christianah:</strong> By 2014, we would frequently call and text each other, and in early 2015, I realized I had feelings for Temi. Honestly, it made me a bit uncomfortable for some reason. I started withdrawing a little bit.</p>
  4660. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> I noticed she was avoiding me. So, the next time I saw her, we talked it out. We both expressed our feelings and realized they were mutual. That conversation ended in our first kiss. We had our first date a few days later, on Valentine&#8217;s Day, at an Italian restaurant in Ottawa.</p>
  4661. <p><strong>Christianah:</strong> From there, Temi and I started spending a lot of time together. We’d hang out at his place or study in the library.</p>
  4662. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646512" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT745-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple down on the dock, in black and white " width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT745-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT745-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT745-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT745-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT745-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT745-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  4663. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> After I graduated, in 2018, I moved to Toronto for work. Christianah stayed in Ottawa, so we did long-distance for a few years. We visited each other on the weekends, taking turns going to Ottawa and Toronto. Sometimes we’d go for brunch or to attractions like the Toronto Islands, but mostly we just caught up and enjoyed being in each other’s presence.</p>
  4664. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>It felt easy doing long-distance with Temi. I trusted him so much and was sure about spending my life with him.</p>
  4665. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>Even though we had no concrete plans, I knew that eventually we’d be back in the same city. Meanwhile, we took holidays together when we could. In October of 2019, we travelled to Italy and fell in love with the country.</p>
  4666. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646490" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT334-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple posed on a railing in Italy" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT334-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT334-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT334-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT334-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT334-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT334-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  4667. <p><strong>Christianah</strong>: After I returned home from that trip, I decided to go into real estate. I took my exams and got my licence in early 2020, right before Covid. That’s when I moved to Toronto.</p>
  4668. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> I was so excited. At the time, I was living in an apartment in North York.</p>
  4669. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>I decided to get my own place near Yonge and Dundas. It was partly for religious reasons, but I also wanted to experience living alone. I knew that Temi and I would get married eventually and live together.</p>
  4670. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-646506 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT676-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Christianah and Temi in a boat in Italy" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT676-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT676-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT676-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT676-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT676-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT676-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4671. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> We both knew that was what we were working toward. I decided to propose in 2022. It felt like the right time: we were both living in the same city and were established in our careers. I didn’t want to waste any more time—but I did need a ring.</p>
  4672. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-the-two-ceremony-celebration-of-a-powerhockey-power-couple/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the two-ceremony wedding celebration of a powerhockey power couple"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the two-ceremony wedding celebration of a powerhockey power couple</em></span></a></p>
  4673. <p><strong>Christianah</strong>: In early 2022, Temi started showing me Instagram videos of ring designs and styles. Then, in the summer, we went ring shopping. I told Temi I liked an oval-shaped diamond on a yellow gold band, and he designed it with the jeweller.</p>
  4674. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-646511 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT735-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple down by the dock on their wedding day " width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT735-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT735-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT735-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT735-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT735-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT735-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4675. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>In the fall of 2022, I went on a six-week solo trip to Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. I&#8217;d planned to get the ring before then, but there were delays, so I left without it. After a couple of weeks, Christianah and I were missing each other a lot. So I suggested that she meet me at my next stop, which was Colombia. I wanted to propose to Christianah during the trip—but the ring was still with the jeweller.</p>
  4676. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>It was super last-minute. I organized everything—the tickets, my travel visa—in four days. Then one of Temi’s friends asked me to bring a package for a friend he had in Colombia.</p>
  4677. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>I&#8217;d asked him to help me out with transporting the ring. He picked it up and hid it in a box, then gave it to Christianah to bring without revealing what it was.</p>
  4678. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646504" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT636-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple sitting in a boat, with Christianah facing the camera" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT636-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT636-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT636-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT636-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT636-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT636-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  4679. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>The box itself said it was a package of resistance bands. I was so close to opening it because I felt unsure about travelling with it without knowing what was inside. But he said, “Please don’t open it.” He’s a good friend, and I’ve known him for a long time, so I trusted him.</p>
  4680. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>Christianah met me in Cartagena. I told her we had a group boat tour booked, but it was really a violinist, a photographer and an event planner I’d hired for the proposal, plus the boat driver. Christianah just thought they were other guests. Once we got on the boat, I told Christianah that we should get a photo together. I handed my phone to the planner and got down on one knee, then the violinist started playing Christianah’s favourite song: “Perfect Duet” by Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran.</p>
  4681. <p><strong>Christianah:</strong> I started crying immediately. I couldn’t even speak. I just felt so happy. I can’t remember what Temi said, but obviously I said yes. We took some photos, then we docked at a beach house that was decorated with candles and flower petals. There was a private chef there waiting to serve us a three-course seafood dinner.</p>
  4682. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646509" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT706-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple kissing in a boat, sailing around Lake Como" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT706-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT706-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT706-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT706-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT706-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT706-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  4683. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> We didn’t start planning our wedding until a few months later, in January of 2023. We knew we’d be having a big Nigerian ceremony back in our hometown, Lagos, that our parents would organize. For our traditional ceremony with close family and friends, we wanted to do a destination wedding with about a hundred guests.</p>
  4684. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>We considered Portugal and Greece at first, but I had my heart set on getting married in Italy. We wanted a spot with lots of greenery that was close to the water. That’s how we ended up booking a venue on Lake Como called Villa Lario. We hadn’t been there before, but it was perfect for what we wanted. We had exclusive use of a modern boutique villa with a garden overlooking the lake, a private dock, a lakeside terrace and an indoor dining room. There are nine rooms at the villa, and we booked seven of them to accommodate 15 of our guests. Our other guests would stay at hotels and Airbnbs nearby. Most planned to hang out for a couple of days after the wedding.</p>
  4685. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646486" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT5-min-scaled.jpg" alt="An eagle's eye look at the villa where the couple got married" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT5-min-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT5-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT5-min-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT5-min-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT5-min-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT5-min-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4686. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>Since we were doing a destination wedding, we had a civil ceremony at Toronto City Hall in August of 2023, followed by a lunch with about ten friends. We had our Nigerian wedding in late September.</p>
  4687. <p><strong>Christianah:</strong> That wedding was huge, with about 1,000 people. Our parents took care of most of the planning and decisions.</p>
  4688. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646522" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JO406018.jpg" alt="The couple at their Nigerian ceremony " width="1024" height="1280" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JO406018.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JO406018-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/JO406018-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
  4689. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> We did some traditional things on the day of the Nigerian wedding, like the unveiling of the bride, which is to confirm her identity and welcome her to the family. I asked Christianah’s parents for permission to marry her, then our parents greeted each other and our families. There was a lot of dancing, partying and eating.</p>
  4690. <p><strong>Christianah:</strong> The day after our Nigerian wedding, we flew from Lagos to London to pick up my wedding dress. I had gone to a few bridal stores in Toronto, but I couldn’t find anything I loved. Then I came across a designer online, Alonuko, who is a British-born Nigerian based in London. I loved her work, so we did a Zoom consultation and she sketched out a dress for me: a ball gown with illusion tulle mesh and beading at the top. It was beautiful.</p>
  4691. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646494" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT470-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Temi looking at his new wife in her wedding gown" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT470-min-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT470-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT470-min-2000x2999.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT470-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT470-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT470-min-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  4692. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>I went with a local tailor in Toronto, Fari Hara. I chose a white double-breasted suit with a black knit bow tie. Then we flew from London to Italy. First we spent a few days in Rome to relax before heading to Lake Como.</p>
  4693. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>Our plan was to have three events at Lake Como—a boat party, a welcome lunch and then the wedding itself. The boat party was a lot of fun. Our friends wanted to keep partying after it was over, but Temi and I were exhausted, so we went back to our hotel to rest.</p>
  4694. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> The welcome lunch was stressful because our photographer, videographer, MC, makeup artists and hairstylist were flying in from London and Nigeria, and their flights were delayed. The lunch ended up being at 6 p.m., and we had to move it indoors because of the weather.</p>
  4695. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646508" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT698-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple posing on a boat in Lake Como" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT698-min-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT698-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT698-min-2000x2999.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT698-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT698-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT698-min-1366x2048.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  4696. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>The next day was the wedding day. Temi and I both slept over at the villa, in different suites. I didn’t feel nervous at all. It was more excitement. Our wedding ceremony was going to be outside, in a private garden overlooking Lake Como.</p>
  4697. <p><strong>Temi</strong>: I was more in my head about the logistics of the day. I’m a super punctual guy, and things were running an hour late. Once I got to the altar, though, I didn’t feel nervous. When I saw Christianah walking down the aisle, I thought she looked so beautiful.</p>
  4698. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>When I was walking down the aisle, all I thought was, <em>Yay! I’m going to meet my husband</em>. I felt very happy and calm.</p>
  4699. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646491" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT462-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Christianah walking down the aisle to get married in Lake Como" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT462-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT462-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT462-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT462-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT462-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT462-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  4700. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>Standing at the altar across from Christianah, I felt a sense of peace after all the planning and travelling. I thought, <em>We&#8217;re actually doing this</em>. Also, with the backdrop of Lake Como, it was such a beautiful place to be with my best friend, emotionally and physically.</p>
  4701. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>After the ceremony, Temi and I did an hour-long boat ride to take some photos while our guests had aperitifs. Then we had our dinner reception inside the villa. We had it decorated with candles and white flowers: baby&#8217;s breath and roses.</p>
  4702. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646513" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT817-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The venue for the couple's reception" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT817-min-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT817-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT817-min-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT817-min-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT817-min-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT817-min-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4703. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> Dinner was a four-course Italian meal with a burrata salad, ravioli, a choice of beef tenderloin or sea bass, and dessert.</p>
  4704. <p><strong>Christianah:</strong> We brought an MC from Nigeria who was really fun and engaging. He ran some dancing competitions and games, including one to see which table knew the most about us.</p>
  4705. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646502" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT615-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at some of the food from the wedding " width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT615-min-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT615-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT615-min-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT615-min-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT615-min-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT615-min-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4706. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>The dance party afterward was the highlight of the day for me. It was a really good time. The open bar was a bit too open, though, if you ask me. It was just so much alcohol and drinking and shots. The DJ was really good—he was playing mostly Afrobeats.</p>
  4707. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>1 a.m. was my cut-off. I said bye to everyone, then left Temi and went upstairs to bed.</p>
  4708. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>Christianah was done for the night, but I was still up, hanging out with friends who were staying at the venue or nearby. I was going from room to room for about an hour. Finally, I went to bed at 2 a.m.</p>
  4709. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-646519 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd303-min.jpg" alt="The couple dancing at their wedding reception" width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd303-min.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd303-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd303-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd303-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd303-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  4710. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>The morning after the wedding,<em> </em>I couldn’t even really process how I felt. I was overwhelmed with emotions—and a bit hungover. But I was happy and grateful. I&#8217;d just married my dream guy in a dream location. My phone was blowing up with messages from my friends telling me how much fun they had. But I didn’t see anyone other than Temi that day—not even my parents.</p>
  4711. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> It was a big relief when the wedding was over and everything had gone well.</p>
  4712. <p><strong>Christianah</strong>: Temi and I stayed at the venue for three more days, just to relax. Then we rented a car and drove to Tuscany to stay there for four nights.</p>
  4713. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-646520 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd415-min.jpg" alt="The couple cutting their cake at the wedding" width="2048" height="1536" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd415-min.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd415-min-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd415-min-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd415-min-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd415-min-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTadd415-min-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  4714. <p><strong>Temi:</strong> The plan was to wind down in Tuscany. It wasn’t necessarily a honeymoon—we just wanted to be somewhere remote. It was so scenic and quiet. We were surrounded by vineyards. We’ll do a proper honeymoon sometime this year. We’re thinking Bora Bora or Thailand.</p>
  4715. <p><strong>Christianah: </strong>After we returned to Toronto, I moved into Temi’s condo. We’re now living in Fort York. But we’re planning to move again soon.</p>
  4716. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>We’re not sure where we’re moving yet, but we want more space. And I know we’ll be in good hands since Christianah is a real estate agent. Every time we talk about wanting more space, peoples’ eyes light up because they think we’re starting a family. We do want kids in the future—but not yet.</p>
  4717. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646507" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT682-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple kissing in a boat on their wedding day " width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT682-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT682-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT682-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT682-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT682-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT682-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  4718. <p><strong>Christianah:</strong> Living with Temi has been fun. It’s like coming home to your best friend every day. After a hectic day, I can’t wait to get back and see him. We also talk to each other&#8217;s parents more, which I like. It feels good checking in on them. It’s like we each have a new set of parents in our lives.</p>
  4719. <p><strong>Temi: </strong>Being married feels so relaxed. Nothing has really changed in our day-to-day. But I want to live up to my new title as Christianah’s husband and be there for her always.</p>
  4720. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646500" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT590-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple walking away from the camera, in black and white" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT590-min-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT590-min-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT590-min-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT590-min-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT590-min-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CT590-min-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  4721. <h5>Cheat Sheet</h5>
  4722. <p><strong>Date:</strong> October 16, 2023<br />
  4723. <strong>Venue:</strong> Villa Lario Resort<br />
  4724. <strong>Photography</strong>: Timi Oshin<br />
  4725. <strong>Videography</strong>: Kayode Fabunmi<br />
  4726. <strong>DJ:</strong> Sample Chief<br />
  4727. <strong>MC: </strong>Dayo Ice<br />
  4728. <strong>Bride&#8217;s hair: </strong>DL Bridal<br />
  4729. <strong>Bride&#8217;s makeup:</strong> Zakiyah Shani<br />
  4730. <strong>Bride&#8217;s main dress:</strong> Alonuko<br />
  4731. <strong>Bride&#8217;s after-party dress:</strong> Ateni<br />
  4732. <strong>Groom&#8217;s main outfit:</strong> Fari Hara</p>
  4733. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-destination-lake-como/">Real Weddings: Inside a scenic ceremony on Lake Como</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  4745. <title>Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley</title>
  4746. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-andrew-carter-the-oxley/</link>
  4748. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  4749. <pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 13:23:27 +0000</pubDate>
  4750. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  4751. <category><![CDATA[Andrew Carter]]></category>
  4752. <category><![CDATA[Kitchen Diaries]]></category>
  4753. <category><![CDATA[The Oxley]]></category>
  4754. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646258</guid>
  4755.  
  4756. <description><![CDATA[<p>Stocked with local cuts of meat, Spanish blood sausage and homemade mustard </p>
  4757. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-andrew-carter-the-oxley/">Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4758. ]]></description>
  4759. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646259" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9052-scaled-e1712082846753.jpg" alt="Andrew and his wife posed in his home kitchen" width="1958" height="1625" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9052-scaled-e1712082846753.jpg 1958w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9052-scaled-e1712082846753-300x249.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9052-scaled-e1712082846753-768x637.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1958px) 100vw, 1958px" /></p>
  4760. <p>Andrew Carter, the chef and owner of the Oxley, was born just outside of Manchester, the son and grandson of butchers. “I quite literally grew up on the butcher’s block,” says Carter. “I was doing all the gross jobs, like scraping and cleaning bones, by the time I was eight years old.” From a young age, Carter became accustomed to farm-to-table eating. “Everything we sold was local.”</p>
  4761. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-diego-reyes-chantecler/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler</em></span></a></p>
  4762. <p>After graduating from culinary school at 18, Carter worked in London under Nico Ladenis, the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars. Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Jason Atherton all came up through Ladenis’s kitchens. Carter loved the rigorous training, but after three years of working day and night, the intensity got to him. “All the shouting and abuse you hear about happening in kitchens in the ’90s—it’s all true,&#8221; he says. &#8220;It was definitely formative: it taught me how <em>not</em> to run things.”</p>
  4763. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646260" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9064-scaled.jpg" alt="Carter's kitchen, which is small with dark grey cabinets" width="2560" height="1573" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9064-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9064-300x184.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9064-2000x1229.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9064-768x472.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9064-1536x944.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9064-2048x1258.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4764. <p>In 1995, Carter moved to Toronto, and after a brief detour—earning a bachelor&#8217;s degree in environmental science followed by a master&#8217;s in management at the University of Lancaster—he was hired to open his first gastropub, the Queen and Beaver. It was such a success that, in 2012, Carter opened the Oxley, also a gastropub, in Yorkville. Now, it’s his baby. “I’m the owner-operator of this restaurant,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I came up with the menu. I work the line every day. I make food here that I like to eat. If others don’t get it or if it’s not trendy, well, too bad for them.”</p>
  4765. <p>At their Leslieville home, Carter and his wife, Julie Garton (the wine director for Liberty Group), keep a kitchen that lives up to Carter’s proper English standards. “In large part, I eat at the restaurant,&#8221; he says. &#8220;When we entertain or I have time to cook, I prepare the same kind of food at home as I do at work. In my opinion, if it’s not meat, it’s not a meal.”</p>
  4766. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646266" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9121-scaled.jpg" alt="A look inside Andrew's home fridge" width="2560" height="1560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9121-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9121-300x183.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9121-2000x1219.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9121-768x468.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9121-1536x936.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9121-2048x1248.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4767. <p>In the fridge, there’s a whole chicken Carter plans to season with salt and pepper before roasting in the oven. After it’s done, he’ll cook off the bones for stock. “We always have soups and stews in the winter,” says Garton.</p>
  4768. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646274" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9192-scaled.jpg" alt="A close up of a chicken in Carter's fridge" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9192-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9192-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9192-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9192-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9192-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9192-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4769. <p>A few enviable cuts of beef are also on display (unwrapped, to keep the meat dry). “I’m trying out these steaks for a grill section that I’m adding to the spring and summer menu at the restaurant,&#8221; Carter says. &#8220;I want to replace the heavier braises we’ve been doing for fall and winter.” He bought them from a family in Elora that runs a single-source farm (meaning the cattle they raise are fed with grain they grow). “I try to source my meat locally because I believe in putting money back into the Canadian economy”</p>
  4770. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646273" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9188-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at the cuts of meat in Andrew's fridge" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9188-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9188-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9188-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9188-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9188-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9188-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4771. <p>“I’m also working out a recipe for a proper steak sauce right now,&#8221; Carter says. &#8220;I put HP on everything at home, but at the restaurant I’ll add my own chef magic.”</p>
  4772. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-afrim-pristine-cheese-boutique/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique</em></span></span></a></p>
  4773. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646270" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9160-scaled.jpg" alt="Carter's HP sauce" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9160-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9160-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9160-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9160-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9160-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9160-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4774. <p>While Garton is a rib-eye girl, she could also happily make a meal out of vegetables. “When I get home from work, sometimes I just want to throw a bunch of vegetables in a pan and eat a simple late-night stir-fry,&#8221; she says. &#8220;Andrew wants no part of that, of course. When he’s home, he’ll make scalloped potatoes, vichyssoise carrots and roasted vegetables with Aleppo pepper.”</p>
  4775. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646275" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9194-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the couple's veggie drawer" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9194-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9194-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9194-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9194-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9194-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9194-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4776. <p>While the couple may disagree on stir-fries, they can both get on board with charcuterie for dinner. “We like to buy cured meats, like this Spanish blood sausage from St. Lawrence Market,” says Carter. “We always have people passing through the house, so we stay prepared with proper grazing food.&#8221;</p>
  4777. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646267" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9124-scaled.jpg" alt="The kind of meat that Carter uses for his charcuterie plates" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9124-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9124-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9124-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9124-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9124-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9124-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4778. <p>They also buy a lot of cheese from Leslieville Cheese Market. “I feel personally responsible for keeping that business open through Covid,” says Garton. The selection rotates all the time, but currently they have Pacific Rock (a hard ripened cheese that gives off cheddar and Beemster vibes), rosemary-dipped Manchego and Château de Bourgogne, the house staple—a triple-cream brie from Burgundy.</p>
  4779. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646268" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9130-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the cheeses that are currently on the go" width="2560" height="1778" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9130-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9130-300x208.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9130-2000x1389.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9130-768x533.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9130-1536x1067.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9130-2048x1423.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4780. <p>The chef also keeps a selection of mustards and spreads on hand to spruce up snacks. Most of them appear on the menu at the Oxley, including the Branston pickle. “This Tewkesbury mustard is a bit hot, because I added horseradish, and a bit sweet, because I soaked the seeds in beer,&#8221; Carter says. &#8220;We use it in the restaurant for our Sunday roasts.”</p>
  4781. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646269" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9144-scaled.jpg" alt="A stack of homemade sauces and spreads" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9144-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9144-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9144-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9144-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9144-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9144-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4782. <p>The pantry is always stocked with crackers and nuts as well as dried porcini for pastas and risotto.</p>
  4783. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646261" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9072-scaled.jpg" alt="A peak inside the chef's pantry" width="2560" height="1955" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9072-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9072-300x229.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9072-2000x1528.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9072-768x587.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9072-1536x1173.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9072-2048x1564.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4784. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646263" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9096-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at their porcini mushrooms" width="2560" height="1647" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9096-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9096-300x193.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9096-2000x1286.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9096-768x494.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9096-1536x988.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9096-2048x1317.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4785. <p>Another frequent snack for Carter is jam or sardines on toast, so he keeps a wide range of supplies on hand for easy assembly.</p>
  4786. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646271" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9175-scaled.jpg" alt="The chef's jam collection" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9175-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9175-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9175-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9175-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9175-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9175-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4787. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646262" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-scaled.jpg" alt="The chef's sardine collection" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-300x169.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-2000x1125.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-768x432.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-283x159.jpg 283w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9074-386x217.jpg 386w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4788. <p>When Carter and Garton don’t feel like doing their own cooking, they fall back on delivery from some of their favourite neighbourhood restaurants. They like the Thai food from Isaan Der and the Chinese dishes from Wok Roast. On the rare occasions they order in from farther afield, they tend to go for Indian food from Host. “I think it’s one of the best in the city,” says Garton. As far as dining out goes, Carter says he’s the worst person to do it with. “Julie can’t stand going out with me because my standards are so high. I’m always complaining. But she knows I’ll behave at places like <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/grey-gardens/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Grey Gardens">Grey Gardens</span></a>, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/wynona/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Wynona">Wynona</span></a>, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/ascari-enoteca/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Ascari">Ascari</span></a>, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/white-lily-diner/" class="article-link"><span data-title="White Lily Diner">White Lily Diner</span></a>, <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-parquet-a-fancy-new-french-bistro-on-harbord/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Parquet">Parquet</span></a> or <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/it-was-like-a-first-date-i-had-butterflies-20-victorias-chris-white-on-starting-fresh-after-closing-brothers-food-wine-mid-pandemic/" class="article-link"><span data-title="20 Victoria">20 Victoria</span></a> because there’s nothing to gripe about.”</p>
  4789. <p>Carter has a knife collection, but he’s not fussy about them. “I don’t think of knives as anything other than tools,&#8221; he says. &#8220;They each have a purpose, but they should never be treated too preciously.”</p>
  4790. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646264" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9102-scaled.jpg" alt="Carter's knife collection" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9102-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9102-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9102-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9102-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9102-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9102-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4791. <p>The couple also has an enviable liquor and wine collection. Carter prefers brown spirits, but he doesn’t have any specific favourite. “I’ll drink whiskey or scotch, peaty or not—it just depends what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes I like something sweeter; other times I want to be kicked in the teeth.”</p>
  4792. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646276" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9303-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple's massive liquor shelf" width="2004" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9303-scaled.jpg 2004w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9303-235x300.jpg 235w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9303-2000x2554.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9303-768x981.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9303-1203x1536.jpg 1203w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9303-1604x2048.jpg 1604w" sizes="(max-width: 2004px) 100vw, 2004px" /></p>
  4793. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646272" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9184-scaled.jpg" alt="A few wine bottles that the chef keeps in his fridge" width="1774" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9184-scaled.jpg 1774w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9184-208x300.jpg 208w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9184-2000x2887.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9184-768x1109.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9184-1064x1536.jpg 1064w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5C8A9184-1419x2048.jpg 1419w" sizes="(max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px" /></p>
  4794. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-andrew-carter-the-oxley/">Inside the kitchen of Andrew Carter, chef and owner of the Oxley</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4795. ]]></content:encoded>
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  4805. <item>
  4806. <title>Seven FlightHub-approved travel hacks to elevate your next vacation</title>
  4807. <link>https://torontolife.com/life/flighthub-travel-tips-vacation/</link>
  4809. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Karoun Chahinian]]></dc:creator>
  4810. <pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 11:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
  4811. <category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
  4812. <category><![CDATA[FlightHub]]></category>
  4813. <category><![CDATA[Tips]]></category>
  4814. <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
  4815. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646208</guid>
  4816.  
  4817. <description><![CDATA[<p>Save money and make the most of your getaway with these tips</p>
  4818. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/flighthub-travel-tips-vacation/">Seven FlightHub-approved travel hacks to elevate your next vacation</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4819. ]]></description>
  4820. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Booking a trip is always fun to daydream about, but getting down to the nitty-gritty details of scheduling flights, booking hotels and finding fun activities can become stressful fast. Take out the guesswork of all that planning with <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a>. The easy-to-use platform offers a ton of tailored travel plans at competitive prices, using advanced technology to scan flights and accommodation for the best deals and discounts available. <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a> makes it easy to broaden your travel possibilities without breaking the bank or sacrificing your desires (hello, swim-up pool).</p>
  4821. <p class="p1">Read on for some top travel tips from the pros at FlightHub to can help you save even more when planning your next trip.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
  4822. <h5>Plan ahead</h5>
  4823. <p>When you’re itching for a vacation, it can be easy to get caught up in the moment and book last-minute. You might even think you’re getting a deal, but it’s actually way more cost-effective to plan weeks, or even months, in advance. Booking earlier can even lead to serious savings during popular travel periods, such as March break. Using <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a>&#8216;s flexible date search feature can help you find significantly cheaper flights; you can compare rates across a range of dates to find the best fit for your budget and preferences.</p>
  4824. <h5>Use fare alerts to secure the best deals</h5>
  4825. <p>If you’re thinking about booking a luxury vacation in Bali but you can’t quite afford it, take advantage of <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a>&#8216;s fare alert tool. When you set an alert for a specific destination, you’ll receive an immediate notification when prices drop. That way, you can avoid overspending on flights and make more cost-effective choices. Also, if you want to upgrade for an extra-luxe experience, FlightHub gives customers access to exclusive deals and promotions on premium accommodation and airline upgrades.</p>
  4826. <h5>Bundle and save</h5>
  4827. <p>It can be super time-consuming and costly to use a number of different companies to book flights, hotels and car rentals. Using FlightHub, you can explore bundle deals that allow you to save money by booking all three at the same time. Bundling this way also makes it easy to access all your reservation and booking information through the <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a> site using My Trips.</p>
  4828. <h5>Don’t forget travel insurance</h5>
  4829. <p class="p1">Travellers often avoid purchasing insurance as it’s an additional cost, but you really want to ensure you’re covered in an unexpected event (a flight cancellation, lost luggage, a medical emergency, etc.). <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub"><span class="s1">FlightHub</span></span></a> makes it easy to buy comprehensive travel insurance so you can sleep better at night knowing you’re protected against unforeseen disruptions.</p>
  4830. <h5>Get a tour guide</h5>
  4831. <p>Visiting a new city and not sure where to start? It can be difficult to find safe, trusted adventures, but <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a> makes it easy with GetYourGuide. You can easily find and book a variety of unique experiences, including sightseeing tours, attractions, excursions and other fun activities, directly through the FlightHub platform.</p>
  4832. <h5>Stay in touch while you’re away</h5>
  4833. <p>If you’ve ever been hit with surprise charges on your phone bill after a trip, you know how important it is to think about your communication needs before you take off. If you plan to use your phone data a lot, sign up for a plan to help save on costs. <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a> offers eSIM solutions to help customers avoid hefty roaming charges while staying connected through partnerships with telecommunications providers such as Celitech.</p>
  4834. <h5>Consider an alternative airport</h5>
  4835. <p>It makes sense that you want your getaway to start as soon as you land, which means you might opt for city-based airports closer to all the action. But flying into a smaller airport nearby can save you some money. <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="FlightHub">FlightHub</span></a> can help customers locate better deals through flying into alternative airports without significantly impacting the convenience factor.</p>
  4836. <p><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1576177&amp;s=1576167" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Click here to learn more and book your next trip today."><em>Click here to learn more and book your next trip today.</em></span></a></p>
  4837. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/flighthub-travel-tips-vacation/">Seven FlightHub-approved travel hacks to elevate your next vacation</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4838. ]]></content:encoded>
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  4843. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  4844. <media:title></media:title>
  4845. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  4848. <item>
  4849. <title>House of the Week: $4.3 million for a Mississauga home with a floating bathtub and a backyard office</title>
  4850. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-backyard-office/</link>
  4852. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Yu]]></dc:creator>
  4853. <pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 18:20:52 +0000</pubDate>
  4854. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  4855. <category><![CDATA[House of the Week]]></category>
  4856. <category><![CDATA[Mississauga]]></category>
  4857. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  4858. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=643418</guid>
  4859.  
  4860. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 7,800-square-foot property also comes with four fireplaces, Douglas fir beams, a climate-controlled wine cellar and a workshop garage</p>
  4861. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-backyard-office/">House of the Week: $4.3 million for a Mississauga home with a floating bathtub and a backyard office</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4862. ]]></description>
  4863. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646289 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-005-scaled.jpg" alt="This chalet-inspired house in Mississauga east is current going for $4.3 million. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-005-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-005-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-005-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-005-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-005-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-005-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4864. <p><strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <span data-title="Mississauga"><a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-brothers-grimm/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mississauga">Mississauga</span></a> East</span><br />
  4865. <strong>Price:</strong> $4,288,000<br />
  4866. <strong>Previously sold for:</strong> $801,000 in 2017<br />
  4867. <strong>Size:</strong> 7,800 square feet<br />
  4868. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 4+3<br />
  4869. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 5<br />
  4870. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 15<br />
  4871. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agent:</strong> John Czan, <a href="https://forestwood.ca/Agent/Peter-Calak/15797" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Forestwood Real Estate">Forestwood Real Estate</span></a></p>
  4872. <hr />
  4873. <h5>The place</h5>
  4874. <p>A four-plus-three-bedroom, five-bathroom detached in Mississauga East. The home comes with a three-car garage plus room for 12 more cars on the driveway. It&#8217;s a short drive from Pearson airport and a 30-minute haul downtown via the 427 and the QEW.</p>
  4875. <h5><b>The history </b></h5>
  4876. <p>In 2017, a family bought the two-bedroom bungalow that once stood on this plot for $801,000. They partnered with Elan Design Studio and tore it down to build this new 7,800-square-foot house, inspired by the ski chalets of Mont-Tremblant.</p>
  4877. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-mississauga-staircase/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$4 million for a Mississauga standout with a jewel-box staircase">$4 million for a Mississauga standout with a jewel-box staircase</span></a></em></p>
  4878. <h5><b>The tour </b></h5>
  4879. <p>The façade is defined by its Douglas fir front porch. The door on the left leads to the mudroom and garage while the one on the right leads to the main home.</p>
  4880. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646290 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-009-scaled.jpg" alt="The frame here is made of Douglas fir" width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-009-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-009-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-009-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-009-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-009-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-009-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4881. <p>Inside, a skylight illuminates the foyer, which is lined with porcelain tiles.</p>
  4882. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646291 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-016.jpg" alt="The foyer has a skylight and Italian porcelain floors. " width="2288" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-016.jpg 2288w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-016-300x252.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-016-2000x1678.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-016-768x644.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-016-1536x1289.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-016-2048x1719.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2288px) 100vw, 2288px" /></p>
  4883. <p>To the right of the front door is the open-concept living and dining room, fitted with a porcelain-slab gas fireplace and recessed lighting.</p>
  4884. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646292 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-017-scaled.jpg" alt="Here's the first of four fireplaces spread throughout the home. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-017-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-017-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-017-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-017-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-017-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-017-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4885. <p>The dining area comes with a coffered ceiling. Its current table seats 10, but there&#8217;s space for a larger one.</p>
  4886. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646294 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-019-scaled.jpg" alt="Coffer ceilings add drama and provide the illusion of more height. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-019-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-019-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-019-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-019-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-019-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-019-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4887. <p>The family room features 18-foot ceilings with Douglas fir beams. The stone fireplace is equipped with a reclaimed-wood mantle—formerly a structural beam in the original bungalow. Then there&#8217;s the cantilevered staircase, with integrated lighting and glass railings.</p>
  4888. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646295 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-022-scaled.jpg" alt="The family room's staircase is cantilevered and illuminated by LED lights. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-022-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-022-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-022-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-022-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-022-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-022-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4889. <p>In the kitchen: a quartz island and backsplash, integrated lighting, and storage galore. Those brass-handled bottom panels were designed to look like concrete.</p>
  4890. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646299 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-033-scaled.jpg" alt="Those brass panels are meant to look like concrete. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-033-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-033-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-033-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-033-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-033-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-033-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4891. <p>Most of the appliances here—an induction cooktop with a vertical hood, two wall ovens and a built-in coffee maker—are Miele, except for the Thermador fridge.</p>
  4892. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646297 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-029-scaled.jpg" alt="All of the appliances are Miele and Thermador. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-029-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-029-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-029-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-029-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-029-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-029-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4893. <p>This breakfast nook overlooks the backyard.</p>
  4894. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646300 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-035-scaled.jpg" alt="The breakfast nook overlooks the backyard. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-035-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-035-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-035-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-035-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-035-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-035-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4895. <p>Also in the kitchen is this pantry, with lots of custom storage plus an extra freezer.</p>
  4896. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646301 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-036-scaled.jpg" alt="A pantry worthy of a professional kitchen. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-036-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-036-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-036-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-036-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-036-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-036-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4897. <p>There&#8217;s also an office on the main floor, with bespoke walnut shelves.</p>
  4898. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646302 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-037-scaled.jpg" alt="The office's custom shelves are walnut. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-037-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-037-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-037-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-037-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-037-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-037-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4899. <p>This is the marine-themed powder room, with funky hexagonal tiles.</p>
  4900. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646303 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-038-scaled.jpg" alt="Note the funky tiles in the powder room. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-038-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-038-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-038-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-038-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-038-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-038-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4901. <p>Now for that mudroom, which comes with lots of built-in storage and a comfy bench.</p>
  4902. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646304 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-039-scaled.jpg" alt="Here's the mudroom, with even more storage. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-039-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-039-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-039-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-039-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-039-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-039-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4903. <p>Across from the mudroom is the first of three laundry rooms.</p>
  4904. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646415 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-001-scaled.jpg" alt="This one of three laundry rooms in the home. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-001-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-001-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-001-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-001-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-001-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-001-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4905. <p>Moving upstairs reveals the dramatic second-floor landing.</p>
  4906. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646305 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-042-scaled.jpg" alt="The view from the second-floor landing. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-042-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-042-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-042-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-042-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-042-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-042-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4907. <p>The main bedroom has a reclaimed wood feature wall, a three-sided gas fireplace and a walkout to a private balcony.</p>
  4908. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646306 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-044-scaled.jpg" alt="In the main bedroom: a three-sided fireplace with a reclaimed wood surround. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-044-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-044-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-044-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-044-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-044-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-044-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4909. <p>Here&#8217;s that private balcony—275 square feet, with glass railings and granite flooring. Squint and you can see the Marilyn Monroe towers in the distance.</p>
  4910. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646308 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-047-scaled.jpg" alt="The main bedroom's massive private balcony." width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-047-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-047-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-047-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-047-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-047-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-047-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4911. <p>The main ensuite comes with a double floating vanity, a glass steam shower, a soaker tub, a wall-hung toilet and heated floors.</p>
  4912. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646309 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-050-scaled.jpg" alt="The spa-like main ensuite." width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-050-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-050-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-050-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-050-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-050-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-050-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4913. <p>The walk-in closet has a skylight and a quartz island.</p>
  4914. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646310 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-053-scaled.jpg" alt="The walk-in comes with a skylight and a quartz island. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-053-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-053-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-053-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-053-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-053-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-053-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4915. <p>Down the hall is this secondary bedroom, with designer wallpaper and a maple accent wall.</p>
  4916. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646311 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-055-scaled.jpg" alt="The maple accent wall and wallpaper in this bedroom is a nice touch. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-055-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-055-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-055-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-055-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-055-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-055-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4917. <p>This is the shared bathroom, with a free-standing hot tub.</p>
  4918. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646312 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-25" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-058-scaled.jpg" alt="The shared bathroom has one very round hot tub. " width="2560" height="1403" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-058-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-058-300x164.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-058-2000x1096.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-058-768x421.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-058-1536x842.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-058-2048x1122.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4919. <p>Here&#8217;s the second laundry room, on the upper floor, with a sink, quartz counters and a Miele washer and dryer (not pictured).</p>
  4920. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646316 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-26" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-066-scaled.jpg" alt="This is the second laundry room. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-066-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-066-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-066-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-066-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-066-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-066-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4921. <p>The basement has been fashioned as a rec room but could be converted into a separate rental unit. It has a walkout to a granite patio and a porcelain-slab gas fireplace.</p>
  4922. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646321 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-27" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-073-scaled.jpg" alt="The patio is granite. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-073-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-073-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-073-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-073-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-073-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-073-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4923. <p>Here&#8217;s a peek inside the kitchen, which is equipped with an induction cooktop (its exhaust vent pops out of the countertop behind it), an oven and a panel-covered Miele dishwasher.</p>
  4924. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646323 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-30" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-078-scaled.jpg" alt="More Miele appliances in the basement. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-078-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-078-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-078-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-078-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-078-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-078-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4925. <p>The climate-controlled wine cellar has room for 75 bottles.</p>
  4926. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646324 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-31" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-079-scaled.jpg" alt="The brick cellar has room for 75 bottles. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-079-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-079-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-079-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-079-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-079-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-079-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4927. <p>There&#8217;s also a gym down here, with LED-lit mirrors and acoustic walnut panels that absorb sound.</p>
  4928. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646325 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-32" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-081-scaled.jpg" alt="Those walnut walls actually absorb sound. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-081-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-081-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-081-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-081-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-081-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-081-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4929. <p>Here&#8217;s a view of the guest room.</p>
  4930. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646329 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-34" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-087-scaled.jpg" alt="The basement guest room has two closets. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-087-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-087-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-087-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-087-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-087-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-087-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4931. <p>Yes, that&#8217;s a floating tub in the basement bathroom.</p>
  4932. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646437 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-35" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-104-scaled.jpg" alt="Yes, that's a floating bathtub. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-104-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-104-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-104-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-104-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-104-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-104-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4933. <p>The three-car garage has epoxy flooring, a bike hoist, a slatted wall for storage, a workbench and space to add a car hoist.</p>
  4934. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646416 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-36" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-002-scaled.jpg" alt="There's space in the garage to add a car hoist in the future. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-002-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-002-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-002-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-NEW-Toronto_Life-Laundry_and_garage-002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4935. <p>Hemlock and aluminum fencing adds privacy to the backyard.</p>
  4936. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646333 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-37" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-012-scaled.jpg" alt="A hemlock and aluminum fence brings privacy to the backyard. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-012-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-012-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-012-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-012-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-012-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4937. <p>Here&#8217;s the garden office, which uses the same design elements as the main house.</p>
  4938. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646318 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-38" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-069-scaled.jpg" alt="The garden office is like a mini version of the main house. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-069-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-069-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-069-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-069-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-069-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-069-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4939. <p>It comes with three tilt-and-turn European windows and a wooden feature wall.</p>
  4940. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646319 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-39" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-070-scaled.jpg" alt="That feature wall has integrated lighting. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-070-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-070-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-070-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-070-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-070-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-070-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4941. <p>The stone patio, with a louvred-roof pergola that adjusts for shade.</p>
  4942. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646332 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-40" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-015-scaled.jpg" alt="Here's the stone patio and pergola. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-015-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-015-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-015-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-015-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-015-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-015-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4943. <p>And here&#8217;s a final look at the rear of the home.</p>
  4944. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646334 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-backyard-office-41" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-011-scaled.jpg" alt="The rear of the home. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-011-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-011-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-011-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-011-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-011-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-011-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  4945. <hr />
  4946. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>. </em></p>
  4947. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-backyard-office/">House of the Week: $4.3 million for a Mississauga home with a floating bathtub and a backyard office</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4948. ]]></content:encoded>
  4952. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/4034_Wilcox_Rd-Toronto_Life-001-scaled-1-1200x628-1712239386.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  4953. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  4954. <media:title></media:title>
  4955. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  4956. </media:content>
  4957. </item>
  4958. <item>
  4959. <title>Meet our TL Insider members: Natalie Madramootoo</title>
  4960. <link>https://torontolife.com/insider/meet-our-tl-insider-members-natalie-madramootoo/</link>
  4962. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  4963. <pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 17:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
  4964. <category><![CDATA[TL Insider]]></category>
  4965. <category><![CDATA[tl insider member]]></category>
  4966. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646456</guid>
  4967.  
  4968. <description><![CDATA[<p>“I’m absolutely buzzing for what 2024 has in store!”</p>
  4969. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/insider/meet-our-tl-insider-members-natalie-madramootoo/">Meet our TL Insider members: Natalie Madramootoo</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4970. ]]></description>
  4971. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646445" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Natalie-Madramootoo.jpeg" alt="" width="1284" height="1316" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Natalie-Madramootoo.jpeg 1284w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Natalie-Madramootoo-293x300.jpeg 293w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Natalie-Madramootoo-768x787.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1284px) 100vw, 1284px" /></p>
  4972. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two years ago, Natalie Madramootoo&#8217;s curiosity about Toronto&#8217;s culinary scene and cultural events led her to join TL Insider—inspired by </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Toronto Life</em>&#8216;s access to the city’s best restaurants and creative spaces and the brilliant minds behind them. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
  4973. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
  4974. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Before becoming a TL Insider, I was an avid reader of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Toronto Life</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The magazine served as my window into the city’s heartbeat,&#8221; she says. &#8220;I had a particular fondness for features on groundbreaking health care innovations and profiles on change makers across various sectors. It’s what led me to join this unique community.” </span></p>
  4975. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As spring arrives, we caught up with Madramootoo to talk about her experience as a member and what she’s looking forward to in the months ahead. </span></p>
  4976. <hr />
  4977. <p><strong>What prompted you to join TL Insider?<br />
  4978. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">As an advocate for both health care and community engagement, I began my journey with TL Insider two years ago, sparked by a desire to immerse myself in the vibrant tapestry of Toronto’s culture and connect with like-minded individuals. I spent the pandemic dedicating my time to intensive-care nursing. When I emerged from that period, I created an Instagram-based blog, </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/legally_vain/?hl=en" class="article-link"><span data-title="Legally Vain,"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Legally Vain,</span></span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">a celebration of living beautifully as a necessary creative outlet. The creation of the blog and my curiosity about the city’s culinary scene, its bustling events and the stories that define Toronto today ultimately led me to join TL Insider. </span></p>
  4979. <p><strong>What are some standout events that you’ve attended?<br />
  4980. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Maclean’s</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Ideas Summit not only expanded my understanding of AI, urban mobility and public health through discussions led by industry visionaries—it also offered an inspiring space for connection and discovery at the StartWell Event Studio. Complementing this, the Serving Knowledge Supper Club at Aera, in collaboration with the UHN Impact Collective, blended culinary art with health care innovation discussions, enriching my experience with a unique perspective on the future of health care and social progress. I adored the St. Kitts Tourism Board Soirée at Toronto Beach Club in the summer: it had such a cool vibe and was reminiscent of my island roots. </span></p>
  4981. <p><strong>If not your current job, what do you think you&#8217;d be doing for work?<br />
  4982. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">I am currently the manager of one of Toronto’s busiest emergency departments. I love my career! However, if my career hadn&#8217;t led me into nursing and health care leadership, I&#8217;m certain I would have found my calling in social entrepreneurship and philanthropy. This path captivates me as it blends innovation with a deep commitment to social change, focusing on creating and implementing solutions to the world&#8217;s most pressing issues, including health disparities.</span></p>
  4983. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a social entrepreneur, I would leverage my health care background to design initiatives that address the complex challenges of access to quality health care, aiming to create scalable and sustainable models that could be implemented in underserved communities locally and globally. I&#8217;d want my ventures to prioritize inclusivity and empower those most in need by providing them with the tools and resources to improve their own lives.</span></p>
  4984. <p><strong>Is there a specific Toronto neighbourhood you find yourself visiting often or that you&#8217;d consider your favourite?<span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
  4985. </span></strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the heart of Toronto, two distinct neighbourhoods capture the essence of the city&#8217;s dynamic spirit and cultural depth: Yorkville and Kensington Market. Each holds a special place in my heart, and together, they encapsulate what I cherish most about Toronto. Yorkville serves as a luxurious escape within the urban landscape. Its streets, lined with chic boutiques, fine dining and world-class galleries, offer an experience of elegance that is unparalleled. And </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kensington Market is a testament to Toronto&#8217;s multiculturalism. It&#8217;s a place where every corner brims with the energy of diversity, from vintage boutiques and artisanal cafés to grocers offering a world of flavours. The market thrives on the creativity and spirit of its residents, a community where artistic expression and social activism are woven into the fabric of daily life. This neighbourhood represents the soul of Toronto—dynamic, inclusive and ever-evolving. </span></p>
  4986. <p><strong>What&#8217;s inspiring you these days?<br />
  4987. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">So many things! Blogging has become a canvas for expressing the beauty of life, allowing me to share my experiences and perspective. And, in the realm of health care, my role is more than a job: it&#8217;s a commitment to change and support lives, fuelled by the extraordinary dedication of my colleagues. Their generosity and compassion are a constant source of inspiration, reaffirming my belief in the goodness of people. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, observing my teenagers navigate their world fills me with a mix of hope and inspiration. As they come into their own, exploring the opportunities ahead, I&#8217;m reminded of the potential each new phase of life holds. Together, these elements make up a life filled with purpose, growth and possibility, driving me forward with renewed energy and optimism. </span></p>
  4988. <p><strong>What are you most looking forward to as a TL Insider in 2024?<br />
  4989. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">I&#8217;m absolutely buzzing for what my membership has in store! With a ton of events lined up, it&#8217;s set to be an unforgettable year. <em>Toronto Life</em>’s Best Restaurants event is definitely a highly anticipated one, and for good reason. I think, in general, the culinary experiences and private dinners are what I&#8217;m most looking forward to.</span></p>
  4990. <hr />
  4991. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/insider/membership/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Learn more about TL Insider and become a member today."><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Learn more about TL Insider and become a member today.</em></span></span></a></p>
  4992. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/insider/meet-our-tl-insider-members-natalie-madramootoo/">Meet our TL Insider members: Natalie Madramootoo</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  4993. ]]></content:encoded>
  4997. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Natalie-Madramootoo-1200x628-1712172915.jpeg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  4998. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  4999. <media:title></media:title>
  5000. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  5001. </media:content>
  5002. </item>
  5003. <item>
  5004. <title>“As a kid, I dreamed about a women&#8217;s hockey league. Now, I&#8217;m a PWHL superfan”</title>
  5005. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/pwhl-superfan-debbie-harrison-hockey-womens-league/</link>
  5007. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Alex Cyr]]></dc:creator>
  5008. <pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 13:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
  5009. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  5010. <category><![CDATA[carly jackson]]></category>
  5011. <category><![CDATA[debbie harrison]]></category>
  5012. <category><![CDATA[Hockey]]></category>
  5013. <category><![CDATA[Memoir]]></category>
  5014. <category><![CDATA[Professional Women's Hockey League]]></category>
  5015. <category><![CDATA[PWHL]]></category>
  5016. <category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
  5017. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646151</guid>
  5018.  
  5019. <description><![CDATA[<p>Sixty-four-year-old Debbie Harrison makes eclectic costumes for every game. She’s also befriended goaltender Carly Jackson and inspired Crayola to create a PWHL-themed purple crayon</p>
  5020. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/pwhl-superfan-debbie-harrison-hockey-womens-league/">“As a kid, I dreamed about a women&#8217;s hockey league. Now, I&#8217;m a PWHL superfan”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5021. ]]></description>
  5022. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646160" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6765-e1711995319675.jpeg" alt="Debbie standing holding a sign that reads: &quot;Crayola need a new colour PWHL Purple&quot;" width="1080" height="877" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6765-e1711995319675.jpeg 1080w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6765-e1711995319675-300x244.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6765-e1711995319675-768x624.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></p>
  5023. <p>I’ve been a hockey fan for more than half a century. I grew up with six siblings—all boys—in Cannington, Ontario. In the winters of the late sixties and early seventies, we would spend hours shovelling snow off the frozen Beaver River. Then we’d strap our skates on and play. The games certainly got competitive, but my dad had been teaching me how to skate since I was three years old. I was hard to catch on the ice.</p>
  5024. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/pwhl-hockey-phenom-sarah-nurse/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: A Q&amp;A with hockey phenom Sarah Nurse"><em><strong>Related:</strong> A Q&amp;A with hockey phenom Sarah Nurse</em></span></a></p>
  5025. <p>At night, we would gather around my parents’ TV to watch NHL games. Bobby Orr, of the Boston Bruins, was my favourite player. When I was 12, I watched the eight-game 1972 Summit Series where Canada beat the Russians; that eighth game, with Paul Henderson’s winning goal, was so impressive to me. I vowed to meet every single player who was on Team Canada that day. (I accomplished that goal last year, when I met the final player on my list, Wayne Cashman, at a sports-card show in Toronto.)</p>
  5026. <p>It was a great time for hockey in Canada, but there was one important thing missing: a professional women’s league. Like many girls, my dream was to play in the NHL, but it wasn’t likely to happen. I didn’t have any women role models or even a girl&#8217;s hockey team in my community. Eventually, I went into teaching instead.</p>
  5027. <p>I wasn’t able to watch women play hockey at a high level until 1990, when the International Ice Hockey Federation held its very first Women’s World Championship in Ottawa. A friend took me to see a game between Canada and Sweden. I was hooked—but then I spent the next three decades watching as people tried and failed to establish professional women’s leagues in North America. The problems were always the same: a lack of funding and fan attention. Most recently, there was the Premier Hockey Federation which started up in 2020. I became a fan of the Toronto team, the Toronto Six, but it never really caught on. The league was dissolved in 2023.</p>
  5028. <p>Then, in August of last year, news broke that a new league was in the works—the Professional Women’s Hockey League, or the PWHL. Despite all the previous disappointment, I was immediately optimistic. The funding was good, with big corporations like Canadian Tire and Molson on board. Prominent athletes like Billie Jean King and Ilana Closs were involved as advisers, and there were women as coaches, general managers, league executives, play-by-play commentators and referees.</p>
  5029. <p>My excitement continued to grow as the league drew more and more attention. The inaugural draft was televised in September 2023, and then I saw billboards of the players popping up everywhere. I’ll admit, I did not think I would have to wait until I was 64 to witness the creation of a successful women’s league—but even before the season started, I was sold on the PWHL. I couldn’t see it going anywhere but up.</p>
  5030. <p>I knew that I wanted to become a huge fan. After all, some of the responsibility for upholding a women’s league in North America falls on us viewers: we can generate buzz. So I bought season tickets for PWHL Toronto and ordered a home-team jersey. The commute into the city would be significant—I’d have to drive an hour from my home in Lindsay, Ontario, to the Oshawa GO station, then take the train to Union and walk to the Mattamy Athletic Centre, where the games were. It’s about two and a half hours each way. But I managed to get seats in row one on the visitors side.</p>
  5031. <p>The only issue was that, by opening night on January 1, my jersey still hadn’t arrived. I wanted to show my support, so I made a sign that I could hold. It read “Dream Come True” in the PWHL’s theme colour, purple. The game itself was the most exciting and historic sporting event I have ever witnessed. At the first face-off, it all became real. I don’t have social media, but after it was done, a friend of mine told me that my sign and I had landed on the PWHL Instagram account’s highlight reel.</p>
  5032. <p>After that, PWHL Toronto’s manager of fanwear let me know that there was a backlog on jerseys, so it would be a while still before I received mine. <em>Fine, </em>I thought.<em> Here is an opportunity to wear something different.</em> I don’t know why, but the first costume idea that popped into my head was a purple crayon. I’ve always loved crafts, so I went to Fabricland, broke out my glue gun and made a purple outfit for myself. I wore it to the next game, holding a sign that read: “Crayola needs a new colour: PWHL purple.”</p>
  5033. <p>Not long after the game, my phone started dinging with notifications. My friends were telling me that, once again, my photo had made rounds on social media—even Crayola had shared it. A few days later, the company made a post on Instagram revealing an <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/this-hockey-super-fan-dressed-up-as-a-crayon-to-ask-crayola-for-a-pwhl/article_58d49ed8-e2d8-11ee-95a8-b3edb474961d.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="unofficial new colour called Powerplay Plum">unofficial new colour called Powerplay Plum</span></a>, in honour of the PWHL, and mentioned me in the caption. I was blown away; Crayola is a huge company. I thought: <em>What wonderful positive attention for the league.</em></p>
  5034. <p>Even though I’ve now received my PWHL jersey, I’ve gotten in the habit of wearing elaborate outfits to the games. For one game, I bought black boots that look like hockey skates and wore an old helmet to dress as a reserve player. Another time I made a shirt that said “Eat Sleep Hockey Repeat”—I even went out of my comfort zone by dying my hair purple. For a game in February, I wore a jersey with 26 picture buttons (one of each PWHL Toronto player) and held a sign that said: “I wanted to make a photo button of my favourite player and I ended up with 26.”</p>
  5035. <p>I once dressed as a referee, and one of the real referees spotted me. They invited me to line up next to them on the ice for the national anthem. That was the highlight of the season so far.</p>
  5036. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646153" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3072.jpeg" alt="Debbie standing with the referees at a PWHL game" width="640" height="480" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3072.jpeg 640w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3072-300x225.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></p>
  5037. <p>As more and more people have noticed my antics, there have been a lot of pinch-me moments. I’ve met several PWHL players and have formed a special bond with goaltender Carly Jackson. She was quoted in a news article about my outfits, where she’d called me “lovely.” When I met her after one of the games, I asked, “What are you doing, calling me lovely?” We’ve been friends ever since, and I talk to her after most games.</p>
  5038. <p>Another highlight was when one of Montreal’s players came up to me and said, “Hi, Debbie—I don’t know if you know me. I’m Laura Stacey, and I love your outfits.” I was like, &#8220;Are you kidding? You are my favourite power forward!” On International Women’s Day, the PWHL gifted me a Sarah Nurse jersey. It was surreal.</p>
  5039. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-renata-fast-paul-geiger-sarah-nurse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside a backyard wedding attended by the who’s who of women’s hockey"><span data-title="Related: Inside a backyard wedding attended by the who’s who of women’s hockey"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside a backyard wedding attended by the who’s who of women’s hockey</em></span></span></a></p>
  5040. <p>I’ve also met a lot of wonderful PWHL fans. I went to Ottawa for a game in March, and there were about 200 fans waiting at the door to see my outfit. I didn’t feel like I was being greeted as a rival from Toronto. Instead, the feeling was: <em>W</em><em>e’re all PWHL fans</em>. <em>Let’s keep bringing positive energy to the game. </em></p>
  5041. <p>I’m having so much fun being a superfan, but it’s not always easy work. I’m retired from my job at the local school board, and I don’t think I could do what I do if I still worked. Making one outfit can take up to 20 hours. Sometimes I go to five different Value Villages just to assemble material. It’s also not cheap: my season tickets cost $750. Then there are added travel costs for out-of-town games. For example, I&#8217;m travelling to Montreal with a friend soon to see a game there. It’s a lot of time and money, but all of it feels justified because I get to support the league.</p>
  5042. <p>The attention is also reciprocated by the teams themselves. In Toronto, players come out after every game and set up an autographs table—sometimes the other team’s players join in too. In February, at a skills competition in Nathan Phillips Square, players gave out posters and took photos with fans. It’s obvious that the league cares as much about the fans as we do about them.</p>
  5043. <p>Now, with the first season nearing its end, I’m looking forward to watching the playoffs, which begin in early May. If Toronto makes it to the end, I’m not sure who I want them to face. They have been successful against Montreal, but our games against Ottawa have been tougher. And I don’t think anyone wants to play Minnesota because they are such a powerhouse team.</p>
  5044. <p>Regardless of what happens on the ice, I’m just thrilled to see this league growing. It&#8217;s giving so many women the opportunity to do what they love, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that in my own way. I wish I could have grown up with this league and been able to emulate these impressive players, but it’s better late than never. At one game, I was dressed as a hockey player and a little girl came up to me in awe. She asked, “Do you play for Toronto?” I answered, “No—but I would really love to!”</p>
  5045. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/pwhl-superfan-debbie-harrison-hockey-womens-league/">“As a kid, I dreamed about a women&#8217;s hockey league. Now, I&#8217;m a PWHL superfan”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5046. ]]></content:encoded>
  5050. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6765-e1711995319675-1200x628-1711996687.jpeg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5051. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  5052. <media:title></media:title>
  5053. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  5054. </media:content>
  5055. </item>
  5056. <item>
  5057. <title>What TL Insiders can look forward to this April</title>
  5058. <link>https://torontolife.com/insider/what-tl-insiders-can-look-forward-to-this-april/</link>
  5060. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5061. <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 20:31:05 +0000</pubDate>
  5062. <category><![CDATA[TL Insider]]></category>
  5063. <category><![CDATA[Tl Insider event listing]]></category>
  5064. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646443</guid>
  5065.  
  5066. <description><![CDATA[<p>Including the Canadian Business Innovation Awards and a glamorous night at the opera</p>
  5067. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/insider/what-tl-insiders-can-look-forward-to-this-april/">What TL Insiders can look forward to this April</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5068. ]]></description>
  5069. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646449" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale.jpg" alt="" width="2067" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale.jpg 2067w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-300x198.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-2000x1321.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-768x507.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-2048x1352.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2067px) 100vw, 2067px" /></p>
  5070. <p>A new season is here, and it’s ushering in a wave of fresh arts, music and cultural events in Toronto—plus some exceptional opportunities for foodies across the city. From innovative tasting menus to a glamorous night at the opera, there’s plenty to keep you busy and entertained this April. TL Insiders have the chance to win tickets to exclusive culinary and theatrical events happening in the weeks ahead. Welcome spring and good luck, Insiders!</p>
  5071. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646446 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CBI_2024-e1712172086639.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="691" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CBI_2024-e1712172086639.jpg 1080w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CBI_2024-e1712172086639-300x192.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CBI_2024-e1712172086639-768x491.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></p>
  5072. <p><strong>Canadian Business Innovation Awards</strong><br />
  5073. Join 150 local entrepreneurs, executives and business leaders for a luncheon in honour of the Canadian Business Innovation Awards. Guests will enjoy inspiring speakers, great networking opportunities and a fantastic meal. This annual event will take place at the Toronto Region Board of Trade building by the waterfront on Thursday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Patron sponsorship table opportunities are available.</p>
  5074. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646464" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Reids-Distillery-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Reids-Distillery-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Reids-Distillery-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Reids-Distillery-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Reids-Distillery-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Reids-Distillery-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Reids-Distillery-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  5075. <p><strong>Gin tour and master class at Reid&#8217;s Distillery</strong><br />
  5076. Join us at Reid&#8217;s Distillery for a 45-minute tour followed by a 45-minute cocktail master class, where guests can mix and enjoy two cocktails using Reid&#8217;s gins. Mingle in the lounge after the event and enjoy snacks as you sip your freshly mixed cocktails. (Mocktails are available upon advance request.) This event will take place on Friday, April 12, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.</p>
  5077. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646448" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Stelvio.jpg" alt="" width="1512" height="2016" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Stelvio.jpg 1512w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Stelvio-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Stelvio-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Stelvio-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1512px) 100vw, 1512px" /></p>
  5078. <p><strong>Gourmet risotto at Stelvio</strong><br />
  5079. Enjoy the sweet and savoury flavours of northern Italy in an all-you-can-eat risotto and dessert experience at Stelvio on Dundas West. A variety of delicious risottos and other treats will be offered throughout the evening, allowing guests to indulge in a wide range of delicacies. A glass of wine is included in the cost of each ticket. This mouth-watering event will take place on Thursday, April 18, from 6 to 9 p.m.</p>
  5080. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646447" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Artist-Project.png" alt="" width="900" height="601" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Artist-Project.png 900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Artist-Project-300x200.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Artist-Project-768x513.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></p>
  5081. <p><strong>Win tickets to the opening night of the Artist Project</strong><br />
  5082. Discover and connect with over 250 independent artists at the opening night of the Artist Project event and experience a stimulating environment designed to ignite enriching conversations and foster a personal connection with art. Explore thousands of artworks, including large-scale installations, and enjoy curator-led tours. You can even take home that special work that truly resonates with you. Enter to win tickets on April 3. The event will be held in Toronto between April 11 and 14.</p>
  5083. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-646449 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale.jpg" alt="" width="2067" height="1365" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale.jpg 2067w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-300x198.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-2000x1321.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-768x507.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-2048x1352.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2067px) 100vw, 2067px" /></p>
  5084. <p><strong>Win tickets to a performance of <em>Don Pasquale</em></strong><br />
  5085. One lucky TL Insider will win a pair of tickets to a performance of <em>Don Pasquale</em> by the Canadian Opera Company this spring season. For the first time in over 30 years, the COC will bring this celebrated show to the stage here in Toronto. <em>Don Pasquale</em> is the story of an intergenerational battle of love and wits in a small Italian hotel. It’s vibrant, comedic and beautifully scored. Enter to win tickets to a performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts between April 26 and May 18.</p>
  5086. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646451" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Medea-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Medea-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Medea-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Medea-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Medea-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Medea-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Medea-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5087. <p><strong>Win tickets to a performance of <em>Medea</em></strong><br />
  5088. TL Insiders have the opportunity to win tickets to a performance of <em>Medea</em> by the Canadian Opera Company this spring season. The thrilling, dramatic stage production is based on ancient Greek mythology and has never been performed in Toronto. <em>Medea </em>is an epic tale that features one of the most challenging roles in opera and is sure to be a highlight of the season. Enter to win tickets to a performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts between May 3 and 17.</p>
  5089. <hr />
  5090. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/insider/membership/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Learn more about TL Insider and become a member today."><em>Learn more about TL Insider and become a member today.</em></span></a></p>
  5091. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/insider/what-tl-insiders-can-look-forward-to-this-april/">What TL Insiders can look forward to this April</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5092. ]]></content:encoded>
  5096. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COC-Don-Pasquale-1200x628-1712172576.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5097. <media:copyright>KK DUNDAS</media:copyright>
  5098. <media:title></media:title>
  5099. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  5101. </item>
  5102. <item>
  5103. <title>Surreal Estate: $11.9 million for a Muskoka compound perched atop its own peninsula</title>
  5104. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-bracebridge/</link>
  5106. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5107. <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:13:44 +0000</pubDate>
  5108. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  5109. <category><![CDATA[bracebridge]]></category>
  5110. <category><![CDATA[Muskoka]]></category>
  5111. <category><![CDATA[Surreal Estate]]></category>
  5112. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  5113. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646252</guid>
  5114.  
  5115. <description><![CDATA[<p>What cabin in the woods would be complete without 1.5 acres of land, a Sicilian kitchen, a bench swing in the veranda and a jumbo boathouse?</p>
  5116. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-bracebridge/">Surreal Estate: $11.9 million for a Muskoka compound perched atop its own peninsula</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5117. ]]></description>
  5118. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646341 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2000x1220.jpeg" alt="This Bracebridge compound is currently going for $11.9 million. " width="2000" height="1220" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2000x1220.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-300x183.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-768x469.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-1536x937.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2048x1250.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5119. <p><strong>Location:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Bracebridge, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/muskoka/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Muskoka">Muskoka</span></a></span><br />
  5120. <strong>Price:</strong> $11.9 million<br />
  5121. <strong>Size:</strong> 11,500 square feet sitting on 1.5 acres of land<br />
  5122. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 7<br />
  5123. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 7+1<br />
  5124. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agents:</strong> David Bemmann and Jack Miller, <a href="https://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-2866-t82x6t/1250-waldmere-road-bracebridge-on-p1l-1w8" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sotheby’s International Realty Canada">Sotheby’s International Realty Canada</span></a></p>
  5125. <hr />
  5126. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The place</span></h5>
  5127. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom woodland estate on a private peninsula in Lake Muskoka. The place is an ideal escape for a large family that loves nature—given its 210 metres of waterfront, two-storey boathouse and lake views from every room. It&#8217;s a short drive to downtown Bracebridge and Muskoka Airport and a two-hour haul to Toronto.</span></p>
  5128. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The history</span></h5>
  5129. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 1999, the current owner of this cottage retreat purchased the undeveloped land on which it now stands. Would-be buyers also have the option to purchase the whole peninsula, which comprises three additional parcels of land totalling 8.3 acres plus yet another two-storey boathouse.</span></p>
  5130. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-brothers-grimm/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$5.4 million for a faux château in Mississauga fit for the Brothers Grimm">$5.4 million for a faux château in Mississauga fit for the Brothers Grimm</span></a></em></p>
  5131. <h5>The tour</h5>
  5132. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The cottage gets sunset views year-round thanks to its location at the tip of this west-facing peninsula.</span></p>
  5133. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646339 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-1-1-2000x1332.jpg" alt="The cottage sits at the top of the peninsula, meaning great sunsets. " width="2000" height="1332" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-1-1-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-1-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Photo-1-1-2048x1364.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5134. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A closer look reveals the wraparound cedar porch—re-planked in 2023—and flagstone path surrounding the home.</span></p>
  5135. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646337 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1-2000x1332.jpg" alt="That porch is cedar while the path is flagstone. " width="2000" height="1332" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1-scaled-1536x1023-1712089167.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1-scaled-2048x1364-1712089170.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5136. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s the façade, with its three-car garage.</span></p>
  5137. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646341 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2000x1220.jpeg" alt="the winding driveway leads to the entrance and three-car garage. " width="2000" height="1220" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2000x1220.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-300x183.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-768x469.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-1536x937.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2048x1250.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5138. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The multi-tiered staircase greets residents in the foyer. </span></p>
  5139. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646342 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Here's the foyer. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5140. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just past the entrance is the Sicilian-style kitchen, equipped with a wine rack embedded in the island. </span></p>
  5141. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646343 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The kitchen is Sicilian style. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5142. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Note the commercial-grade chef’s range and large copper farmhouse sink.</span></p>
  5143. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646345 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-7-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Note the giant cooktop and farmhouse sink. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-7-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-7-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5144. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The living room features a wood-burning fireplace and soaring ceilings.</span></p>
  5145. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646346 size-large" title="toronto-life-8-of-the-week-bracebridge-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The living room is a blast from the past. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5146. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s another view of the living room looking out toward the lake. </span></p>
  5147. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646347 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-9-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The angular wall of windows is something else. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-9-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-9-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-9-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5148. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Off the living room is this screened-in porch with a skylight.</span></p>
  5149. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646349 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-10-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The screened-in porch is ideal for reading or a morning coffee." width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-10-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-10-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-10-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-10-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-10-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5150. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&#8217;s also a formal dining room and a breakfast nook.</span></p>
  5151. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646350 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The home has both a formal dining room and a breakfast nook. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5152. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The second-floor gallery above the living room comes with cedar beams and shiplap ceilings.</span></p>
  5153. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646354 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5154. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s the reverse view of the gallery—note the pair of busts. </span></p>
  5155. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646355 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5156. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the main bedroom, which has another wood-burning fireplace and an ensuite bathroom.</span></p>
  5157. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646356 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-14-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-14-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-14-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-14-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-14-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5158. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Its bathroom is fitted with a soaker tub, a double vanity and a one-seat sofa. </span></p>
  5159. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646358 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5160. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It also has two water closets and a glass shower.</span></p>
  5161. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646359 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5162. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A trip outside highlights the <em>Flintstones</em>-esque custom hot tub with a built-in waterfall feature.</span></p>
  5163. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646360 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5164. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The flagstone path leads to many hideaways, including this veranda with a bench swing.</span></p>
  5165. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646361 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-1-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5166. <p>There&#8217;s nothing like tons of ancient rock and forest to give one a sense of place.</p>
  5167. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-646431" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-1-2000x1333.jpeg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-1-2000x1333.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-1-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5168. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two-storey boathouse has three slips and plenty of dock space.</span></p>
  5169. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646362 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-19-2000x1332.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1332" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-19-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-19-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-19-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-19-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-19-2048x1364.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5170. <p>The deck is a terrific spot for a lake party with friends, especially with the built-in sound system.</p>
  5171. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-646429" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-2000x1333.jpeg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-2000x1333.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5172. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, finally, it wouldn&#8217;t be Muskoka without a few boats.</span></p>
  5173. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646363 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-bracebridge-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-21-2000x1333.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-21-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-21-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-21-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5174. <hr />
  5175. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  5176. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-bracebridge/">Surreal Estate: $11.9 million for a Muskoka compound perched atop its own peninsula</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5177. ]]></content:encoded>
  5181. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1-scaled-1200x628-1712089206.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5182. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  5183. <media:title></media:title>
  5184. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  5185. </media:content>
  5186. </item>
  5187. <item>
  5188. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Arbequina, a new halal, alcohol-free restaurant on Roncesvalles</title>
  5189. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-arbequina-halal-roncesvalles/</link>
  5191. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rebecca Fleming]]></dc:creator>
  5192. <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:19:16 +0000</pubDate>
  5193. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  5194. <category><![CDATA[Arbequina]]></category>
  5195. <category><![CDATA[Halal]]></category>
  5196. <category><![CDATA[Moeen Abuzaid]]></category>
  5197. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  5198. <category><![CDATA[Roncesvalles]]></category>
  5199. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646379</guid>
  5200.  
  5201. <description><![CDATA[<p>Including many thoughtful zero-proof cocktails</p>
  5202. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-arbequina-halal-roncesvalles/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Arbequina, a new halal, alcohol-free restaurant on Roncesvalles</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5203. ]]></description>
  5204. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645539" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Moeen Abuzaid's non-traditional take on muhammara" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
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  5321. </section>
  5322.  
  5323. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Arbequina<br />
  5324. <strong>Contact:</strong> 325 Roncesvalles Ave., <a href="http://arbequinato.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="arbequinato.com">arbequinato.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/arbequina_restaurant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@arbequina_restaurant">@arbequina_restaurant</span></a><br />
  5325. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/roncesvalles/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Roncesvalles">Roncesvalles</span></a><br />
  5326. <strong>Owners:</strong> Moeen Abuzaid, Asma Syed-Abuzaid<br />
  5327. <strong>Chef:</strong> Moeen Abuzaid<br />
  5328. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> Fully accessible</p>
  5329. <p>Before opening Arbequina with his wife, Asma Syed-Abuzaid, Moeen Abuzaid cooked in several Michelin-star restaurants and operated a successful New York pop-up called the Broken English. But his story begins in an unlikely place: an UNRWA refugee camp in Jordan. His first culinary venture was selling fresh herbs when he was just four years old. He saved up his earnings to buy mushabak, a syrupy semolina-based fritter sold by street vendors, a version of which is now on his menu.</p>
  5330. <figure id="attachment_645531" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645531" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645531" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Moeen Abuzaid and his wife and business partner, Asma Syed-Abuzaid " width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-scaled-803x603-1712162295.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645531" class="wp-caption-text">Chef Moeen Abuzaid with his wife and business partner, Asma Syed-Abuzaid</figcaption></figure>
  5331. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-mossops-social-house-hotel-victoria/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Mossop’s Social House, Hotel Victoria’s Levantine-inspired restaurant, cocktail bar and café"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Mossop’s Social House, Hotel Victoria’s Levantine-inspired restaurant, cocktail bar and café</span></a></em></p>
  5332. <p>His career began in earnest when the kitchen at his school was short a cook, and a young Abuzaid volunteered. His talent for the craft quickly made itself known, and he moved up the ranks, eventually cooking in restaurants and hotels from the Red Sea to Amman and intermittently travelling to Europe to stage in Michelin-star kitchens. In 2009, he moved to New York with few resources and the broken English he would eventually name a pop-up after. But he networked, got a foot in the door at WD-50—Wylie Dufresne’s now-closed molecular gastronomy restaurant—and spent the next 10 years cooking around the Big Apple.</p>
  5333. <p>He met Asma—who’s from Toronto but was in New York with her UN peacekeeping job—in 2017. They got married three months later, and she brought him back to her hometown, where after a slew of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/covid/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Covid">Covid</span></a> delays, the pair finally opened Arbequina earlier this year. Named after a type of olive native to Palestine, Arbequina reflects their shared vision: blending Palestinian and Jordanian culinary traditions with global influences.</p>
  5334. <figure id="attachment_645534" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645534" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645534" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-grill-scaled.jpg" alt="Grape leaves, destined to top sea bass, getting a good char on the flat top" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-grill-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-grill-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-grill-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-grill-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-grill-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-grill-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645534" class="wp-caption-text">Grape leaves, destined to top sea bass, get a good char on the flat top</figcaption></figure>
  5335. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5336. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  5337. <p>At Arbequina, Abuzaid reimagines his culinary heritage. There’s sea bass, flaky and seared to crisp-skinned perfection, topped with grilled grape leaves, grilled shishito pepper and preserved lemon sauce. He makes muhammara, the classic Levantine dip, with fermented tomato and red pepper, spreading it on wafer-thin flatbread crackers. Oil made of arbequina olives is everywhere on the menu, while many of the spices come from his family’s market in Abu Nseir, Jordan. It’s important to note that this menu is fully halal; recently, Arbequina offered a prix fixe Iftar dinner for Ramadan.</p>
  5338. <figure id="attachment_645549" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645549" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645549" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-truffles-scaled.jpg" alt="A version of mutabbaq stuffed with truffles, and porcini and maitake mushrooms, and topped with Arbequina olive oil, parmesan and Aleppo white truffles" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-truffles-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-truffles-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-truffles-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-truffles-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-truffles-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-truffles-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645549" class="wp-caption-text">Abuzaid&#8217;s version of mutabbaq—a stuffed flatbread sold by street vendors in the refugee camp where he was raised—is stuffed with truffles, porcini and maitake. It’s topped with more of that arbequina olive oil, parmesan and Aleppo white truffles. $29</figcaption></figure>
  5339. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5340. <figure id="attachment_645535" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645535" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645535" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-scaled.jpg" alt="Oven-crisped kale hides a medley of bulgur, kohlrabi, and black and watermelon radish seasoned with a dressing of lemon, lime, and honey" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-kale-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645535" class="wp-caption-text">This isn’t your average kale salad. Hiding beneath these oven-crisped leaves is a medley of bulgur, kohlrabi, and black and watermelon radishes seasoned with a dressing of lemon, lime and honey. Each bite is a textural marvel. $22</figcaption></figure>
  5341. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5342. <figure id="attachment_645529" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645529" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645529" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-scaled.jpg" alt="Blanched and sautéed broccolini seasoned with lemon juice sits on a pool of jameed and is topped with watercress, arugula and sumac" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645529" class="wp-caption-text">Blanched and sautéed broccolini seasoned with lemon juice sits on a pool of jameed—a hard, dry, funky yogurt that Abuzaid dilutes to yield his take on a cheese sauce. The greens are topped with watercress, arugula and sumac from a Middle Eastern spice market run by Abuzaid’s family. $26</figcaption></figure>
  5343. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5344. <figure id="attachment_645541" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645541" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645541" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-prep-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Moeen Abuzaid puts the finishing touches on his muhammara at Arbequina" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-prep-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-prep-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-prep-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-prep-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-prep-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-prep-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645541" class="wp-caption-text">Muhammara, a red pepper dip, is traditionally served with bread. Here, it’s made with house-fermented peppers and tomatoes and layered on thin, crisp flatbread. It’s all topped with frisée, radish, and a mix of walnuts and pecans for crunch. $18</figcaption></figure>
  5345. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5346. <figure id="attachment_645539" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645539" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645539" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Moeen Abuzaid's non-traditional take on muhammara" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-muhammara-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645539" class="wp-caption-text">Here&#8217;s the finished dish</figcaption></figure>
  5347. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5348. <figure id="attachment_645530" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645530" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645530" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-scaled.jpg" alt="Roasted butternut squash and Jerusalem artichoke blended with a bechamel infused with squash juice are baked and topped with a house-made cashew-based tahini, crispy Jerusalem artichoke chips and spoonfuls of salsa made from squash seeds combined with Arbequina olive oil, lemon zest and tarragon" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-butternut-squash-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645530" class="wp-caption-text">Roasted butternut squash and Jerusalem artichoke are first blended with a Béchamel infused with squash juice, then baked to yield a soufflé-like texture. The dish is topped with a house-made cashew-based tahini, crispy Jerusalem artichoke chips, and salsa made from squash seeds, Arbequina olive oil, lemon zest and tarragon. Like all Arbequina’s dishes, this plate embraces a zero-waste ethos. $27</figcaption></figure>
  5349. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5350. <figure id="attachment_645527" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645527" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645527" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-bass-scaled.jpg" alt="Whole, deboned sea bass with shatteringly crisp skin is served with a fermented green sauce of preserved lemon and shishito pepper" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-bass-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-bass-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-bass-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-bass-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-bass-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-bass-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645527" class="wp-caption-text">Whole, deboned sea bass with shatteringly crisp skin is served with a fermented green sauce of preserved lemon and shishito pepper. The tender, flaky fish is topped with Brussels sprouts, fennel fronds and crisp charred grape leaves. It’s finished with a squeeze of caramelized lemon for a note of burnt citrus. $50</figcaption></figure>
  5351. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5352. <figure id="attachment_645532" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645532" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645532" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chicken-scaled.jpg" alt="Roasted chicken served with Boston lettuce, pickled radish, white aïoli, shatta, crispy tots made with parsnip and two kinds of potato, and cups of lettuce for DIY wraps" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chicken-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chicken-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chicken-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chicken-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chicken-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chicken-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645532" class="wp-caption-text">This chicken is a three-day affair: it’s brined, air-chilled, and rubbed with red pepper paste and shawarma spices before a final roast. It’s served with Boston lettuce, pickled radish, white aioli (infused with chicken stock), shatta (a Middle Eastern hot sauce amped up with preserved lemon brine), and crispy tots made with parsnip and two kinds of potato (sweet and russet). Guests are meant to make little lettuce cups that incorporate a bit of everything. $45 for a half chicken, $70 for a whole.</figcaption></figure>
  5353. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5354. <figure id="attachment_645548" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645548" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645548" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-scaled.jpg" alt="Angus AAA rib-eye with a sticky, tangy marmalade of pomegranate juice and date molasses" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-steak-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645548" class="wp-caption-text">Here we have 14 ounces of simply seasoned, perfectly cooked Angus AAA rib-eye with a sticky, tangy marmalade of pomegranate juice and date molasses. Not pictured: the fingerling potatoes it comes with. $98</figcaption></figure>
  5355. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5356. <figure id="attachment_645528" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645528" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645528" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-scaled.jpg" alt="A dish of broccolini next to a dish of baked and fried fingerling potatoes" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-broccolini-squash-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645528" class="wp-caption-text">To the right of the herbaceous broccolini are baked and fried fingerling potatoes folded with honey-scented labneh and lemon zest. These come with the steak</figcaption></figure>
  5357. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5358. <figure id="attachment_645542" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645542" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645542" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Moeen Abuzaid’s take on booza, a Middle Eastern ice cream" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-roll-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645542" class="wp-caption-text">This is Abuzaid’s take on booza, a Middle Eastern ice cream known for its stretchy texture thanks to the use of salep (orchid tree root powder) as a thickener, which also lends a unique earthy flavour. Here, it’s rolled with pistachio and set on crumbled semolina cookies, rose candy and pistachio nougat, then garnished with crisp filo sticks. $20</figcaption></figure>
  5359. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5360. <p><figure id="attachment_645538" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645538" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645538" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-mashabak-scaled.jpg" alt="This is an elaboration on mashabak, a syrupy fritter popular in the Middle East" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-mashabak-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-mashabak-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-mashabak-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-mashabak-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-mashabak-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-mashabak-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645538" class="wp-caption-text">This is an elaboration on mushabak, a syrupy fritter and a childhood favourite of Abuzaid&#8217;s. Here, he incorporates the standard crunchy semolina base by combining it with components from two of his other favourite desserts: milk powder from Indian gulab jamun and the lightness that eggs lend to churros. It’s topped with pistachios, walnuts and agave and served with a house-made cinnamon ice cream inspired by cinnamon tea. $17</figcaption></figure><br />
  5361. &nbsp;</p>
  5362. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  5363. <p>This is a <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/zero-proof/" class="article-link"><span data-title="zero-proof">zero-proof</span></a> establishment, so there’s a list of thoughtful mocktails made with fresh-squeezed juice and Middle Eastern accents like pomegranate molasses and date syrup. There’s a strawberry and lychee concoction jazzed up with pink peppercorn, a savoury blend of cucumber and jalapeno, and a sour made with mint and pomegranate. There are also a few non-alcoholic wines, including a solid sparkling Riesling.</p>
  5364. <figure id="attachment_645533" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645533" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645533" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-green-pristine-scaled.jpg" alt="The Green Pristine is a mocktail made with freshly squeezed cucumber juice and jalapeno-infused agave with distilled juniper and tarragon" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-green-pristine-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-green-pristine-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-green-pristine-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-green-pristine-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-green-pristine-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-green-pristine-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645533" class="wp-caption-text">As a halal establishment, Arbequina does not serve alcohol. Instead, they pour a great deal of love into their mocktail menu, which includes this somewhat savoury sip. The Green Pristine combines freshly squeezed cucumber juice and jalapeno-infused agave with distilled juniper and tarragon. It’s complex and refreshing; its crispness and heat make it a lovely accompaniment for the lamb chops in particular. $15</figcaption></figure>
  5365. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5366. <figure id="attachment_645537" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645537" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645537" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-lychee-pink-scaled.jpg" alt="The Lychee Pink is a mocktail that blends strawberry and pink peppercorn–infused agave with lychee, lime and white cranberry juice. It’s finished with soda and house-made lavender extract" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-lychee-pink-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-lychee-pink-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-lychee-pink-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-lychee-pink-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-lychee-pink-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-lychee-pink-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645537" class="wp-caption-text">This is the Lychee Pink, which blends strawberry and pink peppercorn–infused agave with lychee, lime and white cranberry juice. It’s finished with soda and house-made lavender extract. $16</figcaption></figure>
  5367. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5368. <p><figure id="attachment_645540" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645540" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645540" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-pomegranate-lime-scaled.jpg" alt="The Pomegranate Lime, another zero-proof drink, is mix of pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses with lime and mint" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-pomegranate-lime-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-pomegranate-lime-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-pomegranate-lime-2000x2666.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-pomegranate-lime-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-pomegranate-lime-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-pomegranate-lime-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645540" class="wp-caption-text">The Pomegranate Lime, another zero-proof drink, is a mix of pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses with lime and mint. It’s tart but not bracingly so. $12</figcaption></figure><br />
  5369. &nbsp;</p>
  5370. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  5371. <p>When Abuzaid first set foot in Roncesvalles, its community feel immediately reminded him of his former home in Williamsburg, so it was an easy choice for him. The design marries Middle Eastern warmth with Nordic minimalism—it’s streamlined, but with earth tones, arches and olive branches on every table. In the back, there’s a dining room with moody lighting, black banquettes, and floral wallpaper featuring olive trees and blue-green Palestinian sunbirds. It takes overflow from the main space but is primarily used for private events and special-occasion tasting menus.</p>
  5372. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645544" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-scaled.jpg" alt="Looking from the dining room to the open kitchen at Arbequina, a halal restaurant in Toronto's west end" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-2-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5373. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645545" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Arbequina, a halal restaurant on Roncesvalles" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-3-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5374. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645543" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Banquette seating in the dining room of Arbequina in Toronto" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-1-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-1-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  5375. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645546" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-4-scaled.jpg" alt="A look into the open kitchen from the dining room at Arbequina" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-4-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-4-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-4-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-4-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-4-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-4-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  5376. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645547" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-5-scaled.jpg" alt="The private dining room at Arbequina, a new halal, alcohol-free restaurant in Toronto" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-5-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-5-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-5-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-5-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-space-5-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  5377. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-arbequina-halal-roncesvalles/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Arbequina, a new halal, alcohol-free restaurant on Roncesvalles</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5378. ]]></content:encoded>
  5382. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-arbequina-levantine-roncesvalles-chef-owners-scaled-1200x628-1712162304.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5383. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  5384. <media:title></media:title>
  5385. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  5386. </media:content>
  5387. </item>
  5388. <item>
  5389. <title>What pop artist Maria Qamar, a.k.a. Hatecopy, is coveting in home decor</title>
  5390. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/what-pop-artist-maria-qamar-a-k-a-hatecopy-is-coveting-in-home-decor/</link>
  5392. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5393. <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 17:53:20 +0000</pubDate>
  5394. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  5395. <category><![CDATA[Corsair]]></category>
  5396. <category><![CDATA[Hatecopy]]></category>
  5397. <category><![CDATA[Kazunori Hamana]]></category>
  5398. <category><![CDATA[living divani]]></category>
  5399. <category><![CDATA[Maria Qamar]]></category>
  5400. <category><![CDATA[Norblack Norwhite]]></category>
  5401. <category><![CDATA[pop art]]></category>
  5402. <category><![CDATA[santiago parra]]></category>
  5403. <category><![CDATA[tschabalala self]]></category>
  5404. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646381</guid>
  5405.  
  5406. <description><![CDATA[<p>Pottery moulded by nature, a metallic silver sofa, a porcelain PC and more</p>
  5407. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/what-pop-artist-maria-qamar-a-k-a-hatecopy-is-coveting-in-home-decor/">What pop artist Maria Qamar, a.k.a. Hatecopy, is coveting in home decor</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5408. ]]></description>
  5409. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646391 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL08.jpg" alt="What pop artist Maria Qamar, a.k.a. Hatecopy, is coveting in home decor" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL08.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL08-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL08-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL08-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
  5410. <p>After getting laid off from her copywriting job in 2015, Maria Qamar started spending her free time on her favourite hobby: doodling satirical, comic book–style pop art inspired by her life as a South Asian woman. She posted her doodles on Instagram under the name Hatecopy (a not-so-subtle jab at her career) and soon realized that the subversive humour behind her pieces was resonating with a wide audience. Then, in 2016, she caught a couple of big breaks: she appeared on the cover of <em>Elle Canada</em> alongside Lilly Singh, and her work was featured on Mindy Kaling’s series <em>The Mindy Project</em>. These days, Qamar sells her in-demand designs in the form of T-shirts, plates and posters. Last year, she put on an exhibition called <em>Bloody Phool</em> at the Richard Taittinger Gallery in New York, and this month, she’s debuting a new installation at Artist Project in Toronto. Here are the pieces she’s loving right now.</p>
  5411. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/what-top-chef-canada-host-eden-grinshpan-is-coveting-in-home-decor/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What Top Chef Canada host Eden Grinshpan is coveting in home decor"><em><strong>Related: </strong>What </em>Top Chef Canada <em>host Eden Grinshpan is coveting in home decor</em></span></a></p>
  5412. <hr />
  5413. <h5>Imperfect vase</h5>
  5414. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646384 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL01.jpg" alt="Japanese artist Kazunori Hamana makes clay pots and leaves them outdoors to be marked by the elements. “I love the ‘live and let go’ idea behind Hamana’s work,” says Qamar. “It’s how I feel about the internet. Once you put something online, it can be taken in any context.”" width="965" height="500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL01.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL01-300x156.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL01-768x398.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 965px) 100vw, 965px" /></p>
  5415. <p>Japanese artist Kazunori Hamana makes clay pots and leaves them outdoors to be marked by the elements. “I love the ‘live and let go’ idea behind Hamana’s work,” says Qamar. “It’s how I feel about the internet. Once you put something online, it can be taken in any context.”</p>
  5416. <hr />
  5417. <h5>Porcelain PC</h5>
  5418. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646385 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL02.jpg" alt="Gaming gear brand Corsair made this ceramic computer decorated with traditional Chinese designs—and with space for a tea set inside. “As both a gamer and an artist, I find this very cool. It’s a one-off, but it would be an incredible collector’s item." width="516" height="500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL02.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL02-300x291.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL02-768x744.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px" /></p>
  5419. <p>Gaming gear brand Corsair made this ceramic computer decorated with traditional Chinese designs—and with space for a tea set inside. “As both a gamer and an artist, I find this very cool. It’s a one-off, but it would be an incredible collector’s item.”</p>
  5420. <hr />
  5421. <h5>Vibrant chattai</h5>
  5422. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646386 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL03.jpg" alt="Delhi-based NorBlack NorWhite designs playful textiles that are handmade in India, like this chattai—a kind of picnic blanket—made from recycled plastic. “I love this super-cute nod to the chattais that are so popular back home.”" width="537" height="500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL03.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL03-300x279.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL03-768x715.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 537px) 100vw, 537px" /></p>
  5423. <p>Delhi-based NorBlack NorWhite designs playful textiles that are handmade in India, like this chattai—a kind of picnic blanket—made from recycled plastic. “I love this super-cute nod to the chattais that are so popular back home.”</p>
  5424. <hr />
  5425. <h5>Metallic sofa</h5>
  5426. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646387 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL04.jpg" alt="Italian furniture brand Living Divani makes this modular sofa to order. “I’m a big sci-fi person, and I love that it looks like a spaceship. It also makes me think of being a baked couch potato in aluminum foil.”" width="1835" height="500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL04.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL04-300x82.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL04-768x209.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL04-1536x419.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1835px) 100vw, 1835px" /></p>
  5427. <p>Italian furniture brand Living Divani makes this modular sofa to order. “I’m a big sci-fi person, and I love that it looks like a spaceship. It also makes me think of being a baked couch potato in aluminum foil.”</p>
  5428. <hr />
  5429. <h5>Striking art</h5>
  5430. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646388 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL05.jpg" alt="Colombian painter Santiago Parra’s pieces feature bold black lines that are splattered with varying degrees of care and aggression. “The level of IDGAF Parra’s art evokes in my soul brings me so much joy. The black-and-white scheme matches my interior design style, and I love the goth vibe.”" width="366" height="500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL05.jpg 780w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL05-219x300.jpg 219w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL05-768x1051.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 366px) 100vw, 366px" /></p>
  5431. <p>Colombian painter Santiago Parra’s pieces feature bold black lines that are splattered with varying degrees of care and aggression. “The level of IDGAF Parra’s art evokes in my soul brings me so much joy. The black-and-white scheme matches my interior design style, and I love the goth vibe.”</p>
  5432. <hr />
  5433. <h5>Retro TV</h5>
  5434. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646389 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL06.jpg" alt="The vintage JVC Videosphere, shaped like a space helmet, was designed in the ’70s and is fully functional. “It would be so much fun to plug in a Nintendo and play Duck Hunt. I love the colour—it looks like something out of Star Trek.”" width="541" height="500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL06.jpg 600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL06-300x278.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px" /></p>
  5435. <p>The vintage JVC Videosphere, shaped like a space helmet, was designed in the ’70s and is fully functional. “It would be so much fun to plug in a Nintendo and play <em>Duck Hunt</em>. I love the colour—it looks like something out of <em>Star Trek</em>.”</p>
  5436. <hr />
  5437. <h5>Feminine sculpture</h5>
  5438. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646390 aligncenter" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL07.jpg" alt="This giant bronze sculpture in London’s King’s Cross, titled Seated, is by New York artist Tschabalala Self. “I saw it in passing on Instagram, and then I dreamed that it was in the foyer of a house. The sheer scale, the coolness of the pose and the colour scheme all blow my mind. And if you see something in a dream, it must be destiny.”" width="573" height="500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL07.jpg 1308w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL07-300x262.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL07-768x671.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 573px) 100vw, 573px" /></p>
  5439. <p>This giant bronze sculpture in London’s King’s Cross, titled <em>Seated</em>, is by New York artist Tschabalala Self. “I saw it in passing on Instagram, and then I dreamed that it was in the foyer of a house. The sheer scale, the coolness of the pose and the colour scheme all blow my mind. And if you see something in a dream, it must be destiny.”</p>
  5440. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/what-pop-artist-maria-qamar-a-k-a-hatecopy-is-coveting-in-home-decor/">What pop artist Maria Qamar, a.k.a. Hatecopy, is coveting in home decor</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5441. ]]></content:encoded>
  5445. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WANTED_FINAL08-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5446. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  5447. <media:title></media:title>
  5448. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  5449. </media:content>
  5450. </item>
  5451. <item>
  5452. <title>Become a Momfluencer with the CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Contest</title>
  5453. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/cybex-hot-mom-walk/</link>
  5455. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vanessa Grant]]></dc:creator>
  5456. <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:45:55 +0000</pubDate>
  5457. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  5458. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645979</guid>
  5459.  
  5460. <description><![CDATA[<p>CYBEX is looking for a new walk leader and podcast host. The winners will receive up to $35,000 in prizes.</p>
  5461. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/cybex-hot-mom-walk/">Become a Momfluencer with the CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Contest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5462. ]]></description>
  5463. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>New parenthood is rarely easy. Intense joy is often accompanied by loneliness and feeling overwhelmed by the huge life change of having to take care of a whole new person. A pre-pandemic study by Statistics Canada found that nearly one-quarter of new moms reported “feelings consistent with either postpartum depression or an anxiety disorder,” and a pandemic survey found that 80 per cent of new moms felt more alone than ever.</p>
  5464. <p>That’s why CYBEX launched the <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1568607&amp;s=1568593" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="CYBEX Hot Mom Walk">CYBEX Hot Mom Walk</span></a>: because getting outside, engaging in exercise and finding an understanding community have all been linked to increased levels of happiness and decreased rates of mild to moderate depression.</p>
  5465. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646054" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-x-CYBEX-inline.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-x-CYBEX-inline.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-x-CYBEX-inline-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-x-CYBEX-inline-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/TL-x-CYBEX-inline-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  5466. <p>Since 2023, these regional walks in southern Ontario have invited new moms to bring their babies and strollers out for a “new mom mindfulness stroll.” The events bring postpartum moms together for physical activity and companionship. And there’s an accompanying podcast series, the <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1570328&amp;s=1568593" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Podcast">CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Podcast</span></a>, that encourages new moms to listen whenever they take their little ones out in their strollers for some fresh air. Topics the hosts and moms have covered include mom guilt, postpartum fitness and learning to be a parent.</p>
  5467. <p><strong>Become a momfluencer with the CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Contest</strong></p>
  5468. <p>Now, CYBEX is looking for a new walk leader and podcast host—with up to $35,000 in prizes to be won including a free family vacation for four.</p>
  5469. <p>These new CYBEX Mama Mentors will work alongside current podcast hosts and walk leaders <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1568601&amp;s=1568593" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Alex Trimble">Alex Trimble</span></a> and <a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1568603&amp;s=1568593" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Chloe Alleyne">Chloe Alleyne</span></a>, who will guide moms and contestants in creating their own platforms to share their experiences of motherhood.</p>
  5470. <p>Walks happen weekly from April to October (with July and August off), and are hosted at <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1568605&amp;s=1568593" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="West Coast Kids">West Coast Kids</span></a> locations across the Greater Toronto Area. Through this year’s CYBEX Mama Mentors Search, CYBEX is looking for new community leaders and podcast hosts to help bring the walks to more moms across Canada.</p>
  5471. <p><strong>The details</strong></p>
  5472. <p><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1568611&amp;s=1568593" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link-img"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645981 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3-2.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3-2.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3-2-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></a></p>
  5473. <p>To enter, contestants must create a three-minute video introducing themselves and answering the following questions:</p>
  5474. <ul>
  5475. <li>What’s one thing you wish somebody told you about being a new mom?</li>
  5476. <li>Were there any struggles you faced as a new mom? How did you overcome them?</li>
  5477. <li>What is the number one thing that makes you feel your best as a mom?</li>
  5478. </ul>
  5479. <p>Contestants then share the video with their social network and ask followers to vote for them online. The top 10 finalists will be determined by total fan votes.</p>
  5480. <p>The grand prize includes a CYBEX prize pack, a five-star family vacation, the chance to lead a CYBEX Hot Mom Walk in your vacation destination. The winner will also help to create and host new episodes of the podcast.</p>
  5481. <p>The CYBEX Hot Mom Podcast can be found on Apple podcasts and Spotify. For full contest details and to enter, visit <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1568614&amp;s=1568593" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="hotmomwalk.ca">hotmomwalk.ca</span></a>.</p>
  5482. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/cybex-hot-mom-walk/">Become a Momfluencer with the CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Contest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5483. ]]></content:encoded>
  5487. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2-2-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5488. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  5489. <media:title></media:title>
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  5492. </item>
  5493. <item>
  5494. <title>Kiss and Tell: “I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn’t let me”</title>
  5495. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-i-tried-to-break-up-with-my-boyfriend-but-his-dad-wouldnt-let-me/</link>
  5497. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5498. <pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:00:49 +0000</pubDate>
  5499. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  5500. <category><![CDATA[break ups]]></category>
  5501. <category><![CDATA[dating]]></category>
  5502. <category><![CDATA[kiss and tell]]></category>
  5503. <category><![CDATA[toronto dating]]></category>
  5504. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646080</guid>
  5505.  
  5506. <description><![CDATA[<p>Nina, a 25-year-old designer, didn’t realize that there was a third party influencing her and her boyfriend’s conversations</p>
  5507. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-i-tried-to-break-up-with-my-boyfriend-but-his-dad-wouldnt-let-me/">Kiss and Tell: “I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn’t let me”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5508. ]]></description>
  5509. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646242" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_DADS_ARGUMENTS.jpg" alt="An image of a hand holding a megaphone, on a background of blue hearts" width="2048" height="1364" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_DADS_ARGUMENTS.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_DADS_ARGUMENTS-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_DADS_ARGUMENTS-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_DADS_ARGUMENTS-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_DADS_ARGUMENTS-1536x1023-1712078936.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  5510. <p><i data-stringify-type="italic"><em>Welcome to </em></i><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/tag/kiss-and-tell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell">Kiss and Tell</span></span></a><i data-stringify-type="italic">,<em> a series about the steamy, surprising and frequently absurd world of Toronto dating. Send your most memorable stories from the pursuit of love and lust in the city to <a class="c-link" href="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" class="article-link"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com">submissions@torontolife.com</span></span></a>.</em></i></p>
  5511. <p><em>—As told to Juliann Garisto</em></p>
  5512. <hr />
  5513. <p>I met Will in high school. It was a tiny school, so everyone knew everyone. And everyone—including me—knew that Will had been nursing a crush on me since we were in Grade 9. Between then and our final year, he’d asked me out on three separate occasions. I’d told him no every single time. I just wasn’t interested. I liked spending time with my friends and my family, and otherwise I was happy to be alone with my books.</p>
  5514. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-cruise-ship-grandma/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date&#8217;s grandma walked in on us&#8221;"><em><strong>Related: </strong>&#8220;The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date&#8217;s grandma walked in on us&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  5515. <p>But Will was determined. One day, when we were almost done school, he tried a <em>fourth </em>time. We were training for long-distance running when he asked me out again. I decided it would be easier to say yes than to refuse him, especially since we were both in an upcoming track and field meet and would be seeing a lot of each other.</p>
  5516. <p>We dated for the rest of the time we were in school and continued dating after graduation. It turned out to be very chill. Once or twice a week, he would buy me dinner or we would go to the movies. I knew deep down that he wasn’t “the one,” but it seemed way easier to just let the relationship run its course. In the meantime, I tried my best to keep it casual and continued to prioritize myself and my plans.</p>
  5517. <p>That August, I started trying to break up with him. Will was about to move farther out in the GTA for school, and I had plans to move to France in October. It seemed like it made sense for us to split. I wanted to take a year off to travel, and I didn’t know if I’d return to Canada afterward. I thought it would be an easy out, but when I brought it up, Will insisted that long-distance wasn’t an issue. Even when I told him that my travel plans were completely open ended, he said that we were meant to be together for the rest of our lives.</p>
  5518. <p>We started getting into these frequent late-night arguments in the attic of his parents’ house. I’d say something like, “I don’t think this is gonna work out.” Then he’d insist that we were going to get married one day, and I’d protest that that was crazy. “How could you know that?” I’d ask. “We’re so young. Plus I’m moving to France.” But he was persistent. He was prepared to work his entire life around me. Before I&#8217;d decided to move to France, for instance, I&#8217;d told him I was planning to go to U of T. Right after that, he enrolled in a college in the city, just to stay close to me. I didn’t find this attractive.</p>
  5519. <p>During these late-night conversations, he would eventually say something like, “I can’t do this right now,” before disappearing downstairs for a bit. Eventually, he would come back up with some sort of prepared rebuttal to whatever argument I was making. “But I budgeted,” he would say, “and I saved up to come and visit you four times.” I’d respond with something about how I didn’t want him to waste all his savings on visiting me—I would never do that for him. He’d get stumped and disappear downstairs again.</p>
  5520. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-camille-texting-band/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “For months, I wrote every text my friend sent to the guy she was seeing”"><span data-title="Related: “For months, I wrote every text my friend sent to the guy she was seeing”"><em><strong>Related:</strong> “For months, I wrote every text my friend sent to the guy she was seeing”</em></span></span></a></p>
  5521. <p>This happened enough times that it started to seem pretty odd. So, one time, I decided to follow him. I crept after him in the dark and waited at the bottom of the stairs. I heard Will in the living room, talking with his dad. He was crying and repeating what I’d said to him. Then his dad told him exactly how he should respond. Suddenly, I put it all together: Will’s dad had been spoon-feeding him all of his arguments about why we should stay together. I was shocked. I&#8217;d suspected that something weird was going on, but I wasn’t expecting <em>that</em>.</p>
  5522. <p>I confronted Will on the stairs. My basic point was, &#8220;What the hell—Have you ever had an original thought in your life?&#8221; The conversation didn’t get any further, though, because he wouldn’t stop crying. I tried to wait it out, but I just couldn’t. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, and the only thing that calmed him down was calling off the break-up.</p>
  5523. <p>I wasn’t leaving for Europe just yet, but my parents had bought a house in Cornwall, and I moved in with them temporarily. Will was at school, about an hour&#8217;s drive out of Toronto (he’d ditched the downtown college after my plans had changed). We saw each other once in September, when I drove to visit him while he was studying. I was still so overwhelmed by how things had gone the last time, so I decided it would be easier to pretend everything was okay. I drove back to Cornwall and didn’t see him until Thanksgiving, when the plan was for me to have dinner with him and his family.</p>
  5524. <p>On the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, I drove down to his parents’ house, as planned, with the intention of finally breaking up. My flight to France was only a week away. He wasn’t home when I arrived, so his parents let me in, and I waited in his room. I was really nervous. For twenty minutes, I just sat there, going over what I had planned to say to him in my head: <em>We have to break up; I don’t want to be in a relationship; this is over. </em>I didn’t want to be mean, but I really didn’t want to argue again. I had to spell it out for him.</p>
  5525. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-questionnaire-becca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “I started sending a 10-point questionnaire to men on dating apps”"><span data-title="Related: “I started sending a 10-point questionnaire to men on dating apps”"><em><strong>Related:</strong> “I started sending a 10-point questionnaire to men on dating apps”</em></span></span></a></p>
  5526. <p>Finally, he walked in. He could tell something was up. Before he’d even shut the door to his room, I came out with it—&#8221;We are breaking up&#8221;—and I emphasized that I really meant it this time. He just stood there, staring at me in silence. I asked if he wanted to say anything, but he didn’t respond. So I just left, crying. It’s exhausting breaking up with someone who isn’t emotionally mature enough to accept the reality of the situation. I had to pass his parents in the kitchen, but I didn’t say goodbye. I just needed to get out of there.</p>
  5527. <p>I got into my car and was about to back out of the driveway when Will’s dad ran out of the house. “Wait!” he shouted. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He yanked open my car door and told me that I didn’t need to do this. “You shouldn’t drive right now,” he said. “You should stay, and we should talk about it.”</p>
  5528. <p>I felt like there was an insect crawling up my leg and I was trying to shake it off but it wouldn’t budge. I shouted, “You <em>have</em> to let me <em>go!</em>” I was preparing to say other, potentially hurtful things,<em> </em>but thankfully he let go of the door and raised his hands in surrender. I yanked the door shut, started the car and pulled out of the driveway.</p>
  5529. <p>I felt pretty terrible afterward and was crying at the wheel for a few minutes. But, after some time, I started to feel how I imagine Nicole Kidman felt after divorcing Tom Cruise. I was finally free.</p>
  5530. <p>I’ll never understand why both Will <em>and</em> his dad were so resistant to the break-up. Am I really that special? Afterward, there was a bit of back-and-forth between Will and I, though I never initiated contact. I just started responding less and less, and eventually it tapered off naturally. We’re still Facebook friends, so I could see what he’s up to if I wanted, but I really have no desire. It’s all in the past now.</p>
  5531. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-i-tried-to-break-up-with-my-boyfriend-but-his-dad-wouldnt-let-me/">Kiss and Tell: “I tried to break up with my boyfriend, but his dad wouldn’t let me”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5532. ]]></content:encoded>
  5536. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_DADS_ARGUMENTS-1200x628-1712078894.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5537. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  5542. <item>
  5543. <title>Cottage of the Week: $5.7 million for a Caledon home with a guest house and two swimming holes</title>
  5544. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole/</link>
  5546. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5547. <pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2024 20:27:21 +0000</pubDate>
  5548. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  5549. <category><![CDATA[Caledon]]></category>
  5550. <category><![CDATA[Cottage of the Week]]></category>
  5551. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  5552. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646189</guid>
  5553.  
  5554. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 3,500-square-foot property also comes with four bedrooms, original wood beams and a river winding through a dense forest</p>
  5555. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole/">Cottage of the Week: $5.7 million for a Caledon home with a guest house and two swimming holes</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5556. ]]></description>
  5557. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646232 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-2000x1334.jpg" alt="This Caledon home is currently on the market for $5.7 million." width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5558. <p><strong>Location:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/caledon/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Caledon">Caledon</span></a><br />
  5559. </span><strong>Price:</strong> $5,750,000<br />
  5560. <strong>Size:</strong> 3,500 square feet sitting on 34 acres of land<br />
  5561. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 4<br />
  5562. <strong>Bathrooms: </strong>4<br />
  5563. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agents:</strong> Daena Allen-Noxon, <a href="https://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-740-v33x48/7328-finnerty-sdrd-caledon-east-on-l7k-1c8" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sotheby’s International Realty Canada">Sotheby’s International Realty Canada</span></a></p>
  5564. <hr />
  5565. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The place</span></h5>
  5566. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A four-bedroom, four-bathroom country home surrounded by Caledon’s meandering Coffey Creek. The place has a large stone patio, a guest house and two ponds for swimming—all sitting on 34 acres of land. Motorists are a short drive from Highways 7 and 9 as well as a number of hiking trails and clubs for golfing, skiing and horseback riding. </span></p>
  5567. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The history</span></h5>
  5568. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original stone cottage was built nearly a century ago. Renowned architect <a href="https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/plaques/b-napier-simpson-jr-1925-1978" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Napier Simpson">Napier Simpson</span></a> then designed its extension in the ’70s, with more upgrades (the sunroom, family room and main bedroom) completed by Armstrong Molesworth in the ’90s. Now, the current owners are ready for a change of pace and are putting the house up for sale.</span></p>
  5569. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-georgian-bay-peaks-chalet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="$2.6 million for a Georgian Bay chalet sandwiched between the slopes and the water">$2.6 million for a Georgian Bay chalet sandwiched between the slopes and the water</span></a></em></p>
  5570. <h5>The tour</h5>
  5571. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The entrance—shaded by mature trees—is flanked by the ’70s extension on the left and the original stone structure on the right.</span></p>
  5572. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646217 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-1-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The original stone cottage if on the right while the 1970s extension is on the left. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-1-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-1-scaled-1536x1024-1712078786.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-1-scaled-2048x1366-1712078791.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5573. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the foyer, Palladian windows add some drama to the angular door.</span></p>
  5574. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646218 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Renowned architect Napier Simpson designed the cottage's extension. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5575. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This reverse angle shows off the original beams, which appear throughout. </span></p>
  5576. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646219 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Here's the foyer, which bridges old and new. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-3-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5577. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The sitting room is located in the old house and is lined with barn-board panels.</span></p>
  5578. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646220 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The sitting room is lined with barn board siding. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-4-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5579. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s a closer look at the wood-burning stone fireplace.</span></p>
  5580. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646221 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Nothing quite like an original wood-burning fireplace with stone surround. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-5-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5581. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next door is the dining room, which doubles as a sunroom. It has wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows with sliding doors that exit onto a stone patio. Despite its old-fashioned look, the flagstone floor is heated. </span></p>
  5582. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646222 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The dining room doubles as a sunroom with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-6-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5583. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the kitchen: cathedral ceilings, granite counters and an electric cooktop.</span></p>
  5584. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646223 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-2000x1333.jpg" alt="A cathedral ceiling crowns the kitchen. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-8-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5585. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The living room brings more ecclesiastical vibes—along with double doors that walk out to the back patio and a wall of windows that frames the ponds.</span></p>
  5586. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646227 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The windows here frame the ponds like a picture. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-11-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5587. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The main bedroom also walks out to the patio and comes with tray ceilings and an ensuite bathroom.</span></p>
  5588. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646228 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The main bedroom has three sets of windows and an ensuite bathroom. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-12-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5589. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s that ensuite, fitted with a soaker tub, a standing shower and a skylight.</span></p>
  5590. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646229 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-2000x1334.jpg" alt="There's a super-wide vanity in the ensuite. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-13-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5591. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This secondary bedroom has a bay window and a bench.</span></p>
  5592. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646230 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Note the bay window in the second bedroom. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-15-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5593. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And this bedroom in the attic also has a three-piece ensuite.</span></p>
  5594. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646231 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-2000x1334.jpg" alt="This bedroom is located in the attic. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-16-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5595. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moving outside reveals the stone patio and lounge.</span></p>
  5596. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646232 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The rear of the home is defined by its large stone patio. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-17-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5597. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s a look at the picturesque view. </span></p>
  5598. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646233 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Could you picture a more Canadian setting? " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-18-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5599. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ponds are swimmable and home to wildlife such as ducks and herrings.</span></p>
  5600. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646235 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/phorto-19-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Look out for ducks and herrings when taking a dip. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/phorto-19-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/phorto-19-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/phorto-19-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/phorto-19-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/phorto-19-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5601. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now for an aerial view of the property.</span></p>
  5602. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646236 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-2000x1500.jpg" alt="Coffey Creek winds through the property. " width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-20-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5603. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Coffey Creek cuts through the property, which means plenty of bridges scattered throughout.</span></p>
  5604. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646238 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photro-21-2000x1334.jpg" alt="One of multiple bridges peppered throughout. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photro-21-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photro-21-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photro-21-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photro-21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photro-21-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5605. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Across from the main residence is the one-bedroom, one-bathroom guest house, which is equipped with a kitchen, a dining room and a living room.</span></p>
  5606. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646240 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-22-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The guest house has a bathroom and bedroom. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-22-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-22-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-22-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-22-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5607. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The in-ground pool and patio are off the living room, which is defined by its many windows.</span></p>
  5608. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646245 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-23-2000x1334.jpg" alt="It also has an in-ground pool. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-23-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-23-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-23-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-23-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-23-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5609. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, here&#8217;s the guest bedroom, with its own ensuite and a terrific view of the greenery.</span></p>
  5610. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646246 size-large" title="toronto-life-cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-24-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The guest room, overlooking the beautiful forest. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-24-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-24-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/photo-24-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5611. <hr />
  5612. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  5613. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/cottage-of-the-week-swimming-hole/">Cottage of the Week: $5.7 million for a Caledon home with a guest house and two swimming holes</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5614. ]]></content:encoded>
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  5619. <media:copyright>Crossdim</media:copyright>
  5620. <media:title></media:title>
  5621. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  5623. </item>
  5624. <item>
  5625. <title>“My postpartum burnout nearly broke me. Now, I’ve opened a postnatal retreat for new parents”</title>
  5626. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/melissa-gallagher-postpartum-burnout-anxiety-alma-care/</link>
  5628. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maddy Mahoney]]></dc:creator>
  5629. <pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:18:13 +0000</pubDate>
  5630. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  5631. <category><![CDATA[alma retreat]]></category>
  5632. <category><![CDATA[Melissa Gallagher]]></category>
  5633. <category><![CDATA[Memoir]]></category>
  5634. <category><![CDATA[post natal care]]></category>
  5635. <category><![CDATA[post natal retreat]]></category>
  5636. <category><![CDATA[postpartum]]></category>
  5637. <category><![CDATA[pregnancy]]></category>
  5638. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646138</guid>
  5639.  
  5640. <description><![CDATA[<p>After Melissa Gallagher gave birth, she was shocked by how little support new parents receive. So she co-founded Alma Care, the country’s first postnatal retreat, to fill the gap</p>
  5641. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/melissa-gallagher-postpartum-burnout-anxiety-alma-care/">“My postpartum burnout nearly broke me. Now, I’ve opened a postnatal retreat for new parents”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5642. ]]></description>
  5643. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646139" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3064-scaled.jpg" alt="Melissa with her daughter, playing in her daughters room on the floor" width="2560" height="1709" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3064-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3064-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3064-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3064-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5644. <p>I met my partner, Jeff Ross, in 2016, when I was 31. After we’d been seeing each other for about a year and a half, we had our first conversation about kids. We were on our way to a Leafs game, and the idea of freezing embryos came up. By then, we knew we wanted to spend our lives together and build a family—but we didn’t know exactly what the timeline would look like, since we’re both very career focused. Jeff works in city building, and I work in retail strategy and operations. I wanted us to have the flexibility of knowing that we had IVF as a backup, an insurance policy for our family.</p>
  5645. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/my-psychotic-break-the-postpartum-nightmare-no-one-talks-about/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: My psychotic break—the postpartum nightmare no one talks about"><em><strong>Related:</strong> My psychotic break—the postpartum nightmare no one talks about</em></span></a></p>
  5646. <p>After a ton of research, we froze our first round of embryos in 2020. Then, right afterward, we got pregnant on our own. We were ready to bring a child into our lives, so it was an exciting time—until I miscarried in the first trimester. Even though I was disappointed, I knew that this was exactly why we’d started the IVF process. No matter how healthy you are, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to get pregnant easily. So we moved forward with in vitro, and it worked. By mid-2021, I was pregnant again.</p>
  5647. <p>Of course, I knew then how quickly things could change. For the first three months of my pregnancy, I was really worried. I breathed a sigh of relief when I entered my second trimester, when the odds of miscarrying go down significantly. My water broke in March 2022, and we headed straight to Mount Sinai.</p>
  5648. <p>It was a long birth. There was a <em>Friends</em> marathon on TV that I watched in its entirety—twice. I was at the hospital for 36 hours, but in the end, the birth went smoothly. The doctors and nurses were incredible, and holding my daughter for the first time was the most amazing natural high.</p>
  5649. <p>After she was born, they wheeled us onto another floor, where doctors and nurses came through frequently to check on the baby. They made sure she was eating and sleeping properly and checked her hearing. She got amazing care. Meanwhile, though, I had bled through the cute pyjamas everyone had told me to wear; after 24 hours, the team basically asked me if I had peed. They also made us go through an old PowerPoint presentation. I don’t remember what was in it—I was not in a place where I could take in a lot of new information. After that, we were discharged.</p>
  5650. <p>It wasn’t until I got home that I realized how unprepared I felt. I’d done all this research ahead of time, including prenatal courses, and I had every baby gadget—but suddenly there were so many questions I didn’t have answers to. I started googling everything: <em>How often do I feed the baby? Every two hours on the dot, all day? What temperature should her room be? What kind of clothes should she sleep in?</em></p>
  5651. <p>Luckily, I was still running on adrenalin and the all-consuming love I felt for my daughter. It really seemed like my partner and I could overcome any challenge through sheer willpower. At that point, I thought that I could start being a mom without changing the rest of my routine. I stayed on top of updating our friends and family even though I wasn’t getting any rest. My daughter was actually a good sleeper, but I had to wake up to feed her every couple of hours. The idea that my days wouldn’t have definitive beginnings or ends was overwhelming to me. I tried to keep waking up at 7 a.m. to shower, have a matcha latte and start my day. After about a week, the relentless 24/7 demands caught up to me, and I started to slow down.</p>
  5652. <p>In those first few weeks, we went to a ton of check-in appointments for my daughter. Meanwhile, my body was struggling to recover. I’d experienced a lot more bleeding than was normal during the birth and in the weeks after. Breastfeeding was wildly painful—I bled during that too, and even just pumping milk really hurt. As the adrenalin wore off, the exhaustion started to hit me. Still, I told myself everything was fine. <em>Postpartum is supposed to be hard</em>. <em>I’ve got this. I can do hard things. </em>When I had my first check-up, around the six-week mark, the doctor essentially touched my belly, asked if I was taking my postnatal vitamins and sent me on my way.</p>
  5653. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/10-dollar-day-care-opt-out-affordability/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;My son&#8217;s daycare can&#8217;t afford to stay in the $10-a-day program. Now, we&#8217;ll have to pay an extra $800 a month&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;My son&#8217;s daycare can&#8217;t afford to stay in the $10-a-day program. Now, we&#8217;ll have to pay an extra $800 a month&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  5654. <p>Around the same time, one of my daughter’s vision tests was inconclusive. This can be normal early on, but she was six weeks old. The nurse at our family clinic was concerned. She sent us to SickKids. Forty-eight hours later, a doctor at the ophthalmology department took one look at our daughter and diagnosed her with infant cataracts. I couldn’t believe it—he’d only been with her for 30 seconds. But he was sure. We soon found out that, if she wasn’t operated on by the time she was eight weeks old, she could be blind for life.</p>
  5655. <p>I was in shock: we&#8217;d thought we had a perfectly healthy baby. They took her for bloodwork right away—she’d never been pricked by a needle before. From there, everything moved quickly, and in the following days, I started to spiral. <em>Was there anything I&#8217;d done during my pregnancy that could have caused this?</em></p>
  5656. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-646141 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3248-scaled.jpg" alt="Melissa holding her daughter, standing in front of the window at her home" width="2560" height="1709" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3248-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3248-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3248-2000x1335.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3248-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3248-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3248-2048x1367.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5657. <p>We weren’t able to schedule her surgery until just after she was eight weeks old, but it was still early enough to do the procedure without too much risk. Once we were in the waiting room, though, it kept getting delayed. Covid was wreaking havoc on the health care system. After a while, they came out to tell us that they’d have to reschedule—but we didn’t know how long it would be until they could fit her in. We just couldn’t accept it. We pulled the doctors and nurses aside and pleaded with them to reconsider. Finally, they agreed to perform the surgery that day. We were immensely grateful.</p>
  5658. <p>The operation went perfectly, and after that we focused on her recovery. She had stitches and had to wear goggles. They also gave her tiny contacts, which we had to learn to get in and out of her eyes. She was doing well, but I couldn’t stop worrying. I was anxious about protecting and taking care of her. Every little decision felt like life or death. Even with the stress mounting, I told myself over and over again that I was fine. The idea that maybe I wasn’t coping—I couldn’t even let it enter my mind.</p>
  5659. <p>In November of 2022, my mom and I took my daughter to visit family for American Thanksgiving. My mom ended up being sick, though, so I was taking care of the baby solo for the very first time. All my regular stressors felt even more intense, and when I got back, my partner told me how much he had enjoyed his five days home alone. I knew he needed the recovery time too, but in that moment, I started to realize that I hadn’t had a minute to myself. The thought emerged for the first time: <em>Maybe I’m not okay. </em></p>
  5660. <p>Soon after that, I hit a breaking point. I don’t remember what prompted it, but I found myself kneeling on the floor, baby in hand, sobbing and pleading with my partner to get me help. I told him over and over again that I was not okay, that I was broken and that something needed to change.</p>
  5661. <p>It was only then that I started to acknowledge the burnout and postpartum anxiety I’d been feeling since my daughter was born. Finally, I’d said it out loud, and now we could get proper supports in place. We were able to formalize arrangements with family members for extra child care, and I could use that time to look after my own mental health.</p>
  5662. <p>As all of this was happening, I’d started talking more and more with friends who were also newly postpartum. Even though the details of everyone’s journey were different, I realized that my experience was common—many had received stitches after giving birth that had never healed because they were pushing themselves too hard. Others had also experienced painful lactation and just assumed it was normal. Almost everyone was unbelievably exhausted.</p>
  5663. <p>I started jotting down business ideas in my notes app, thinking through the most important parts of the postpartum journey and the places where new parents often need extra support. I ran my thoughts past friends and heard that someone I knew, Hana McConville, was working on an idea for a postnatal retreat. I’d been the VP of marketing at Freshii when she co-founded Greenhouse Juice, so we’d met many times. Our mutual friends were telling us both that we needed to connect, so we did.</p>
  5664. <p>Hana’s experience of giving birth was very different from mine. Her family is from Singapore, and she had the chance to do what they call “sitting the month.” For 40 days after the birth, she didn’t leave her house at all. She had a confinement nurse who provided 24/7 live-in care, and she was able to focus on her own recovery as well as her baby. She told me how, in Singapore, they have centres where mothers can go to sit the month if it isn’t feasible for them to do so at home.</p>
  5665. <p>With support from a venture fund, we opened Alma Care in Yorkville in November 2023. It’s the first postnatal retreat in Canada. Birth parents—and their partners, if they wish—stay in private suites that are stocked with baby supplies, and we provide a full menu of meals designed to aid their recovery. During the retreat, they get 24/7 access to a network of experienced professionals led by advising doctors, nurses, midwives, postpartum doulas and lactation consultants, all of whom provide individualized care as well as communal workshops. They help new parents get comfortable, tell them what’s normal and what’s not, and walk them through all the little moments they might otherwise have to navigate alone. Parents also have access to wellness services like mental health support and massages, and we check up on everyone once they’ve gone home. For people who aren’t financially or geographically able to stay at the centre, we also offer home care, virtual consultations and free educational resources on our website.</p>
  5666. <p>Co-founding Alma Care has been wildly fulfilling for me. No matter what state parents arrive in, by the time they leave, they often tell us that the experience was life changing. A lot of parents come straight from the hospital, but we had a couple recently whose child was almost four months old when they arrived. Their baby just would not sleep, and the parents had hit a wall. It was amazing watching them get the help they needed. It’s not uncommon for people to shed tears of joy in the parents’ lounge. Watching it all has made me so excited to try for another baby—this time, I know I’ll have everything I need right from the start.</p>
  5667. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/melissa-gallagher-postpartum-burnout-anxiety-alma-care/">“My postpartum burnout nearly broke me. Now, I’ve opened a postnatal retreat for new parents”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  5672. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/LL_DSC3064-scaled-1200x628-1711989405.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  5673. <media:copyright>Lucy Lu</media:copyright>
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  5678. <item>
  5679. <title>What to see, do, hear and read in Toronto this April</title>
  5680. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/what-to-see-do-hear-and-read-in-toronto-this-april/</link>
  5682. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5683. <pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2024 14:05:11 +0000</pubDate>
  5684. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  5685. <category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
  5686. <category><![CDATA[David Sedaris]]></category>
  5687. <category><![CDATA[Dressed to Kilt]]></category>
  5688. <category><![CDATA[Mariah the Scientist]]></category>
  5689. <category><![CDATA[MOCA]]></category>
  5690. <category><![CDATA[Rachel Khong]]></category>
  5691. <category><![CDATA[Searching for Eastman]]></category>
  5692. <category><![CDATA[shelley niro]]></category>
  5693. <category><![CDATA[what to do in april]]></category>
  5694. <category><![CDATA[Woking Phoenix]]></category>
  5695. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645998</guid>
  5696.  
  5697. <description><![CDATA[<p>An evening of synth-driven indie rock, a Scottish fashion show, a multimedia exhibition of Indigenous art, and more </p>
  5698. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/what-to-see-do-hear-and-read-in-toronto-this-april/">What to see, do, hear and read in Toronto this April</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5699. ]]></description>
  5700. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646023 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL02.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL02.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL02-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL02-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
  5701. <h5><a href="https://www.historytoronto.com/events/detail/belle-sebastian" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A twee pop band’s radiant return">A twee pop band’s radiant return</span></a></h5>
  5702. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">1</span> Despite keeping a low profile, Scottish band Belle and Sebastian have earned a loyal following and remain beloved by fans after 12 albums and almost 30 years. Their return to the stage has been a long time coming: a planned North American tour was scheduled to stop in Toronto last spring, but the whole thing was cancelled when band member Stuart Murdoch fell ill. Now back in action, the group is passing through the city to promote their surprise 2023 album, <em>Late Developers</em>—an easy-listening mix of Belle and Sebastian’s trademark whimsical synth-pop and indie-rock sound. <em>History, April 29</em></p>
  5703. <h5><a href="https://moca.ca/exhibitions/greater-toronto-art-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A survey of the city’s creative landscape">A survey of the city’s creative landscape</span></a></h5>
  5704. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">2</span> Like a rare flower, MOCA’s celebration of local Toronto artists blooms just once every three years. As the only recurring institutional exhibition dedicated to artists from the GTA, it isn’t one to miss. The show will take over three floors of the museum and exhibit a wide array of works from the 1960s to today. It features 25 artists, duos and collectives, including Timothy Yanick Hunter, Sukaina Kubba and Lotus Laurie Kang, across mediums ranging from sculpture to performance. This year’s theme, “difference as a point of understanding and connection,” couldn’t be more on-brand for Toronto. <em>MOCA, March 22 to July 28</em></p>
  5705. <h5><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646024" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL03.jpg" alt="Woking Phoenix at Theatre Passe Muraille" width="831" height="514" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL03.jpg 831w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL03-300x186.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL03-768x475.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 831px) 100vw, 831px" /></h5>
  5706. <h5><a href="https://www.passemuraille.ca/woking-phoenix/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A tale of family sacrifice and survival">A tale of family sacrifice and survival</span></a></h5>
  5707. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">3</span> After their mother’s death, three estranged siblings find themselves in charge of her legacy: the Woking Phoenix, a Chinese restaurant in small-town Ontario. <em>Woking Phoenix</em>, a new play at Theatre Passe Muraille, serves up a tale of generational love, family sacrifice and food across two decades. It was created by the Silk Bath Collective, a collaboration between Toronto theatre makers Bessie Cheng, Aaron Jan and Gloria Mok. <em>Theatre Passe Muraille, April 12 to 27</em></p>
  5708. <h5><a href="https://masseyhall.mhrth.com/tickets/david-sedaris/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A conversation with a best­selling funny man">A conversation with a best­selling funny man</span></a></h5>
  5709. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">4</span> How does author and humourist David Sedaris spend a pandemic? Vacuuming and wondering how the acupuncturists are doing, it turns out. The writer’s latest book, 2022’s <em>Happy-Go-Lucky</em>, chronicles his experience before, during and after the pandemic—a period that coincided with the death of his father and his travels through a Covid-ravaged America. For one night, Sedaris will visit Massey Hall to share new stories, answer questions and sign books, offering the poignant and hilarious commentary he’s known for on our unprecedented times. <em>Massey Hall, April 7</em></p>
  5710. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646025 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL05.jpg" alt="Mariah the Scientist" width="2000" height="1377" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL05.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL05-300x207.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL05-768x529.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL05-1536x1058.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
  5711. <h5><a href="https://www.ticketmaster.ca/mariah-the-scientist-toronto-ontario-04-02-2024/event/10005F74D9CF37F7" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A rising songwriter tours her latest record">A rising songwriter tours her latest record</span></a></h5>
  5712. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">5</span> Up-and-coming R&amp;B singer Mariah the Scientist seems to have a sweet spot for this city: her 2022 single “Christmas in Toronto” waxes poetic about waking up to a lover here before jetting off to Atlanta. Now touring Europe, the US and Canada for her third album, <em>To Be Eaten Alive</em>, the artist is returning for a show at the Danforth Music Hall. Let’s hope the good feelings are still there. <em>Danforth Music Hall, April 2</em></p>
  5713. <h5><a href="https://www.canadianstage.com/shows-events/season/searching-for-eastman" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A genre-bending show about a visionary artist">A genre-bending show about a visionary artist</span></a></h5>
  5714. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">6</span> American composer Julius Eastman was a trailblazer of minimalist and experimental music who injected his identity as a queer Black man into his works—something of a radical act in 1970s New York. After his death in 1990, Eastman left behind a rich artistic legacy, which is now being celebrated in <em>Searching for Eastman</em>, a new four-act show that combines music, poetry, theatre and dance. Created by the Wind in the Leaves Collective and based on the writings of Toronto poet, playwright and performer Charles C. Smith, each act interprets one of Eastman’s compositions, including <em>Prelude to St. Joan</em>, <em>Stay On It</em> and <em>Gay Guerilla</em>. <em>Berkeley Street Theatre, April 4 to 7</em></p>
  5715. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646026" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL06.jpg" alt="Dressed to Kilt, an international Scottish fashion show" width="2000" height="1335" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL06.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL06-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL06-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL06-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5716. <h5><a href="https://www.dressedtokilt.com/about-3" class="article-link"><span data-title="A celebratory night of Caledonian culture">A celebratory night of Caledonian culture</span></a></h5>
  5717. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">7</span> For the first time, globally acclaimed Scottish fashion show Dressed to Kilt is coming to Canada. Since being founded by Sean Connery and Geoffrey Scott Carroll in 2003, the annual celebration of Caledonian dress has become an international phenomenon, with stars like Mike Myers, Anne Hathaway and Joan Jett gracing its runways. This northern edition will feature fashions inspired by hunting, riding, hiking, skating and skiing, showcased by a slate of A-list models including soccer legend Christine Sinclair and the National Ballet of Canada’s Guillaume Côté. <em>Liberty Grand, April 6</em></p>
  5718. <h5><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/725682/real-americans-by-rachel-khong/9780593537251" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A thrilling novel about choice and destiny">A thrilling novel about choice and destiny</span></a></h5>
  5719. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">8</span> How much of who you are is baked into your DNA or inherited through generations of culture clashes, migration and trauma? It’s a question that writers like E. J. Koh and Kyo Maclear have wrestled with in recent books that trace the lives of ancestors and their progeny. To this roster comes <em>Real Americans</em>, a new novel by <em>Goodbye, Vitamin</em> author Rachel Khong. The book follows a Y2K romance between a second-generation immigrant and a privileged East Coaster—and their son’s present-day search for a father he never knew. <em>Out April 30</em></p>
  5720. <h5><a href="https://www.bulgergallery.com/forthcoming-exhibitions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A multimedia show with an Indigenous lens">A multimedia show with an Indigenous lens</span></a></h5>
  5721. <p><span class="pretty-numbers">9</span> For over 40 years, Brantford-based Mohawk artist Shelley Niro has been using photography, film, painting and sculpture to portray Indigenous women and girls as they are as opposed to how they’re depicted in mainstream media, touching on themes of matriarchy, history and family relationships. Fresh off the heels of her new anthology, <em>500 Year Itch</em>, the artist is taking over Dundas West’s Stephen Bulger Gallery in a solo multimedia exhibition called <em>Silent, Waiting, Moving, Loud</em>. We caught up with Niro to talk about her new show, self-representation in art, and how she recasts residential schools through an Indigenous lens. <em>Stephen Bulger Gallery, until April 27</em></p>
  5722. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646027" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL09.jpg" alt="Raven's Hair by Mohawk artist Shelley Niro" width="2000" height="1487" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL09.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL09-300x223.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL09-768x571.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL09-1536x1142.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  5723. <p><strong>Subject:</strong> “This is my granddaughter Raven when she was around 13. She was going to cut her long hair, so I made her pose for me first.”</p>
  5724. <p><strong>Branches:</strong> “I got these branches from a friend who cut her bushes and was about to put them in the garbage. I spread them out on a white background and then inverted the colours.”</p>
  5725. <p><strong>Moon:</strong> “I come from an ancient tribe that loves the moon, and I’m obsessed with it too. I enjoy taking photos of it, capturing it and almost holding it in my camera.”</p>
  5726. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646028" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL07.jpg" alt="Mohawk Chapel by Indigenous artist Shelley Niro" width="1318" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL07.jpg 1318w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL07-198x300.jpg 198w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL07-768x1165.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL07-1012x1536.jpg 1012w" sizes="(max-width: 1318px) 100vw, 1318px" /></p>
  5727. <p><strong>Setting:</strong> “This is Mohawk Chapel in Brantford, around 1940. These kids are coming out of the church in their uniforms, and the teacher is looking at them, making sure they’re standing in line. It’s disturbing to see these photographs of residential schools and how the kids are dressed and regimented. It’s a reminder of what Indian kids and families had to go through in that period. It’s like they’re in jail.”</p>
  5728. <p><strong>Girls:</strong> “We can never get tired of talking about how girls during this period were trained to be domestic help. It’s called a residential ‘school,’ but they didn’t learn anything besides how to make beds. Yet there’s one little girl looking at the camera with a big smile on her face. I think it’s such a strange photograph. Why is she so happy? But, at the same time, you don’t want to paint everyone as being sad, mistreated and abused.”</p>
  5729. <p><strong>Beadwork frame:</strong> “I wanted the viewer to know they’re looking at this picture through Indigenous eyes. I made the frame really pretty, because what’s going on inside of it isn’t.”</p>
  5730. <p><strong>Metal discs:</strong> “I go to consignment stores to buy things I can take apart and reuse. These discs came from a belt. They look like silver, which was an important material in Iroquois jewellery from the 1700s onward.”</p>
  5731. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-646029" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL08.jpg" alt="War by Mohawk artist Shelley Niro" width="1398" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL08.jpg 1398w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL08-210x300.jpg 210w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL08-768x1099.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL08-1074x1536.jpg 1074w" sizes="(max-width: 1398px) 100vw, 1398px" /></p>
  5732. <p><strong>Man:</strong> “This is a young man from Six Nations that I photographed about 20 years ago. His name is Chris White.”</p>
  5733. <p><strong>Background:</strong> “I did an installation called La Pieta that had different images of the Mohawk Valley and landscape. This piece condenses that work into one image: it has the body of a young man and the landscape, two things that are destroyed in times of war.”</p>
  5734. <p><strong>River:</strong> “This is the Grand River in Ontario. It’s a contentious issue for Six Nations people. We were originally given six miles on both sides of the river, from the source to the mouth, but now we have hardly any of that. The rest has been squatted on, occupied and stolen.”</p>
  5735. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/what-to-see-do-hear-and-read-in-toronto-this-april/">What to see, do, hear and read in Toronto this April</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
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  5741. <media:copyright>Roberto Finizio/NurPhoto</media:copyright>
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  5747. <title>&#8220;Christianity was a radical, socialist, queer idea from the get-go&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Anthony Oliveira on his biblical new novel, Dayspring</title>
  5748. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/anthony-oliveira-dayspring-queer-christianity/</link>
  5750. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5751. <pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2024 13:50:53 +0000</pubDate>
  5752. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  5753. <category><![CDATA[Anthony Oliveira]]></category>
  5754. <category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
  5755. <category><![CDATA[dayspring]]></category>
  5756. <category><![CDATA[LGBTQ]]></category>
  5757. <category><![CDATA[literature]]></category>
  5758. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646035</guid>
  5759.  
  5760. <description><![CDATA[<p>The comic book writer and author talks growing up queer under Catholicism, finding humour in the Bible and learning self-acceptance from <em>X-Men</em></p>
  5761. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/anthony-oliveira-dayspring-queer-christianity/">&#8220;Christianity was a radical, socialist, queer idea from the get-go&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Anthony Oliveira on his biblical new novel, &lt;em&gt;Dayspring&lt;/em&gt;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5762. ]]></description>
  5763. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-646036 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL01-1.jpg" alt="Anthony Oliveira, author of Dayspring, out April 2" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL01-1.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL01-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL01-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CULTURE_FINAL01-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
  5764. <p><em>From Toronto comic book writer, multiple National Magazine Award winner and theology podcaster Anthony Oliveira comes a truly original, genre-bending new novel with a surprising inspiration: the Bible. </em>Dayspring<em> is a collection of queer, erotic and deeply moving love stories about prophets, saints and disciples. It draws from the author’s life and 2,000 years of theology, blending the sacred and historical with the intimately personal. We spoke with Oliveira about faith, love and queering Christianity. </em></p>
  5765. <hr />
  5766. <p><strong>The stories in this book are told out of order. Why write it that way?</strong><br />
  5767. That’s how memory works: we remember the events of our lives as they come to us, not in chronological order. It’s also how many Christians encounter these stories: not in the order they were written but according to whatever sermon was given at church that week. I wanted to steal from that experience to make the reader encounter these narratives in new ways.</p>
  5768. <p><strong>What are some of the narratives?</strong><br />
  5769. There’s the story of David and Jonathan, from the Hebrew bible. It’s a love story, but because it’s often presented in fragments, many people miss what it’s really about. There are also narratives from the Book of Revelation and various saints. And then, of course, there’s the story of the death and resurrection of Christ.</p>
  5770. <p><strong>And who is the narrator?</strong><b><br />
  5771. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I stole a trick from the Gospel of John, in which the narrator never reveals his identity, but John’s name is conspicuously missing from the text. It’s the same here, but the narrator isn’t just John—it’s another character from the gospels (I won’t spoil it). And, also, the character is me: my own memoir is tangled into this book.</span></p>
  5772. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/sheila-heti-the-alphabetical-diaries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="&#8220;I don&#8217;t think novels have messages&#8221;—A Q&amp;A with Sheila Heti">&#8220;I don&#8217;t think novels have messages&#8221;—A Q&amp;A with Sheila Heti</span></a></em></p>
  5773. <p><strong>How is your own story presented in the book?</strong><br />
  5774. I’ve known for a long time that this was going to be a story I would tell—I wrote two of the scenes when I was 16. One of the aims of this book is to archive queer desire and its relationship to the Christianity I grew up with. I went to an all-boys Catholic school and was an altar boy, and my parents hoped I would be a priest one day. I think you have to come to faith by wrestling with it, and this text is a history of that wrestling.</p>
  5775. <p><strong>What&#8217;s your relationship to faith like these days?</strong><br />
  5776. I feel like this book is the answer to that question. It shows a character that very much wants to believe but also feels abandoned by the communities and structures of the faith. There was a time in my life when I was in the care of these communities, and they mistreated me. And yet, when I stub my toe, it’s a Portuguese &#8220;Ave Maria&#8221; that comes out. It’s the only faith I’ve ever known.</p>
  5777. <p><strong><em>Dayspring</em> started out as a short story. What made you want to turn it into a novel?</strong><br />
  5778. The short story emerged when I was working with Jordan Ginsberg, the editor-in-chief of <em>Hazlitt</em>, on a piece I wrote about the Bruce McArthur trial and arrest, “Death in the Village.” Jordan asked me if I had anything else I wanted to write, and we organized a short version of this piece, which is now the first section of the book.</p>
  5779. <p><strong>How does Toronto figure into it all?</strong><br />
  5780. It’s a very Toronto book. The narrator walks along the waterfront and sees cormorants and sumac trees, and there’s one scene that clearly takes place on the cruising grounds at Cherry Beach. There’s another scene in which the disciple and Christ are caught making out in a bar window, and there’s only one window in the city it could be—let’s just say I worked at Glad Day Bookshop for a while.</p>
  5781. <p><strong>You’ve written a gay love story about Christ and other biblical figures. Some people may get riled up about that.</strong><br />
  5782. It’s funny to imagine people being mad about any depiction of a Christ who is loving. If there’s anything worth saving about Christianity—and maybe there isn’t—it’s the idea that God was once a human being, and therefore there’s nothing about us that is unworthy of love.</p>
  5783. <p><strong>There are also some surprisingly funny passages, like Jesus screaming at a fig tree for “like, forty-five minutes.” How did you find humour in the Bible?</strong><br />
  5784. The Bible is funny! That part is from the Gospel of Mark, and right after it, there’s a line that says, “And his disciples heard it.” It’s right out of <em>The Office</em>, where it pans to the people listening and they’re all making eye contact.</p>
  5785. <p><strong>Your side gig is writing Marvel comics. How do these interests fit together?</strong><br />
  5786. When I was a kid, I prayed a lot that I wouldn’t be queer. I remember one <em>X-Men</em> cartoon in which a mutant observes people who hate her and asks, “What’s wrong with me, then?” Either she’s wrong or they are. Pop culture gave me a way to understand my experience: the belief system she inherited was flawed, and so was mine.</p>
  5787. <p><strong>What do you want readers to come away with?</strong><br />
  5788. I hope the book makes people feel seen in a way they haven’t before. Our culture is seeing a return to something that was stolen from us, which is a recognition that Christianity was a radical, socialist, queer idea from the get-go—one of the first people Christ converted was an Ethiopian eunuch, a racial and sexual minority. Whether it&#8217;s through Sufjan Stevens, Lil Nas X or Kai Cheng Thom, we’re seeing a queer return to Christianity, a way of recognizing the dignity of a person in a way other than their market value. I want people to read this and say, “This is the Christ that I knew existed but that everyone has been hiding from me.”</p>
  5789. <hr />
  5790. <p><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
  5791. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/anthony-oliveira-dayspring-queer-christianity/">&#8220;Christianity was a radical, socialist, queer idea from the get-go&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Anthony Oliveira on his biblical new novel, &lt;em&gt;Dayspring&lt;/em&gt;</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5792. ]]></content:encoded>
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  5797. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  5798. <media:title></media:title>
  5799. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  5800. </media:content>
  5801. </item>
  5802. <item>
  5803. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Bar Ardo, a new Sicilian-inspired cocktail bar</title>
  5804. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-bar-ardo-a-new-sicilian-inspired-cocktail-bar/</link>
  5806. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  5807. <pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:59:55 +0000</pubDate>
  5808. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  5809. <category><![CDATA[Ardo]]></category>
  5810. <category><![CDATA[Bar Ardo]]></category>
  5811. <category><![CDATA[Cocktail Bar]]></category>
  5812. <category><![CDATA[Cocktails]]></category>
  5813. <category><![CDATA[Dova]]></category>
  5814. <category><![CDATA[Italian]]></category>
  5815. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  5816. <category><![CDATA[Roberto Marotta]]></category>
  5817. <category><![CDATA[St. Lawrence]]></category>
  5818. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=646059</guid>
  5819.  
  5820. <description><![CDATA[<p>It’s from the team behind Italian restaurants Ardo and Dova</p>
  5821. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-bar-ardo-a-new-sicilian-inspired-cocktail-bar/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Bar Ardo, a new Sicilian-inspired cocktail bar</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5822. ]]></description>
  5823. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645516" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-scaled.jpg" alt="Raw Nova Scotia scallops finished with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, a touch of salt and a dash of fennel powder" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-2048x1639.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5824. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-new-restaurants">
  5825.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More New Restaurants</h2>
  5826.  
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  5832.    </button>
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  5841. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-frenchy-hilton-toronto-financial-district-bar-brasserie/"  data-label="Slot 1">
  5842.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-bartender-803x603-1710431608.jpg" alt="What&amp;&#x23;8217&#x3B;s&#x20;on&#x20;the&#x20;menu&#x20;at&#x20;Frenchy,&#x20;Hilton&#x20;Toronto&amp;&#x23;8217&#x3B;s&#x20;new&#x20;lobby&#x20;bar&#x20;and&#x20;brasserie" />
  5843. </a>
  5844. </div>
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  5851.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  5852.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
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  5858. </h2>
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  5860.  
  5861. </div>
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  5864.    
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  5876. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-sounds-good-cocktail-listening-bar/"  data-label="Slot 2">
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  5878. </a>
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  5893. </h2>
  5894.  
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  5896. </div>
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  5898. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
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  5900. </div>
  5901.  
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  5903. </article>
  5904.    
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  5906.  
  5907. <article class="feed-card feed-card-aside feed-card-aside--split ">
  5908.  
  5909.  
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  5911. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-azura-tasting-menu-restaurant-the-danforth-greektown/"  data-label="Slot 3">
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  5913. </a>
  5914. </div>
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  5922.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  5923.        </a>
  5924.    
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  5926. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  5927.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-azura-tasting-menu-restaurant-the-danforth-greektown/" class="sjmvm-link-644594 sjmvm-title-644594">What&#8217;s on the menu at Azura, a new Mediterranean restaurant on the Danforth serving blind tasting menus</a>
  5928. </h2>
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  5933. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  5934.    
  5935. </div>
  5936.  
  5937.  
  5938. </article>
  5939.  
  5940. </section>
  5941.  
  5942. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Bar Ardo<br />
  5943. <strong>Contact:</strong> 169 King St E., <a href="http://barardo.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="barardo.ca">barardo.ca</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bar.ardo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@bar.ardo">@bar.ardo</span></a><br />
  5944. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> King East<br />
  5945. <strong>Owners:</strong> Roberto Marotta and Jacqueline Nicosia (Ardo, Dova)<br />
  5946. <strong>Chef:</strong> Roberto Marotta<br />
  5947. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> One step up to get into the restaurant (there is a portable ramp); washrooms are not wheelchair accessible</p>
  5948. <p>Running a restaurant is no cakewalk—especially these days. Yet chef Roberto Marotta and Jacqueline Nicosia, partners in business and life, make it look easy. Bar Ardo, their third and latest endeavour (just down the street from their first baby, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/ardo/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Ardo">Ardo</span></a>), transforms a heritage building on King East into a splashy cocktail bar based around the couple’s globetrotting experiences. “It’s a collection of our travels together,” says Nicosia. “You know those little dishes that you think back on and they spark something? That’s what this entire place represents.”</p>
  5949. <p>In particular, the two were inspired by places they’ve been in Europe, where the dining culture is more laid back. “There&#8217;s a higher importance on enjoying life,” says Marotta, who’s put together a menu bursting with bright Mediterranean-style plates that are sure to spark all kinds of joy. It’s the type of all-encompassing place where guests can gab over late-morning brunch, stop by for a signature tipple after work and linger over a plate of wild-shrimp linguine later that evening.</p>
  5950. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-sicilian-restaurateur-celebration/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside two restaurateurs’ Sicilian wedding celebration"><strong>Related:</strong> Inside two restaurateurs’ Sicilian wedding celebration</span></a></em></p>
  5951. <p><figure id="attachment_645514" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645514" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645514" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-scaled.jpg" alt="Jacqueline Nicosia and Roberto Marotta, owners of Bar Ardo, an Italian cocktail bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-owners-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645514" class="wp-caption-text">Nicosia and Marotta</figcaption></figure><br />
  5952. &nbsp;</p>
  5953. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  5954. <p>Bar Ardo’s menu is an extension of the restaurant&#8217;s warm, inviting vibe, with lots of Sicilian influences reflective of the pair’s heritage. Marotta is from Milazzo, a port town on the northeast coast of Sicily. It’s where the couple first met 15 years ago—he was living there at the time; she was visiting family. They bonded over their shared love of food and travel and have spent their years together in Toronto, championing Sicilian ingredients and feel-good hospitality. “If you want a few things to share and nibble on, you can do that,&#8221; says Nicosia. &#8220;Or, if you want a full dinner, you can have that too.”</p>
  5955. <figure id="attachment_645515" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645515" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645515" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-romaine-scaled.jpg" alt="Sautéed curly escarole with pistachio pesto" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-romaine-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-romaine-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-romaine-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-romaine-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-romaine-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-romaine-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645515" class="wp-caption-text">Sautéed curly escarole with pistachio pesto. $14</figcaption></figure>
  5956. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5957. <figure id="attachment_645509" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645509" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645509" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cucumber-scaled.jpg" alt="A dish of cucumber spears on a bed of cannellini bean purée" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cucumber-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cucumber-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cucumber-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cucumber-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cucumber-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cucumber-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645509" class="wp-caption-text">Having enticing vegan options was really important to Marotta and Nicosia. Inspired by fresh Lebanese-style dips, the Cetriolo rests cucumber spears on a cannellini bean purée featuring an unapologetically bold hit of garlic and punchy red peppercorn flakes. $16</figcaption></figure>
  5958. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5959. <figure id="attachment_645506" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645506" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645506" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cauliflower-chickpea-fritters-scaled.jpg" alt="Roasted cauliflower and chickpea fritters" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cauliflower-chickpea-fritters-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cauliflower-chickpea-fritters-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cauliflower-chickpea-fritters-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cauliflower-chickpea-fritters-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cauliflower-chickpea-fritters-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cauliflower-chickpea-fritters-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645506" class="wp-caption-text">“This was a memory of a Moroccan dish that I had many years ago,” says Marotta of the Cavolfiore, a whole roasted cauliflower that’s first steamed and seared. It’s garnished with a Basque-style dressing of paprika, olive oil, red wine, parsley and chives. $18. (The chickpea fritters to the left are sold separately for $14.)</figcaption></figure>
  5960. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5961. <figure id="attachment_645502" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645502" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645502" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-artichokes-anchovies-scaled.jpg" alt="Confit artichokes in a breadcrumb coating, and grilled sourdough topped with whipped butter and Sicilian anchovies" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-artichokes-anchovies-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-artichokes-anchovies-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-artichokes-anchovies-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-artichokes-anchovies-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-artichokes-anchovies-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-artichokes-anchovies-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645502" class="wp-caption-text">To minimize food waste, Bar Ardo uses leftover house-made sourdough for its breadcrumbs, which are scattered across these confit artichokes (above) before they’re put in the oven. The appetizer is finished with shaved pecorino, mint, capers, herb-infused green olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. “My grandmother used to do a version with a full artichoke. There&#8217;s a lot of memory behind this dish,” says Marotta ($18). And—for a satisfyingly salty crunch—house sourdough is grilled and dressed with whipped butter and Sicilian anchovies (below). “It melts in your mouth,&#8221; says Nicosia. &#8220;It&#8217;s dangerous how delicious it is.” $13</figcaption></figure>
  5962. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5963. <figure id="attachment_645516" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645516" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645516" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-scaled.jpg" alt="Raw Nova Scotia scallops finished with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, a touch of salt and a dash of fennel powder" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-scallops-2048x1639.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645516" class="wp-caption-text">The bright and fresh Capesante has been an early favourite. “This definitely represents Sicily,” says Marotta. The vibrant dish finishes raw Nova Scotia scallops with extra-virgin olive oil (that Marotta produces in Sicily), lemon juice, a touch of salt and a dash of fennel powder. There’s also orange, cucumber and green apple for added freshness. $19</figcaption></figure>
  5964. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5965. <figure id="attachment_645513" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645513" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645513" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mussels-scaled.jpg" alt="Baked mussels topped with breadcrumbs" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mussels-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mussels-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mussels-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mussels-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mussels-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mussels-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645513" class="wp-caption-text">“We have these in Sicily every summer; it’s something my mother does,” says Marotta of Bar Ardo’s mussels au gratin. The Salt Spring Island bivalves are covered with a simple mix of sourdough breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, black pepper, salt and olive oil before they’re baked. $14</figcaption></figure>
  5966. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5967. <figure id="attachment_645505" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645505" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645505" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-beef-tartare-scaled.jpg" alt="Lightly seared beef tartare" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-beef-tartare-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-beef-tartare-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-beef-tartare-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-beef-tartare-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-beef-tartare-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-beef-tartare-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645505" class="wp-caption-text">For the Battuto di Manzo, hand-cut beef is lightly seared for a smoky flavour. Instead of shallots, chives and capers are incorporated throughout. On top, confit garlic takes the place of raw egg yolk. It&#8217;s served with sourdough crostini. $21</figcaption></figure>
  5968. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5969. <figure id="attachment_645511" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645511" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645511" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-linguine-shrimp-scaled.jpg" alt="Linguine with shrimp" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-linguine-shrimp-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-linguine-shrimp-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-linguine-shrimp-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-linguine-shrimp-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-linguine-shrimp-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-linguine-shrimp-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645511" class="wp-caption-text">This wild-shrimp linguine gets its bright-yellow hue from ground North African annatto seeds infused in olive oil. “The seeds amplify the shrimp’s umami,” says Marotta. Into the sauce also go lemon, thyme and butter. It’s finished with finely shaved tuna bottarga, a delicacy from Sicily that adds a touch of salinity and complexity. $27</figcaption></figure>
  5970. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5971. <figure id="attachment_645525" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645525" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645525" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tenderloin-scaled.jpg" alt="Steak frites" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tenderloin-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tenderloin-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tenderloin-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tenderloin-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tenderloin-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tenderloin-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645525" class="wp-caption-text">&#8220;Sometimes all you want is a nice steak,” says Marotta of Bar Ardo’s take on steak frites. The cut is a five-ounce filet mignon tenderloin with a richly layered house-made demi-glace that takes 72 hours to make. The lemon mayo is also made in-house. &#8220;That’s liquid gold right there,” says Marotta. $38</figcaption></figure>
  5972. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5973. <figure id="attachment_645526" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645526" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645526" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tiramisu-scaled.jpg" alt="Tiramisu" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tiramisu-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tiramisu-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tiramisu-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tiramisu-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tiramisu-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-tiramisu-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645526" class="wp-caption-text">And for dessert, there&#8217;s a lemony take on tiramisu. $13</figcaption></figure>
  5974. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5975. <p><figure id="attachment_645510" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645510" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645510" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-gelato-scaled.jpg" alt="Lemon gelato with candied lemon" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-gelato-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-gelato-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-gelato-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-gelato-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-gelato-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-gelato-1639x2048.jpg 1639w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645510" class="wp-caption-text">Bar Ardo’s kitchen wasn’t complete until they brought in a soft-serve ice cream machine. “I love the machine, but it’s like a small airplane. There are so many buttons and parts to put together,” says Marotta. The finicky equipment allows the kitchen to get creative with flavourful swirls of gelato that change often. This is a lemon gelato with house-candied lemon. $13</figcaption></figure><br />
  5976. &nbsp;</p>
  5977. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  5978. <p>The wine list leans heavily on <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/italian/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Italian">Italian</span></a> and Sicilian selections and features many by-the-glass options (including champagne). “The cocktails were inspired by classics we’ve had in other countries—but they&#8217;re our playful takes on them,” says Nicosia, who took the reins on the cocktail menu, which features a picture of her nonna raising a coupe. Nicosia is also quite particular about garnishes, and each one is meant to complement the drink it accompanies. “I always present each cocktail like it’s a jewel,” she says. There&#8217;s also a temperance section with drinks that go beyond your typical alcohol-free options, featuring cocktails made with distilled zero-ABV spirits including a smoked tequila. “I wanted people to have more than just sparkling water with a slice of lemon,” she says. “It’s about having options that are just as beautiful and delicious.”</p>
  5979. <figure id="attachment_645508" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645508" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645508" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-pina-scaled.jpg" alt="A sour cocktail made with bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, Aperol, lemon juice, egg white, charred pineapple and pink peppercorns" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-pina-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-pina-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-pina-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-pina-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-pina-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-pina-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645508" class="wp-caption-text">The Piña—a blend of bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, Aperol, lemon juice and egg white—is Nicosia&#8217;s take on a whiskey sour. The pièce de résistance is the addition of pineapple. “We char the pineapple on the grill so it caramelizes. Then we blend it with pink peppercorn,” she says. A booze-free version of this smooth and warming sour also appears on the list of temperance cocktails. $18</figcaption></figure>
  5980. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5981. <figure id="attachment_645503" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645503" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645503" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-bartender-2-scaled.jpg" alt="A bartender torches a grape to garnish the Uva Margarita, a tequila-based cocktail at Bar Ardo in Toronto" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-bartender-2-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-bartender-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-bartender-2-2000x2666.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-bartender-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-bartender-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-bartender-2-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645503" class="wp-caption-text">The light and refreshing Uva Margarita is made with tequila blanco, lime juice, Mandarino (a mandarin orange liqueur) and Malvasia wine (an aromatic Italian wine with notes of tropical fruit and citrus). It’s garnished with a grape that’s been rolled in sugar and brûléed. The inspiration for the garnish comes from Nicosia’s memories of living in Japan. “During festival season for the cherry blossoms, there would always be stands with people selling sticks of fresh fruit dipped in sugar,” she says. $18</figcaption></figure>
  5982. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5983. <figure id="attachment_645507" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645507" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645507" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-scaled.jpg" alt="A vodka-based, martini-like cocktail served with a spoonful of caviar on the side" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-cocktail-carla-carla-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645507" class="wp-caption-text">For an indulgent and saline sip, the Carla Carla is made with what they call ocean-infused vodka. “We infused vodka with oyster shells, samphire (an edible plant that grows in salt water), cucumber, salted Sicilian capers and a lemon twirl,” says Nicosia. This interesting take on a martini is served with a spoon of caviar on the side for a touch more ocean-y goodness. $26</figcaption></figure>
  5984. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  5985. <p><figure id="attachment_645512" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645512" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645512" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mocktail-pilot-life-scaled.jpg" alt="A non-alcoholic cocktail at Bar Ardo" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mocktail-pilot-life-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mocktail-pilot-life-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mocktail-pilot-life-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mocktail-pilot-life-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mocktail-pilot-life-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-mocktail-pilot-life-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645512" class="wp-caption-text">Here we have the Pilot Life, a drink from the temperance list made with zero-proof gin, cucumber, sugar snap peas, mint, lime and sparkling water. $14</figcaption></figure><br />
  5986. &nbsp;</p>
  5987. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  5988. <p>Nicosia and Marotta both love art deco glam and wanted the space to feel at once lived-in and fresh. Chic gold light fixtures hang from the ceiling, illuminating original beams intentionally left exposed. “The flooring isn’t 100 per cent perfect, but it&#8217;s this beautiful wood flooring that I definitely didn&#8217;t want to tear up,” says Nicosia. This intersection of old and new can be seen throughout the space, which is set in one of the oldest heritage buildings in the city. New plush coral banquettes and chairs cozy up to used marble tables that show some wear. “We were going to fix them, and then we thought that’s part of the beauty of aging, so we left them,” she says. During the day, the space fills with natural light from the large floor-to-ceiling window facing bustling King East. On the white-brick feature wall, three custom paintings by acclaimed Sicilian artist Sergio Fiorentino add a mesmerizing pop of deep blue. “We wanted to put something special, and his three pieces are spectacular,” says Marotta.</p>
  5989. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645522" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-scaled.jpg" alt="Bar Ardo's bright dining room with a window looking out to King Street East in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-6-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5990. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645518" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-scaled.jpg" alt="Sheer curtains close off the dining room at Bar Ardo, a Sicilian-inspired cocktail bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-2-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5991. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645524" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-scaled.jpg" alt="Looking into the open kitchen from the bar at Bar Ardo in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-8-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5992. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645523" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-scaled.jpg" alt="A bar stocked with glassware and bottles of liquor" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-7-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5993. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645521" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Bar Ardo, a Sicilian-inspired cocktail lounge in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-5-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5994. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645520" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-scaled.jpg" alt="Two-top tables in the dining room of Bar Ardo, an Italian cocktail lounge in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-4-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  5995. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645519" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-3-scaled.jpg" alt="Cozy couch seating in the window at Bar Ardo, a Sicilian-inspired cocktail bar in Toronto's St. Lawrence neighbourhood" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-3-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-3-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-bar-ardo-italian-sicilian-st-lawrence-space-3-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  5996. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-bar-ardo-a-new-sicilian-inspired-cocktail-bar/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Bar Ardo, a new Sicilian-inspired cocktail bar</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  5997. ]]></content:encoded>
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  6002. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6003. <media:title></media:title>
  6004. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  6005. </media:content>
  6006. </item>
  6007. <item>
  6008. <title>Surreal Estate: $5.4 million for a faux château in Mississauga fit for the Brothers Grimm</title>
  6009. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-brothers-grimm/</link>
  6011. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Amad]]></dc:creator>
  6012. <pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2024 13:44:05 +0000</pubDate>
  6013. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  6014. <category><![CDATA[Mineola]]></category>
  6015. <category><![CDATA[Mississauga]]></category>
  6016. <category><![CDATA[Surreal Estate]]></category>
  6017. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  6018. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645637</guid>
  6019.  
  6020. <description><![CDATA[<p>What home in the burbs would be complete without a turret, lion-head fountains, a massage room and a virtual driving range?</p>
  6021. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-brothers-grimm/">Surreal Estate: $5.4 million for a faux château in Mississauga fit for the Brothers Grimm</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6022. ]]></description>
  6023. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645638 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/010_gtw08353-2000x1334.jpg" alt="This Mineola house is currently selling for $5.4 million." width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/010_gtw08353-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/010_gtw08353-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/010_gtw08353-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/010_gtw08353-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/010_gtw08353-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6024. <p><strong>Neighbourhood: </strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/mineola/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mineola,">Mineola,</span></a> Mississauga<br />
  6025. <strong>Price: </strong>$5,399,888<br />
  6026. <strong>Size</strong><b>: </b>8,200 square feet<br />
  6027. <strong>Bedrooms: </strong>4+1<br />
  6028. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 6<br />
  6029. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 13<br />
  6030. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent:</strong> Peter Philip Papousek<span data-title="Adam Brind,">,</span> <a href="https://huxrealty.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Hux Papousek Realty Group">Hux Papousek Realty Group</span></a></p>
  6031. <hr />
  6032. <h5><b>The place </b></h5>
  6033. <p>A five-bedroom, six-bathroom faux château in Mineola, one of Mississauga&#8217;s oldest neighbourhoods. Outside, the place has room for 13 cars, a massive stone patio and an in-ground pool. Inside, there&#8217;s a sauna, a jumbo wine cellar and a full bar. It&#8217;s within walking distance of half a dozen parks, and motorists are a short drive from the QEW.</p>
  6034. <h5><b>The history </b></h5>
  6035. <p>The house was built in 2006. It was designed to be a mix of old world (turrets, 2o-foot vaulted ceilings, arched doorways) and contemporary (heated floors, sparkling appliances, super-large windows). In 2021, the current owners bought the home and kept it largely intact. Now, they&#8217;re moving to a new kingdom and have listed the property.</p>
  6036. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-movie-theatre-farmhouse/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="$6 million for an Aurora farmhouse sitting on acres of protected woodland">$6 million for an Aurora farmhouse sitting on acres of protected woodland</span></a></em></p>
  6037. <h5><b>The tour </b></h5>
  6038. <p>The custom double doors—flanked by doric columns—are solid wood.</p>
  6039. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645639 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/012_gtw08347-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The double door is custom." width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/012_gtw08347-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/012_gtw08347-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/012_gtw08347-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/012_gtw08347-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/012_gtw08347-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6040. <p>In the foyer: 20-foot ceilings and heated limestone floors.</p>
  6041. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645640 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/016_gtw08200-2000x1334.jpg" alt="There are 20-foot ceilings in the foyer. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/016_gtw08200-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/016_gtw08200-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/016_gtw08200-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/016_gtw08200-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/016_gtw08200-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6042. <p>Next door is the dining room, with a stained-glass rose window, a porthole window above and more heated floors below.</p>
  6043. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645642 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/019_gtw08223-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Note the stained-glass rose window in the dining room. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/019_gtw08223-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/019_gtw08223-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/019_gtw08223-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/019_gtw08223-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/019_gtw08223-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6044. <p>On the opposite side of the foyer is this office. Located in the turret, it comes with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry and a view of the front yard.</p>
  6045. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645646 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/058_gtw08212-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The office is located in the turret. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/058_gtw08212-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/058_gtw08212-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/058_gtw08212-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/058_gtw08212-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/058_gtw08212-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6046. <p>The kitchen is equipped with a granite island, limestone backsplashes and stainless steel appliances by Wolf and Sub-Zero.</p>
  6047. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645643 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/033_gtw08240-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The kitchen counters are granite. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/033_gtw08240-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/033_gtw08240-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/033_gtw08240-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/033_gtw08240-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/033_gtw08240-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6048. <p>Turn around and you&#8217;re in the casual dining area. Those double french doors lead to the backyard patio.</p>
  6049. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645644 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/046_gtw08258-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Here's the casual dining area. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/046_gtw08258-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/046_gtw08258-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/046_gtw08258-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/046_gtw08258-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/046_gtw08258-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6050. <p>Here&#8217;s the sunken family room, which has a bespoke gas fireplace and wall space for a 70-inch TV.</p>
  6051. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645645 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/054_gtw08269-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The ornate, sunken family room. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/054_gtw08269-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/054_gtw08269-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/054_gtw08269-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/054_gtw08269-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/054_gtw08269-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6052. <p>And this is the sunroom, featuring staggering 27-foot ceilings lined with cedar beams. Its wood-burning fireplace is built from reclaimed barn planks.</p>
  6053. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645647 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/063_gtw08280-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The sunroom comes with 27-foot ceilings lined with beams. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/063_gtw08280-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/063_gtw08280-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/063_gtw08280-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/063_gtw08280-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/063_gtw08280-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6054. <p>Don&#8217;t forget the main-floor powder room.</p>
  6055. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645648 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/100_gtw08276-2000x1334.jpg" alt="There's also a powder room on the main floor. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/100_gtw08276-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/100_gtw08276-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/100_gtw08276-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/100_gtw08276-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/100_gtw08276-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6056. <p>Moving upstairs reveals the second-floor landing, which comes with wrought-iron railings.</p>
  6057. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645649 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/074_gtw08171-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The wrought-iron railings are a nice touch. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/074_gtw08171-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/074_gtw08171-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/074_gtw08171-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/074_gtw08171-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/074_gtw08171-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6058. <p>Now for the main bedroom, with 12-foot vaulted ceilings, heated floors and a walkout to a private balcony.</p>
  6059. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645650 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/079_gtw08176-2000x1334.jpg" alt="In the main bedroom, the floors are heated. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/079_gtw08176-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/079_gtw08176-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/079_gtw08176-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/079_gtw08176-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/079_gtw08176-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6060. <p>Attached is the seven-piece ensuite bathroom. Here, the limestone floors are inlaid with glass accent tiles.</p>
  6061. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645651 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/086_gtw08190-2000x1334.jpg" alt="This is the main ensuite bathroom, overlooking dense greenery. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/086_gtw08190-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/086_gtw08190-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/086_gtw08190-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/086_gtw08190-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/086_gtw08190-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6062. <p>Opposite the tub is this funky granite rainfall steam shower.</p>
  6063. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645652 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/090_gtw08197-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The rainfall shower looks like a glass elevator. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/090_gtw08197-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/090_gtw08197-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/090_gtw08197-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/090_gtw08197-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/090_gtw08197-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6064. <p>Note the banquette and built-in storage in the kid&#8217;s room. (Teddy not included the sale.)</p>
  6065. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645653 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/092_gtw08162-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Teddy not included in the sale. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/092_gtw08162-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/092_gtw08162-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/092_gtw08162-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/092_gtw08162-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/092_gtw08162-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6066. <p>Another upstairs bedroom.</p>
  6067. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645658 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/108_gtw08202-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The third bedroom. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/108_gtw08202-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/108_gtw08202-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/108_gtw08202-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/108_gtw08202-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/108_gtw08202-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6068. <p>Down in the basement, there&#8217;s enough space for a grand piano and a lounge as well as an adjacent fitness centre.</p>
  6069. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645659 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/120_gtw08300-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The basement is currently set up as a piano room of sorts. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/120_gtw08300-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/120_gtw08300-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/120_gtw08300-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/120_gtw08300-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/120_gtw08300-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6070. <p>This space has an impressive full bar and is ideal for screening parties.</p>
  6071. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645661 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/128_gtw08316-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The space next to the bar is ideal for screening parties. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/128_gtw08316-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/128_gtw08316-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/128_gtw08316-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/128_gtw08316-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/128_gtw08316-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6072. <p>There&#8217;s also a massage room.</p>
  6073. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645660 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/122_gtw08309-2000x1334.jpg" alt="There's a massage room down here, of course. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/122_gtw08309-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/122_gtw08309-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/122_gtw08309-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/122_gtw08309-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/122_gtw08309-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6074. <p>The basement bathroom has another dramatic shower.</p>
  6075. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645662 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/135_gtw08302-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Another dramatic shower in the basement. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/135_gtw08302-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/135_gtw08302-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/135_gtw08302-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/135_gtw08302-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/135_gtw08302-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6076. <p>The theatre room doubles as a virtual driving range.</p>
  6077. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645664 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/143_gtw08330-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The virtual driving range. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/143_gtw08330-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/143_gtw08330-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/143_gtw08330-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/143_gtw08330-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/143_gtw08330-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6078. <p>The climate-controlled wine cellar is big enough to get lost in.</p>
  6079. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645665 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-23" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/149_gtw08334-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The climate-controlled wine cellar is is the size of a two-bedroom apartment. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/149_gtw08334-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/149_gtw08334-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/149_gtw08334-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/149_gtw08334-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/149_gtw08334-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6080. <p>Here&#8217;s the eight-person sauna.</p>
  6081. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645663 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/138_gtw08307-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Eight people can sit in the sauna. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/138_gtw08307-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/138_gtw08307-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/138_gtw08307-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/138_gtw08307-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/138_gtw08307-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6082. <p>The three-door garage dominates the exterior of the house, and the driveway has space for an additional 10 cars.</p>
  6083. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645656 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-25" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/007_gtw08345-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Residents can fit an additional 10 cars in the driveway. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/007_gtw08345-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/007_gtw08345-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/007_gtw08345-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/007_gtw08345-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/007_gtw08345-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6084. <p>The stone deck overlooks dense greenery and is equipped with granite counters and two grills.</p>
  6085. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645666 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-26" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/161_gtw08368-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The stone deck could be in cottage country. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/161_gtw08368-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/161_gtw08368-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/161_gtw08368-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/161_gtw08368-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/161_gtw08368-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6086. <p>Here&#8217;s a view of the home&#8217;s cozy firepit.</p>
  6087. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645668 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-27" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/172_gtw08384-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The fire pit keeps things cozy in the colder months. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/172_gtw08384-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/172_gtw08384-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/172_gtw08384-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/172_gtw08384-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/172_gtw08384-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6088. <p>Lion-head fountains add a bit of regality to pool parties.</p>
  6089. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645669 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-Brothers-Grimm-28" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/174_gtw08388-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Yes, those are lion-head fountains flowing into the pool. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/174_gtw08388-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/174_gtw08388-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/174_gtw08388-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/174_gtw08388-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/174_gtw08388-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6090. <hr />
  6091. <p><em>Have a home that’s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a class="article-link" href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></span></a>.</em></p>
  6092. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-brothers-grimm/">Surreal Estate: $5.4 million for a faux château in Mississauga fit for the Brothers Grimm</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6093. ]]></content:encoded>
  6097. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/010_gtw08353-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  6098. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6099. <media:title></media:title>
  6100. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  6101. </media:content>
  6102. </item>
  6103. <item>
  6104. <title>Dear Urban Diplomat: What ever happened to dressing up for a flight?</title>
  6105. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-dressing-up-for-a-flight/</link>
  6107. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  6108. <pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:46:15 +0000</pubDate>
  6109. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  6110. <category><![CDATA[advice column]]></category>
  6111. <category><![CDATA[AirTags]]></category>
  6112. <category><![CDATA[import duties]]></category>
  6113. <category><![CDATA[nail polish for men]]></category>
  6114. <category><![CDATA[Toronto etiquette]]></category>
  6115. <category><![CDATA[Urban Diplomat]]></category>
  6116. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645808</guid>
  6117.  
  6118. <description><![CDATA[<p>I was taught that dressing well is a way to show respect for those around you. But, when I look at my fellow passengers, all I see are sweatpants</p>
  6119. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-dressing-up-for-a-flight/">Dear Urban Diplomat: What ever happened to dressing up for a flight?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6120. ]]></description>
  6121. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645813 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Apr_24_final.jpg" alt="A man dressed up in a suit for a flight stares at a woman wearing sweatpants" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Apr_24_final.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Apr_24_final-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Apr_24_final-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Apr_24_final-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  6122. <p><strong>Dear Urban Diplomat,</strong><br />
  6123. I fly often for work, and lately I’ve noticed more and more people wearing sweatsuits on planes. On a recent flight home from LA, I spotted one that looked like an outfit you’d expect to see in the pyjama section—or a prison yard. I was raised to believe that dressing well is a way to show respect for others, so I wear a collared shirt and jacket on flights. I don’t expect everyone to dress so smartly, but don’t we need standards?<br />
  6124. <strong>—Formal Complaint,</strong> <em>Windfields </em></p>
  6125. <p>Are the planes you take flying back to the 1960s? Because it’s been ages since an aircraft aisle resembled a catwalk. There’s now only one rule in the aviation dress code: wear whatever helps you eke out a scintilla of comfort in your ever-shrinking space. Good on you for dressing to impress—but know that nobody is taking notice. All most of us want while airborne is to pull our hoodies over our heads and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Sorry, but the sweatsuits are here to stay.</p>
  6126. <hr />
  6127. <p><strong>Dear Urban Diplomat, ​​</strong><br />
  6128. A few months back, my boyfriend saw some NFL players wearing nail polish, decided he liked the look and asked me to help him apply it. He’s a bearded, burly guy, so it looked ridiculous, but I figured it was innocent fun and he’d quickly lose interest. Here’s the thing: now he’s wearing polish every day and in all settings. People give us weird looks when we’re out, and he doesn’t seem to care. He’s meeting my conservative parents for the first time in a couple of weeks, and I know they’ll be super judgy about those nails. How do I talk him out of this fashion crime?<br />
  6129. <strong>—Varnishing Act,</strong> <em>Regent Park </em></p>
  6130. <p>It’s reasonable to ask your boyfriend to temporarily nix the mani (though your folks may be more open-minded than you expect). But the bigger question is why you care what people think. If it makes him happy, let him have his thing. ​​My advice is to take a page out of your boyfriend’s playbook: ignore the stink eyes, tune out your parents’ disapproval and embrace a little eccentricity.</p>
  6131. <hr />
  6132. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-urban-diplomat">
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  6150.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/UD_COLOUR-803x603.jpg" alt="Dear&#x20;Urban&#x20;Diplomat&#x3A;&#x20;My&#x20;friend&#x20;keeps&#x20;posting&#x20;candid&#x20;videos&#x20;of&#x20;strangers&#x20;online" />
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  6186. </a>
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  6201. </h2>
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  6230.            <span class="topic-link__text">City</span>
  6231.        </a>
  6232.    
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  6234. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
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  6236. </h2>
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  6247.  
  6248. </section>
  6249.  
  6250. <p><strong>Dear Urban Diplomat,</strong><br />
  6251. The other day, I came home to find my wife sewing Apple AirTags into the lining of our 14-year-old son’s coat. She’s on edge because he’s going away on a school trip in a few weeks, and she wants to track his location. Apparently, she’s been emboldened by other parents she knows doing the same thing. Like any dad, I worry about my kid’s safety, but this makes me uncomfortable. Are we invading his privacy?<br />
  6252. <strong>—Spy Games,</strong> <em>Pape Village </em></p>
  6253. <p>It sounds like your wife has crossed the line from concerned parent to control freak. Safety culture becomes stifling when it goes too far (see: city hall’s silly attempted tobogganing ban). Kids need freedom to explore and take risks. Presumably, your wife trusts the teachers at your son’s school enough to allow him on the trip, so remind her that he’ll be in good hands. Ensure that your son has a bunch of emergency numbers in his phone and leave him to it. Then find ways to help your wife take her mind off her worries while he’s away.</p>
  6254. <hr />
  6255. <p><strong>Dear Urban Diplomat,</strong><br />
  6256. I often receive gifts from family in the States. When they send me stuff, I’m stuck paying upward of 25 per cent of the item’s value because of import duties and taxes. I’m generally a grateful person, but not when I have to pay for things I didn’t ask for. Should I tell my loved ones to stop sending packages? Or ask them to pony up for the taxes?<br />
  6257. <strong>—Duty Calls,</strong> <em>Maple Leaf </em></p>
  6258. <p>It seems like your relatives aren’t doing the paperwork right. Canada doesn’t charge import duty on gifts worth less than $60. Check the customs form on the package to see if they’ve marked it as a gift. If they haven’t, just mention it the next time you thank them. But, if they’re sending gifts that are worth a bundle, that’s a different conversation. Say you’re worried about such expensive items being lost or damaged in transit. It may be a white lie, but at least you won’t be in the red.</p>
  6259. <hr />
  6260. <p class="p1"><em>Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at <a href="mailto:urbandiplomat@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="urbandiplomat@torontolife.com">urbandiplomat@torontolife.com</span></a></em></p>
  6261. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-dressing-up-for-a-flight/">Dear Urban Diplomat: What ever happened to dressing up for a flight?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6262. ]]></content:encoded>
  6266. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Apr_24_final-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  6267. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6268. <media:title></media:title>
  6269. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  6270. </media:content>
  6271. </item>
  6272. <item>
  6273. <title>Inside the kitchen of Shant Mardirosian, the founder of the Burger&#8217;s Priest</title>
  6274. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-shant-mardirosian-the-burgers-priest/</link>
  6276. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maddy Mahoney]]></dc:creator>
  6277. <pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:19:13 +0000</pubDate>
  6278. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  6279. <category><![CDATA[burger priest]]></category>
  6280. <category><![CDATA[fourth man in the fire]]></category>
  6281. <category><![CDATA[harry and heels]]></category>
  6282. <category><![CDATA[kitchen diaires]]></category>
  6283. <category><![CDATA[Shant Mardirosian]]></category>
  6284. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645710</guid>
  6285.  
  6286. <description><![CDATA[<p>Stocked with a cotton candy machine, an outdoor grill and legions of sparkling water</p>
  6287. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-shant-mardirosian-the-burgers-priest/">Inside the kitchen of Shant Mardirosian, the founder of the Burger&#8217;s Priest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6288. ]]></description>
  6289. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645726" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Shant and his family standing in his home kitchen" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-scaled-1536x1024-1711384598.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-scaled-2048x1366-1711384599.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6290. <p>After a five-year hiatus, Shant Mardirosian, the founder of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/the-burgers-priest/" class="article-link"><span data-title="the Burger’s Priest">the Burger’s Priest</span></a>, is back where it all began—in the <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/torontos-best-cheap-burgers-right-now/" class="article-link"><span data-title="burger">burger</span></a> biz. After cashing in his 14-location smash-burger empire in 2017, Mardirosian’s culinary journey took a doughy detour. He opened the Fourth Man in the Fire, a pizzeria, and his somewhat-clandestine doughnut venture, Harry and Heels. Now, with the expiry of his burger-making non-compete clause, Mardirosian is firing up the grill once more. His new venture, Elijah’s Automatic Flame Broiled (slated to open in Etobicoke this summer), will mark a re-entry into the burger arena—this time focusing on flame-grilled patties.</p>
  6291. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-diego-reyes-chantecler/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, the head chef at Chantecler"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, the head chef at Chantecler</em></span></a></p>
  6292. <p>Mardirosian is allergic to boredom. Growing a brand? Boring. Starting something new that requires a bunch of R&amp;D? Perfect. His home is his gastronomic lab, with a second-hand pizza oven that’s become a testing ground for potential pies. A perfectionist, Mardirosian excels at refining classics like doughnuts, pizzas and cheeseburgers. But, when it comes to cooking for his family, the pressure’s off—it’s all about enjoyment.</p>
  6293. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645727" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5263-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Shant's expansive home kitchen, which has white cabinets and a large island" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5263-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5263-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5263-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5263-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5263-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5263-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6294. <p>Mardirosian and his wife, Emma, moved into their lakefront Burlington home three years ago with their daughters, Narineh and Avida. They could have lived with the circa-’92 kitchen it came with—if it weren&#8217;t for the comically small, condo-sized oven, which drove them nuts. Later this year, they’re gearing up for a complete overhaul. They’ll refresh the look with oak cabinets and add functional upgrades like a walk-in freezer down the hall and an industrial dishwasher that cleans plates in 90 seconds. For Mardirosian, the highlight of the new space will be a built-in deep fryer.</p>
  6295. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645733" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5054-scaled.jpg" alt="A peak at the inside of Shant's well-organized fridge" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5054-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5054-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5054-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5054-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5054-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5054-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  6296. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645716" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5111-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The door of Shant's fridge, which is lined with eggs and sauces" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5111-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5111-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5111-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5111-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5111-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5111-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6297. <p>The family’s food philosophy is all about balance. They enjoy the odd junk- or fast-food indulgence (Fruity Pebbles cereal and McDonald’s are their go-to guilty pleasures), but they try to stick to a paleo diet during the week. Emma makes sure that chopped and washed vegetables are always on hand for quick snacking and easy meal prep. They’re also mindful about their hormone and pesticide intake, opting for hormone-free and organic produce when possible. On days when cooking from scratch isn’t feasible, they resort to quick and tasty grazing boards with cheese, salami, pickles, and Matt and Steve’s Extreme Beans (Mardirosian is long-time friends with the duo behind the company).</p>
  6298. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645734" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5062-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look into the chef's fridge, which has rows of pickles and sparkling water" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5062-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5062-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5062-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5062-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5062-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5062-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6299. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645715" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5101-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Peppers amd tomatoes are in organized drawers in the fridge" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5101-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5101-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5101-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5101-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5101-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5101-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6300. <p>Mardirosian primarily shops at Farm Boy—he appreciates the chain’s organic selection and impressive snack aisle. For quality dry-aged meats, he&#8217;ll head over to Oakville’s Old Fashioned Butchery. While the family doesn’t consume much fish (Mardirosian is the only one in his household who likes seafood), he’ll occasionally grab some at Marilu’s Market, an excellent gourmet store that also carries great meats and prepared foods. Before moving west, he was also a regular at McEwan’s.</p>
  6301. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645711" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5070-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the dry-aged meat that the chef keeps in his fridge" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5070-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5070-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5070-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5070-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5070-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5070-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6302. <p>Here’s a glimpse into the Mardirosian family’s freezer. The girls have a fondness for Amy’s burritos and mac and cheese, which Emma appreciates because they’re easy meals and relatively healthy. Mardirosian, the savoury pie aficionado, is currently hooked on Pie Commission’s short rib pies and Farm Boy’s chicken pot pies. But this frosty treasure trove isn’t just a haven for quick fixes: it also contains premium ingredients, like canoe-cut bones for roast marrow and veal shank for osso buco. The girls enjoy the braised dish so long as—according to their mom—no one explains to them what veal is.</p>
  6303. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-afrim-pristine-cheese-boutique/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique</em></span></span></a></p>
  6304. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645714" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5099-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A freezer drawer with meat, frozen burritos and frozen pies " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5099-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5099-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5099-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5099-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5099-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5099-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6305. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645713" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5094-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Another freezer drawer with frozen mangos and Eggos" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5094-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5094-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5094-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5094-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5094-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5094-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6306. <p>Gertie’s peanut butter pies are a staple in this house. Emma and Mardirosian are friends with the co-founders of the pie company, Ryan Campbell and Sara Steep.</p>
  6307. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645722" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5181-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Some of the household's snacks: pies and Annie's mac and cheese" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5181-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5181-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5181-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5181-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5181-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5181-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6308. <p>Here’s the pantry, as organized by Emma.</p>
  6309. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645717" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5113-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the pantry, where everything is organized into wooden display boxes" width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5113-min-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5113-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5113-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5113-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5113-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5113-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  6310. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645718" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5115-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at the baking supplies in the pantry" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5115-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5115-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5115-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5115-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5115-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5115-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6311. <p>On your average weekday, the Mardirosian household kicks off with scrambled eggs and bacon or a fruit-packed smoothie bowl. But, when the weekend rolls around, it’s pancake time—and not just any pancakes. Narineh and Avida make flapjacks shaped like their favourite cartoons, thanks to their collection of mini pancake irons. To complement the carbs, Emma will whip up a batch of sugar-free cream, infused with sweetness from real vanilla bean, and serve it alongside a generous helping of fresh fruit.</p>
  6312. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645729" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5271-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The Minnie Mouse waffle maker" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5271-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5271-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5271-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5271-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5271-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5271-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6313. <p>While the parents generally aim for healthy eating, the kids often break out either their miniature slushie or cotton candy machine when they have friends over. Yes, this is the house all the kids at school hope to get an invite to (the pool and Jet Ski don’t hurt either).</p>
  6314. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645721" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5174-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The kids' cotton candy and slushie machines" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5174-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5174-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5174-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5174-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5174-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5174-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6315. <p>Every once in a while, Mardirosian will bring home a box of Harry and Heels doughnuts (from the semi-secret operation run out of the Fourth Man in the Fire’s basement). These are California-style doughnuts, which are softer and fluffier than your average Canadian fritter. The girls are fairly omnivorous when it comes to pastry, but the jelly-filled and bacon-and-maple-topped offerings are usually the most popular picks.</p>
  6316. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645725" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5227-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A box of Harry and Heels doughnuts " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5227-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5227-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5227-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5227-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5227-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5227-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6317. <p>Mom and dad split cooking duties evenly. The girls adore Emma’s Italian wedding soup, freshly baked bread and roast chicken, which Mardirosian claims surpasses most upscale restaurant dishes (the secret is a compound butter tucked under the skin.) Meanwhile, Mardirosian takes the lead on grilling. He currently uses a gas Weber barbecue, but he&#8217;s hoping to add a charcoal grill to his arsenal this summer. He also delights in preparing koreshts (Persian stews) for his daughters. Their go-to dish is khoresh-e loobia sabz, a savoury tomato-and-green-bean stew usually prepared with beef.</p>
  6318. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645724" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5218-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The family's outdoor grill" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5218-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5218-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5218-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5218-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5218-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5218-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6319. <p>The family almost never uses the formal dining room—they prefer the intimate four-top in the kitchen.</p>
  6320. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645723" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5215-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The family's lavish dining room set up" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5215-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5215-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5215-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5215-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5215-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5215-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6321. <p>Emma has left a pile of sticky notes in these cookbooks, but Mardirosian tends to do most of his culinary research online. He thinks the <em><a href="https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cook’s Illustrated">Cook’s Illustrated</span></a></em> website is an amazing tool. “Regular cookbooks never tell you the whole truth,” he says. “America’s Test Kitchen gets into the science of things.” Although he’s not a cookbook enthusiast, he does keep a few titles by Mark McEwan, whom he worked for before launching the Burger’s Priest.</p>
  6322. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645720" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5170-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A stack of Shant and Emma's cookbooks" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5170-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5170-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5170-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5170-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5170-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5170-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6323. <p>Emma loves her Jura coffee machine, which can make anything from a macchiato to a latte. She enjoys dairy but also likes exploring unique nut milks, such as Elmhurst’s pistachio creamer, which she appreciates for its simple list of five ingredients.</p>
  6324. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645719" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5131-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Emma's coffee set up" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5131-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5131-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5131-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5131-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5131-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5131-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6325. <p>While this is a food-loving household, the Mardirosians are not big on booze. They stock up on alcoholic beverages only when friends come over and otherwise make do with a single emergency bottle of vodka (which will hang around for years). “When I was a server, I was certified level-two with the Court of Master Sommeliers, but I never loved wine,” says Mardirosian. “I just don’t think alcohol tastes good.” Instead, the family maintains a rotating collection of colourful zero-proof beverages.</p>
  6326. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645737" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5202-scaled.jpg" alt="Some of the non-alcoholic drinks the family keeps around" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5202-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5202-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5202-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5202-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5202-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5202-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6327. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-shant-mardirosian-the-burgers-priest/">Inside the kitchen of Shant Mardirosian, the founder of the Burger&#8217;s Priest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6328. ]]></content:encoded>
  6332. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JoshuaBest-5243-min-scaled-1200x628-1711384570.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  6333. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6334. <media:title></media:title>
  6335. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  6336. </media:content>
  6337. </item>
  6338. <item>
  6339. <title>5 reasons families love vacationing in Belize</title>
  6340. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/belize-family-travel/</link>
  6342. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vanessa Grant]]></dc:creator>
  6343. <pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:30:31 +0000</pubDate>
  6344. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  6345. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645923</guid>
  6346.  
  6347. <description><![CDATA[<p>What to see and do in this Central American paradise</p>
  6348. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/belize-family-travel/">5 reasons families love vacationing in Belize</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6349. ]]></description>
  6350. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">South of Mexico and east of Guatemala, Belize offers warm hospitality, budget-friendly accommodations and a huge range of family-friendly activities. Discover the adrenaline-pumping adventures, lush natural landscapes and vibrant festivals that make this tropical paradise an ideal destination for your next family getaway.</span></p>
  6351. <h5><b>1. Family-friendly activities and attractions in Belize</b></h5>
  6352. <p><strong>Wildlife encounters</strong></p>
  6353. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Animal-obsessed kids will love Belize because of its rich biodiversity and abundant opportunities for wildlife encounters. Dip below the waves to snorkel the</span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565721&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title=" Belize Barrier Reef"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Belize Barrier Reef</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the second-largest in the world, where you can marvel at schools of colourful tropical fish and even larger marine creatures, like dolphins, stingrays and sea turtles.</span></p>
  6354. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or lead your crew inland to reserves and sanctuaries where you can trek through lush rainforest on guided jungle tours. You might even spot howler monkeys, iguanas, toucans and parrots. Take to the waters on sunset cruises along Placencia or Caye Caulker&#8217;s coastlines or enjoy a river cruise to spot elusive creatures such as manatees, crocodiles and river otters.</span></p>
  6355. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645928" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-2.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-2.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-2-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  6356. <p><strong>Cultural experiences</strong></p>
  6357. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belize has been influenced by many cultures, including those of the Creole, Garifuna and Maya, that have left their mark on the country. Kids can learn about the vibrant Garifuna culture by participating in traditional drumming and dance workshops and tasting authentic Garifuna cuisine.</span></p>
  6358. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Families looking to explore local history and culture should head to the</span> <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565720&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cayo District"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cayo District</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about 112 kilometres west of Belize City, to experience</span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565719&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title=" Xunantunich"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Xunantunich</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, an ancient Maya archaeological site. There are other remarkably preserved Maya sites across the country, including</span> <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565718&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Altun Ha"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Altun Ha</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span> <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565717&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Caracol"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Caracol</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span> <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565716&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cerros"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cerros</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and</span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565715&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title=" Lamanai"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Lamanai</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> many of which feature interpretive centres, museums or guided tours.</span></p>
  6359. <p><strong>Thrilling adventures</strong></p>
  6360. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thrill-seeking families can rappel down cascading waterfalls, kayak the Macal River or soar through the treetops on zip-lining adventures across the countryside. They can also explore the hidden depths of underwater caves at Barton Creek or go on a cave-tubing expedition at Caves Branch where they’ll take a leisurely float down tranquil rivers, guided by currents through ancient limestone formations bordered by stalactites and stalagmites.</span></p>
  6361. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645946" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/2.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/2.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/2-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  6362. <h5><b>2. A Budget-friendly paradise</b></h5>
  6363. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The shoulder season, encompassing spring and summer, brings not only lush verdant landscapes but also great deals on accommodations and tours. Families can enjoy a more affordable vacation without compromising on the experience. In spring or summer, you and your family will make memories that will last a lifetime, all without breaking the bank.</span></p>
  6364. <h5><b>3. Festivals and events</b></h5>
  6365. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belize comes alive in the summer, with food and music festivals that celebrate the country&#8217;s diverse heritage. Chocoholics will find all their sweet dreams coming true during the three-day</span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565714&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title=" Chocolate Festival of Belize"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Chocolate Festival of Belize</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> held in the Toledo District. Visit cacao plantations, take part in chocolate-making workshops and of course sample lots of chocolate-infused dishes.</span></p>
  6366. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lobster is also plentiful in Belize, especially in summer so celebrate at Lobsterfest events along the coast in San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia, where creative lobster dishes are served against a backdrop of beautiful beaches. In July, the Belize International Music and Food Festival combines good food and music, providing a lively atmosphere for families to enjoy together.</span></p>
  6367. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645929" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-inline-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  6368. <h5><b>4. Pristine beaches and lush jungles</b></h5>
  6369. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belize offers the best of both worlds, with pristine beaches and lush jungles. It’s like two vacations in one. Spend your days relaxing on the beach, exploring the coastline from Dangriga to Placencia, and enjoying watersports in the warm Caribbean Sea. Or take the adrenaline up a notch on immersive adventures like zip lining over emerald tree canopies or trekking through thick jungle, the choice is yours.</span></p>
  6370. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645945" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/1.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/1.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/1-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  6371. <h5><b>5. Easy communication</b></h5>
  6372. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belize is the only country in Central America with English as the national language, meaning that it’s easy to communicate with everyone you encounter on your trip—no translation apps needed. Love to flex your language muscles on vacation? Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language.</span></p>
  6373. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While many countries claim to be friendly, Belize was officially recognized as one of the friendliest nations in the world by <em>Condé Nast Traveller</em> in 2022. The locals are welcoming and offer warm hospitality. With its affordability in the shoulder season, festivals, and unlimited family-friendly attractions, Belize is an irresistible destination for Canadian families. Plan your family getaway to Belize for a vacation filled with wonder, laughter, and adventure.</span></p>
  6374. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Visit</span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1565732&amp;s=1565625" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title=" travelbelize.org"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">travelbelize.org</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to start planning your adventure today.</span></p>
  6375. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/belize-family-travel/">5 reasons families love vacationing in Belize</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6376. ]]></content:encoded>
  6380. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TL-x-Belize-feture-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  6381. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6382. <media:title></media:title>
  6383. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  6386. <item>
  6387. <title>Sort-of Secret: Bungalow 22, a monthly supper club featuring a rotating menu of regional Indian cuisine</title>
  6388. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-bungalow-22-indian-supper-club/</link>
  6390. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  6391. <pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:01:34 +0000</pubDate>
  6392. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  6393. <category><![CDATA[ayushi todi]]></category>
  6394. <category><![CDATA[bungalow 22]]></category>
  6395. <category><![CDATA[Indian]]></category>
  6396. <category><![CDATA[supper club]]></category>
  6397. <category><![CDATA[supper clubs]]></category>
  6398. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645993</guid>
  6399.  
  6400. <description><![CDATA[<p>Part of our series spotlighting the city’s edible hidden gems</p>
  6401. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-bungalow-22-indian-supper-club/">Sort-of Secret: Bungalow 22, a monthly supper club featuring a rotating menu of regional Indian cuisine</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6402. ]]></description>
  6403. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Ayushi Todi introduces herself to the guest of one of her Bungalow 22 dinners" width="2560" height="1920" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646117" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-scaled-803x603-1711979971.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6404. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-sort-of-secrets">
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  6520. </section>
  6521.  
  6522. <p><strong>The sort-of secret:</strong> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thebungalow.22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Bungalow 22">Bungalow 22</span></a>, a monthly dinner party serving regional Indian cuisine<br />
  6523. <strong>You may have heard of it if:</strong> you know past guests or have come across the supper club&#8217;s Instagram account<br />
  6524. <strong>But you probably haven’t tried it because:</strong> It started last September and moves around the city</p>
  6525. <p>Toronto isn’t short on excellent <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/indian/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Indian">Indian</span></a> restaurants, but Ayushi Todi wasn’t always satisfied with them. “I missed the flavours that were home for me,” she says. Todi was 24 years old when she moved here from Bengal in 2016 to pursue an MBA at York’s Schulich School of Business. When she couldn’t find the food she was craving, she called her mom and asked how to make things like kanji vada, dhansak and shrikhand. Once she was confident in her newfound culinary skills, she started cooking for family and friends. Then, last fall, Todi—a project manager by day—launched her passion-project side hustle: Bungalow 22, an intimate supper club serving regional Indian cuisine. It’s mostly a one-woman show, with Todi getting some help from her husband and sister, who assist in plating and serving the dishes while she’s busy cooking and hosting. “As someone who was once new to Toronto, I know it’s not always easy to make friends,” she says. With Bungalow 22, Todi has created a space for strangers to connect with one another.</p>
  6526. <figure id="attachment_646119" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-646119" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chef-ayushi-todi-portrait-scaled.jpg" alt="Ayushi Todi, chef-owner of Bungalow 22, at a recent Holi-themed dinner" width="2048" height="2560" class="size-full wp-image-646119" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chef-ayushi-todi-portrait-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chef-ayushi-todi-portrait-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chef-ayushi-todi-portrait-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chef-ayushi-todi-portrait-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chef-ayushi-todi-portrait-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chef-ayushi-todi-portrait-1639x2048.jpg 1639w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-646119" class="wp-caption-text">Ayushi Todi, chef-owner of Bungalow 22, at a recent Holi-themed dinner</figcaption></figure>
  6527. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-jeudr3di-maybe-the-coolest-supper-club-in-toronto-right-now/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Sort-of Secret: Jeudr3di, maybe the coolest supper club in Toronto right now"><strong>Related:</strong> Sort-of Secret: Jeudr3di, maybe the coolest supper club in Toronto right now</span></a></em></p>
  6528. <p>Todi herself is a patchwork of India’s many regions: her family is from Rajasthan, but she grew up in Kolkata, went to boarding school in Coimbatore, spent summer vacations in Mumbai and worked for a bit in Bangalore. All of that moving around shapes her menus. “There&#8217;s so much more to Indian food than butter chicken and naan,” she says.</p>
  6529. <p>Past events have highlighted Diwali, celebrated coastal cooking and honoured Todi’s maternal grandmother. The theme of a dinner in late March was Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colours that celebrates the end of winter. A prismatic arrangement of flowers, fruit and tapered candles lined the 12-person table. One by one, guests filed into the airy loft to mingle in the living room against a backdrop of the city skyline.</p>
  6530. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-table-setting-scaled.jpg" alt="A table is set with flowers and candles" width="1920" height="2560" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646125" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-table-setting-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-table-setting-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-table-setting-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-table-setting-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-table-setting-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-table-setting-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  6531. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-conversation-cards-scaled.jpg" alt="Conversation cards on the table at a recent Bungalow 22 dinner" width="1920" height="2560" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646120" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-conversation-cards-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-conversation-cards-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-conversation-cards-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-conversation-cards-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-conversation-cards-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-conversation-cards-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  6532. <p>Todi’s biggest fear before launching Bungalow 22 was that guests wouldn’t talk to one another. For awkward-silence emergencies, there are conversation cards on the coffee table, but so far they haven’t been needed—most people arrive with an open mind and understand that they signed up to dine with strangers. “There hasn&#8217;t been a single silent dinner,” says Todi, who hears constant laughter from the table when she disappears into the kitchen to prepare the next course.</p>
  6533. <p>At the start of the evening, Todi joins her guests on the couch, and after introducing herself and leading a round of ice-breakers, she ushers everyone to the table. At each place setting is a card with a rundown of each course—this is the first time diners learn what they’ll be eating.</p>
  6534. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646005" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-scaled.jpg" alt="People gather at a table for a Bungalow 22 dinner in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-full-table-3-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6535. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646010" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-menu.jpg" alt="A set table for a Bungalow 22 dinner in Toronto" width="1500" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-menu.jpg 1500w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-menu-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-menu-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-menu-1152x1536.jpg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
  6536. <p>The first course of this particular meal was a parfait-like combination of chaat and sabudana that layered potato, chutney and curd with pretty-in-pink tapioca pearls. Each plate came with a pichkari, a toy water gun filled with a cilantro-mint chutney for guests to spritz their dish, a playful approach to the tradition of spraying coloured water at one another during Holi. “I never enjoyed eating sabudana when I was growing up, but chaat was my favourite—so I decided to combine the two to make a dish that was fun and tasty,” says Todi. It was followed by a deep-fried croquette of egg and lamb keema (or a spiced-beetroot version for the vegetarians).</p>
  6537. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chaat-scaled.jpg" alt="A dish of sabudana-chaat at a Bungalow 22 dinner" width="1920" height="2560" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646118" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chaat-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chaat-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chaat-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chaat-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chaat-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-chaat-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  6538. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-curry-scaled.jpg" alt="People sit at a table with plates full of Indian food in front of them" width="1920" height="2560" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646121" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-curry-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-curry-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-curry-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-curry-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-curry-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-curry-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  6539. <p>The main course included puran poli (a flatbread stuffed with sweetened lentils) and katachi amti (a tangy vegetable soup made with the water used to boil the same lentils), prawn curry cooked in a Goan-style masala, and pumpkin sabzi—a treasured recipe from Todi&#8217;s mother-in-law and a guaranteed hit every time she serves it. Everything is accompanied by a pile of rice because, according to Todi, a meal is incomplete without it.</p>
  6540. <p>Bungalow 22 parties regularly go into overtime. Guests always linger, until Todi politely suggests taking the party to a nearby bar. “How cool is to know someone made a friend at one of my dinners?&#8221; she says. &#8220;That is so heartwarming.”</p>
  6541. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-scaled.jpg" alt="Chef Ayushi Todi puts the finishing touches on gujiya, fried and sweetened Indian dumplings" width="2560" height="1920" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646126" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-tarts-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6542. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-scaled.jpg" alt="Bungalow 22 guests apply gulal powder to chef Ayushi Todi&#039;s face during one of her Bungalow 22 supper clubs" width="2560" height="1920" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-646123" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-gula-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6543. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-bungalow-22-indian-supper-club/">Sort-of Secret: Bungalow 22, a monthly supper club featuring a rotating menu of regional Indian cuisine</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6544. ]]></content:encoded>
  6548. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/toronto-supper-clubs-bungalow-22-indian-ayushi-todi-chef-host-scaled-1200x628-1711979983.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  6549. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6550. <media:title></media:title>
  6551. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  6552. </media:content>
  6553. </item>
  6554. <item>
  6555. <title>The best weekenders for every kind of traveller</title>
  6556. <link>https://torontolife.com/shopping/the-best-weekenders-for-every-kind-of-traveller/</link>
  6558. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  6559. <pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:55:38 +0000</pubDate>
  6560. <category><![CDATA[Shopping]]></category>
  6561. <category><![CDATA[bags]]></category>
  6562. <category><![CDATA[duffel]]></category>
  6563. <category><![CDATA[duffle]]></category>
  6564. <category><![CDATA[duffle bags]]></category>
  6565. <category><![CDATA[weekend bags]]></category>
  6566. <category><![CDATA[weekender]]></category>
  6567. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645731</guid>
  6568.  
  6569. <description><![CDATA[<p>Bags for unapologetic adventurers, discerning globetrotters and more</p>
  6570. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/shopping/the-best-weekenders-for-every-kind-of-traveller/">The best weekenders for every kind of traveller</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6571. ]]></description>
  6572. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="page" title="Page 2">
  6573. <div class="section">
  6574. <div class="layoutArea">
  6575. <div class="column">
  6576. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645866 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final11-1-e1711466519821.jpg" alt="Longchamp Le Pliage Original M" width="1372" height="939" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final11-1-e1711466519821.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final11-1-e1711466519821-300x205.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final11-1-e1711466519821-768x526.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6577. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black"><strong><br />
  6578. </strong>FOR FRANCOPHILE FASHION PLATES</h2>
  6579. <p><em><strong>Le Pliage Original M</strong></em><br />
  6580. Luxury French brand Longchamp’s travel bag is a supersized version of its iconic tote, beloved by the likes of Kate Middleton, Kendall Jenner and the masses on TikTok. Built to last and be handed down, it’s made from recycled canvas with leather and gold accents. It’s also lightweight and a snap to store. <em>$245, longchamp.com<br />
  6581. <a class="shop-now" href="https://www.longchamp.com/ca/en/products/handbag-m-L1623089001.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6582. </em></p>
  6583. <hr />
  6584. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645877 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final02.jpg" alt="MZ Wallace Nik duffle" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final02.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final02-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final02-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6585. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR MINIMALISTS WHO TRAVEL LIGHT</h2>
  6586. <p><em><strong>Nik</strong></em><br />
  6587. MZ Wallace’s quilted duffle has all the pockets anyone could ever ask for, including a detachable pouch that doubles as a clutch in a pinch and a pair of deep-zippered exterior pockets for snug phone and passport stashing. It also has a polished look, is trimmed with Italian leather and weighs less than a kilogram. <em>$435, mzwallace.com</em></p>
  6588. <div class="page" title="Page 2">
  6589. <div class="section">
  6590. <div class="layoutArea">
  6591. <div class="column"><em><a class="shop-now" href="https://www.mzwallace.com/en-ca/products/black-rec-nik" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6592. </em></p>
  6593. <hr />
  6594. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  6595. </div>
  6596. </div>
  6597. </div>
  6598. </div>
  6599. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645868 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final09.jpg" alt="Le Sportsac Deluxe Large Weekender" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final09.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final09-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final09-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6600. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR THE RETRO OBSESSED</h2>
  6601. <p><strong><em>Deluxe Large Weekender</em></strong><br />
  6602. Every couple of decades, LeSportsac makes a comeback—all hail its early-2000s collab with Gwen Stefani’s LAMB brand—and the time has come again. The American luggage maker’s latest weekenders are kitted out in ’70s-inspired details and come in 21 different colours. <em>$180, lesportsac.com<br />
  6603. <a class="shop-now" href="https://www.lesportsac.com/products/deluxe-large-weekender" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6604. </em></p>
  6605. <hr />
  6606. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645875 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final04-e1711466042612.jpg" alt="Baboon to the Moon Go-Bag" width="1372" height="847" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final04-e1711466042612.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final04-e1711466042612-300x185.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final04-e1711466042612-768x474.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6607. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR UNAPOLOGETIC ADVENTURERS</h2>
  6608. <p><strong><em>Go-Bag</em></strong><br />
  6609. Baboon to the Moon’s TikTok-viral bright and bold bags are as eye-catching as they are durable. The waterproof shell is made from a fabric the company trademarked “Stardust Ballistic” and secured with alpine-grade double stitch construction, so it’s practically indestructible. And an abundance of padded handles make it comfortable to carry, even when stuffed to its 40-litre capacity. <em>$274 for the small version, baboontothemoon.com<br />
  6610. <a class="shop-now" href="https://baboontothemoon.com/collections/go-bags" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6611. </em></p>
  6612. <hr />
  6613. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645874 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final05.jpg" alt="Cotopaxi Mariveles Duffle" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final05.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final05-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final05-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6614. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR ENVIRONMENTALISTS ON THE GO</h2>
  6615. <p><strong><em>Mariveles Duffle</em></strong><br />
  6616. Sustainable outdoor brand Cotopaxi is known for its colour-blocked bags made of ripstop nylon salvaged from the cutting room floor. This no-fuss barrel-shaped duffle—which has a main zippered compartment and an external pocket—is perfect for travellers who prefer their minimalism multi-hued. <em>$115, simons.ca<br />
  6617. <a class="shop-now" href="https://www.simons.ca/en/women-sportswear/training/training-accessories/mariveles-32-l-duffle-bag--17320-23507" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6618. </em></p>
  6619. <hr />
  6620. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645871 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final07.jpg" alt="Luka Duffel" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final07.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final07-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final07-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6621. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR LOVERS OF STATUS BAGS</h2>
  6622. <p><strong><em>Luka Duffel</em></strong><br />
  6623. Not too long ago, this Calpak duffle had a 44,000-person wait list, partly thanks to its perfect size—it’s small enough to slip under an airplane seat yet large enough for a weekend away. It’s also encased in super-soft, cloud-like polyester fabric, with a separate shoe compartment and nine additional pockets, one of which turns into a trolley sleeve with the flick of a zipper. <em>$172, calpaktravel.com<br />
  6624. <a class="shop-now" href="https://www.calpaktravel.com/products/luka-duffel" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6625. </em></p>
  6626. <hr />
  6627. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645870 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final08.jpg" alt="Ölend Calypso Multibag" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final08.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final08-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final08-768x560.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final08-1536x1120-1711467520.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final08-2048x1493-1711467526.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6628. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR THE VERSATILE TRAVELLER</h2>
  6629. <p><strong><em>Calypso Multibag</em></strong><br />
  6630. Is it a backpack? An overnighter? A 16-inch laptop carrier? Answer: all of the above. With removable straps and all kinds of pouches, this hyper-versatile bag can be worn in four different ways (and, because it weighs just 570 grams, they’re all super comfortable). Barcelona brand Ölend specializes in small runs of high-quality designs inspired by mid-century mountaineers. <em>$175, olend.net<br />
  6631. <a class="shop-now" href="https://www.olend.net/products/calypso-multibag" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6632. </em></p>
  6633. <hr />
  6634. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645878 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final01.jpg" alt="Kelowna 2.0 Weekender" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final01.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final01-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final01-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6635. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR UTILITARIANS WHO WON’T COMPROMISE ON STYLE</h2>
  6636. <p><strong><em>Kelowna 2.0 Weekender</em></strong><br />
  6637. Sometimes you just need an effortlessly sharp monochromatic weekender for a last-minute trip to the county. With an exterior made from smooth and durable recycled nylon plus a structured, supportive bottom, this classy duffle is reliably rumple-proof. <em>$650, wantlesessentiels.com<br />
  6638. <a class="shop-now" href="https://www.wantlesessentiels.com/products/kelowna-2-0-nylon-weekender-bag" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6639. </em></p>
  6640. <hr />
  6641. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645872 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final06.jpg" alt="Hulken Rolling Tote" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final06.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final06-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final06-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6642. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR OUT-OF-THE-BOX VACATIONERS</h2>
  6643. <p><strong><em>Rolling Tote</em></strong><br />
  6644. Hulken’s giant rolling tote folds flat for easy storage, has 360-degree rotating wheels and can hold up to 30 kilograms. The roomy carrier also makes shopping on getaways a cinch—it’s big enough to schlep up to six full bags of groceries back to the vacation rental. <em>$155 for the large version, hulkenbag.com<br />
  6645. <a class="shop-now" href="https://hulkenbag.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6646. </em></p>
  6647. <hr />
  6648. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645869 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final10.jpg" alt="Monos Metro Weekender" width="1372" height="1000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final10.jpg 1372w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final10-300x219.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final10-768x560.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
  6649. <h2 class="sjm-header-bureaugrotcond-black">FOR DISCERNING GLOBETROTTERS</h2>
  6650. <p><strong><em>Metro Weekender</em></strong><br />
  6651. Canadian brand Monos is all about having fewer, better things—but then they went and made this spacious carryall in seven delightful colours. How is one supposed to choose? Available in sumptuous microfibre vegan leather or premium nylon twill, the Metro bag is water- and scratch-resistant, has a whack of functional interior pockets and even comes with a detachable toiletry bag. <em>$300–$355, monos.com<br />
  6652. <a class="shop-now" href="https://ca.monos.com/products/metro-weekender?variant=44541821092150" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Shop Now">Shop Now</span></a><br />
  6653. </em></p>
  6654. </div>
  6655. </div>
  6656. </div>
  6657. </div>
  6658. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/shopping/the-best-weekenders-for-every-kind-of-traveller/">The best weekenders for every kind of traveller</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6659. ]]></content:encoded>
  6663. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WEEKENDER_BAG_final08-1200x628-1711549841.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  6664. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6665. <media:title></media:title>
  6666. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  6667. </media:content>
  6668. </item>
  6669. <item>
  6670. <title>Real Weddings: Inside a stylish celebration at Soos restaurant</title>
  6671. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-stylish-celebration-at-soos-restaurant/</link>
  6673. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  6674. <pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
  6675. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  6676. <category><![CDATA[Cat Morales]]></category>
  6677. <category><![CDATA[mike caton]]></category>
  6678. <category><![CDATA[Real Weddings]]></category>
  6679. <category><![CDATA[Soos]]></category>
  6680. <category><![CDATA[Sweaty Betty's]]></category>
  6681. <category><![CDATA[Wedding]]></category>
  6682. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645775</guid>
  6683.  
  6684. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring spicy margaritas, cardboard cut-outs of the couple’s pooches and a late-night trip to Sweaty Betty’s </p>
  6685. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-stylish-celebration-at-soos-restaurant/">Real Weddings: Inside a stylish celebration at Soos restaurant</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6686. ]]></description>
  6687. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Cat Morales, a 35-year-old hairstylist, and Mike Caton, a 37-year-old chef and soon-to-be flight attendant, met while walking their dogs in 2020. After many more meetups at their local dog park, their friendship turned romantic. In the spring of 2023, they were wed in a</em><em>n intimate </em><em>celebration at Soos restaurant, followed by a patio hangout at Sweaty Betty’s Bar with close friends and family. Here’s how it all came together. </em></p>
  6688. <hr />
  6689. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645816 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-32-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A black and white photo of Cat and Mike walking around Queen West" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-32-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-32-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-32-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-32-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-32-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-32-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6690. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>In early April 2020, I was out walking my dog, Sara. Out of nowhere, a cute guy waved in my direction from across the street. We had never met or seen each other before. I even checked if there was someone behind me. Turns out he was just being friendly. It was a breath of fresh air during the early Covid lockdowns. Most people were avoiding each other. We didn’t talk at all, but it was a nice encounter.</p>
  6691. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>I’d been taking my dog, Ella, to this unused school soccer field. Once lockdowns started and everyone was home, it became a sort of unofficial dog park. One day, this white spotted dog came up to me looking for pets. When I looked up, I saw its owner, whom I realized I’d waved to on the street a few days earlier.</p>
  6692. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645826" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-50-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat sitting in the bar at Soos restaurant in her wedding dress" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-50-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-50-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-50-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-50-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-50-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-50-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  6693. <p><strong>Mike:</strong> I thought she was way too well dressed for the dog park. She was wearing very clean Adidas shoes and faux leather pants—brave choices considering how muddy it was. We briefly chatted, and I learned that her name was Cat. In the following weeks, we kept running into each other at the park. Eventually, we became friends.</p>
  6694. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>We’d talk about music and occasionally have a beer while our dogs played. We started going on longer walks together too.</p>
  6695. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645831" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-55-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike walking out of a photo booth together" width="1698" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-55-min-scaled.jpg 1698w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-55-min-199x300.jpg 199w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-55-min-2000x3016.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-55-min-768x1158.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-55-min-1019x1536.jpg 1019w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-55-min-1358x2048.jpg 1358w" sizes="(max-width: 1698px) 100vw, 1698px" /></p>
  6696. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>There wasn’t a definitive first date. I’m pretty sure going on a date at that time was more or less illegal. Eventually, we exchanged Instagram handles and started scheduling meetups. One night, I was wearing an Alexisonfire hat. It started a several-hours-long conversation about the bands we both loved growing up and how we’re still into them now. We’re both adult emo kids, basically.</p>
  6697. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>Music has always been an integral part of our lives, which is something we bonded over.</p>
  6698. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>One day, Cat told me she was a hairstylist and offered to cut my hair. So I went over to her house. She had a nice vintage salon chair and mirror set up inside her apartment. There was a funny moment when she dropped a pair of shears in my lap. Thankfully there was no damage.</p>
  6699. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645833 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-57-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike walking around on their wedding day, holding hands" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-57-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-57-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-57-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-57-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-57-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-57-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6700. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>I was so nervous to be cutting his hair that first time. After that, he started coming by more regularly. We spent a good two months just being friends and getting to know each other. Then, I had a small get-together on my patio one night. That was the first time we kissed.</p>
  6701. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>Cat and I were both living in the Queen West area, just a five minute walk apart, which made it easy for us to continue seeing each other regularly. After we’d been dating for almost a year, we decided to move in together. We wanted more space than either of us had.</p>
  6702. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645819" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-35-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike sitting outside a coffee shop on queen street" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-35-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-35-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-35-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-35-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-35-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-35-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  6703. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>We also wanted to make sure the dogs could live together in harmony.<strong> </strong>They’re both alpha-female types. Once we narrowed our search down to a few apartments, we took the dogs with us on viewings. It actually went really well—the new spaces were neutral territories for them.</p>
  6704. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>We moved into an apartment just south of where we’d both been before. We’re closer to the waterfront, which is perfect for the dogs.</p>
  6705. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645836" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-64-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike standing against a wall with their dogs" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-64-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-64-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-64-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-64-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-64-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-64-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  6706. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>In October 2021, we started to talk about getting married. It was less of a formal proposal and more of a conversation. We were making dinner one night and I just asked him, “Do you want to get married?” And he said, &#8220;Okay!&#8221; That was it. Then I said that, if I was going to wear the ring every day, I wanted to pick it out.</p>
  6707. <p><strong>Mike:</strong> By that point we had booked our first trip together, which was going to be to Tulum in February 2023.</p>
  6708. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>Originally, neither of us wanted to have a wedding. So we just made a plan to do private vows while we were in Mexico.</p>
  6709. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645822 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-44-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike walking through their neighbourhood holding hands" width="2560" height="1698" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-44-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-44-min-300x199.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-44-min-2000x1326.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-44-min-768x509.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-44-min-1536x1019.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-44-min-2048x1358.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6710. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>By pure coincidence, we found out that two of our friends, Jess and Matt, who run Whim and Willow Photo in Toronto, were heading to Tulum at the same time. They were going to be shooting a wedding. We let them know ahead of time that we wanted to do a fun photoshoot and a little vow exchange, and they agreed to photograph us.</p>
  6711. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>We arrived and did the vow exchange right away, like 30 minutes after we’d gotten to our resort. Luckily, we got the perfect golden-hour lighting coming over the cliffs and the ocean.</p>
  6712. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645961" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_9208.jpeg" alt="The couple during their vow exchange in Mexico" width="1067" height="1600" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_9208.jpeg 1067w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_9208-200x300.jpeg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_9208-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_9208-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px" />
  6713. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>We were very candid. I didn’t write anything down beforehand. I just spoke from the heart. Exchanging those vows with the ocean right next to us was a truly special experience.</p>
  6714. <p><strong>Cat:</strong> We loved doing the initial ceremony our own way. It was very intimate.</p>
  6715. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645955 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_8669.jpeg" alt="The couple after their Mexico vow exchange" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_8669.jpeg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_8669-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_8669-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_8669-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" />
  6716. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>After some consideration, we decided to have a small ceremony in Toronto to share the moment with friends and family. Our wedding in Tulum hadn’t been legally binding either, so this time we’d have an officiant who would marry us officially.</p>
  6717. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>Since we’d never been excited about the idea of a big wedding, we wanted to make sure that it felt more like a fun party.</p>
  6718. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645828" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-51-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike standing together in Soos restaurant" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-51-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-51-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-51-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-51-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-51-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-51-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  6719. <p><strong>Mike:</strong> We envisioned a cocktail party that also happened to have a little wedding. We knew we wanted to do it at a restaurant. We were dining at Soos on Ossington one night, our favourite spot, and we just asked if we could book it. It was the perfect size for us and our guests.</p>
  6720. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>The staff at Soos were so helpful with menu planning. We love their food, but we wanted small passed plates rather than a sit-down meal.</p>
  6721. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>For decor, we settled on a bright palette with florals.</p>
  6722. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645830" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-53-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A photo of the bride and grooms shoes and the brightly coloured bouquet" width="1698" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-53-min-scaled.jpg 1698w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-53-min-199x300.jpg 199w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-53-min-2000x3016.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-53-min-768x1158.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-53-min-1019x1536.jpg 1019w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-53-min-1358x2048.jpg 1358w" sizes="(max-width: 1698px) 100vw, 1698px" /></p>
  6723. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>I knew I wanted to wear something non-traditional, minimalistic and chic. We both love fashion and wanted our outfits to be amazing. I went with a short white dress with dramatic wide shoulders and puffed sleeves from Silk Row Bridal.</p>
  6724. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>I picked out a white leopard-print suit jacket. We always knew that we wanted the dogs incorporated into the ceremony somehow. It felt too complicated to have them there in the flesh, so our friend made life-size cardboard cut-outs of them.</p>
  6725. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645837" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-67-min-scaled.jpg" alt="A cardboard cut out of one of the couple's dogs" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-67-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-67-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-67-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-67-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-67-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-67-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  6726. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>On the big day, I got ready in our friend’s condo party room. It had an insane view of the lake. I didn’t have a bridal party, but I did invite a few of my favourite people over. I’m a bridal hair specialist, so I did most people’s hair. Then all the men—Mike, my dad and some of my close guy friends—come up to the room for a first look.</p>
  6727. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>It was fun walking through the door and watching everyone react to my outfit. Then I went out on the balcony to see Cat in her dress.</p>
  6728. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>I had been so nervous all day, but as soon as I saw Mike, I felt calm. I was ready to do this with him. He’s got a way of always grounding me.</p>
  6729. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645815 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-13-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Mike getting ready in his suit" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-13-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-13-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-13-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-13-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-13-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-13-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6730. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>Then we spent a few hours taking photos in the neighbourhood where we first met. Strangers on the street were cheering us on. Someone even offered us shots of tequila. We briefly met up with the dogs and got some great photos with them. We lucked out with the weather too—it was rainy every day that week except for the day of the wedding. It was all so wonderful and surreal. I get emotional just thinking about it.</p>
  6731. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645835" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-62-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple doing a photoshoot with their two dogs" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-62-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-62-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-62-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-62-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-62-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-62-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  6732. <p><strong>Cat:</strong> Then we walked over to Soos. When we came in, we played “Only One” by Yellowcard. Everyone cheered as we walked down the aisle, which we’d put in the middle of the restaurant. The room was filled with so much love.</p>
  6733. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>It was such an amazing feeling, and seeing my dogs at the altar was super comforting—even if they were cardboard. The ceremony was great, short and sweet. This time I wrote down what I wanted to say because I knew I might forget it in the moment.</p>
  6734. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645818 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-34-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike standing together, black and white" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-34-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-34-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-34-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-34-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-34-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-34-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6735. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>My bouquet was filled with orchids and peonies. It was so beautiful and colourful. After the wedding, I dried and pressed the flowers into a beautiful collage that I’ve since framed.</p>
  6736. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>All of our favourites from the menu were worked into the wedding. We had baos and some great rice and noodle dishes. The food, as always, was so good. Plus there was an open bar with our signature drink, the spicy margarita.</p>
  6737. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645824 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-47-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple drinking their signature drink during the wedding" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-47-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-47-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-47-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-47-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-47-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-47-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6738. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>My dear friend Carla made our cake, and my cousin made our cake topper. It was me, Mike and the dogs.<strong> </strong></p>
  6739. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>The DJ played a chronological playlist, which started in the ’70s and finished in the 2000s. It was killer. One of the best moments of the night was when Cat’s cousin Claudio did a “death drop” during a Beyoncé track.</p>
  6740. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645838" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-68-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple's cake topper, which was them with their dogs" width="1706" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-68-min-scaled.jpg 1706w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-68-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-68-min-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-68-min-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-68-min-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-68-min-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px" /></p>
  6741. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>The father-daughter dance was so special. Halfway through it, we invited the rest of my family onto the floor. It became a big party. Around 11:30 p.m., we moved over to our local watering hole, Sweaty Betty’s, to finish the night.</p>
  6742. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>We had the whole back patio to ourselves. We ordered a ton of pizzas.</p>
  6743. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645840 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-86-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Mike and Cat dancing together at their wedding" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-86-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-86-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-86-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-86-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-86-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-86-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6744. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>Over the last four years, we’ve built a beautiful, cozy home with our pups. There’s never a dull moment in our house.</p>
  6745. <p><strong>Mike:</strong> We bring out the best in each other and push each other to continue growing. We are constantly having fun and making each other laugh.</p>
  6746. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645829 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-52-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple standing together at the bar at Soos restaurant" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-52-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-52-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-52-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-52-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-52-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-52-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6747. <p><strong>Cat: </strong>Being married to Mike has been nothing but amazing. He&#8217;s my partner, my best friend, my biggest cheerleader. We hope to go on a proper honeymoon in the next year. We’re thinking of Italy, partially for the sights but mainly for the food. Japan is also high on the list.</p>
  6748. <p><strong>Mike: </strong>I also want to go back to Tulum. I think we’re due for a post-wedding visit. I&#8217;m looking forward to continuing this journey together—the best is yet to come.</p>
  6749. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645843 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-96-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Cat and Mike waling away from the camera at the end of the night" width="2560" height="1698" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-96-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-96-min-300x199.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-96-min-2000x1326.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-96-min-768x509.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-96-min-1536x1019.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cat-Mike-Sneak-Peeks-96-min-2048x1358.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6750. <h5>Cheat Sheet</h5>
  6751. <p><strong>Date: </strong>May 6, 2023<br />
  6752. <strong>Venue: </strong>Soos<br />
  6753. <strong>Catering:</strong> Soos<br />
  6754. <strong>Toronto photography:</strong> Carmichael Pictures<br />
  6755. <strong>Mexico photography:</strong> Whim and Willow Photo<br />
  6756. <strong>Day-of coordinator: </strong>Nataleigh from Love Shack Toronto<br />
  6757. <strong>Bride’</strong><strong>s dress:</strong> Silk Row Bridal<br />
  6758. <strong>Bride’s shoes: </strong>Dior<br />
  6759. <strong>Bride’s earrings: </strong>Armed Jewelry<br />
  6760. <strong>Groom&#8217;s outfit:</strong> Leopard-print jacket from Topman, shirt and pants from Simon’s<br />
  6761. <strong>Groom&#8217;s shoes:</strong> Spring<br />
  6762. <strong>Cake:</strong> Carla Beça<br />
  6763. <strong>Makeup:</strong> Angelina Masich<br />
  6764. <strong>DJ:</strong> Pat McCormick<br />
  6765. <strong>Florals:</strong> Unfazed Floral<br />
  6766. <strong>Hair: </strong>Luda Bello<br />
  6767. <strong>Rings: </strong>Michael Hill</p>
  6768. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-stylish-celebration-at-soos-restaurant/">Real Weddings: Inside a stylish celebration at Soos restaurant</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6769. ]]></content:encoded>
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  6774. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  6779. <item>
  6780. <title>Rental of the Week: $4,275 for a two-bedroom with a bowling alley and a pet spa</title>
  6781. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-bowling-alley/</link>
  6783. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Yu]]></dc:creator>
  6784. <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 20:59:53 +0000</pubDate>
  6785. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  6786. <category><![CDATA[midtown]]></category>
  6787. <category><![CDATA[rental of the week]]></category>
  6788. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  6789. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645581</guid>
  6790.  
  6791. <description><![CDATA[<p>The just-built 780-square-foot unit also comes with two bathrooms and a shiny kitchen, along with access to the building's kids' room and virtual clinic</p>
  6792. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-bowling-alley/">Rental of the Week: $4,275 for a two-bedroom with a bowling alley and a pet spa</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6793. ]]></description>
  6794. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645587 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439726261_220108-181.jpg" alt="This two-bedroom rental lives in a 39-storey tower on Redpath Avenue. " width="1728" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439726261_220108-181.jpg 1728w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439726261_220108-181-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439726261_220108-181-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439726261_220108-181-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1728px) 100vw, 1728px" /></p>
  6795. <p><strong>Neighbourhood: </strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/midtown/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Midtown">Midtown</span></a><br />
  6796. <strong>Rent: </strong>$4,275<br />
  6797. <strong>Size:</strong> 784 square feet<br />
  6798. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 2<br />
  6799. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 2<br />
  6800. <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent:</strong> <a class="article-link" href="https://fitzrovia.ca/team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Jenna Houssian,"><span data-title="Jenna Houssian,">Jenna Houssian,</span></span></a> Fitzrovia</p>
  6801. <hr />
  6802. <h5><b>The place</b></h5>
  6803. <p>A two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on the fifth floor of the Parker—a new 39-storey rental tower on leafy Redpath Avenue, in midtown. Wi-Fi (but not utilities or insurance) is included in the rent, as is access to shared amenities such as a pet spa, a two-lane bowling alley, a lobby café, a retro arcade and a rooftop infinity pool. The building is within walking distance of countless businesses as well as Eglinton station, and it&#8217;s a short drive from Mount Pleasant Road and Bayview Avenue.</p>
  6804. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-leslieville-whimsy/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$6,000 for Leslieville’s most whimsical house">$6,000 for Leslieville’s most whimsical house</span></a></em></p>
  6805. <h5><b>The tour</b></h5>
  6806. <p>Concierge service runs from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.</p>
  6807. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645583 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-49547-148807.jpg" alt="The concierge is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. " width="1280" height="854" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-49547-148807.jpg 1280w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-49547-148807-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-49547-148807-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></p>
  6808. <p>The lobby acts as a café, co-working space and lounge. Its public wine bar, 10 Dean, serves coffee, tea, sandwiches, pastries and alcohol. Residents get a discount and can pre-order through the building&#8217;s app.</p>
  6809. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645586 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439707140_220108-122.jpg" alt="The lobby bar, 10 Dean, serves coffee, alcohol, sandwiches and more. " width="768" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439707140_220108-122.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439707140_220108-122-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></p>
  6810. <p>This view highlights the seating and dining areas as well as the workspace. In warmer weather, guests can access a patio via the café.</p>
  6811. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645707 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_LobbyLounge.jpeg" alt="The lobby also has co-working space and access to a patio. " width="1728" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_LobbyLounge.jpeg 1728w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_LobbyLounge-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_LobbyLounge-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_LobbyLounge-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1728px) 100vw, 1728px" /></p>
  6812. <p>Before heading upstairs, stop by the pet spa—for the cuddles, of course.</p>
  6813. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645590 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439778189_220108-261.jpg" alt="The pet spa is on the ground floor and comes with a tub, shampoo and a dryer. " width="886" height="1151" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439778189_220108-261.jpg 886w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439778189_220108-261-231x300.jpg 231w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439778189_220108-261-768x998.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px" /></p>
  6814. <p>Now for the apartment itself. All homes in the tower come with keyless smart-lock entry. This unit&#8217;s foyer features a bench-closet combo with a full sliding-door coat closet directly behind it.</p>
  6815. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645593 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-027.jpg" alt="All of the Parker's units have keyless smart-lock entrances. " width="1322" height="1800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-027.jpg 1322w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-027-220x300.jpg 220w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-027-768x1046.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-027-1128x1536.jpg 1128w" sizes="(max-width: 1322px) 100vw, 1322px" /></p>
  6816. <p>Around the corner is the open-concept kitchen, dining and living area. The entire home is ADA accessible, meaning there&#8217;s enough clearance for wheelchairs and other assistive devices.</p>
  6817. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645595 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-047.jpg" alt="The apartment is also ADA accessible. " width="1440" height="1800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-047.jpg 1440w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-047-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-047-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-047-1229x1536.jpg 1229w" sizes="(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px" /></p>
  6818. <p>Here&#8217;s a close-up of the quartz counter and backsplash. The kitchen appliances—fridge, gas cooktop, built-in microwave and mini dishwasher—are all KitchenAid.</p>
  6819. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645608 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-11-Colour-Corrected-REDUCED-WEBSITE-RESOLUTION-scaled.jpg" alt="The counters and backsplash are quartz. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-11-Colour-Corrected-REDUCED-WEBSITE-RESOLUTION-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-11-Colour-Corrected-REDUCED-WEBSITE-RESOLUTION-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-11-Colour-Corrected-REDUCED-WEBSITE-RESOLUTION-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-11-Colour-Corrected-REDUCED-WEBSITE-RESOLUTION-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-11-Colour-Corrected-REDUCED-WEBSITE-RESOLUTION-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-11-Colour-Corrected-REDUCED-WEBSITE-RESOLUTION-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6820. <p>The kitchen island is also quartz.</p>
  6821. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645602 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-39-KNOCK-10MB-scaled.jpg" alt="There's a wine fridge built into the island. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-39-KNOCK-10MB-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-39-KNOCK-10MB-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-39-KNOCK-10MB-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-39-KNOCK-10MB-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-39-KNOCK-10MB-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-39-KNOCK-10MB-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6822. <p>And it has a built-in wine fridge.</p>
  6823. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645705 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_InUnitWineFridgeOpen.jpeg" alt="See? " width="768" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_InUnitWineFridgeOpen.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_InUnitWineFridgeOpen-200x300.jpeg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></p>
  6824. <p>The living area has a corner view. Every unit in the building comes with roller blinds.</p>
  6825. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645600 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-34-scaled.jpg" alt="The living space sits in the corner and comes with roller blinds. " width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-34-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-34-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-34-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-34-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-34-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-34-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6826. <p>This is the main bedroom, which can fit a queen-sized bed. Its ensuite is equipped with a bathtub-shower, wall-mounted storage, and porcelain walls and floors.</p>
  6827. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645599 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-31-scaled.jpg" alt="The main bedroom fits a queen-sized bed and has an ensuite bathroom. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-31-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-31-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-31-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-31-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-31-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-31-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6828. <p>The closet has tiered organizers and shelving.</p>
  6829. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645607 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-2-scaled.jpg" alt="A peek inside the closet. " width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-2-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-2-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  6830. <p>As for the second bedroom, it faces north and comes with a nifty headboard that doubles as a feature wall.</p>
  6831. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645598 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-28-KNOCK-10MB-scaled.jpg" alt="The second bedroom faces north." width="1707" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-28-KNOCK-10MB-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-28-KNOCK-10MB-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-28-KNOCK-10MB-2000x3000.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-28-KNOCK-10MB-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-28-KNOCK-10MB-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-Fitzrovia-Nick-Wons-28-KNOCK-10MB-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" /></p>
  6832. <p>The second bathroom is shared and has a walk-in shower with a rainfall head and a storage niche. There&#8217;s also (not pictured) a wall-mounted medicine cabinet, more porcelain and a smart thermostat, plus a stacked washer-dryer next door.</p>
  6833. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645594 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-037.jpg" alt="The glass shower, with rainfall head. " width="1200" height="1800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-037.jpg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-037-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-037-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Model-Suites-037-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  6834. <p>On to the building&#8217;s amenities, most of which are on the 37th and 38th floors. First up: the kids&#8217; play zone.</p>
  6835. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645584 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674455343_Parker-24.jpg" alt="Most of the shared amenities are on the 37th and 38th floors. " width="1729" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674455343_Parker-24.jpg 1729w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674455343_Parker-24-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674455343_Parker-24-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674455343_Parker-24-1536x1023.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1729px) 100vw, 1729px" /></p>
  6836. <p>A perfect place for little ones to meet new friends or to just take a nap in a beanbag.</p>
  6837. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645585 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674458659_Parker-25.jpg" alt="Here's the kids-only play zone. " width="1728" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674458659_Parker-25.jpg 1728w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674458659_Parker-25-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674458659_Parker-25-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-62674458659_Parker-25-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1728px) 100vw, 1728px" /></p>
  6838. <p>There&#8217;s also this retro arcade, with classic games like <em>Donkey Kong</em> and <em>Street Fighter II</em>.</p>
  6839. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645589 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439759699_220108-234.jpg" alt="Donkey Kong, anyone? " width="1728" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439759699_220108-234.jpg 1728w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439759699_220108-234-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439759699_220108-234-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439759699_220108-234-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1728px) 100vw, 1728px" /></p>
  6840. <p>And how about this Lebowski-worthy two-lane bowling alley, which lives in the corner of the party room?</p>
  6841. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645588 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439739232_220108-214.jpg" alt="The bowling alley is part of the party space. " width="1536" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439739232_220108-214.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439739232_220108-214-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439739232_220108-214-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439739232_220108-214-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" /></p>
  6842. <p>The most unique amenity may be the virtual clinic. Residents get online access to a medical professional who can diagnose non-emergency issues, write prescriptions and refer patients. Included is a TytoCare system for diagnostics, such as taking blood pressure.</p>
  6843. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645592 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Cleveland-Clinic.jpeg" alt="This virtual clinic is run by Cleveland Clinic Canada. " width="768" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Cleveland-Clinic.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-Cleveland-Clinic-200x300.jpeg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></p>
  6844. <p>Here&#8217;s the building&#8217;s two-storey commercial-grade gym, designed by Matt Nichol, a strength and conditioning coach who has worked with the Maple Leafs and the Tiger Cats. Special features include a weighted sled with turf, a yoga room and a spin studio.</p>
  6845. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645591 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439800395_220108-325.jpg" alt="The gym is two storeys." width="864" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439800395_220108-325.jpg 864w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439800395_220108-325-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-68439800395_220108-325-768x1024.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></p>
  6846. <p>The gym is open 24/7, and all residents have access to virtual fitness classes like pilates, yoga and HIIT. Note the Greenhouse Juice vending machine.</p>
  6847. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645605 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Rental-of-the-Week-The-Parker-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-The-Temple.jpeg" alt="The is 24/7 and has its own Greenhouse Juice vending machine. " width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-The-Temple.jpeg 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-The-Temple-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker-The-Temple-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  6848. <p>Finally, the rooftop terrace and its spectacular view of downtown. Its pool comes with cabanas and loungers, plus an outdoor grill. In the summer, the Parker hosts free resident parties here, typically with catering and a DJ.</p>
  6849. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645709 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_RooftopPool.jpeg" alt="The view from the rooftop patio may be the building's best feature. " width="1729" height="1152" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_RooftopPool.jpeg 1729w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_RooftopPool-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_RooftopPool-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Parker_RooftopPool-1536x1023.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1729px) 100vw, 1729px" /></p>
  6850. <hr />
  6851. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to<a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title=" realestate@torontolife.com"> realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.</em></p>
  6852. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/rental-of-the-week-bowling-alley/">Rental of the Week: $4,275 for a two-bedroom with a bowling alley and a pet spa</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6853. ]]></content:encoded>
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  6858. <media:copyright>www.wons.ca</media:copyright>
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  6863. <item>
  6864. <title>Where Canoe executive chef Ron McKinlay eats in Riverdale and East Chinatown</title>
  6865. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/where-canoe-chef-ron-mckinlay-eats-riverdale-east-chinatown/</link>
  6867. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  6868. <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 18:05:18 +0000</pubDate>
  6869. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  6870. <category><![CDATA[Canoe]]></category>
  6871. <category><![CDATA[Chefs in the Burbs]]></category>
  6872. <category><![CDATA[East Chinatown]]></category>
  6873. <category><![CDATA[Riverdale]]></category>
  6874. <category><![CDATA[Ron McKinlay]]></category>
  6875. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645847</guid>
  6876.  
  6877. <description><![CDATA[<p>His favourite spots for dumplings, pho and burgers in the east end</p>
  6878. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-canoe-chef-ron-mckinlay-eats-riverdale-east-chinatown/">Where Canoe executive chef Ron McKinlay eats in Riverdale and East Chinatown</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6879. ]]></description>
  6880. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645864" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-scaled.jpeg" alt="Chef Ron McKinlay eats dumplings at Dumpling House, a Chinese restaurant in Toronto's East Chinatown" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-scaled-803x603-1711467772.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6881. <p>Ron McKinlay has just returned from Australia, where he was cooking up collaboration meals with chef Scott Pickett, who runs an eight-restaurant empire down under. It was a nostalgic full-circle moment for the executive chef of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/canoe/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Canoe">Canoe</span></a>, who used to work for Pickett. “I was Scott’s sous-chef at Estelle before I took on the role of head chef at St. Crispins,” says McKinlay. The two chefs hosted a couple of one-off “Canada Down Under” meals at Pickett’s restaurants, and it felt as though they hadn&#8217;t missed a beat. “Even though it’s been 10 years since I last worked for him, it’s like no time has passed,&#8221; McKinlay says. &#8220;He’s gone from being my boss and mentor to a good friend, and these kinds of relationships aren’t common or to be taken for granted.”</p>
  6882. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-chef-braden-chong-eats-chinese-food-in-markham-and-richmond-hill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Where chef Braden Chong eats Chinese food in Markham and Richmond Hill"><strong>Related:</strong> Where chef Braden Chong eats Chinese food in Markham and Richmond Hill</span></a></em></p>
  6883. <p>Back in Toronto, McKinlay is maintaining the momentum by announcing a one-night-only collaboration dinner between the teams at Canoe and Trivet, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in London, England, helmed by fellow Canadian Jonny Lake and master sommelier Isa Bal. (Editor&#8217;s note: <a href="https://www.canoerestaurant.com/news/jonny-lake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="sorry, it&#8217;s already sold out.">sorry, it&#8217;s already sold out.</span></a>) “I’ve been following their careers since their Fat Duck days, so I’m very excited to collaborate with them,” McKinlay says.</p>
  6884. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645885" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-scaled.jpeg" alt="Chef Ron McKinlay pours himself a cup of tea at Que Ling" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-tea-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6885. <p>When he isn’t busy helming Canoe’s kitchen or planning special menus, McKinlay hits the reset button by wandering around <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/riverdale/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Riverdale">Riverdale</span></a> and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/east-chinatown/" class="article-link"><span data-title="East Chinatown">East Chinatown</span></a>. “I moved here just before Covid, and I love it—there’s still a bit of that grungy grittiness, if you know what I mean. It’s an easy commute to downtown and to Canoe, but it&#8217;s far enough away that I get a bit of peace and quiet. When the nice weather hits, I like to bike or walk around the area—that’s how I discovered all of my new go-to spots.” Here are three of McKinlay’s favourite places to eat in his east-end neighbourhood.</p>
  6886. <hr />
  6887. <h5><strong>Dumpling House</strong></h5>
  6888. <p><em>619 Gerrard St. E., 416-901-0288, <a href="http://dumplinghouse619.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="dumplinghouse619.com">dumplinghouse619.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/leesdumplinghouse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@leesdumplinghouse">@leesdumplinghouse</span></a></em></p>
  6889. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645865" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-scaled.jpeg" alt="Chef Ron McKinlay reads the menu at Dumpling House, a Chinese restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-menu-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6890. <p>“This is near my barbershop, so I just wandered in one day. It’s perfect for when I don’t feel like cooking or doing the dishes. Overall, this place appeals because it’s bullshit- and fuss-free. You get in quick, eat, then leave. Everything on the menu is tasty and vibrant, but I have a few favourite dishes.”</p>
  6891. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645873" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-shumai-scaled.jpeg" alt="A plate of shumai at Dumpling House" width="1440" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-shumai-scaled.jpeg 1440w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-shumai-169x300.jpeg 169w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-shumai-768x1365.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-shumai-864x1536.jpeg 864w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-shumai-1152x2048.jpeg 1152w" sizes="(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px" /></p>
  6892. <p><strong>Go-to item #1:</strong> Pork and mushroom shumai</p>
  6893. <p>“I always eat this while it’s still burn-off-your-tongue-hot. I never learn—must be a chef thing. Generally speaking, you get a nice hit of both porkiness and mushrooms—the texture, fattiness and hint of sweetness that make it so delicious. As a counterbalance, I usually dip the dumplings in their house soy-sauce-and-vinegar mix with lots of chili oil blended in. To be honest, they’re not the best shumai I’ve had in the city, but they’re filling and they leave me feeling like I’ve made a healthy meal because they’re steamed.”</p>
  6894. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645861" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-scaled.jpeg" alt="A tray of steamed dumplings" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-dumplings-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6895. <p><strong>Go-to item #2:</strong> Steamed chive and pork dumplings</p>
  6896. <p>“The skin on the house-made dumplings is not wafer thin but actually a bit thicker and pleasantly chewy. And the way they’ve steamed them gives off a soup dumpling vibe. Overall, they have a simple and clean flavour—kind of the opposite of my food at Canoe.”</p>
  6897. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645862" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-scaled.jpeg" alt="A green onion pancake" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-green-onion-pancake-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6898. <p><strong>Go-to item #3:</strong> Spring onion pancake</p>
  6899. <p>“These are actually neutral in flavour but texturally crispy and fatty—not greasy, though. They&#8217;re the perfect vehicle to dunk in my mixture of chili oil, vinegar and soy sauce.&#8221;</p>
  6900. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645867" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-sauce-scaled.jpeg" alt="A jar of soy sauce and vinegar sits next to a jar of chili oil on a table at Toronto's Dumpling House" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-sauce-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-sauce-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-sauce-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-sauce-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-sauce-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-sauce-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  6901. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645863" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-scaled.jpeg" alt="Women make dumplings in a kitchen" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-kitchen-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6902. <hr />
  6903. <h5><strong>Que Ling</strong></h5>
  6904. <p><em>248 Boulton Ave., 416- 778-4038, no website, cash only</em></p>
  6905. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645879" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-scaled.jpeg" alt="A person walks into Que Ling, a Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto's east end" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-exterior-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6906. <p>“This place is just off Gerrard, so I found it completely by accident on one of my walks. Now I go here religiously on my days off. Daniel Duong and his family have run Que Ling since 1997. For me, it’s like a Cheers situation—everyone knows my name and order. It’s these little touches of hospitality that make the difference for me.”</p>
  6907. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645881" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-scaled.jpeg" alt="A person adds chili crisp to a bowl of pho at Que Ling in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-pho-2-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6908. <p><strong>Go-to item #1:</strong> Que Ling special rice noodle soup</p>
  6909. <p>“I like to sit here by myself and just appreciate this bowl of pho—it’s almost like a timeout from everything. The thing that makes it so delicious is the robust depth of flavour they have achieved with their broth. The base is just so bloody good. It’s clean, fresh, a touch sweet and medicinal in the sense that it feels cleansing when you slurp it. Then I go in and add my bean sprouts, Thai basil, culantro leaves and spearmint—but not Thai chili peppers. I learned the hard way once, when I touched my face after touching the peppers. But I make up the heat by adding an aggressive amount of sriracha and chili oil, without overpowering the flavour of the broth. Also, the huge portion of vermicelli noodles mixed with brisket, raw beef, tripe and tendon makes it that much better.”</p>
  6910. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645883" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-scaled.jpeg" alt="A crispy spring roll at Que Ling, a Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-spring-roll-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6911. <p><strong>Go-to item #2:</strong> Spring rolls</p>
  6912. <p>“These are absolutely amazing. They’re crispy but not oily and packed with ground beef, noodles and vegetables. There’s also a nice contrast of textures when you dip the rolls into the sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. I add chili oil to the sauce, of course—I add that shit to everything. Somehow, even though these are deep-fried, you don’t feel heavy and gross after eating them.”</p>
  6913. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645884" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-scaled.jpeg" alt="A steamed rice roll at Que Ling, a Vietnamese restaurant" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-steamed-rice-rolls-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6914. <p><strong>Go-to item 3:</strong> Vietnamese steamed rice rolls with meat</p>
  6915. <p>“The rolls are slippery, soft and almost gelatinous in texture—a bit like beef tendons. The filling is a hearty mixture of mushrooms, ground pork and onions. They’re just a lot of fun to eat, and I order them because they round out the other dishes I get in terms of taste and texture. These three dishes together hit every note I’m looking for in a meal.”</p>
  6916. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645880" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-scaled.jpeg" alt="Chef Ron McKinlay and Johnny Vuong, owner of Que Ling, a Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-que-ling-owner-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6917. <hr />
  6918. <h5><strong>The Comrade</strong></h5>
  6919. <p><em>758 Queen St. E., 416-778-9449, <a href="http://comradetoronto.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="comradetoronto.com">comradetoronto.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/comradetoronto/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@comradetoronto">@comradetoronto</span></a></em></p>
  6920. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645891" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-scaled.jpeg" alt="Chef Ron McKinlay enters The Comrade, a bar and restaurant in Toronto's Riverdale neighbourhood" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-exterior-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6921. <p>“I first came here in 2018, before I had moved to the area. In fact, this is where me and my partner had our first date. I return as often as possible because it’s my kind of place: a classy dive bar, done well.”</p>
  6922. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-the-comrade-an-old-east-end-favourite-with-brand-new-owners-but-the-same-burger/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at the Comrade, an old east-end favourite with brand-new owners (but the same burger)"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at the Comrade, an old east-end favourite with brand-new owners (but the same burger)</span></a></em></p>
  6923. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645886" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-scaled.jpeg" alt="Chef Ron McKinlay pours a can of beer into a glass at the Comrade, a bar and restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-beer-1-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><br />
  6924. <strong>Go-to item #1:</strong> Beamer lager</p>
  6925. <p>“This is my go-to beer. I prefer this style, especially when pairing it with a rich dish like the Comrade’s burger. It’s a perfect match for me.”</p>
  6926. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645888" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-scaled.jpeg" alt="Chef Ron McKinlay cuts his Comrade burger in two" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-1-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><br />
  6927. <strong>Go-to item #2:</strong> Prime rib burger</p>
  6928. <p>“This is fucking delicious—it’s my favourite burger in the city. While I can appreciate smash burgers, this isn’t a smash burger. With the thickness of the patty, you get this super meaty texture. It’s topped with their special sauce—which gives Big Mac vibes—caramelized onions and a pickle. And I’m a huge fan of the brioche bun that’s been slathered with lots of butter. When the heat of the toasted bread hits the cheese, it reminds me a bit of a grilled cheese sandwich. If you break down the components, it’s simple, yet it&#8217;s all done incredibly well.”</p>
  6929. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-645889" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-scaled.jpeg" alt="A closeup of a burger cut in two at the Comrade, a bar in Toronto's east end" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-the-comrade-burger-2-803x603.jpeg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  6930. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/where-canoe-chef-ron-mckinlay-eats-riverdale-east-chinatown/">Where Canoe executive chef Ron McKinlay eats in Riverdale and East Chinatown</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6931. ]]></content:encoded>
  6935. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-chefs-in-the-burbs-chef-ron-mckinlay-lead-scaled-1200x628-1711467783.jpeg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  6936. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  6937. <media:title></media:title>
  6938. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  6939. </media:content>
  6940. </item>
  6941. <item>
  6942. <title>My Psychotic Break: The postpartum nightmare no one talks&#160;about</title>
  6943. <link>https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/my-psychotic-break-the-postpartum-nightmare-no-one-talks-about/</link>
  6945. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  6946. <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:59:18 +0000</pubDate>
  6947. <category><![CDATA[Deep Dives]]></category>
  6948. <category><![CDATA[big stories]]></category>
  6949. <category><![CDATA[flora's walk]]></category>
  6950. <category><![CDATA[Mental Health]]></category>
  6951. <category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
  6952. <category><![CDATA[perinatal mental health]]></category>
  6953. <category><![CDATA[perinatal psychosis]]></category>
  6954. <category><![CDATA[postpartum depression]]></category>
  6955. <category><![CDATA[postpartum mental health]]></category>
  6956. <category><![CDATA[pregnancy]]></category>
  6957. <category><![CDATA[women's health]]></category>
  6958. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645740</guid>
  6959.  
  6960. <description><![CDATA[<p>After the birth of my first child, I split with reality. I had terrifying hallucinations, received messages from the spirit world and spent so much on New Age paraphernalia that I had to sell my house. A memoir on finding my way back to reality</p>
  6961. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/my-psychotic-break-the-postpartum-nightmare-no-one-talks-about/">My Psychotic Break: The postpartum nightmare no one talks&nbsp;about</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  6962. ]]></description>
  6963. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="drop-cap">G</span>rowing up, I struggled with anxiety and depression. I always seemed to be worried about something—getting good grades at school, how much my parents fought. But, when I was 23, I met my future husband, John, and I finally felt free. We got to know each other at the local TV station in his hometown of Thunder Bay, where he was working as a graphic artist and I was chasing my dream of becoming the next Dini Petty. He liked my fierce independence, blond pixie cut and tight leather pants; I liked his laid-back attitude, dark wavy hair and how he yelled out the answers to <em>Jeopardy!</em> questions in the break room.</p>
  6964. <p>Within months, in love and craving adventure, we quit our jobs, drove west and landed in Vancouver. After a couple of years working for different stations across the country, I took a stable, well-paid communications position at Queen’s Park while John returned to Thunder Bay. As I waited for him to join me—<em>hoped</em> he would join me—I started having panic attacks. My family doctor prescribed antidepressants, and they worked: my anxiety faded.</p>
  6965. <p>John did move to Toronto, and we eventually got married and bought a tiny one-bedroom condo in midtown. Cramped but content, we decided it was time to try for kids. I was concerned that the antidepressants could cause unwanted side effects for a baby, so I made an appointment with my doctor. After weighing the risks and benefits to both me and a baby, she agreed that I seemed to be in a good place and I could try coming off the medication. It took two months to wean myself. I also cut out caffeine and alcohol and started taking prenatal vitamins and seeing an acupuncturist. <em>As long as I take care of myself</em>, I thought, <em>I’ll be okay</em>.</p>
  6966. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/life/after-10-rounds-of-fertility-treatment-and-four-miscarriages-we-became-parents-in-the-last-way-we-expected/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="After 10 rounds of fertility treatment and four miscarriages, we became parents in the last way we expected">After 10 rounds of fertility treatment and four miscarriages, we became parents in the last way we expected</span></a></em></p>
  6967. <p>I became pregnant in October of 2008, when I was 31 and John was 40. I was thrilled, excited and more than a little anxious. I figured that was normal—after all, I was growing a human being inside of me. But the weight of that responsibility soon overwhelmed me. I couldn’t sleep. I worried incessantly about the baby’s safety. Every time I felt a twinge in my abdomen, I ran to the bathroom, worried that I’d miscarried. If I woke up in the night on my stomach, I’d leap out of bed, horrified that I’d crushed the baby. Driving seemed like too big a risk: What if I got in an accident?</p>
  6968. <figure id="attachment_645750" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645750" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645750 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL02-e1711381575684.jpg" alt="Patricia Tomasi got pregnant in October of 2008" width="1333" height="1625" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL02-e1711381575684.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL02-e1711381575684-246x300.jpg 246w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL02-e1711381575684-768x936.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL02-e1711381575684-1260x1536.jpg 1260w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645750" class="wp-caption-text">When Patricia Tomasi got pregnant, she imagined going on blissful stroller walks and playdates.</figcaption></figure>
  6969. <p>I couldn’t wait for the pregnancy to be over, but I was terrified of giving birth. I was worried about the pain, about something being wrong with the baby, about dying. I couldn’t suppress the catastrophic thoughts ricocheting around my mind. I was furious with myself: <em>Get it together—this is the most special time of your life. How are you going to be a good mom if you can’t even handle pregnancy? </em></p>
  6970. <p>My obstetrician told me it was normal to be worried. The baby was healthy and I was healthy, she reassured me. Try yoga or meditation. When I was seven months pregnant, we bought a house in Vaughan, across the street from my parents, so we could have easy access to their help after the baby was born. Ten weeks later, at 4 a.m. on July 5, 2009, my water broke. A wave of fear crashed over me. Labour, as traumatic as it was, would turn out to be far less torturous than what I was about to confront.</p>
  6971. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  6972. <p><span class="drop-cap">T</span>hirty-three hours after going into labour, I gave birth to our son, Evan, with the help of an epidural, a vacuum and forceps. I collapsed onto the bed as a nurse whisked my newborn away to be weighed and swaddled. I thought I heard him crying, but all I cared about was that he was healthy and safe—and that I could finally get some rest.</p>
  6973. <p>When the nurse returned, she handed Evan to John. “Doesn’t she want to see him?” I heard her ask. <em>Really?</em> I thought. I was exhausted. There would be lots of time to see him. I slowly turned my head and cracked my eyes open. Our son’s tiny face peeked out from the pink and blue hospital blanket. He looked peaceful. “He’s cute,” I remarked groggily. “Can I sleep now?”</p>
  6974. <p>I was discharged the next day. Over the previous 48 hours, I had been poked and prodded. I’d been plied with samples of formula, nipple cream, newborn diapers and information pamphlets. Nurses and doctors checked my vitals, but not one person asked about my mental state. Once we arrived home, I crawled straight into bed. “Just bring him to me when he’s hungry,” I told John.</p>
  6975. <p>For the next few weeks, Evan was either sleeping in my arms, breastfeeding or getting his diaper changed. I alternated between being sad and being angry—angry that my baby was hungry all the time, angry that I was tired, angry that I was sad.</p>
  6976. <p>“You’re not enjoying this, are you?” my mom asked me one day. I burst out crying. “I need a break,” I howled.</p>
  6977. <figure id="attachment_645759" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645759" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645759 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL03.jpg" alt="Patricia Tomasi with her husband and baby" width="2000" height="1330" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL03.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL03-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL03-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL03-1536x1021.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645759" class="wp-caption-text">Early on, Tomasi repeatedly tried to tap into the joy of motherhood, without success.</figcaption></figure>
  6978. <p>My parents had offered countless times to watch Evan, and I finally relented. We decided they would babysit him for a couple of hours each morning. But, instead of taking that time to rest, I asked my boss if I could work from home part time. It felt good to have a foot in my old life again, but I had difficulty concentrating, and I resented having to pick up Evan each day at lunch. I also resented John for being able to leave the house for eight hours a day, yet I refused to accept his help when he was home. I worried that maybe I was doing it all wrong. Did other mothers feel this way?</p>
  6979. <p>John had spent weeks hoping I’d snap out of it, but he was growing more and more concerned. “You would tell me if you had bad thoughts, right?” he asked me one morning over breakfast. “Bad thoughts like what? Hurting myself or Evan? Don’t be ridiculous,” I answered quickly, cutting him off. And it was true—I hadn’t. But I could feel myself drifting further and further from my family.</p>
  6980. <p>I desperately wanted to convince everyone that I was happy. I started forcing myself to act cheerful when John was home, pasting on a smile as I fixed us one of the simple meals I could manage. When hockey season started, I bought a Leafs onesie for Evan and dressed him up to watch the game on Saturday nights, just like John and I had before our son was born. Despite my efforts, life felt flat. The truth was that I loved Evan but hated almost everything about being his mother.</p>
  6981. <p>Three and a half months after giving birth, I was getting worse, not better. I finally dug up one of the pamphlets I’d been given at the hospital and called the number. When a nurse answered, I confessed that I thought I might have postpartum depression.</p>
  6982. <p>“I’m going to ask you questions from something called the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale,” she said. She asked me how often I’d been able to laugh over the previous seven days (zero times; I couldn’t remember when I’d last laughed). Then she asked me if I blamed myself when things went wrong; if I’d been worried; if I was crying a lot; if I’d been having difficulty sleeping (yes, yes, yes and yes). Finally, she asked me if I’d had thoughts of harming myself or the baby. My answer, firm and immediate, was the same I’d given John: absolutely not.</p>
  6983. <hr />
  6984. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">When I opened my eyes, the room seemed different—heavy and hazy. I felt strangely calm, like I wasn’t alone. Something otherworldly had joined me. Was it God?</span></h5>
  6985. <hr />
  6986. <p>&nbsp;<br />
  6987. The nurse told me to wait a minute while she tallied up the score; a total of 13 would mean I might have postpartum depression. When she got back on the line, she said I was a 10 but that she could drop by in person the following week to see how I was doing. “That would be great,” I said. I was sort of relieved but also distressed: If it wasn’t depression, what was going on?</p>
  6988. <p>The following week, the nurse rang our doorbell, sat on our couch, asked me the same series of questions without giving me a score, then left some brochures for Mommy and Me playgroups. I never heard from her again.</p>
  6989. <p>By the time I was six months postpartum, Evan was finally sleeping in his crib, and John, who’d spent most nights on a fold-out couch in the basement, was back with me in bed, the way it was supposed to be. But, instead of improving, I spiralled. My period came back—and so did my anxiety. Violent images of Evan drowning in a bathtub or being stabbed flashed through my mind. I could see the hands hurting him but couldn’t tell who they belonged to. I was petrified that they were mine. I didn’t tell John, afraid he’d think Evan wasn’t safe with me.</p>
  6990. <p>I started zoning out all the time. One evening, while drawing a bath for Evan, I stared into the running water for what seemed like minutes, until my head suddenly snapped back. Another time, I called an ambulance while at the mall with Evan because I had no memory of making it from one end of the building to the other. The blood tests taken by the ER staff came back normal. “Go home and enjoy your baby,” the doctor told me, echoing what I’d been hearing for months, what I suspected other mothers were able to accomplish effortlessly. Calm down, carry on, be happy.</p>
  6991. <p>Though I had been scared and confused, struggling to make sense of my cascading anxiety, I was mostly coping. But I was completely unprepared for what came next. It happened in the middle of the night, on January 23, 2010. John and Evan were sleeping, and I was sitting on our couch, trying to calm my breathing and keep my heart from flip-flopping up and out of my throat. It felt like a panic attack but different. Maybe it was cardiac arrest or a stroke? I stood, opened the blinds and stared out the window at the stars. “I give up,” I said aloud to nobody. “I give up.” Then I closed my eyes and fell backward onto the couch with a thump.</p>
  6992. <p>I don’t know how long I stayed there. When I opened my eyes, the room seemed different—heavy and hazy. I felt strangely calm, like I wasn’t alone. Something otherworldly had joined me. Was it God? I was raised Catholic, but I wasn’t religious. And yet, instead of questioning what was happening, I relaxed. This moment felt profoundly real, more real than anything I had ever experienced.</p>
  6993. <p>I felt the presence try to communicate with me. Not in a voice, exactly—it was like a telepathic connection that beamed messages directly into my brain. The presence told me to pull down the first book I spotted on my bookshelf. My gaze stopped on a blue spine emblazoned with the words “Calming Your Anxious Mind.” <em>Open the book to a random page and read the first sentence you see</em>, the presence told me. So I did. It was about transforming your life through meditation. <em>That’s how you are going to heal</em>, the presence assured me. <em>That’s how you are going to get to the root of your anxiety. And once you are better, you will help others</em>.</p>
  6994. <p>I was on a very special mission from God, and spirit guides—angels and even aliens—would be there to help me. <em>Everything that has happened to you up to this point unfolded as it should have</em>, the presence said. Right now, though, all I needed to do was close my eyes, conjure a peaceful scene and breathe. I fell asleep recalling summertime visits to the small Quebec town on the St. Lawrence where my mother was raised.</p>
  6995. <p>When I woke up the next morning, the sun was shining. For the first time in more than six months, I felt refreshed. I was lucky enough to be chosen to carry out a special mission! And how spectacular was it to know that we weren’t alone, that a magical world existed beyond our reality? The only downside was that I had to keep it a secret. There was no way I could tell John—he wouldn’t understand.</p>
  6996. <p>I decided to take Evan to the library to see what books I could find on meditation. Passing by the bulletin board, I noticed a flyer for a meditation group that met every Wednesday at a nearby community centre. <em>What a coincidence</em>, I thought. <em>It’s not a coincidence</em>, said the presence. <em>I led you here. </em></p>
  6997. <p>The following Wednesday, I left Evan with John. It was my first evening away from our baby, but I knew everything would be fine—my spirit guide said this is what needed to be done. When I walked into the room, a few people were milling about and a few were sitting in chairs. A giant poster of a person sitting cross-legged hung at the front of the room, seven colourful circles running down their spine. These, the instructor explained, were the chakras—psychic-energy centres that are central to certain Hindu and Buddhist practices. By balancing the energy in your chakras, a process that can be helped by meditation, you can heal your physical and mental ailments, he said. I had never heard of chakras before, but I knew immediately that I had found what I was looking for. I would be healed, and then I would help heal the world.</p>
  6998. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  6999. <p><span class="drop-cap">W</span>hat the doctor hadn’t seen—and what I had no way of knowing—was that my fragile mental state could be explained: despite the results of the Edinburgh scale, I did have postpartum depression, but it had graduated into anxiety, and now I was in full-blown psychosis. The most dangerous of perinatal mental illnesses, postpartum psychosis sits at the far end of the spectrum—and I’d slid all the way to the edge.</p>
  7000. <p>Symptoms of postpartum psychosis can include disorganized thinking, confusion, paranoia, delusions and hallucinations. While there’s no clear consensus on what causes it, researchers have found the change in hormones during pregnancy and childbirth to be a factor, as well as weaning from breastfeeding and the resumption of monthly periods. Women who give birth for the first time, experience birth trauma or have a history of mental illness (especially bipolar disorder) are at a higher risk. Sleep deprivation is also a suspected catalyst. Although quite rare, at a rate of one to two people for every 1,000, postpartum psychosis is considered a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment.</p>
  7001. <p>There is an alarming amount of misinformation and myth surrounding the condition, which isn’t recognized as a distinct disorder in the most recent version of the <em>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</em>, the <em>DSM-5</em>. Perinatal (the period between conception and one year postpartum) mental illnesses affect one in five new moms. And not just them: it can happen to their partners and to adoptive parents. However, many cases go unaddressed. One study by the University of Saskatchewan found that two-thirds of patients with perinatal depression did not receive treatment. The stigma of being labelled crazy, the fear of being deemed an unfit parent and the unrelenting societal pressure to be a perfect mom keep many from reporting their experiences or sharing their stories.</p>
  7002. <p>Canada is far behind other Commonwealth countries when it comes to addressing perinatal mental health issues. Unlike Australia and the UK, we don’t have national guidelines and strategies, universal perinatal mental health screening, or mother and baby units. In 2023, our then–minister of mental health and addictions, Carolyn Bennett, announced funding to create national clinical perinatal mental health guidelines, which is a start. But, if the UK is any indication, Canada had better catch up quickly: a recent British study found that 93.5 per cent of 1,300-plus new mothers there experienced psychosis-like symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions. While there has yet to be a screening tool to detect postpartum psychosis specifically, researchers in the US are working on it.</p>
  7003. <p>With the proper supports in place, postpartum psychosis is highly preventable and treatable. Following the birth of her son in 2009, a Brampton mother named Geneviève Desrochers began having delusions that her husband was going to die every time he left the house and that God wanted her to prevent a horrible event from happening to her sister. She started getting panic attacks and excruciating pain in one of her legs. When she went to the ER, the tests came back normal. It was only when she spoke with her midwife that she was referred to a social worker and then to a psychiatrist, who diagnosed bipolar disorder of postpartum onset with psychotic features. She’d had no symptoms prior to labour and no family history of bipolar disorder.</p>
  7004. <p>Nancy Di Nuzzo, a Vaughan woman who gave birth at the peak of Covid, suffered from sleep deprivation and insomnia, which in turn led to hypertension, racing thoughts, hallucinations and paranoia. Five days after her daughter was born, she went to the ER and received a diagnosis of postpartum psychosis but was then sent home. After landing back in the hospital less than a week later, she was admitted to the psychiatric ward for six nights. With the help of medication, therapy and support from loved ones, she recovered.</p>
  7005. <p>Not everyone gets a diagnosis so quickly—or at all. Flora Babakhani had always dreamed of being a mother. In 2021, after extensive fertility treatments in Toronto, the 44-year-old chartered accountant finally got pregnant, a single parent by choice. Like me, Flora had stopped taking antidepressants for fear that they would harm her baby. Leading up to the birth, she was overjoyed but acutely anxious. Her sister, Mimi, who was living in ­Scotland, did her best to reassure her from a distance.</p>
  7006. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/life/toronto-older-moms-kids-in-40s/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Five older moms describe what it&#8217;s like to have kids in your 40s">Five older moms describe what it&#8217;s like to have kids in your 40s</span></a></em></p>
  7007. <p>When Flora gave birth, in November of 2021, her mood suddenly lifted. So, when she didn’t immediately return Mimi’s calls, her sister didn’t think much of it—<em>Flora must be cocooning</em>, she thought. By the time Mimi finally heard from Flora, three days later, the new mother was hysterical. Her mental state plummeted even further when she had to spend two weeks in the hospital to treat severe edema and wasn’t able to see her daughter because of pandemic restrictions. Upon her return home, Flora seemed distant, joyless.</p>
  7008. <p>Two months after her daughter was born, Flora suddenly messaged Mimi that her life was over and she was going to jail. She said that her computer had been hacked, her apartment and phone bugged. She told Mimi that she had transferred money to her because she was afraid someone was going to break into her bank account. Mimi reassured Flora that she would help her figure out what was going on, but when they spoke again the next day, Flora brushed off her sister’s concerns, citing exhaustion. “I promise everything’s okay,” Flora insisted. “I love you so much.” Two days later—and 72 hours before she was supposed to see a doctor—Flora died by suicide.</p>
  7009. <p>Canada’s record-keeping on maternal deaths caused by perinatal mental illness has significant gaps and limitations, something the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is working to change. Without proper diagnosis and reporting, it’s impossible to know exactly how many people have stories similar to Flora’s, or to mine.</p>
  7010. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  7011. <p><span class="drop-cap">M</span>y experience of post­partum psychosis was different from Flora’s: I was in an almost permanent state of euphoria. After the meeting at the community centre, I became obsessed with chakras. Over the next several months, I dropped thousands of dollars on books and courses. My anxious thoughts had been replaced with messages from the divine, communicated to me through number sequences on licence plates and words on billboards and in newspapers. Nothing was a coincidence; everything was a sign.</p>
  7012. <p>When I started to see what I thought were auras—colours emanating like misty clouds around people’s heads and bodies—I knew that meant I had balanced my chakras and could see through my so-called third eye. I signed up to become a reiki master, a person who can heal through the power of touch. I was one of five students enrolled in the certification course, which was offered at a farmhouse in Essa, about an hour north of Toronto. One of my classmates said there was a portal to another plane of existence on the grounds, so we all went outside to check it out. She led my hand to where she could feel a pillar of heat, and I swore I could feel it too. It was further proof of the existence of the spiritual world and my abilities as an energy healer.</p>
  7013. <p>My spirit guides told me I needed to do more to learn the ways of the divine before I could embark on my quest to heal the world. <em>You should become a yoga instructor</em>, they said. So I did. <em>You should become a qigong instructor</em>, they said. So I did that too. I trusted my guides implicitly, more than John, my parents or anyone else in my life. Soon, I started getting into magic. <em>The spiritual arts are interconnected</em>, my guides told me, <em>and you must learn all their ways</em>. I bought more books, took more courses, and started practising healing spells for friends and family. I’d wake up in the night to light candles and invoke spirits to heal my mother of multiple sclerosis, my father after a bad fall, my sister of the flu and John of his nicotine addiction. None of it worked, but I was unfazed.</p>
  7014. <hr />
  7015. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">Using the words and music of Michael Jackson, the <em>Little Mermaid</em> soundtrack and “Gangnam Style” singer Psy, I shared my healing journey</span></h5>
  7016. <hr />
  7017. <p>&nbsp;<br />
  7018. A year into my divine healing journey, I woke up unerringly confident that it was time to share my knowledge with the world. Walking along Bay Street on my way to work, I received a message from my spirit guides: I needed to become a full-time energy healer. When I got to my desk, I typed out an email to my boss letting her know that I was quitting. Then I ordered a massage table and set about advertising my hands-on healing services.</p>
  7019. <p>I shared the news with John after I got home, as we watched Evan roll back and forth on his baby mat. “I’m not meant to be sitting behind a desk writing press releases for the rest of my life. I want to help people.” John stared at me. “By putting crystals on them and waving your hands around?” he asked in disbelief.</p>
  7020. <p>I tried reminding him how we had once both quit our jobs to follow our dreams of travelling the country. “Don’t you think you should have discussed this with me first?” he responded. “We have a child and a mortgage now, or did you forget about that?”</p>
  7021. <p>I hadn’t forgotten, but those things simply didn’t worry me in the way they once had. Evan was being cared for by John and my parents and at daycare. I was with him when I wasn’t at work or carrying out God’s plan for me, but I wasn’t truly present. Lying down for naps with him, I’d hear angels whisper into my ear that this world was just an illusion—only the spiritual world was real. I smiled at the secret I carried with me.</p>
  7022. <p>John may not have understood what I needed, but my spirit guides did. They started sending messages about having fun. How about acting, something I’d enjoyed doing as a kid? I got myself an agent and started going on auditions. I booked a few non-speaking roles in crime documentaries, played Ruby in a stage production of <em>Anne of Green Gables</em> and landed a gig on a show about terrible cooks. I was acting by day and healing by night, but there was still more to do. My guides prompted me to write a book about fulfilling your dreams by healing through the chakras.</p>
  7023. <p><em>What a great idea!</em> I wrote for hours each day, the words flooding my brain. My book, <em>Kick Ass Dreams</em>, was finished in two weeks. I later shelled out $5,000 to have 500 copies printed, and I planned the book launch—with all proceeds going to mental health organizations—so it would coincide with Bell Let’s Talk Day. To make it more fun, I wrote a one-woman musical about how the chakras healed me of postpartum depression, then paid $3,000 to rent out the Lower Ossington Theatre for a one-day run. A friend who wrote for the <em>Toronto Sun</em> liked the mental health angle and wrote an article about my book. A producer from CTV News invited me to appear on-air.</p>
  7024. <p>The day of my TV interview and musical performance passed by in a giddy blur. The news anchors asked me about navigating anxiety and depression and about what I called my “dark night of the soul” six months after Evan was born. I told them about my meditation practice, about my special connection to God, about chakras. I couldn’t believe I was spreading my message to the world! I was the conduit for a 2,000-year-old healing system being broadcast on mainstream television! As the interview wrapped up, I plugged my book and invited viewers to come see my show later that day.</p>
  7025. <p>The only things onstage in the theatre were a microphone and an enormous red plush chair shaped like a stiletto, behind which hung a curtain of silver tinsel. I emerged in a tight sequin dress and cherry-red lipstick and clicked my way to centre stage in four-inch heels. Grabbing hold of the mic, I welcomed the 100 or so people in attendance with a very loud, very enthusiastic, “Welcome to <em>Kick Ass Dreams</em>!”</p>
  7026. <p>The crowd—made up of a reluctant John, old friends from school, new ones from my spiritual life and strangers who’d seen or read about me in the news—whistled, clapped and hooted in welcome. And they remained kindly enthusiastic as I launched into my own take on “Beat It.” The next 90 minutes is best described as a near-manic mash-up of mental health musings and karaoke punctuated with Value Village costume changes. Using the words and music of Michael Jackson, the <em>Little Mermaid</em> soundtrack and “Gangnam Style” singer Psy, as well as some rather unhinged dance moves, I shared my healing journey. The audience couldn’t look away.</p>
  7027. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  7028. <p><span class="drop-cap">B</span>y March, it became clear that I wasn’t making enough money doing energy work to pay my half of the mortgage, and my savings were running out. Since quitting my job, I had spent $50,000 and brought in significantly less. Still, I continued to splurge on books and courses and spontaneously dropped $2,000 on a silver, gold and emerald dragon-shaped ring because a salesperson at a New Age store told me it was magic. With my bank balance hurtling toward zero, I knew I had to talk to John.</p>
  7029. <p>At that point in our relationship, we sometimes argued, but mostly we just avoided each other. While he watched <em>Hockey Night in Canada</em>, I did tarot readings and performed fireside ceremonies in the backyard by the light of the full moon. My husband no longer recognized the person he had married and needed to believe it was a phase, an early midlife crisis. He was determined to wait things out as long as I wasn’t hurting Evan or myself. So we put the house on the market. And a few months later, we moved north to Barrie and into a home less than half the size—but one we could afford on a single salary, for a little while at least.</p>
  7030. <p>Three years after giving birth to Evan, I received a message that a baby in heaven was waiting to come into our lives. I somehow convinced John it was time to expand our family, and it wasn’t long before I was pregnant again. That’s when two remarkable things happened. I wasn’t anxious at all—I felt great, nothing like my first pregnancy. Even more shocking was that I lost interest in spirituality. My guides stopped sending messages, and I no longer saw auras. It was as if a veil had lifted and I could see everything with fresh eyes. I was profoundly confused and embarrassed by what I’d done—the money I’d spent, the claims I’d made, the “Gangnam Style” performance. Mortified, I packed up my books on spirituality and banished them to the basement. I sold my massage table and closed my healing practice. I wanted to erase all signs of the bizarre life I had led over the past couple of years. <em>What had been wrong with me? </em></p>
  7031. <p>I went back over everything that had transpired since Evan had been born. First I was depressed, then anxious, then I started thinking and doing really weird things. The nurse had said my score on the Edinburgh scale wasn’t high enough to indicate postpartum depression, so I started to research maternal mental health. I found a book called <em>This Isn’t What I Expected</em> and learned about the spectrum of prenatal and postpartum mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, bipolar disorder and psychosis. Without hesitating, I told John and my midwife what I’d read so they could be on high alert.</p>
  7032. <p>Just like the pregnancy, my second labour went smoothly. Although I bled enough during delivery to require a transfusion, I was oddly free of anxiety. And I wasn’t exhausted like the first time around: I was elated to be a mom, and I wanted to hold Celeste as soon as she was born. <em>If there were a problem, I would be depressed or anxious by now</em>, I told myself.</p>
  7033. <hr />
  7034. <h5><span style="color: #ff0000;">Clearly, this wasn’t going to be the “fun” psychosis I had experienced with Evan—I needed to get help, fast. It couldn’t wait until morning. I woke John</span></h5>
  7035. <hr />
  7036. <p>&nbsp;<br />
  7037. Then, three months postpartum, the anxiety started creeping back in—and with it the intrusive thoughts. This time, instead of visions of drowning or stabbing, I saw myself driving off a cliff with Celeste or running into oncoming traffic. I was having multiple panic attacks a day. Then came the trances.</p>
  7038. <p>One night while I was cradling Celeste in my arms, I spotted shadows flying across the ceiling of my bedroom and suddenly felt a dark presence. Clearly this wasn’t going to be the “fun” psychosis I had experienced with Evan—I needed to get help, fast. It couldn’t wait until morning. I woke John. “I think it’s time to call 911,” I said. “I’ll take Celeste with me, and you stay home with Evan. I’ll call you from the hospital.”</p>
  7039. <p>I told everyone my story—the paramedics, the nurses, the emergency room doctor. <em>I’ll be admitted for sure</em>, I thought. I wasn’t. “Your blood tests are normal,” the doctor said. “There isn’t much more I can do for you tonight. Try following up with your GP tomorrow.” When I got home, I managed to convince John that I was fine, that I must have exaggerated my symptoms because the medical team didn’t see anything wrong with me. I told him I’d call my doctor the next day.</p>
  7040. <p>The following morning, after John left for work, I woke up in a dreamlike state, and I could feel my grip on reality loosening. I called my doctor’s office and managed to get a same-day appointment after speaking with a receptionist who had dealt with perinatal mental health issues herself.</p>
  7041. <p>When the doctor walked into the exam room, I spilled out my story and told her she needed to prescribe me medication. She did: an SSRI to help with depression and anxiety. She tried to reassure me that, if I was aware that something wasn’t right, it meant I wasn’t experiencing postpartum psychosis. <em>Maybe not yet</em>, I thought.</p>
  7042. <p>I cried all the way home, convinced that the medication I had begged for was poison. I wanted John with me when I took the pills in case I had an adverse reaction, but I didn’t know if I would be able to take them in time before completely slipping away. With Celeste in my arms, I waited for my husband to drive the 45 minutes back from work.</p>
  7043. <p>It was hard to breathe. I wanted to lie down, but I couldn’t stay still. I perched on the edge of the bed. I got up and walked around. I sat back down. I looked out the window. Clouds hung low in the sky, full of rain. <em>Get it over with</em>. Ice-cold adrenalin surged through me, and I ripped the prescription bag off my nightstand. I unscrewed the top of the bottle and shook out a pill. It was oblong, grey and white, unassuming. I rocked it back and forth in my palm, between the heart line and the head line—or was it the fate line and the life line? I stared at the pill until it grew sticky from my body heat.</p>
  7044. <p><em>Knock, knock.</em></p>
  7045. <p>“Can I come in?” John asked softly.</p>
  7046. <p>“Yes, of course,” I answered.</p>
  7047. <p>“How are you doing?”</p>
  7048. <p>“I don’t know.”</p>
  7049. <p>“Did you take the medication?”</p>
  7050. <p>“No.”</p>
  7051. <p>John frowned. “Why not?”</p>
  7052. <p>“I’m scared.”</p>
  7053. <p>“Of what?”</p>
  7054. <p>“I don’t know. A lot of things. I’m scared of what it might do to my body. I’m scared it will change who I am. I’m scared that this means I’m crazy.”</p>
  7055. <p>“You’re not crazy.”</p>
  7056. <p>“Are you sure?”</p>
  7057. <p>“No,” he replied.</p>
  7058. <p>“Very funny.”</p>
  7059. <p>I leaned over Celeste and grabbed her tiny hands with my fingers. She was such a happy baby, always laughing and cooing. She’d slept through the night from day one.</p>
  7060. <p>“Take the pill.”</p>
  7061. <p>“I will.”</p>
  7062. <p>“Now.”</p>
  7063. <p>“In a minute.”</p>
  7064. <p>“Why a minute?”</p>
  7065. <p>“I need time to think.”</p>
  7066. <p>“Think about what?”</p>
  7067. <p>“About what’s happening.”</p>
  7068. <p>“You know what’s happening.”</p>
  7069. <p>Celeste was getting restless. I began breastfeeding her. I knew what I had to do. I had to take control of what was happening to me. I had to do this, for all of us.</p>
  7070. <p>“No one ever asked me about my mental health,” I said, “not while I was pregnant or after I had the baby.”</p>
  7071. <p>John reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. “Here,” he said.</p>
  7072. <p>I swallowed the pill.</p>
  7073. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  7074. <p><span class="drop-cap">I</span>t took a few weeks for the anxiety and the trance-like episodes to fade away. Soon, the only looming presence in our bedroom was the hulking mountain of laundry. Within three months, I was the calmest I’d been since going off antidepressants in my late 20s. Should I have never gone off the medication? Could all of this have been avoided?</p>
  7075. <p>I needed answers. By this point, I suspected it was postpartum psychosis, but I still didn’t have an official diagnosis. Following a quick Google search, I found out that Women’s College Hospital had perinatal psychiatrists on staff. I got a referral from my doctor and a few months later made the trip to Toronto. Within an hour, a psychiatrist gave me a diagnosis: I’d definitely had postpartum bipolar disorder with psychotic features—otherwise known as postpartum psychosis.</p>
  7076. <p>Armed with the truth and filled with fury, I wanted everyone to know what I’d gone through. I posted about my experience on Facebook, and a friend who was an editor at <em>HuffPost Canada</em> asked if I would write a series for the site. I agreed—I was determined to find out why the health care system had failed me and whether there were other parents in the same position.</p>
  7077. <figure id="attachment_645760" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645760" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645760 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL04.jpg" alt="Patricia Tomasi at home" width="2000" height="1500" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL04.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL04-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL04-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL04-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL04-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645760" class="wp-caption-text">Since getting her diagnosis, Tomasi has spoken with hundreds of women who have faced similar experiences</figcaption></figure>
  7078. <p>For one of my articles, I interviewed Jaime Charlebois, who was at that time the perinatal mood disorder coordinator for the North Simcoe Muskoka region. We became friends, and in the fall of 2019, we co-founded the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative to call on the federal government to create a national perinatal mental health strategy. That hasn’t happened yet, but we’ve had some success, including helping to draft a motion to create a national strategy that was agreed to by all parties. We also convinced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to include “timely access to perinatal mental health services” on his mandate letter for the minister of mental health and addictions in 2021.</p>
  7079. <p>I was lucky to get the help I needed before it was too late. Shortly after Flora Babakhani’s death, Mimi reached out to share her sister’s story with me. Through our organization, Jaime and I started Flora’s Walk, an annual fundraiser held each May to raise awareness and money for perinatal mental health. Since 2022, we’ve raised close to $200,000 across 40 Canadian cities, helping dozens of organizations improve their services. Flora is present in everything we do.</p>
  7080. <p>It’s been almost a decade since I recovered from my psychosis. I can’t quite believe that my marriage survived, but John and I are still in love and still living in the same home in Barrie. Evan is now 14 years old and has received diagnoses for ADHD, autism and anxiety. I worry that it’s partly because of me—children of parents with untreated perinatal mental illness are more likely to deal with conditions such as ADHD, depression and anxiety. At nine years old, Celeste shows no signs of any of the same conditions. Both kids love to draw, just like John, and Evan has a particular talent for animation. Celeste dreams of becoming a mom one day. She has the names of her future kids already picked out: Elijah for a boy, Luna for a girl. If my children do choose to have kids, I hope they won’t have to go through what I did. In the meantime, I’ll do everything I can to make sure help will be there if they need it.</p>
  7081. <hr />
  7082. <p><em>This story originally appeared in the April 2024 issue of </em>Toronto Life<em> <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">magazine. To</span> subscribe</em><em> for just $39.99 a year, <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://secure.torontolife.com/W2NASHPT" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="click here."><span data-title="click here.">click here.</span></span></a></strong> To purchase single issues, <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://canadianmags.ca/collections/toronto-life-single-issues" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="click here."><span data-title="click here.">click here.</span></span></a></strong></em></p>
  7083. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/my-psychotic-break-the-postpartum-nightmare-no-one-talks-about/">My Psychotic Break: The postpartum nightmare no one talks&nbsp;about</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7084. ]]></content:encoded>
  7088. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PREGNANCY_PSYCHOSIS_FINAL01-e1711381460934-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7089. <media:copyright>©Markian Lozowchuk 2024. All Rights Reserved.</media:copyright>
  7090. <media:title></media:title>
  7091. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7092. </media:content>
  7093. </item>
  7094. <item>
  7095. <title>House of the Week: $4 million for a Mississauga standout with a jewel-box staircase</title>
  7096. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-mississauga-staircase/</link>
  7098. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Yu]]></dc:creator>
  7099. <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 20:52:17 +0000</pubDate>
  7100. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  7101. <category><![CDATA[House of the Week]]></category>
  7102. <category><![CDATA[Mineola]]></category>
  7103. <category><![CDATA[Mississauga]]></category>
  7104. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  7105. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645216</guid>
  7106.  
  7107. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 3,000-square-foot property also comes with six bathrooms, high-tech security, a sparkling blue pool and a basement that feels like a hotel</p>
  7108. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-mississauga-staircase/">House of the Week: $4 million for a Mississauga standout with a jewel-box staircase</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7109. ]]></description>
  7110. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645220 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-001-scaled.jpg" alt="This four-bedroom home in Mineola is currently going for $4 million. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-001-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-001-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-001-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-001-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-001-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-001-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7111. <p><strong>Neighbourhood: </strong>Mineola, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/mississauga/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mississauga">Mississauga</span></a><br />
  7112. <strong>Price:</strong> $3,999,000<br />
  7113. <strong>Previously sold for:</strong> $1.1 million in 2019<br />
  7114. <strong>Size:</strong> 3,000 square feet plus a 1,400-square-foot basement<br />
  7115. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 5<br />
  7116. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 6<br />
  7117. <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent: </strong><a href="http://forestwood.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Peter Calak">Peter Calak</span></a></p>
  7118. <hr />
  7119. <h5><b>The place </b></h5>
  7120. <p>A four-bedroom, six-bathroom house in Mineola. The place comes with an attached two-car garage and a long driveway with space for four more cars. It&#8217;s within walking distance of several parks as well as the lake, and it&#8217;s a short drive from the Port Credit GO station and the QEW.</p>
  7121. <h5><b>The history</b></h5>
  7122. <p>In 2019, the current owners—a family of four—bought the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house that once stood on this plot for $1.1 million. They tore it down immediately to build a luxurious custom home, with work completing in 2023. The family&#8217;s eldest son has left the nest to study in another city, so they felt it was a good time to put their place on the market and downsize.</p>
  7123. <p>The house was initially listed in July 2023 for $4.2 million, and again in October 2023 for $4,168,000, before its current price drop.</p>
  7124. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-weston-pelham-park/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="$1.5 million for a St. Clair walk-up with its own retail on the street">$1.5 million for a St. Clair walk-up with its own retail on the street</span></a></em></p>
  7125. <h5><b>The tour</b></h5>
  7126. <p>The façade—flanked by mature trees and a manicured lawn—is stone and stucco.</p>
  7127. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645221 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-002-scaled.jpg" alt="The house if lined with artificial stone and stucco. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-002-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-002-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-002-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-002-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-002-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-002-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7128. <p>The front door was made in Europe and requires a fingerprint scan for entry.</p>
  7129. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645222 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-003-scaled.jpg" alt="The custom-made door requires a finger print for entry. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-003-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-003-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-003-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-003-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-003-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-003-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7130. <p>Now for the foyer, with its metallic coat closet and 11-foot ceilings.</p>
  7131. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645224 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-005-scaled.jpg" alt="There are 19-foot ceilings in the foyer. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-005-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-005-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-005-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-005-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-005-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-005-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7132. <p>Right next to the front door, overlooking the yard, is the office space. It&#8217;s outfitted with an industrial-style Komandor glass wall partition.</p>
  7133. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645225 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-006-scaled.jpg" alt="The office sits at the front of the house, overlooking the yard. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-006-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-006-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-006-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-006-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-006-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-006-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7134. <p>Here&#8217;s the dining room. Like the rest of the main floor, it&#8217;s equipped with engineered oak and a Sonos sound system.</p>
  7135. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645234 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-015-scaled.jpg" alt="The floors here are engineered oak. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-015-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-015-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-015-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-015-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-015-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-015-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7136. <p>This angle reveals the built-in storage unit that separates the dining space from the kitchen.</p>
  7137. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645227 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-008-scaled.jpg" alt="A full view of the levitating staircase from the dining room. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-008-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-008-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-008-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-008-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-008-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-008-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7138. <p>In the kitchen: a wine column (double the size of a regular wine fridge), Wi-Fi-enabled Thermador appliances and a quartz island that seats four.</p>
  7139. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645230 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-011-scaled.jpg" alt="That wine column on the left is double the size of the average wine fridge. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-011-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-011-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-011-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-011-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-011-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-011-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7140. <p>Down the hall is the family room. Its feature wall actually extends out to the exterior of the home. Note the double-sided fireplace.</p>
  7141. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645236 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-017-scaled.jpg" alt="The wall feature in the family room also extends to the exterior. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-017-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-017-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-017-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-017-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-017-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-017-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7142. <p>Also on the main floor is this moody powder room, which has a wall-hung toilet, penny tiles and a mirror with integrated lighting.</p>
  7143. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645238 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-019-scaled.jpg" alt="The powder room is super moody. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-019-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-019-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-019-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-019-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-019-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-019-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7144. <p>Residents can access the mudroom from both the side door and the garage. The porcelain here is Italian.</p>
  7145. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645239 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-020-scaled.jpg" alt="The mudroom can be accessed from the garage." width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-020-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-020-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-020-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-020-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-020-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-020-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7146. <p>The floating white-oak staircase comes with glass rails and technicolour LED lights.</p>
  7147. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645233 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-014-scaled.jpg" alt="LED lighting flanks the dramatic staircase. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-014-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-014-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-014-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-014-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-014-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-014-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7148. <p>Next up is the second-floor landing, topped by three skylights.</p>
  7149. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645240 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-021-scaled.jpg" alt="Note the three skylights above the second-floor landing. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-021-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-021-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-021-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-021-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-021-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-021-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7150. <p>The main bedroom walks out to a private balcony and comes with an ensuite bathroom.</p>
  7151. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645242 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-023-scaled.jpg" alt="A peek inside the main bedroom. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-023-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-023-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-023-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-023-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-023-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-023-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7152. <p>Here&#8217;s that balcony, overlooking the backyard.</p>
  7153. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645248 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-029-scaled.jpg" alt="Here's the main suite's private balcony. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-029-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-029-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-029-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-029-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-029-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-029-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7154. <p>And here&#8217;s the ensuite, with a double vanity, heated floors, a soaker tub and a towel warmer.</p>
  7155. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645250 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-031-scaled.jpg" alt="Those are heated, porcelain floors. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-031-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-031-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-031-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-031-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-031-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-031-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7156. <p>The ensuite&#8217;s shower looks like a nightclub and has a rainfall head.</p>
  7157. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645253 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-034-scaled.jpg" alt="The shower if fit for a nightclub. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-034-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-034-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-034-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-034-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-034-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-034-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7158. <p>This is one of the secondary bedrooms.</p>
  7159. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645258 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-23" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-039-scaled.jpg" alt="This bedroom also comes with an ensuite." width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-039-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-039-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-039-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-039-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-039-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-039-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7160. <p>Its ensuite comes with brass finishes.</p>
  7161. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645259 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-040-scaled.jpg" alt="This ensuite has brass finishes. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-040-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-040-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-040-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-040-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-040-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-040-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7162. <p>Also on the second floor is the first of two laundry rooms.</p>
  7163. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645264 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-28" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-045-scaled.jpg" alt="Here's one of the home's two laundry rooms. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-045-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-045-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-045-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-045-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-045-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-045-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7164. <p>Downstairs is the basement–rec room combo.</p>
  7165. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645266 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-29" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-047-scaled.jpg" alt="Nothing but open space in the basement. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-047-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-047-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-047-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-047-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-047-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-047-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7166. <p>This level walks out to the backyard via picture-frame sliding doors.</p>
  7167. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645267 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-30" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-048-scaled.jpg" alt="The rec room walks out to the backyard. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-048-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-048-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-048-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-048-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-048-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-048-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7168. <p>There&#8217;s a fitness centre down here.</p>
  7169. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645268 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-31" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-049-scaled.jpg" alt="Here's the fitness room, with a mirrored wall. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-049-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-049-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-049-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-049-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-049-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-049-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7170. <p>And a guest room.</p>
  7171. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645269 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-32" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-050-scaled.jpg" alt="There's a guest room down here too. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-050-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-050-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-050-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-050-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-050-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-050-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7172. <p>The basement bathroom serves as the pool&#8217;s change room.</p>
  7173. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645270 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-33" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-051-scaled.jpg" alt="The basement bathroom doubles as the pool's change room. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-051-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-051-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-051-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-051-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-051-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-051-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7174. <p>Turn around to get a view of the glass shower.</p>
  7175. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645271 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-34" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-052-scaled.jpg" alt="The basement's marble shower. " width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-052-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-052-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-052-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-052-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-052-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-052-2048x1362.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7176. <p>The second laundry room—equipped with a sink and LED-lit open shelving—leads to the wine cellar.</p>
  7177. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645272 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-35" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-053-scaled.jpg" alt="The second laundry rooms leads to the wine cellar. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-053-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-053-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-053-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-053-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-053-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-053-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7178. <p>Outside is the covered terrace, which shares a wall with the family room and that double-sided gas fireplace.</p>
  7179. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645275 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-37" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-056-scaled.jpg" alt="The covered backyard terrace shares a wall with the family room. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-056-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-056-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-056-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-056-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-056-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-056-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7180. <p>Finally, the azure swimming pool, surrounded by a stone-paved lounge and greenery.</p>
  7181. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645276 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-Mississauga-38" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-067-scaled.jpg" alt="The bluest pool you've ever seen. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-067-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-067-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-067-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-067-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-067-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1617_Trotwood_Ave-For_Toronto_Life-067-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7182. <hr />
  7183. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  7184. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-mississauga-staircase/">House of the Week: $4 million for a Mississauga standout with a jewel-box staircase</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7185. ]]></content:encoded>
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  7190. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  7191. <media:title></media:title>
  7192. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7193. </media:content>
  7194. </item>
  7195. <item>
  7196. <title>Real Weddings: Inside the two-ceremony celebration of a powerhockey power couple</title>
  7197. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-the-two-ceremony-celebration-of-a-powerhockey-power-couple/</link>
  7199. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  7200. <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
  7201. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  7202. <category><![CDATA[aga khan museum]]></category>
  7203. <category><![CDATA[Parkview Manor]]></category>
  7204. <category><![CDATA[powerhockey]]></category>
  7205. <category><![CDATA[Real Weddings]]></category>
  7206. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645083</guid>
  7207.  
  7208. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring Kazakh and Afghan dance performances, a photoshoot at the Aga Khan Museum, and an adorable four-legged groomsman</p>
  7209. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-the-two-ceremony-celebration-of-a-powerhockey-power-couple/">Real Weddings: Inside the two-ceremony celebration of a powerhockey power couple</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7210. ]]></description>
  7211. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Meghan Hines, a 33-year-old HR professional at a financial institution, and Ramin Raunak, a 30-year-old government administrator, are both powerhockey players who represent Team Canada at the national and international level. They met when they joined the same league in 2016. On their first date, the couple bonded over their love of sports and quickly became inseparable. After getting engaged at Etobicoke&#8217;s James Gardens in 2021, Meghan and Ramin were married in August 2023, in two celebrations that paid homage to each of their backgrounds. Here’s how it all came together.</em></p>
  7212. <hr />
  7213. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645145 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-181_websize.jpg" alt="Meghan and Ramin at the Aga Khan Museum before their wedding ceremony" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-181_websize.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-181_websize-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-181_websize-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-181_websize-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  7214. <p><strong>Meghan: </strong>In the fall of 2016, I started playing in the same powerhockey league as Ramin, and we were put on the same team. Ramin jokes that he made the league organizers do that because he wanted to get to know me. At first, I thought he was a bit of a wild player who might crash into me.</p>
  7215. <p><strong>Ramin</strong><strong>:</strong> What initially caught my attention about Meghan is that she’s a strong, competitive hockey player. She isn’t afraid to get right in there.</p>
  7216. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> After a few games, Ramin texted me to ask if I wanted to have dinner and watch a Leafs game. He told me later on that he&#8217;d been really nervous. But we hit it off right away.</p>
  7217. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645147 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-113_websize.jpg" alt="Meghan and her service dog, Clifford, before her wedding ceremony" width="1067" height="1600" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-113_websize.jpg 1067w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-113_websize-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-113_websize-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-113_websize-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px" /></p>
  7218. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> When I got to know Meghan outside of hockey, I was struck by how independent she is. She&#8217;s also incredibly caring and will do anything for her friends and family. I learned that we have a lot in common—we both love travelling, spending time with our families and going on adventures. We quickly became inseparable, travelling the world together for powerhockey, trying new restaurants and spending quiet nights binge-watching TV shows. We joke that we’re a power couple both on and off the court.</p>
  7219. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> Ramin and I come from different cultures—my background is Canadian and British; Ramin’s is Russian, Kazakh and Afghan—and we’ve always tried to bridge and embrace our differences. The first family meal I joined was at Ramin’s parents&#8217; house, and he “forgot” to warn me that the first round of food was only the appetizers. I was so full before the main course had even started, but everything was so good that I couldn’t say no. I got to try new and delicious food, like beet and carrot salad, baursak (a puffy fried Kazakh bread), and Ramin’s mom’s Nutella crêpes.</p>
  7220. <p>Celebrations with Ramin’s family are a lot of fun. Friends and family all come together, and everyone gives a toast to the person we’re celebrating. It makes that person feel extra special and loved.</p>
  7221. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645150 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-146_websize.jpg" alt="Ramin at the Aga Khan Museum before his wedding ceremony" width="1067" height="1600" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-146_websize.jpg 1067w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-146_websize-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-146_websize-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-146_websize-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px" /></p>
  7222. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> I’m Muslim, and the first year Meghan and I dated, I spent my first Christmas with Meghan’s family. I really got into the Christmas spirit—I wore a Christmas onesie that Meghan gave me and discovered a new favourite food: Meghan’s mom’s turkey stuffing. I could eat it every day.</p>
  7223. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> Even though I’d initially told my family that Ramin and I were just friends, they eventually assumed we were more than that since he was around so often. My family really liked his sense of humour and how happy he made me.</p>
  7224. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> Since Meghan is immunocompromised, when Covid hit, we thought it would be safest for me to stay at her place for what we thought would be just a few weeks. We ended up moving in together permanently. At that point, we had been together for over four years, and we had naturally started talking about marriage.</p>
  7225. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645154 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-193_websize.jpg" alt="Meghan and Ramin at the Aga Khan Museum before their wedding ceremony" width="1067" height="1600" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-193_websize.jpg 1067w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-193_websize-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-193_websize-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-193_websize-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px" /></p>
  7226. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> By January 2021, I’d decided that it was time to propose. In late March, Meghan and I went for our usual walk around James Gardens, and I joked that I wanted to do a photoshoot with the ducks. When we got to the park, I made up an excuse about needing to get something from my sister, who was waiting in the parking lot. We met her briefly so she could sneak a box into the back of my wheelchair. Meghan and I then went over to one of the gardens, where I took the box out and placed it on a bench. Inside was a chocolate smash heart that said &#8220;Vaccine 1&#8221; on it. Meghan thought we were celebrating getting our first Covid vaccines that week. She smashed the heart, and inside, there was another message that said, &#8220;Will you marry me?&#8221;</p>
  7227. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> I was so surprised and excited—I immediately said yes. After we had a moment to celebrate, both of our families popped out from behind some bushes. Ramin had planned for them to be there so they could celebrate with us, which was really special.</p>
  7228. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645156 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-66_websize.jpg" alt="Meghan, Ramin and their wedding parties at the Aga Khan Museum" width="1067" height="1600" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-66_websize.jpg 1067w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-66_websize-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-66_websize-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-66_websize-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px" /></p>
  7229. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> We chose a wedding date in August 2023, because we wanted to be able to include all of our loved ones and limit the risk of Covid. We also had a busy summer in 2022—we travelled to Switzerland to compete in the powerhockey world cup with Team Canada. We also figured we could use the extra time to plan, since we’d decided to have two ceremonies: a Western ceremony and a nikah.</p>
  7230. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> For our Western ceremony, we wanted a venue that had great food and a nice atmosphere, and importantly, it had to be wheelchair accessible. We invited a group of our powerhockey teammates and wanted to make sure they could all celebrate with us. It was surprisingly difficult to find a venue that met our accessibility needs on top of everything else, but as soon as we saw Parkview Manor, a banquet hall in North York, we knew it was a perfect fit.</p>
  7231. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645161 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-290_websize.jpg" alt="Meghan and Ramin at their wedding ceremony at Parkview Manor" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-290_websize.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-290_websize-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-290_websize-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-290_websize-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  7232. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> On the day of our wedding, we were worried because the forecast was calling for thunderstorms all day. It rained in the morning, but we were optimistic that it would clear up—we only needed sunshine from 2 to 5 p.m. for pictures and travelling to the venue. Thankfully, the skies cleared just before 1 o’clock. We couldn’t have asked for better weather.</p>
  7233. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> It was such a special day because we were able to incorporate elements that were important to each of us. Ramin is Ismaili Muslim, and the Aga Khan Museum is a special place for his family, so we took photos there before the ceremony. We also had a candle-lighting ceremony to commemorate my father, who passed away. At the wedding, we had Kazakh and Afghan dance performances to celebrate Ramin’s background, and we incorporated my service dog, Clifford, into our ceremony as one of Ramin’s groomsmen. We used my mother’s carrot cake recipe—which both Ramin and I love—for our wedding cake.</p>
  7234. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645162 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-235_websize.jpg" alt="Meghan and Ramin at their wedding ceremony at Parkview Manor" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-235_websize.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-235_websize-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-235_websize-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-235_websize-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  7235. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> For the ceremony, we decided to have everyone sit at their assigned tables instead of in the theatre-style seating that’s more common in Western weddings. It’s more similar to how things are done in Afghan ceremonies. We also thought it would be more accessible for our guests who use wheelchairs. Afterward, we had plenty of dancing. Two of our friends deejayed, and they did a great job keeping the energy going so we could celebrate and dance the night away.</p>
  7236. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645164 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-424_websize.jpg" alt="Dancers at Meghan and Ramin's wedding" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-424_websize.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-424_websize-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-424_websize-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-424_websize-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  7237. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> The next day, we celebrated our nikah at Ramin’s mosque, Willowdale Jamatkhana. The leaders of the mosque have known Ramin and his family since he was young, so it was really special that they were able to perform our ceremony. Afterward, as is customary in a nikah, we greeted all of our guests, took photos with them and thanked them for coming. Then our families went back to Ramin’s parents&#8217; house for tea and dessert, including some of our wedding cake from the night before.</p>
  7238. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645771 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-483_websize.jpg" alt="Afghan and Kazakh dancers performing at Meghan and Ramin's wedding" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-483_websize.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-483_websize-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-483_websize-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-483_websize-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  7239. <p><strong>Ramin:</strong> It was a weekend I’ll never forget; everything went better than we could have asked for. Now, we&#8217;re excited for what the future has in store. It will definitely involve a lot of powerhockey, travelling, eating too much food at great restaurants and exploring new parts of the city.</p>
  7240. <p><strong>Meghan:</strong> I loved every part of our wedding weekend. Being able to incorporate so many things that were important to each of us, like our family traditions, made the occasion uniquely ours. Most importantly, all of our friends and family were there to celebrate with us.</p>
  7241. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645168 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-405_websize.jpg" alt="Meghan and Ramin at their wedding ceremony at Parkview Manor" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-405_websize.jpg 1600w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-405_websize-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-405_websize-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-405_websize-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></p>
  7242. <h5>Cheat Sheet</h5>
  7243. <p><strong>Date:</strong> August 12 and 13, 2023<br />
  7244. <strong>Wedding venue</strong>: Parkview Manor<br />
  7245. <strong>Nikah venue:</strong> Willowdale Jamatkhana<br />
  7246. <strong>Photography and videography:</strong> Kath Films @kathfilms<br />
  7247. <strong>Catering:</strong> Parkview Manor<br />
  7248. <strong>Bride’s hair:</strong> @stylesbymich<br />
  7249. <strong>Bride&#8217;s makeup:</strong> @amybobamybeauty<br />
  7250. <strong>Bride’s dress:</strong> Custom made by Montgomery Alterations, with fabric from Jealous Fabrics<br />
  7251. <strong>Groom’s outfits:</strong> Suit by RW&amp;Co., traditional chapan from Kazakhstan<br />
  7252. <strong>DJ:</strong> @wamiqfu and @altaz.m<br />
  7253. <strong>Traditional Kazakh and Afghan dance performance:</strong> @ensembletopaz</p>
  7254. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-the-two-ceremony-celebration-of-a-powerhockey-power-couple/">Real Weddings: Inside the two-ceremony celebration of a powerhockey power couple</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7255. ]]></content:encoded>
  7259. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MR-Wedding-Album-183_websize-1-1200x628-1711386890.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7260. <media:copyright>© 2024 Kath Films, all rights reserved.</media:copyright>
  7261. <media:title></media:title>
  7262. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7263. </media:content>
  7264. </item>
  7265. <item>
  7266. <title>This generative-AI marketer makes $223,000 a year. How does he spend it?</title>
  7267. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/this-generative-ai-marketer-makes-223000-a-year-how-does-he-spend-it/</link>
  7269. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Brunet]]></dc:creator>
  7270. <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 14:59:17 +0000</pubDate>
  7271. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  7272. <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
  7273. <category><![CDATA[cost of living]]></category>
  7274. <category><![CDATA[digital marketing]]></category>
  7275. <category><![CDATA[generative AI]]></category>
  7276. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645695</guid>
  7277.  
  7278. <description><![CDATA[<p>“In 10 years, I want to hit $1 million in savings”</p>
  7279. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/this-generative-ai-marketer-makes-223000-a-year-how-does-he-spend-it/">This generative-AI marketer makes $223,000 a year. How does he spend it?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7280. ]]></description>
  7281. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645699 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-8.jpg" alt="Sidharth Iyer in his one-bedroom condo in Weston" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-8.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-8-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7282. <p><strong>Who:</strong> Sidharth Iyer, 35<br />
  7283. <strong>What he does:</strong> Director of digital marketing at a generative <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/artificial-intelligence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="AI">AI</span></a> company<br />
  7284. <strong>What he makes:</strong> $223,000 a year, plus a bonus<br />
  7285. <strong>Where he lives:</strong> A one-bedroom <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/condo-of-the-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="condo">condo</span></a> in Weston</p>
  7286. <hr />
  7287. <h5>Regular Expenses</h5>
  7288. <p><strong>Mortgage:</strong> $1,600 a month. “I bought my unit in 2019 for $300,000. My mortgage is up for renewal soon. I may gamble and go with a variable rate.”</p>
  7289. <p><strong>Cell:</strong> $34 a month with Koodo. “I don’t use much data. I’ve had this plan since 2017, when I emigrated from India.”</p>
  7290. <p><strong>Internet:</strong> $85 a month with Rogers. “This is a promotional rate—I think it’s normally $50 more.”</p>
  7291. <p><strong>Utilities:</strong> $90 a month. “Hydro hovers around $35 a month. In the winter, it can be as much as $45.”</p>
  7292. <p><strong>Groceries:</strong> $150 a month. “There’s a Real Canadian Superstore close by. I visit every other week to get milk, yogurt, eggs, some fruit, vegetables and snacks.”</p>
  7293. <p><strong>Tiffin Services:</strong> $250 a month. “This is an Indian delivery service, good for two meals a day, Monday to Friday. You typically get naan or roti, rice, vegetables and dal. Sometimes there&#8217;s also a salad or a dessert. I like that I don&#8217;t have to think about what to cook during the week. The food is really good too—it tastes homemade but better than what I could make myself.”</p>
  7294. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-toronto-budgets">
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  7398. </h2>
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  7411.  
  7412. <p><strong>Eating out:</strong> $100 a month. “I like to meet friends for lunch and a movie, usually downtown. We tend to go for Indian, Lebanese or Mediterranean. I don’t drink, but sometimes my friends want to meet up at a bar, so I’ll join them and get some finger food.”</p>
  7413. <p><strong>Movies:</strong> $50 a month. “I’m a big movie buff. I don’t mind going to the cinema alone—I actually prefer it because it lets me get really engaged. I’ll get popcorn, a drink and a snack at the concession stand. And if something cool comes out in IMAX, I’ll splurge for those tickets.”</p>
  7414. <p><strong>Transportation:</strong> $50 a month. “I use Presto to get around. The UP Express station is close to me, which is convenient if I’m meeting a friend near Union Station. Otherwise, I’ll take the TTC.”</p>
  7415. <p><strong>Investments:</strong> $12,000 a month, on average. “In 10 years, I want to hit $1 million in savings and reach financial independence.”</p>
  7416. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645703 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-3.jpg" alt="The kitchen of a one-bedroom condo in Weston" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-3.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7417. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645704 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-4.jpg" alt="Another view of the kitchen of a one-bedroom condo in Weston" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-4.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7418. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645706 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-5.jpg" alt="Art hangs on the walls in Sidharth Iyer's condo" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-5.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7419. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645708 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-6.jpg" alt="Sidharth Iyer on the balcony of his condo in Weston" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-6.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7420. <h5>Recent Splurges</h5>
  7421. <p><strong>Condo down payment:</strong> $137,500, spread over two years. “In March of 2022, I bought a two-bedroom unit in East Danforth. It will likely be ready in 2028. At that point, I plan to sell or rent out my Weston condo and move into the new place.”</p>
  7422. <p><strong>Upcoming family vacation:</strong> $2,500. “Last year, I went home to visit my parents, so this year, they’re coming to Canada. We usually do a week-long trip outside of Toronto—we’re thinking Vancouver. I’ll cover the flights and an Airbnb.”</p>
  7423. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/this-generative-ai-marketer-makes-223000-a-year-how-does-he-spend-it/">This generative-AI marketer makes $223,000 a year. How does he spend it?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7424. ]]></content:encoded>
  7428. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Sidharth-Iyer-COL-Sidharth-Iyer-selects-8-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7429. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  7430. <media:title></media:title>
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  7432. </media:content>
  7433. </item>
  7434. <item>
  7435. <title>Surreal Estate: $6 million for an Aurora farmhouse sitting on acres of protected woodland</title>
  7436. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-movie-theatre-farmhouse/</link>
  7438. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Yu]]></dc:creator>
  7439. <pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:22:37 +0000</pubDate>
  7440. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  7441. <category><![CDATA[Aurora]]></category>
  7442. <category><![CDATA[Surreal Estate]]></category>
  7443. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  7444. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644002</guid>
  7445.  
  7446. <description><![CDATA[<p>What house in the country would be complete without a three-season room, a home theatre, a staircase–wine rack combo and a winding driveway? </p>
  7447. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-movie-theatre-farmhouse/">Surreal Estate: $6 million for an Aurora farmhouse sitting on acres of protected woodland</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7448. ]]></description>
  7449. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644028 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-57-scaled.jpg" alt="This Aurora farmhouse is currently on the market for $6 million." width="2560" height="1381" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-57-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-57-300x162.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-57-2000x1079.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-57-768x414.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-57-1536x829.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-57-2048x1105.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7450. <p><strong>Location: </strong>Aurora<br />
  7451. <strong>Price:</strong> $5,995,000<br />
  7452. <strong>Size:</strong> 4,100 square feet, plus a 1,895-square-foot finished basement, sitting on 12 acres of land<br />
  7453. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 4<br />
  7454. <strong>Bathrooms: </strong>6<br />
  7455. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 3<br />
  7456. <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agents:</strong> Carolyn Scime, <a href="https://www.cscime.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Chestnut Park">Chestnut Park</span></a></p>
  7457. <hr />
  7458. <h5><b>The place</b></h5>
  7459. <p>A four-bedroom, six-bathroom revival property on the outskirts of Aurora. Its farmhouse and three-car garage stand at the end of a private driveway that winds through more than 12 acres of land. Highlights include a three-season Muskoka room, soaring wood trusses and a backyard hot tub.</p>
  7460. <h5><b>The history</b></h5>
  7461. <p>The home was built in the 1980s as a reproduction of a long-gone farmhouse. The current owners, a couple, purchased the place in 2010 and immediately renovated the interior and exterior—finishing the basement, paving the driveway and planting trees throughout. Now they&#8217;re downsizing and putting it all on the market.</p>
  7462. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-armour-heights/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$15 million for an old-world mansion with an arcade and two basketball courts">$15 million for an old-world mansion with an arcade and two basketball courts</span></a></em></p>
  7463. <h5><b>The tour</b></h5>
  7464. <p>The front door (in the background) leads to a stairwell and then the kitchen. There are hemlock hardwood floors throughout.</p>
  7465. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644009 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-15-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The kitchen sits right at the front of the house. " width="2560" height="1566" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-15-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-15-_-300x183.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-15-_-2000x1223.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-15-_-768x470.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-15-_-1536x939.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-15-_-2048x1253.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7466. <p>This reverse shot highlights the marble island, built-in media centre, double wall ovens and informal dining space overlooking the Muskoka room.</p>
  7467. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644012 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-18-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The island here is Calcutta marble. " width="2560" height="1559" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-18-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-18-_-300x183.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-18-_-2000x1218.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-18-_-768x468.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-18-_-1536x936.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-18-_-2048x1247.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7468. <p>There&#8217;s a Wolf induction cooktop embedded in the island with a built-in ventilation system.</p>
  7469. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644014 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-20-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The induction oven is Wolf. " width="2560" height="1635" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-20-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-20-_-300x192.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-20-_-2000x1277.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-20-_-768x490.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-20-_-1536x981.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-20-_-2048x1308.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7470. <p>The dining area sits conveniently next to the beverage station, which is equipped with a wine fridge.</p>
  7471. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644013 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-19-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining area overlooks the three-season room. " width="2560" height="1606" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-19-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-19-_-300x188.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-19-_-2000x1255.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-19-_-768x482.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-19-_-1536x964.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-19-_-2048x1285.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7472. <p>Here&#8217;s that three-season room, with screen walls. It overlooks the backyard and a seemingly unending forest.</p>
  7473. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644034 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-122-scaled.jpg" alt="The three-season room overlooks the backyard and patio. " width="2560" height="1647" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-122-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-122-300x193.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-122-2000x1287.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-122-768x494.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-122-1536x988.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-122-2048x1318.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7474. <p>Next up, the home&#8217;s central feature: its sunken great room.</p>
  7475. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644008 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-14-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The sunken Great Room anchors the entire residence. " width="2560" height="1482" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-14-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-14-_-300x174.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-14-_-2000x1158.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-14-_-768x445.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-14-_-1536x889.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-14-_-2048x1186.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7476. <p>It has a gas fireplace (designed to look like a wood burner) and vaulted ceilings lined with dramatic wood trusses.</p>
  7477. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644006 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the original wood trusses. " width="2560" height="1591" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-300x186.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-2000x1243.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-768x477.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-1536x955.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-2048x1273.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7478. <p>Those French doors walk out to the patio.</p>
  7479. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644005 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-05-_-scaled.jpg" alt="Another look at the Great Room. " width="2560" height="1617" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-05-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-05-_-300x190.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-05-_-2000x1263.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-05-_-768x485.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-05-_-1536x970.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-05-_-2048x1294.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7480. <p>Now for the formal dining room, with another gas fireplace.</p>
  7481. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644016 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-22-_-scaled.jpg" alt="This is the formal dining room. " width="2560" height="1665" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-22-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-22-_-300x195.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-22-_-2000x1300.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-22-_-768x499.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-22-_-1536x999.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-22-_-2048x1332.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7482. <p>The bay window lounge is conveniently within arm&#8217;s reach of the bar.</p>
  7483. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644015 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-21-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room has a lounge and bar by the bay window. " width="2560" height="1596" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-21-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-21-_-300x187.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-21-_-2000x1247.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-21-_-768x479.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-21-_-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-21-_-2048x1277.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7484. <p>Facing the porch is this powder room.</p>
  7485. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644961 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-116-scaled.jpg" alt="A peek inside the powder room. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-116-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-116-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-116-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-116-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-116-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-116-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7486. <p>And this office space—with corner windows, a built-in bookcase and grasscloth wallpaper—is the last stop on the main-floor tour.</p>
  7487. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644022 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2023-09-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The office has a built-in book shelf." width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2023-09-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2023-09-_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2023-09-_-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2023-09-_-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2023-09-_-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2023-09-_-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7488. <p>All four bedrooms are on the second floor, each with its own ensuite bathroom.</p>
  7489. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644038 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-128-scaled.jpg" alt="All four bedrooms come with ensuite bathrooms. " width="2560" height="1499" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-128-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-128-300x176.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-128-2000x1171.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-128-768x450.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-128-1536x899.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-128-2048x1199.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7490. <p>Here&#8217;s the main bedroom. Its French doors open to a Juliet balcony overlooking the backyard. The dormer windows add a classic touch.</p>
  7491. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644017 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-23-_-scaled.jpg" alt="There's a Juliet balcony beyond those French doors. " width="2560" height="1629" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-23-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-23-_-300x191.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-23-_-2000x1273.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-23-_-768x489.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-23-_-1536x977.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-23-_-2048x1303.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7492. <p>The main ensuite has a soaker tub, a glass shower, a separate water closet (not pictured) and dolomite marble tiling throughout.</p>
  7493. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644965 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-300-scaled.jpg" alt="In the main ensuite: a soaker tub, a glass shower and plenty of marble." width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-300-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-300-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-300-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-300-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-300-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-300-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7494. <p>This bedroom has semi-vaulted ceilings, a funky light fixture and open shelving that doubles as a display.</p>
  7495. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644037 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-23" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-126-scaled.jpg" alt="The fourth bedroom has an impressive ball cap display. " width="2560" height="1563" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-126-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-126-300x183.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-126-2000x1221.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-126-768x469.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-126-1536x938.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-126-2048x1251.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7496. <p>And its ensuite comes with a walk-in shower, penny-tile floors and an elegant exposed sink.</p>
  7497. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644962 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-125-scaled.jpg" alt="Penny tiles and exposed brass pipes in the third ensuite. " width="2560" height="1584" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-125-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-125-300x186.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-125-2000x1238.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-125-768x475.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-125-1536x951.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-125-2048x1268.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7498. <p>Heading to the basement reveals the space-saving wine rack–staircase combo. That sliding barn door leads to more storage.</p>
  7499. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644031 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-101-scaled.jpg" alt="The wine-rack-staircase hybrid is an ingenious space saver. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-101-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-101-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-101-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-101-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-101-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-101-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7500. <p>The basement comes with heated floors and walks out to the backyard.</p>
  7501. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644032 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-25" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-104-scaled.jpg" alt="The finished basement may is a giant rec room. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-104-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-104-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-104-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-104-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-104-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-104-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7502. <p>There&#8217;s a sunken home theatre down here that also connects to the patio.</p>
  7503. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644019 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-28" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-25-_-scaled.jpg" alt="The home theatre is also sunken. " width="2560" height="1605" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-25-_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-25-_-300x188.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-25-_-2000x1254.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-25-_-768x481.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-25-_-1536x963.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-25-_-2048x1284.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7504. <p>Down the hall is the gym.</p>
  7505. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644030 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-27" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-97-scaled.jpg" alt="Here's the basement gym." width="2560" height="1554" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-97-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-97-300x182.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-97-2000x1214.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-97-768x466.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-97-1536x932.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-97-2048x1243.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7506. <p>And here&#8217;s the deck.</p>
  7507. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644041 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-29" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-143-scaled.jpg" alt="The rear view from the property. " width="2560" height="1531" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-143-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-143-300x179.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-143-2000x1196.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-143-768x459.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-143-1536x919.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-143-2048x1225.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7508. <p>Another look at the deck and the Muskoka room.</p>
  7509. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644040 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-30" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-142-scaled.jpg" alt="The large deck descends from the three-season room and comes with a grill and dining area. " width="2560" height="1531" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-142-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-142-300x179.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-142-2000x1196.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-142-768x459.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-142-1536x919.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-142-2048x1225.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7510. <p>But the real fun is on the herringbone-brick patio: it has a firepit, a hot tub, manicured gardens and a view of the countryside.</p>
  7511. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644023 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-31" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-37-scaled.jpg" alt="Nothing but green and blue for miles. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-37-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-37-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-37-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-37-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-37-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-37-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7512. <p>It&#8217;s so nice you have to see it twice—this time from above.</p>
  7513. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644025 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-32" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-47-scaled.jpg" alt="A bird's eye view of the fire pit and hot tub. " width="2560" height="1504" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-47-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-47-300x176.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-47-2000x1175.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-47-768x451.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-47-1536x903.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-47-2048x1203.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7514. <p>About a third of the property is covered in a lawn worthy of a golf course, and the rest is protected woodland.</p>
  7515. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644026 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-33" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-55-scaled.jpg" alt="The property sits on 12 acres of verdant land. " width="2560" height="1381" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-55-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-55-300x162.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-55-2000x1079.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-55-768x414.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-55-1536x829.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-55-2048x1105.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7516. <p>Finally, a shot of the winding driveway.</p>
  7517. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644029 size-full" title="surreal-estate-toronto-life-movie-theatre-farmhouse-34" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-60-scaled.jpg" alt="Take me home, country roads. " width="2560" height="1381" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-60-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-60-300x162.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-60-2000x1079.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-60-768x414.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-60-1536x829.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Sdr-Aurora-2023-Modern-Movement-Creative-Real-Estate-July-14-2023-60-2048x1105.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7518. <hr />
  7519. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  7520. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-movie-theatre-farmhouse/">Surreal Estate: $6 million for an Aurora farmhouse sitting on acres of protected woodland</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7521. ]]></content:encoded>
  7525. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/908-Vandorf-Aurora-2024-12-_-scaled-1-1200x628-1710939998.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7526. <media:copyright>MITCHELL HUBBLE - MODERN MOVEMENT CREATIVE INC</media:copyright>
  7527. <media:title></media:title>
  7528. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7529. </media:content>
  7530. </item>
  7531. <item>
  7532. <title>How Fitzrovia is changing the rental game in Toronto</title>
  7533. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/how-fitzrovia-is-changing-the-rental-game-in-toronto/</link>
  7535. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Calvin Vuong]]></dc:creator>
  7536. <pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
  7537. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  7538. <category><![CDATA[sponsored]]></category>
  7539. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645391</guid>
  7540.  
  7541. <description><![CDATA[<p>In conversation with the founder and CEO of Fitzrovia, Adrian Rocca</p>
  7542. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/how-fitzrovia-is-changing-the-rental-game-in-toronto/">How Fitzrovia is changing the rental game in Toronto</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7543. ]]></description>
  7544. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>New buildings go up all the time in Toronto, particularly condominium towers, which make up a significant share of the new development that our city has seen over the past decade. What is missing from much of the new development in the city, however, are third places. Third places are spaces other than work or home where one can interact with other people and relax. These places offer a reprieve from everyday stress and fosters feelings of inclusiveness and community without needing to belong to an association or have a membership. Third places might be parks, libraries, bars and cafes.</p>
  7545. <p>Adrian Rocca knows the importance of integrating third places into the award-winning purpose-built rental communities that his company, Fitzrovia, is creating. Rocca says that Fitzrovia makes sure to include third places in their projects to “cultivate a strong sense of community.” For example, a number of Fitzrovia buildings include <a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1558722&amp;s=1558017" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="10 DEAN">10 DEAN</span></a>, a third-wave café  and bar concept operated by Fitzrovia’s leading baristas and hospitality professionals. Typically situated in the Lobby Lounge, 10 DEAN serves as an extension of the lobby space, replicating the ambiance and atmosphere reminiscent of a 5-star hotel.</p>
  7546. <p>Joining us as a city builder-in-residence, we talked to Rocca about how Fitzrovia is changing the rental space and their new communities in the city.</p>
  7547. <h5><b>What are some of the projects that Torontonians might know Fitzrovia for?</b></h5>
  7548. <p>Our portfolio features award-winning projects like Waverley and Parker. Waverley is situated at the intersection of College and Spadina in one of Toronto&#8217;s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods. It’s steps to some of the city&#8217;s finest shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. In a nod to its iconic urban heritage, Waverley pays tribute to the rich history of the former Silver Dollar Room and Waverley Hotel. Acknowledged as a heritage landmark, the newly renovated former Silver Dollar Room space seamlessly incorporates numerous original features from the site, encompassing the venue&#8217;s bar, stage, murals, terrazzo floor and, notably, the iconic neon Silver Dollar Room sign.</p>
  7549. <p>Parker is our community located in the heart of Midtown Toronto at Yonge and Eglinton, a neighbourhood known for its premier shopping and dining destinations. The community itself is just steps away from the Eglinton TTC subway station, specialty grocery stores, chic boutiques and the serene Sherwood Park. Parker offers outstanding features including a two-storey penthouse fitness centre, spin and yoga studio, penthouse infinity pool with cabanas, arcade and games room and two bowling alleys.</p>
  7550. <p>Most recently, we launched Maddox by Fitzrovia, a new subsidiary. Maddox acquires vintage rental buildings and reshapes them into modern-vintage rental communities. This involves making necessary improvements and tailored upgrades based on the specific requirements of each community. These improvements may vary depending on the circumstance but typically include enhancing landscaped areas and modernizing facades. We place strong emphasis on adding more lifestyle amenities, beautifying common spaces, and renovating existing rental suites. We have plans to expand the Maddox offering across Canada, starting initially in Toronto and Montreal.</p>
  7551. <h5><b>What sets Fitzrovia apart from other developers? </b></h5>
  7552. <p>We incorporate cutting-edge technology into our rental development process to ensure an incredible final product. We use virtual reality 3D modeling and artificial intelligence throughout the design, construction, and renovation phases. Our communities also feature a custom resident mobile app designed to elevate resident engagement and streamline the rental living experience. From highlighting our resident events calendar to unlocking your suite entry door, the app offers a comprehensive solution that enhances the rental experience and optimizes convenience.</p>
  7553. <p>Our dedication to excellence in design and sustainability is unique. Striving for leading levels of building performance, our projects achieve distinctions like LEED Platinum, Passive House and the CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building Standard.</p>
  7554. <figure id="attachment_645395" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645395" style="width: 1981px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645395 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2.-TORONTO-LIFE-LIDO.jpg" alt="" width="1981" height="1321" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2.-TORONTO-LIFE-LIDO.jpg 1981w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2.-TORONTO-LIFE-LIDO-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2.-TORONTO-LIFE-LIDO-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2.-TORONTO-LIFE-LIDO-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1981px) 100vw, 1981px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645395" class="wp-caption-text">The penthouse infinity pool at Parker offers stunning views of the Toronto skyline. This resort-style pool deck offers a lavish ambiance, featuring designer cabanas, loungers, and fully equipped dining areas, ideal for summer gatherings and events.</figcaption></figure>
  7555. <h5><b>What sorts of design considerations go into Fitzrovia projects? Do they look different from other developments in Toronto?</b></h5>
  7556. <p>Our unwavering commitment to quality is apparent in the meticulous selection of even the smallest elements, prioritizing craftsmanship and attention to detail for an elevated rental living experience.</p>
  7557. <p>Our commitment to best-in-class design is evident in various elements, ranging from hand-laid brick facades and curved glass window detailing to custom artwork by renowned artists and bespoke fixtures. For example, the striking custom light fixtures in the Lobby Lounges at Elm and Ledbury, were the result of a creative collaboration between Art and Objects Inc. and Laura Di Fiore.</p>
  7558. <p>Fitzrovia is diverging from commonplace “glass box” tower designs which are visible in many Canadian cities. Fitzrovia communities prioritize the neighbourhood’s context and value the heritage preservation process. For instance, our development at 412 Church Street in Toronto pays respect to the past by thoughtfully reincorporating the Stephen Murphy House and Store, a historic three-storey brick building from 1891 located at the corner of Church and Granby Street. Furthermore, this community integrates the Robert Kidney Houses, a pair of semi-detached residential buildings also built in 1891, showcasing Victorian architecture in the Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival styles. Another example includes the iconic beaux-arts style Kent School from 1907. This landmark will be harmoniously integrated into our future rental community, Marlow, at Bloor and Dufferin.</p>
  7559. <p>With a discerning eye for quality, Fitzrovia ensures each community is a perfect blend of function and form, meticulously selecting details down to the doorknobs.</p>
  7560. <h5><b>Fitzrovia buildings have a ton of unique amenities like facilities and resident programming. What are some examples? </b></h5>
  7561. <p>Our signature amenities include The Temple, our Official Hammer Strength Training Facility – a fitness haven equipped with commercial-grade strength and cardio equipment. It features a yoga and spin studio, Fitness-on-Demand professionally led classes and even offers Greenhouse organic juice within the facility to fuel your workout.  Another standout Fitzrovia amenity is LIDO, our resort-style rooftop pool experience. This vibrant pool deck features designer cabanas and loungers, and plays host to vibrant summer pool parties and live entertainment. Beauty for the Beast is our paw-spa, which ensures that our residents&#8217; furry companions receive top-notch grooming, complimentary treats and a five-star treatment. These amenities come standard at our Fitzrovia Collection communities.</p>
  7562. <p>But that’s not all, residents enjoy a wide array of other amazing amenities, which often include Formula 1 race car simulators, bowling alleys, kid’s adventure zones, professional Raptors basketball courts, BMW car share programs, Scandinavian spas, and more.</p>
  7563. <p>We also have exclusive partnerships with wonderful collaborators such as Cleveland Clinic Canada. Residents benefit from complementary virtual care at our Fitzrovia Collection communities provided by this global healthcare leader, offering peace of mind for non-emergency medical issues.</p>
  7564. <p>When it comes to resident programming, we have an eclectic and curated calendar of resident events. This includes beehive workshops to wine tastings, and high tea book clubs to mixology workshops. Our dedicated team of onsite hospitality professionals organize these events to infuse energy, laughter and opportunities for new connections amongst residents.</p>
  7565. <h5><b>Why was including unique and luxury amenities so important to you while developing?</b></h5>
  7566. <p>Fitzrovia&#8217;s unwavering commitment to delivering an unparalleled rental experience is vividly reflected in our distinctive amenities, which prioritize usability and boast world-class design inspired by hospitality principles. At Fitzrovia, we seamlessly bring the essence of refined rental living to life, ensuring an unmatched and cohesive experience for our residents.</p>
  7567. <p>Our focus is on creating vibrant communities that prioritize resident well-being with essential amenities such as public parks, daycares and community centres. These elements enhance the rental living experience and establish a sense of community.</p>
  7568. <h5><b>Fitzrovia buildings also feature 10 DEAN, a cafe/bar, on the ground floor. Why was this kind of third place important to include? </b></h5>
  7569. <p>The incorporation of amenities such as 10 DEAN, aligns seamlessly with Fitzrovia&#8217;s commitment to delivering a comprehensive and enriched living experience. Our third-wave café and bar elevate the rental experience by serving as a dynamic community hub where residents and the public alike can gather day or night for a freshly ground espresso or handcrafted cocktail.</p>
  7570. <p>The café&#8217;s diverse menu includes gourmet rotating espresso options, hand-brewed teas and signature beverages like our famous cookie-butter latte. In the evening, 10 DEAN offers cocktails, craft beer, and wine.</p>
  7571. <p>The meticulous curation of premium ingredients at 10 DEAN brings a personalized and high-quality touch to the culinary experience, exemplifying our commitment to attention to detail and top-notch quality. This dedication contributes to the establishment of a warm and inviting atmosphere, where residents can come together, connect and enjoy a diverse array of food and beverage offerings.</p>
  7572. <h5><b>What other extras are in Fitzrovia projects? </b></h5>
  7573. <p>We recently introduced our latest amenity offering, Bloomsbury Academy. Fitzrovia residents have access to our exceptional early childhood education centre that adapts a Montessori pedagogy to cater to the needs of diverse urban families, integrating leading education seamlessly into Fitzrovia communities. With dedicated outdoor play areas and access to our award-winning amenities including our pool and fitness facilities, Bloomsbury ensures a thoughtfully designed educational experience. Our passionate team of educators imparts knowledge on environmental stewardship, gardening, early literacy, mathematics, and places a special focus on performing arts and music to nurture creativity and collaboration. Fitzrovia residents also enjoy discounted tuition at Bloomsbury Academy.</p>
  7574. <figure id="attachment_645396" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645396" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645396 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3.-TORONTO-LIFE-MEWS-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1600" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3.-TORONTO-LIFE-MEWS-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3.-TORONTO-LIFE-MEWS-300x188.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3.-TORONTO-LIFE-MEWS-2000x1250.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3.-TORONTO-LIFE-MEWS-768x480.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3.-TORONTO-LIFE-MEWS-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/3.-TORONTO-LIFE-MEWS-2048x1280.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645396" class="wp-caption-text">Elm and Ledbury is a new premier rental community by Fitzrovia. The community introduces an exceptional public space named “The Mews”, which has been created by renowned landscape architect Claude Cormier + Associés. he Mews will boast landscaped areas, curated public art displays, exclusive retailers, and top dining options.</figcaption></figure>
  7575. <h5><b>Tell me about your new rental community—Elm and Ledbury. </b></h5>
  7576. <p>Elm and Ledbury is our latest flagship Fitzrovia Collection rental community at Queen and Church. Crafted by the visionary architects at Hariri Pontarini, these sister towers transcend the ordinary, blending architectural excellence with a respectful nod to the neighbourhood&#8217;s rich heritage. One distinguishing element is the striking brick podiums that pay tribute to the historic architecture of the area and the neighbouring brownstone buildings. Elm and Ledbury stand as a testament to timeless design and harmoniously integrate into Toronto&#8217;s urban landscape.</p>
  7577. <p>Offering a premier rental living experience, Elm and Ledbury introduce an array of unique amenities including a ski and snowboard simulator, two rooftop pools and a professional Raptors basketball court featuring a curated collector&#8217;s exhibition of Air Jordan sneakers. The meticulously designed suites feature custom cabinetry that was produced in Italy, spa-inspired showers and matte black designer hardware. Elm and Ledbury will be our first community to introduce Bloomsbury Academy, our Montessori-inspired early childhood learning centre. We are extremely excited to welcome our first residents this summer.</p>
  7578. <h5><b>How will Elm and Ledbury differ from other Fitzrovia projects in Toronto? </b></h5>
  7579. <p>One standout feature of Elm and Ledbury is The Mews. Contrived by visionary landscape architect Claude Cormier + Associés, known for iconic projects like &#8220;Lipstick Forest&#8221; in Montreal, The Mews is a European-inspired pedestrian-first retail arcade that elevates the resident experience to new heights. The Mews unfolds as a breathtaking public space, featuring landscaped areas, carefully curated public artwork, exclusive retailers, and premier dining establishments that showcase the city&#8217;s culinary excellence. Going beyond the conventional shopping arcade, it not only shapes a Toronto landmark but also solidifies itself as a top destination for both residents and visitors alike.</p>
  7580. <p><i>This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity. </i></p>
  7581. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/how-fitzrovia-is-changing-the-rental-game-in-toronto/">How Fitzrovia is changing the rental game in Toronto</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7582. ]]></content:encoded>
  7586. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1.-TORONTO-LIFE-PARKER-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7587. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  7588. <media:title>Parker is Fitzrovia’s premier rental community located in the heart of Midtown Toronto at Yonge and Eglinton. The community boasts outstanding features such as a two-storey penthouse fitness centre, rooftop infinity pool, and a two-lane bowling alley. Parker has garnered recognition for its excellence in suite design, customer care, and amenities.</media:title>
  7589. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7590. </media:content>
  7591. </item>
  7592. <item>
  7593. <title>Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated collector of vintage kitchenware</title>
  7594. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/vintage-pyrex-kitchenware-collector/</link>
  7596. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  7597. <pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 14:02:29 +0000</pubDate>
  7598. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  7599. <category><![CDATA[danforth]]></category>
  7600. <category><![CDATA[Pyrex kitchenware]]></category>
  7601. <category><![CDATA[vintage cookware]]></category>
  7602. <category><![CDATA[vintage kitchenware]]></category>
  7603. <category><![CDATA[vintage Pyrex]]></category>
  7604. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645419</guid>
  7605.  
  7606. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring colour-coded shelves, one-of-a-kind patterns, and made-in-Canada standouts from Pyrex’s cookware and dining sets</p>
  7607. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/vintage-pyrex-kitchenware-collector/">Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated collector of vintage kitchenware</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7608. ]]></description>
  7609. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645420" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9841.jpg" alt="Vintage Pyrex kitchenware collector Jacqueline Goring " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9841.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9841-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9841-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9841-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7610. <p>Jacqueline Goring’s infatuation with vintage Pyrex kitchen­ware began in 2012, when she popped into a shop in her Danforth neighbourhood looking for Christmas gifts. She saw a pink casserole dish with white flowers emblazoned on it and fell in love with its whimsical design.</p>
  7611. <p>Goring started scouring thrift stores in the east end and Scarborough, scooping up Pyrex pieces whenever she saw them. “They were so plentiful,” she says. “They’re harder to find now because demand has gone up.” Eleven years and $7,000 later, she’s collected hundreds of pastel bowls, casserole dishes and loaf pans—enough to fill three large cabinets and a portion of her and her husband’s 450-square-foot basement. (Luckily, Goring says, her husband is very supportive of her hobby).</p>
  7612. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/barbie-collector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the apartment of the city&#8217;s most dedicated Barbie collector"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the apartment of the city&#8217;s most dedicated Barbie collector</em></span></a></p>
  7613. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645425" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9982.jpg" alt="A segment of Goring's colour-coded collection dedicated to yellows and oranges" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9982.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9982-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9982-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9982-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7614. <p>A segment of Goring’s collection is dedicated to pastel-blue dinnerware—sometimes called Delphite—which was produced at the Leaside Pyrex factory in Toronto in the mid-1900s. She has researched the history of Pyrex in Canada and visited the Charleroi, Pennsylvania, factory where the glassware is produced. “It’s a rabbit hole,” she says. “But it brings me joy.”</p>
  7615. <figure id="attachment_645421" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645421" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645421" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX04_FINAL.jpg" alt="A vintage tea set from Pyrex, part of Jacqueline Goring’s extensive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX04_FINAL.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX04_FINAL-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX04_FINAL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX04_FINAL-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645421" class="wp-caption-text">Goring learned about the Leaside Pyrex factory early in her collecting. Finding historical documentation of its existence and collecting the items made there is a special interest of hers</figcaption></figure>
  7616. <figure id="attachment_645422" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645422" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645422" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX05_FINAL.jpg" alt="The first piece in Goring's collection was this pink dish patterned with white daisies" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX05_FINAL.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX05_FINAL-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX05_FINAL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX05_FINAL-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645422" class="wp-caption-text">Goring’s first-ever piece of Pyrex was a pink dish patterned with white daisies. “I’ve had it for years, and I still love looking at it”</figcaption></figure>
  7617. <figure id="attachment_645423" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645423" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645423" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX03_FINAL.jpg" alt="Goring believes this prototype bowl, called Golden Trillium, was never mass-produced. She bought it on eBay in 2015 for $500" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX03_FINAL.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX03_FINAL-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX03_FINAL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX03_FINAL-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645423" class="wp-caption-text">Goring believes this prototype bowl, called Golden Trillium, was never mass-produced. She bought it on eBay in 2015 for $500</figcaption></figure>
  7618. <figure id="attachment_645424" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645424" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645424" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX02_FINAL.jpg" alt="She once risked her life for Pyrex, driving to Brampton during a snowstorm to get her hands on this rare pink made-in-Canada flamingo casserole dish" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX02_FINAL.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX02_FINAL-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX02_FINAL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_PYREX02_FINAL-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645424" class="wp-caption-text">She once risked her life for Pyrex, driving to Brampton during a snowstorm to get her hands on this rare pink made-in-Canada flamingo casserole dish</figcaption></figure>
  7619. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645550" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0277.00_00_00_00.Still001.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="2160" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0277.00_00_00_00.Still001.jpg 1440w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0277.00_00_00_00.Still001-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0277.00_00_00_00.Still001-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0277.00_00_00_00.Still001-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0277.00_00_00_00.Still001-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px" /></p>
  7620. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645426" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0115.jpg" alt="Goring with a blue patterned Pyrex dish, part of her extensive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0115.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0115-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0115-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0115-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7621. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/vintage-pyrex-kitchenware-collector/">Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated collector of vintage kitchenware</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7622. ]]></content:encoded>
  7626. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9841-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7627. <media:copyright>Shlomi Amiga Photography</media:copyright>
  7628. <media:title></media:title>
  7629. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7630. </media:content>
  7631. </item>
  7632. <item>
  7633. <title>Kiss and Tell: &#8220;The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date’s grandma walked in on us”</title>
  7634. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-cruise-ship-grandma/</link>
  7636. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  7637. <pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:21:30 +0000</pubDate>
  7638. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  7639. <category><![CDATA[cruise ship]]></category>
  7640. <category><![CDATA[kiss and tell]]></category>
  7641. <category><![CDATA[noah]]></category>
  7642. <category><![CDATA[toronto dating]]></category>
  7643. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645475</guid>
  7644.  
  7645. <description><![CDATA[<p>Noah, a writer, had never gotten dressed so fast</p>
  7646. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-cruise-ship-grandma/">Kiss and Tell: &#8220;The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date’s grandma walked in on us”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7647. ]]></description>
  7648. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645557" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_SHIP.jpg" alt="An image of a cruise ship on a background of blue hearts" width="2048" height="1364" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_SHIP.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_SHIP-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_SHIP-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_SHIP-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_SHIP-1536x1023-1711035545.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  7649. <p><i data-stringify-type="italic"><em>Welcome to </em></i><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/tag/kiss-and-tell/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell"><span data-title="Kiss and Tell">Kiss and Tell</span></span></a><i data-stringify-type="italic">,<em> a series about the steamy, surprising and frequently absurd world of Toronto dating. Send your most memorable stories from the pursuit of love and lust in the city to <a class="c-link" href="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="mailto:submissions@torontolife.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" class="article-link"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com"><span data-title="submissions@torontolife.com">submissions@torontolife.com</span></span></a>.</em></i></p>
  7650. <p><em>—As told to Juliann Garisto</em></p>
  7651. <hr />
  7652. <p>The summer I was 17, my step-grandparents planned a family cruise. I didn’t want to go, but I ended up agreeing out of a sense of obligation. I shared a room with my sister, who was 13 at the time. There was a sliding door that led out to a small balcony, which connected our suite to my grandma’s room next door. Basically, I had no privacy.</p>
  7653. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-camille-texting-band/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: &#8220;For months, I wrote every text my friend sent to the guy she was seeing&#8221;"><em><strong>Related:</strong> &#8220;For months, I wrote every text my friend sent to the guy she was seeing&#8221;</em></span></a></p>
  7654. <p>Fortunately, I wasn’t the only person my age<strong> </strong>on that cruise. There was a whole little community of us that hung out in a designated space called the “Teen Area.” It was a rec room with faux-velvet couches and matching ottomans. I spent almost every evening there with 10 or 12 other people. We passed the time playing games and watching the giant TV, which had a decent selection of movies and shows.</p>
  7655. <p>One night, we decided to play trivia, except we made up the questions ourselves. I came up with: “What was the last year the Toronto Maple Leafs won a Stanley Cup?” I didn’t really care about sports, but I assumed it would stump the opposing team since most of them were either American or British.</p>
  7656. <p>Without missing a beat, one of the girls answered 1967—which was right. Her name was Sidney. She had dark hair and piercings, one in her eyebrow and another in her bellybutton. “How did you know that?” I asked. She told me she was from Toronto.</p>
  7657. <p>We quickly found out that we lived in the same neighbourhood. What were the odds? The two of us drifted away from the game and talked about how we&#8217;d come to be on the cruise, what we liked to do in the city, which high schools we went to. I ended up planning a date for us at one of the cafés on the ship.</p>
  7658. <p>I was pretty anxious. What if we had nothing to talk about?  To avoid any awkward silences, we ended up playing a version of I-spy. We’d look around at our fellow passengers and give each other points for spying certain clichéd clothing items, like Hawaiian shirts, Birkenstocks or Ray-Bans.</p>
  7659. <p>The following evening, we went back to the Teen Area and played truth or dare with everyone. Someone asked one of the other girls if she’d ever had sex. In response, she started crying and said she missed her boyfriend. Apparently, her phone wasn&#8217;t working on the ship, and they hadn’t been in touch since she boarded. She begged to borrow my phone and, once I gave it to her, ran off to a remote corner of the Teen Area to call him. The girl who’d initially asked the question then directed it to me. I answered honestly: no. Then other people started to answer. When it was Sidney’s turn, she said no as well.</p>
  7660. <p>The following day, Sidney and I were hanging out at our usual spot on the main deck when sex came up in conversation again. It turned out she was ready to try it. She flat out asked me if I would be down. I said that I wasn’t in a rush but that I wasn’t <em>not </em>into it. It felt like the best chance I was ever going to get. So I suggested that we meet up in the evening and then take things to my room. She agreed.</p>
  7661. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-questionnaire-becca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “I started sending a 10-point questionnaire to men on dating apps”"><span data-title="Related: “I started sending a 10-point questionnaire to men on dating apps”"><em><strong>Related:</strong> “I started sending a 10-point questionnaire to men on dating apps”</em></span></span></a></p>
  7662. <p>The only issue was that I would need to keep my sister away for a couple of hours, at least. I’d seen her crossing the deck with a friend she’d made, so I went to find her. I told her I had a favour to ask. “I need you out of the room for three hours tonight.” She was like, “You got it, no problem.” With that settled, I went to get ready.</p>
  7663. <p>If it was my first time having sex, I wanted to look nice. I decided to wear a tux. I had been watching a lot of <em>How I Met Your Mother.</em> Sidney, apparently, had a similar idea. She showed up wearing white tights and a colourful dress with flowers on it. We both recognized that this was a rite of passage. The mutual understanding was a turn-on for me. I guess I’m a bit of a romantic.</p>
  7664. <p>We didn’t even end up eating—we just went straight to my room. We started fooling around, but after just 10 minutes, there was a knock at the door. It was my sister. Thankfully, we were still decent. “What are you doing here?” I asked her. “I told Mom what you told me and she said to come right back here.” Sidney overheard and said we could go to her room. “My grandma should be out for the night,” she said. So we went. The layout was an exact replica of my room.</p>
  7665. <p>We picked up where we’d left off, making out and taking off our clothes. My dress shoes were laced pretty tight, so I didn’t bother removing them—I just took my pants off over top of them. After that, we were ready to go.</p>
  7666. <p>The whole affair probably lasted less than three minutes, but in essence it was a success. We&#8217;d officially had sex. I felt bad not knowing whether she’d had an orgasm, but I was too awkward and flustered to ask.</p>
  7667. <p>Then we heard the door start to unlock. “Oh no,” Sidney said. “You gotta hide.” I dove under the bed, still wearing nothing but my dress shoes. Sidney shoved all my clothes under there with me. Her grandma came in, saying she just had to use the washroom. I rolled out from under the bed while she was in there and continued to get dressed. But, when the bathroom door started to open, I had just my pants on. I ran out onto the balcony.</p>
  7668. <p>I was starting to button up my shirt when Sidney’s grandma began walking toward the balcony door. I panicked and walked around the fence to the neighbouring balcony—which turned out to be connected to the room occupied by Sidney’s <em>other </em>set of grandparents. Thankfully, I had only one button left on my shirt. I didn’t bother with the vest. I just balled it up and clenched it in my fist.</p>
  7669. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-tell-hinge-date-concert-tickets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: “My Hinge date started ignoring me. It turned out he was buying concert tickets”"><span data-title="Related: “My Hinge date started ignoring me. It turned out he was buying concert tickets”"><em><strong>Related:</strong> “My Hinge date started ignoring me. It turned out he was buying concert tickets”</em></span></span></a></p>
  7670. <p>The second I was done dressing, Sidney opened the balcony door, saying, “This is my friend, Noah.” I stepped forward timidly. Her grandma was a bit surprised but very polite. I guess she wasn’t expecting to see a random guy on the balcony with messy hair and a poorly done-up shirt. After all this, Sidney and I left her room and found somewhere to sit. She said, “Do you think I’m pregnant?” I said, “Definitely not.”</p>
  7671. <p>The following evening, we stopped at a port near Spain to pick up more passengers. There were some new teens, and one of them, a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, kept looking at me. Eventually, we got to talking. I guess I accidentally started flirting with her—leaning in close and whispering, giggling, that sort of thing. Maybe it was the confidence I’d gained from my first sexual experience. Sidney definitely saw us, though. Later in the afternoon, when I went back to my room, I found a note that read: “If you ever get tired of blondes, here’s my number.” It was obviously from her.</p>
  7672. <p>By then, my family’s time on the cruise was almost over. While I was packing, I found an earring Sidney had left in my room. I texted her, but she told me she’d already left the ship. I’d have to give it back to her in the city.</p>
  7673. <p>A week or two later, we met up in Toronto. We had sex again, but it was very casual. Although I liked her, I wasn’t expecting anything serious to come of it. A week after our second hook-up, I sent her another message, but she didn’t answer, and I never saw her again.</p>
  7674. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/kiss-and-tell-cruise-ship-grandma/">Kiss and Tell: &#8220;The first time I had sex was on a cruise ship—and my date’s grandma walked in on us”</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7675. ]]></content:encoded>
  7679. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/KISS_AND_TELL_CRUISE_SHIP-1200x628-1711035512.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7680. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  7681. <media:title></media:title>
  7682. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7683. </media:content>
  7684. </item>
  7685. <item>
  7686. <title>Inside the home of the city&#8217;s most dedicated collector of Kiss memorabilia</title>
  7687. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/kiss-memorabilia-collector/</link>
  7689. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  7690. <pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:56:20 +0000</pubDate>
  7691. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  7692. <category><![CDATA[Ace Frehley]]></category>
  7693. <category><![CDATA[Kiss]]></category>
  7694. <category><![CDATA[kiss collector]]></category>
  7695. <category><![CDATA[kiss memorabilia]]></category>
  7696. <category><![CDATA[kiss vinyl]]></category>
  7697. <category><![CDATA[Vaughan]]></category>
  7698. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645433</guid>
  7699.  
  7700. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring roughly $60,000 worth of the iconic band’s records, concert posters, action figures, costume pieces and more</p>
  7701. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/kiss-memorabilia-collector/">Inside the home of the city&#8217;s most dedicated collector of Kiss memorabilia</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7702. ]]></description>
  7703. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645434" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_KISSO3_FINAL.jpg" alt="Kiss collector Eddy Teixeira surrounded by his extensive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_KISSO3_FINAL.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_KISSO3_FINAL-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_KISSO3_FINAL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_KISSO3_FINAL-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7704. <p>When a 15-year-old Eddy Teixeira heard the galvanizing thumps of Kiss blasting from the stereo of a friend’s car in 1975, he was stupefied. “My first love was the Beatles. Kiss was the Beatles on steroids.” Then, when he saw what the band looked like, he felt his brain liquefying. “They had so much theatrical appeal. Every member stood out; they each had their own look,” he says.</p>
  7705. <p>The first piece of memorabilia Teixeira bought, in 1978, was a pack of Kiss trading cards from a corner store. A collector by nature, he didn’t stop there. Over the years, Teixeira has seen Kiss in concert 22 times, collected thousands of pieces of memorabilia (spending about $60,000) and gotten several Kiss-themed tattoos.</p>
  7706. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/funko-pop-collector/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated Funko Pop collector"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated Funko Pop collector</em></span></a></p>
  7707. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645435" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9426.jpg" alt="Kiss collector Eddy Teixeira surrounded by his extensive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9426.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9426-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9426-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9426-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7708. <p>In 2000, when Teixeira moved into a new home in Vaughan with his wife, Christine, and daughter, Bianca, he decided to transform his basement into a shrine to the band. Collecting, he says, helped him get sober 10 years ago (he realized he could spend the money he saved on collectibles) and cope with the grief of losing his parents. “My collection is my sanctuary,” he adds. “I can just go downstairs and get lost. Any collector will tell you: the objects bring you back to a happy time.”</p>
  7709. <figure id="attachment_645436" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645436" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645436" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0923.jpg" alt="Kiss records, the core of Eddy Teixeira's extensive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0923.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0923-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0923-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0923-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645436" class="wp-caption-text">The vinyl albums remind Teixeira of what’s most important about Kiss—the music. His favourite album is <em>Dressed to Kill</em>. “It brings me right back to when I was 15”</figcaption></figure>
  7710. <figure id="attachment_645437" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645437" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645437" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9652.jpg" alt="A Kiss-themed Father's Day card made by Eddy Teixeira's daughter" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9652.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9652-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9652-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9652-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645437" class="wp-caption-text">Teixeira’s daughter, Bianca, made this Father’s Day card. She interviewed Gene Simmons’s daughter, Sophie, for a magazine story and took a selfie with her. She juxtaposed it with a photo of her father and Simmons</figcaption></figure>
  7711. <figure id="attachment_645438" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645438" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645438" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9707.jpg" alt="Remarkably lifelike Kiss figurines, part of Eddy Teixeira's extensive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9707.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9707-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9707-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9707-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645438" class="wp-caption-text">These custom collector figures are Teixeira’s most treasured items. He paid $3,000 for the set. “The detail on these things is incredible—they’re carbon copies of the band”</figcaption></figure>
  7712. <figure id="attachment_645439" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645439" style="width: 1334px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645439 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0879.jpg" alt="Ace Frehley–inspired boots, part of Eddy Teixeira's extensive collection" width="1334" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0879.jpg 1334w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0879-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0879-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0879-1025x1536.jpg 1025w" sizes="(max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645439" class="wp-caption-text">Teixeira snagged these Ace Frehley–inspired boots online for $500</figcaption></figure>
  7713. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645440" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9379.jpg" alt="Eddy Teixeira showing off one of his Kiss tattoos" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9379.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9379-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9379-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9379-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7714. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/kiss-memorabilia-collector/">Inside the home of the city&#8217;s most dedicated collector of Kiss memorabilia</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7715. ]]></content:encoded>
  7719. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/COLLECTIONS_KISSO3_FINAL-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7720. <media:copyright>Shlomi Amiga Photography</media:copyright>
  7721. <media:title></media:title>
  7722. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  7726. <title>&#8220;I own more than 2,000 books on Toronto&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with condo king Peter Freed</title>
  7727. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/peter-freed-development-qa/</link>
  7729. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  7730. <pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 13:21:30 +0000</pubDate>
  7731. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  7732. <category><![CDATA[Freed Developments]]></category>
  7733. <category><![CDATA[King West]]></category>
  7734. <category><![CDATA[luxury condos]]></category>
  7735. <category><![CDATA[Peter Freed]]></category>
  7736. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645416</guid>
  7737.  
  7738. <description><![CDATA[<p>The CEO of Freed Developments just announced an $800-million luxury tower downtown. He’s either brave or bonkers</p>
  7739. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/peter-freed-development-qa/">&#8220;I own more than 2,000 books on Toronto&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with condo king Peter Freed</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7740. ]]></description>
  7741. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645489" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DC88936.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1335" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DC88936.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DC88936-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DC88936-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DC88936-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7742. <p><strong>You’re building a 63-storey, five-star hotel and condo during a time of high interest rates, in a downtown still recovering from the pandemic. Are you clairvoyant or crazy?</strong><br />
  7743. We’re just going right into the economy question? Look, this location, Adelaide and Duncan, is the best I’ve ever had. Walk east and you’re in the Financial District; walk west and you’re in the Entertainment District. Right now, Toronto is facing a housing shortage. Ottawa has reined in inflation, and it looks like the banks will lower interest rates soon. Usually, when the economy is strong, I think, <em>This is too good to be true</em>. But emerging from an 18-month adjustment period may actually be advantageous.</p>
  7744. <p><strong>Are you saying your luxury skyscraper addresses the housing shortage?</strong><br />
  7745. The city needs more affordable housing but also more housing in general. We’ve worked on projects with affordable components, such as our redevelopment of the Galleria mall. We’ve never done purpose-built rentals, but we may soon. This new tower happens to be a luxury product because there’s demand for it.</p>
  7746. <p><strong>I watched a promo clip featuring a model of the building. It felt a bit like a Drake video.</strong><br />
  7747. One could say that. We’ll have art by Takashi Murakami. And we’ll have a Katsuya restaurant, a pool, a spa and, in the tower’s crown, a resto-club with 70-foot ceilings. Residents will be living the hotel lifestyle.</p>
  7748. <p><strong>Is that your lifestyle?</strong><br />
  7749. I live in midtown with my wife and two sons, so most of my free time is spent at hockey rinks. I still love to stay in hotels, and if I were to live in a condo, this would be it. Maybe in 10 years.</p>
  7750. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/seven-of-torontos-most-high-tech-sustainable-and-exciting-new-real-estate-developments/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Seven of Toronto’s most high-tech, sustainable and exciting new residential developments"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Seven of Toronto’s most high-tech, sustainable and exciting new residential developments</em></span></a></p>
  7751. <p><strong>Your tower has several three- and four-bedroom units, which is rare for Toronto. Why do we see larger condos in other big cities?</strong><br />
  7752. In Canada, you must pre-sell 70 per cent of your units to get financed. So developers favour smaller units, which typically get bought up by investors, in order to reach their pre-sell target.</p>
  7753. <p><strong>What percentage of, say, a New York building must be sold to get shovels in the ground?</strong><br />
  7754. Often, zero! The States are the risky extreme on the opposite end of the spectrum. Still, there needs to be a balance. Imagine if we could pre-sell maybe a third of all units. But that’s a different conversation.</p>
  7755. <p><strong>You made your name as the King West condo guy, but around this time last year, you planted flags in cottage country, buying three resorts for $330 million. Why the shift?</strong><br />
  7756. Buying Deerhurst, Horseshoe Valley and most of the remaining land in Blue Mountain Village was a strategic move, based on how much Covid drove up local tourism. Our recreation and hospitality amenities—rooftop pools, ski hills, golf courses—are what differentiate us from our competition. Most developers don’t want to own a restaurant, but it’s part of our sales pitch. You could buy a house that comes with a playground at the end of the street, but we’re offering acres of green space, dining and leisure.</p>
  7757. <p><strong>Isn’t rural life a bit off-brand for an avowed urbanite like you?</strong><br />
  7758. I’ve always loved Muskoka, but I never had the chance to plunk myself down there. When the pandemic hit, I spent four months in the country with my family, and I was the happiest I’d ever been. Everything slowed to a more manageable pace, and it made me realize that simple things are the best things. Toronto is such a rush, and I love it, but to breathe different air is special. My stay validated the strategy to invest more outside the city.</p>
  7759. <p><strong>And yet here you are, back on home turf.</strong><br />
  7760. Toronto’s the best city in the world. I have a collection of more than 2,000 books on it. The perfect balance is to be able to live in Toronto and then drive for about 90 minutes and be in a whole other realm.</p>
  7761. <p><strong>So downtown isn’t dying?</strong><br />
  7762. Not at all. We’re very different from so many American cities, where downtown becomes a ghost town after 5 p.m.</p>
  7763. <p><strong>Your buildings in King West made it party central. When’s the last time you were out for last call?</strong><br />
  7764. Not since well before the pandemic. Going out for dinner with friends and family is my favourite thing to do these days. My clubbing days are behind me.</p>
  7765. <hr />
  7766. <p><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
  7767. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/peter-freed-development-qa/">&#8220;I own more than 2,000 books on Toronto&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with condo king Peter Freed</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7768. ]]></content:encoded>
  7772. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DC88936-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7773. <media:copyright>DUANE COLE PHOTOGRAPHY</media:copyright>
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  7779. <title>&#8220;It’s 2024 and we only just saw Indigenous representation at the Oscars&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with Little Bird creator Jennifer Podemski</title>
  7780. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/jennifer-podemski-little-bird-qa/</link>
  7782. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Haley Steinberg]]></dc:creator>
  7783. <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 17:05:45 +0000</pubDate>
  7784. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  7785. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645465</guid>
  7786.  
  7787. <description><![CDATA[<p>The actor-turned-producer talks growing up in Toronto, filming in an apocalyptic Manitoba winter and working with Sixties Scoop survivors</p>
  7788. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/jennifer-podemski-little-bird-qa/">&#8220;It’s 2024 and we only just saw Indigenous representation at the Oscars&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with &lt;em&gt;Little Bird&lt;/em&gt; creator Jennifer Podemski</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7789. ]]></description>
  7790. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645466 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jennifer-Podemski_11-flipped-credit-Amy-Brathwaite-scaled-e1710951408826.jpg" alt="Jennifer Podemski, creator of the Crave/APTN series Little Bird" width="1704" height="2055" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jennifer-Podemski_11-flipped-credit-Amy-Brathwaite-scaled-e1710951408826.jpg 1704w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jennifer-Podemski_11-flipped-credit-Amy-Brathwaite-scaled-e1710951408826-249x300.jpg 249w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jennifer-Podemski_11-flipped-credit-Amy-Brathwaite-scaled-e1710951408826-768x926.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jennifer-Podemski_11-flipped-credit-Amy-Brathwaite-scaled-e1710951408826-1274x1536.jpg 1274w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jennifer-Podemski_11-flipped-credit-Amy-Brathwaite-scaled-e1710951408826-1698x2048.jpg 1698w" sizes="(max-width: 1704px) 100vw, 1704px" /></p>
  7791. <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Torontonian and Canadian screen veteran Jennifer Podemski has spent her career fighting for Indigenous creative control and autonomy in film and television. “I will never do anything ever again where I am the only Indigenous person on the team</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">,” she says</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “Up until </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Little Bird</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, that was often my reality.” The <a href="https://www.crave.ca/en/tv-shows/little-bird" class="article-link"><span data-title="Crave/APTN series">Crave/APTN series</span></a> follows the story of Bezhig Little Bird, a five-year-old from Long Pine Reserve, in Saskatchewan, who is separated from her family during the Sixties Scoop and adopted by a Jewish family in Montreal. We spoke to Podemski about her multi-year odyssey to bring the show to life, its 19 Canadian Screen Award nominations and why she moved to Barrie.</span></em></p>
  7792. <hr />
  7793. <p><strong>First of all, I have to ask: Do you remember being on <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDvRzIAErj8" class="article-link"><span data-title="MTV Cribs">MTV Cribs</span></a></em>?<br />
  7794. </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">I think I’m more famous for that episode than for most of the other things I’ve done.</span></p>
  7795. <p><strong>It may be the only episode of <em>Cribs</em> with a <em>Toronto Life</em> reference. Are you still living in that North York bungalow?</strong><b><br />
  7796. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I actually moved to Barrie after that house. My life is still very much in Toronto, though, because that’s where my family lives. But I moved to Barrie because I needed a better quality of life. I was born and raised in Toronto, in North York, until I was 40. I bought my first house in the same neighborhood that I was raised in, which is so weird.</span></p>
  7797. <p><strong>What was it like growing up here?</strong><b><br />
  7798. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Toronto is such a big part of my identity. One of the things I always talk about is going to Ledbury Park Elementary, at Bathurst and Wilson. I don’t know if it was just the school or the government at the time, but every teacher had an extracurricular arts program. I did dance, choir and visual art, and I travelled the city playing clarinet and recorder at old-age homes. My formative performing experience was when I joined a community theatre group at the Adath Israel synagogue at Bathurst and Wilson. I was the little outsider kid invited by a friend—I was Jewish, but I didn&#8217;t really fit in to Jewish circles. But I really thrived there.</span></p>
  7799. <p><strong>You began your career as an actor but decided to become a producer after someone asked you to fill out a &#8220;hot sheet.&#8221; What exactly is a hot sheet?</strong><b><br />
  7800. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 1998, my sister Tamara got the part of Maureen in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rent </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">on Broadway, and instead of congratulating her, the first thing I said was, “Can I come with you?” I had quit television and decided I couldn’t deal with the business anymore. So I was living on her couch and trying to find myself, kind of at rock bottom. Then I got this acting agent in New York, and she asked me to fill out a hot sheet.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I don’t even know if it’s a real thing or if she invented it. But she was just like, “Find everything good that anyone’s ever said about you and put it all on one page with your picture in the middle.” </span></p>
  7801. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So I was putting this thing together, and I just felt so disgusted. I just thought, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the dumbest exercise. If that’s what acting is, I don’t want to be a part of it</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. I looked up at the sky, and I was like, “Creator, please tell me what I’m supposed to do.” I was angry and frustrated, and I wanted to create space. And that’s really the path I took. It doesn’t unfold in front of you—it appears as you move forward. </span></p>
  7802. <p><strong>Is that when you came back to Toronto to start your own production company?</strong><b><br />
  7803. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">After that, I was invited to host the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, and then I got offered a role in </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Riverdale</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. So I went back home and came out of hiding. I met with producer Laura Milliken and told her I wanted to open a production company, that I wanted to take over the industry and uplift Indigenous people and our communities. It just so happened that Melissa DiMarco, who had a show on late-night cable called </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nite Life</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, was also on </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Riverdale</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. So at lunch we’d meet up and I’d say, “Okay, tell me how to make a budget. Tell me how to make a show.” And she started showing me the ropes.</span></p>
  7804. <p><strong><em>Little Bird</em>, the show you co-created with Hannah Moscovitch, is nominated for 19 Canadian Screen Awards this year. How does it feel?</strong><b><br />
  7805. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’m totally overwhelmed. I didn’t expect that kind of response. I’m extremely happy and so grateful. I feel like this is a very sweet end to a very devastating journey of creating and making this show. <em>Satisfying</em>—I think that’s the best word. My kids are 12 and 14, and they use that word a lot to describe ASMR.</span></p>
  7806. <p><strong><em>Little Bird </em>seems like something you’ve been preparing for your whole life. What do you consider the beginning of this journey?</strong><b><br />
  7807. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Honestly, I think it started the day I was born, because on that day I was taken from my mother, who was a single native teen in Toronto. I was very lucky that she had a social worker who was about to retire, who said, “I’m not going to allow this to happen” and got me back from foster care. That planted the seeds for all of the things, good and bad, that would happen and inform my work as a storyteller.</span></p>
  7808. <p><strong>The series isn’t a documentary, but it’s so transportive that it makes you feel like you’re stepping through time. How did you achieve that?</strong><b><br />
  7809. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I created a role on this show called &#8220;cultural authenticity steward,&#8221; which was filled by my aunt Sharon Anaquod. My mother’s an Anaquod from the Muscowpetung First Nation, in Saskatchewan, and she came on board too. This story was originally going to take place there, but there’s no tax credit in Saskatchewan, so we went to Manitoba. Our production partner Tanya Brunel drove to communities there, and we followed the river, and we eventually landed on Sioux Valley, which is a very good replica of Muscowpetung.</span></p>
  7810. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharon vetted every single thing in the script for accuracy. The interior of the pink house was essentially designed by Sharon in collaboration with David Brisbin, our brilliant production designer. Everything in that house is authentic, from the threads in the carpet to the wallpaper. Sharon would get on Zoom with everybody and say, &#8220;</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Okay guys, we’re going to talk about the outhouse today</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">,&#8221; or, &#8220;</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’m going to show you an example of exactly how the paint comes off the side of the pink house</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.&#8221;</span></p>
  7811. <p><strong>I heard shooting conditions in Manitoba weren’t the easiest.</strong><b><br />
  7812. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you talk to anybody from Manitoba, they’ll say that the winter of 2022 was the most apocalyptic winter in history. The whole province shut down for two days. It was terrible. Shooting during Covid was hard enough. It felt almost impossible to deal with those restrictions on the creative process. We did our best to keep our spirits up, but I can confirm that there were a lot of tears and a lot of fights that we felt like we lost.</span></p>
  7813. <p><strong><em>Little Bird</em> is Crave’s first entry into prestige TV. What was it like to lead that?</strong><b><br />
  7814. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">When you’re creating something in the realm of “premium television,” you’re really on a quest to create something that’s never been done before, and I think we achieved that. I have to acknowledge Jeremy Podeswa, whom we were very lucky to get and who came on board right away. Having worked on </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game of Thrones</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Six Feet Under</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, he’s at the forefront of that look and tone. It was really an exercise in reimagining a formula.</span></p>
  7815. <p><strong>The story follows Bezhig Little Bird (Darla Contois), who is adopted by a Jewish family in Montreal and given the name Esther. How much of your life story ended up in hers?</strong><b><br />
  7816. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">So much about Esther is not my life, but the essence of who she is is very personal to me. Much of what is not personal to me relates to my mother. I had this picture of my mother in the 1980s where she’s wearing a blue dress—we made the dress that Esther wears at her engagement party as an ode to my mother.</span></p>
  7817. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two of the other people who built this show with me, Jeremy Podeswa and Christina Fon, are children of Holocaust survivors. I’m a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, and I wanted so badly for Esther’s adoptive mother, Golda (played by Lisa Edelstein), to be a manifestation of my grandfather Joseph, who passed away before we finished making this.</span></p>
  7818. <p><strong>Esther’s relationships with her siblings, Niizh (Joshua Odjick), Dora (Imajyn Cardinal) and Leo (Braeden Clarke), really drive the show. Who inspired their stories?</strong><b><br />
  7819. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some of the most important people in this process were our story advisers, like Raven Sinclair, who is a Sixties Scoop survivor; Elaine Kicknosway, who runs the </span><a href="https://sixtiesscoopnetwork.org/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sixties Scoop Network"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sixties Scoop Network</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">; and Nakuset, a Sixties Scoop survivor who was raised in Westmount, Montreal, by a Jewish family. </span></p>
  7820. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those sibling relationships were informed by their experiences—either reuniting with their siblings, never meeting their siblings or losing their siblings. It’s not a documentary, of course, but it’s inspired by the truth and love of the people who lived these experiences.</span></p>
  7821. <p><strong>You’ve spent your whole career championing creative control and autonomy for Indigenous people in cinema and TV. Do you feel like you achieved that with this project?</strong><b><br />
  7822. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Montreal-based production company that co-produced the show, Rezolution Pictures, is Indigenous-owned. When we partnered with our other co-producer, Original Pictures, with the experience of someone as seasoned as Kim Todd, it was so important to maintain this creative autonomy through an Indigenous lens in terms of hiring, creation and storytelling.</span></p>
  7823. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It taught me a lot about the importance of Indigenous leadership, specifically with Indigenous stories, because we rely so heavily on community. Those relationships have to be built, nurtured and respected. We are accountable to those relationships in ways that non-Indigenous people aren’t, because we exist in our community forever. I take that role very seriously.</span></p>
  7824. <p><strong>Back to awards season: How did you feel about <em>Killers of the Flower Moon</em> and Lily Gladstone’s Golden Globes win?</strong><b><br />
  7825. </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was triggered by the film. I didn’t love that it centered a white guy when the story really belongs to Lily Gladstone’s character, Mollie Burkhart, because of what she did in real life: going to Washington, leading the investigation and essentially storming the castle. The fact that her story was sidelined was extremely upsetting. However, that was offset by Lily’s exquisite performance, by her strength, and by all of the people from the Osage Nation who came together to support the creation of the project. It’s 2024, and we only just saw Indigenous representation at the Academy Awards. It would have been nice to see Lily win an Oscar, but to me, we’ve already won because of that.</span></p>
  7826. <hr />
  7827. <p><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
  7828. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/jennifer-podemski-little-bird-qa/">&#8220;It’s 2024 and we only just saw Indigenous representation at the Oscars&#8221;: A Q&#038;A with &lt;em&gt;Little Bird&lt;/em&gt; creator Jennifer Podemski</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7829. ]]></content:encoded>
  7833. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jennifer-Podemski_11-flipped-credit-Amy-Brathwaite-scaled-e1710951408826-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7834. <media:copyright>All Rights reserved to Amy Brathwaite Photography</media:copyright>
  7835. <media:title></media:title>
  7836. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7837. </media:content>
  7838. </item>
  7839. <item>
  7840. <title>Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated Funko Pop collector</title>
  7841. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/funko-pop-collector/</link>
  7843. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonah Brunet]]></dc:creator>
  7844. <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:43:34 +0000</pubDate>
  7845. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  7846. <category><![CDATA[collectibles]]></category>
  7847. <category><![CDATA[Funko Pop collections]]></category>
  7848. <category><![CDATA[Funko Pops]]></category>
  7849. <category><![CDATA[Milton]]></category>
  7850. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645409</guid>
  7851.  
  7852. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring roughly $12,000 worth of comic book, film and TV characters—all in adorable cartoon form</p>
  7853. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/funko-pop-collector/">Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated Funko Pop collector</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7854. ]]></description>
  7855. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645410" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0303.jpg" alt="Funko Pop collector Allan Martinez with his expansive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0303.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0303-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0303-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0303-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7856. <p>When Funko Pops were first released in 2010, Allan Martinez was immediately hooked. The collectible vinyl toys depict popular characters from franchises like <em>Star Wars</em> and superhero movies—with cartoonish oversized heads. “I thought they were cute and well-designed,” Martinez says. “It’s cool to see characters I love in that form.”</p>
  7857. <p>His first Funko Pop was a Spider-Man he bought from the comic book store Planet Hobby for $10. It quickly spawned a full-blown obsession. Within a year, he’d acquired around 50 Funko Pops of his favourite characters, including Captain America, the Hulk, Batman, Green Lantern and the Flash. At the time, Martinez was dating his now-wife, Christine Kerver Martinez, who loved Disney characters. So Martinez added Disney princesses and various Mickey Mouses to his collection.</p>
  7858. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/style/barbie-collector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the apartment of the city&#8217;s most dedicated Barbie collector"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the apartment of the city&#8217;s most dedicated Barbie collector</em></span></a></p>
  7859. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645462" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0746.jpg" alt="A shelf in Allan Martinez's Funko Pop collection dedicated to Disney princesses" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0746.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0746-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0746-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0746-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  7860. <p>In 2017, after he and his wife moved into a townhouse in Milton together, Martinez reached a breaking point. “We hit over 800 pieces,” he says. “The boxes were stacking up, and we had no place to store or display them.”</p>
  7861. <p>He did a mindful purge, keeping the toys that brought him joy and offloading the rest to a reseller on Instagram. He also reduced his yearly acquisition of new toys from 100 to 80; currently, he has around 400. “Looking at our collection, I feel grateful to be able to afford these things and to have a house to put them in.”</p>
  7862. <figure id="attachment_645411" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645411" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645411 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0740.jpg" alt="Funko Pop collector Allan Martinez with his expansive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0740.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0740-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0740-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0740-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645411" class="wp-caption-text">“I’m what you’d call an ‘out-of-the-box’ collector,” says Martinez. He estimates he’s spent about $12,000 on his trove</figcaption></figure>
  7863. <figure id="attachment_645412" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645412" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645412 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0779.jpg" alt="Allan Martinez has a few larger Funko Pops in his collection, including Pikachu and Boba Fett" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0779.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0779-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0779-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0779-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645412" class="wp-caption-text">He drove an hour to a GameStop in Brantford to buy the big Boba Fett on the left. “It sold out very fast. The only reason they still had this one was because it had a ding on the box”</figcaption></figure>
  7864. <figure id="attachment_645413" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645413" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645413 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0686.jpg" alt="Kerver Martinez’s favourite character is this Sorcerer Mickey from Fantasia" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0686.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0686-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0686-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0686-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645413" class="wp-caption-text">Kerver Martinez’s favourite character is Sorcerer Mickey from <em>Fantasia</em>. “It’s special because he’s on a hill with waves below him,” she says</figcaption></figure>
  7865. <figure id="attachment_645414" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645414" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-645414" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0556.jpg" alt="Funko Pop collector Allan Martinez with his expansive collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0556.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0556-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0556-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0556-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645414" class="wp-caption-text">Martinez has a few larger Funko Pops, including this 18-inch Harry Potter</figcaption></figure>
  7866. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/funko-pop-collector/">Inside the home of the city’s most dedicated Funko Pop collector</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7867. ]]></content:encoded>
  7871. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_0303-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  7872. <media:copyright>Shlomi Amiga Photography</media:copyright>
  7873. <media:title></media:title>
  7874. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  7875. </media:content>
  7876. </item>
  7877. <item>
  7878. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Frenchy, Hilton Toronto&#8217;s new lobby bar and brasserie</title>
  7879. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-frenchy-hilton-toronto-financial-district-bar-brasserie/</link>
  7881. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  7882. <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
  7883. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  7884. <category><![CDATA[Aaron Chen]]></category>
  7885. <category><![CDATA[Cocktail Bar]]></category>
  7886. <category><![CDATA[Financial District]]></category>
  7887. <category><![CDATA[Frenchy]]></category>
  7888. <category><![CDATA[Hilton Toronto]]></category>
  7889. <category><![CDATA[hotel bar]]></category>
  7890. <category><![CDATA[hotels]]></category>
  7891. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  7892. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644975</guid>
  7893.  
  7894. <description><![CDATA[<p>It’s the centrepiece of the hotel’s full-scale renovation</p>
  7895. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-frenchy-hilton-toronto-financial-district-bar-brasserie/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Frenchy, Hilton Toronto&#8217;s new lobby bar and brasserie</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  7896. ]]></description>
  7897. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644690" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of French dishes and drinks at Frenchy, Hilton Toronto's new restaurant and bar" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-spread-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-spread-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-spread-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-spread-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-spread-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  7898. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-new-restaurants">
  7899.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More New Restaurants</h2>
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  7932. </h2>
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  8002. </h2>
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  8012. </article>
  8013.  
  8014. </section>
  8015.  
  8016. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Frenchy<br />
  8017. <strong>Contact:</strong> 145 Richmond St. W., <a href="http://frenchytoronto.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="frenchytoronto.com">frenchytoronto.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frenchytoronto/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@frenchytoronto">@frenchytoronto</span></a><br />
  8018. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/financial-district/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Financial District">Financial District</span></a><br />
  8019. <strong>Owners:</strong> Barney River Investments<br />
  8020. <strong>Chef:</strong> Aaron Chen<br />
  8021. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> Fully accessible</p>
  8022. <p>Frenchy is the new jewel in the crown of Hilton’s full-scale renovation, which also included a makeover of the hotel’s lobby and guest rooms. Carrie Wong, complex marketing manager for Hilton Toronto, says the <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/french/" class="article-link"><span data-title="French">French</span></a> restaurant was envisioned as the nucleus of the refreshed building, both literally and figuratively.</p>
  8023. <p>“Right from the entrance, the first thing guests can see is the bar,” she says. From a morning coffee and breakfast cassoulet to evening cocktails paired with brasserie-style plates, Frenchy’s shape-shifting vibe accommodates the changing needs of hotel guests and locals throughout the day. “We really wanted to create a space that would have something for everyone to enjoy,” says Wong. “We’re trying to create a really energized and lively lobby experience.”</p>
  8024. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-mossops-social-house-hotel-victoria/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Mossop’s Social House, Hotel Victoria’s Levantine-inspired restaurant, cocktail bar and café"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Mossop’s Social House, Hotel Victoria’s Levantine-inspired restaurant, cocktail bar and café</span></a></em></p>
  8025. <p><figure id="attachment_644668" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644668" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644668" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chef.jpg" alt="Frenchy executive chef Aaron Chen" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chef.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chef-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chef-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chef-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644668" class="wp-caption-text">Executive chef Aaron Chen</figcaption></figure><br />
  8026. &nbsp;</p>
  8027. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  8028. <p>Frenchy’s unpretentious brasserie menu reflects the restaurant’s “something for everyone” mantra. “One of our key philosophies is classics done really well,” says executive chef Aaron Chen. “It’s all about dishes that are traditional, bold and uncomplicated.”</p>
  8029. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/french-renaissance-six-of-the-citys-best-new-bistros-and-brasseries/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Six of the city’s best new bistros and brasseries"><strong>Related:</strong> Six of the city’s best new bistros and brasseries</span></a></em></p>
  8030. <figure id="attachment_644692" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644692" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644692" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-tartare-scaled.jpg" alt="Beef tartare with toasted baguette" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-tartare-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-tartare-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-tartare-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-tartare-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-tartare-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-tartare-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644692" class="wp-caption-text">Chen stays true to French traditions with this beef tartare made with egg yolk, cornichons, shallots, Dijon, tarragon and red wine vinegar. It’s served with a few wedges of toasted baguette. $22</figcaption></figure>
  8031. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8032. <figure id="attachment_644680" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644680" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644680" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-salad-scaled.jpg" alt="A green salad with pickled shallots" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-salad-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-salad-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-salad-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-salad-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-salad-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-salad-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644680" class="wp-caption-text">This green salad is another simple-is-best staple. For it, Bibb lettuce is tossed with finely diced herbs, pickled shallots and Frenchy’s house tarragon-Dijon vinaigrette. $21</figcaption></figure>
  8033. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8034. <figure id="attachment_644670" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644670" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644670" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-escargots.jpg" alt="A plate of escargots" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-escargots.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-escargots-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-escargots-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-escargots-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644670" class="wp-caption-text">Chen knows better than to mess with the standard escargot recipe, bathing these slow-moving snacks in garlic and butter, then topping them off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a few parsley leaves. $23</figcaption></figure>
  8035. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8036. <figure id="attachment_644676" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644676" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644676" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-pain-au-lait-scaled.jpg" alt="A pain au lait" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-pain-au-lait-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-pain-au-lait-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-pain-au-lait-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-pain-au-lait-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-pain-au-lait-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-pain-au-lait-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644676" class="wp-caption-text">The escargot comes with a pain au lait bun brushed with a herb-and-garlic mixture</figcaption></figure>
  8037. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8038. <figure id="attachment_644675" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644675" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644675" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-moules-frites-scaled.jpg" alt="Mussels served with fries and toasted slices of baguette" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-moules-frites-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-moules-frites-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-moules-frites-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-moules-frites-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-moules-frites-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-moules-frites-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644675" class="wp-caption-text">Part of the “avec frites” menu, these PEI mussels are cooked in a rich sauce of chicken stock, garlic, cream and butter. Baguette slices for dipping and crispy house-cut fries are served on the side. $28</figcaption></figure>
  8039. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8040. <figure id="attachment_644667" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644667" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644667" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-carrots-scaled.jpg" alt="A dish of roasted carrots" width="2560" height="1669" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-carrots-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-carrots-300x196.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-carrots-2000x1304.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-carrots-768x501.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-carrots-1536x1001.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-carrots-2048x1335.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644667" class="wp-caption-text">Here we have a side of roasted carrots covered in a butter and wildflower honey glaze and finished with fresh parsley. $14</figcaption></figure>
  8041. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8042. <figure id="attachment_644691" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644691" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644691" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-trout-almondine-scaled.jpg" alt="Trout almondine" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-trout-almondine-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-trout-almondine-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-trout-almondine-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-trout-almondine-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-trout-almondine-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-trout-almondine-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644691" class="wp-caption-text">This trout amandine, swimming in a brown butter sauce and topped with almonds and capers, is another French classic. Sustainability is Chen’s main priority when procuring protein, so while this trout isn&#8217;t sourced locally, it is raised responsibly. $31</figcaption></figure>
  8043. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8044. <p><figure id="attachment_644669" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644669" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644669" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chocolate-cake-scaled.jpg" alt="A slice of chocolate cake served with a scoop of chocolate ice cream" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chocolate-cake-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chocolate-cake-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chocolate-cake-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chocolate-cake-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chocolate-cake-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-chocolate-cake-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644669" class="wp-caption-text">This crowd-pleasing gateau au chocolat is garnished with swirls of orange-chocolate ganache topped with candied orange. It’s served with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the side. $15</figcaption></figure><br />
  8045. &nbsp;</p>
  8046. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  8047. <p>For the drink menu, assistant GM Santiago Espinel Otero worked closely with Chen to ensure the cocktail program complements the approachable French ethos of the food. “Our motto: simple is better,” says Otero. <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/cocktails/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cocktails">Cocktails</span></a> bring a playful French twist to familiar favourites, whether that means amping up the floral notes to evoke French perfume or adding smoky undertones in an allusion to the Napoleonic Wars. “We know we have to cater to not only the hotel’s guests—which can include people from around the world—but also a local crowd,” says Otero. “We try to have a little bit of everything for everybody while still keeping the identity of the restaurant.”</p>
  8048. <p>In keeping with the French theme, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/wine/" class="article-link"><span data-title="wine">wine</span></a> is also an emphasis of the restaurant’s drink program. Though the list isn&#8217;t strictly French, it focuses on grape varieties associated with France—think an <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/italian/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Italian">Italian</span></a> Syrah or a Canadian Marsanne. A small wine room off the main dining area highlights the restaurant’s deep vino collection and will host private wine tastings.</p>
  8049. <figure id="attachment_644672" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644672" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644672" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-75.jpg" alt="Frenchy's spin on a French 75" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-75.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-75-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-75-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-75-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644672" class="wp-caption-text">The restaurant’s spin on a French 75 adds house-made hibiscus syrup to the typical gin, champagne and lemon juice combo. A Hot Lips garnish gives a little bisou to every glass. $24</figcaption></figure>
  8050. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8051. <figure id="attachment_644671" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644671" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644671" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-faux-pas-scaled.jpg" alt="The Faux Pas, a vodka-based cocktail at Frenchy, a French restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1950" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-faux-pas-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-faux-pas-300x229.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-faux-pas-2000x1524.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-faux-pas-768x585.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-faux-pas-1536x1170.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-faux-pas-2048x1560.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644671" class="wp-caption-text">The Faux Pas is an example of ingredients being shared across the food and drink menus, incorporating the same wildflower honey used to glaze the carrots. In this easy sipper, the honey is combined with vodka, abricot du Roussillon liqueur, lemon and soda. It’s finished with bee pollen and an ice cube imprinted with a honeycomb pattern. $18</figcaption></figure>
  8052. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8053. <figure id="attachment_644674" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644674" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644674" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-frou-frou-scaled.jpg" alt="An espresso martini" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-frou-frou-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-frou-frou-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-frou-frou-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-frou-frou-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-frou-frou-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-frou-frou-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644674" class="wp-caption-text">Frou Frou, Frenchy’s take on an espresso martini, is spiked with pistachio syrup to bring a nuttiness to the drink’s earthy, creamy coffee flavours. $19</figcaption></figure>
  8054. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8055. <p><figure id="attachment_644673" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644673" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644673" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-riviera.jpg" alt="The French Riviera, a non-alcoholic cocktail at Frenchy inside the Hilton Toronto" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-riviera.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-riviera-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-riviera-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-french-riviera-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644673" class="wp-caption-text">The French Riviera comes from Frenchy’s petite non-alcoholic cocktail menu. Fresh and fizzy, it features a house-made grapefruit-and-bay-leaf cordial, lemon, tonic and soda. A dehydrated orange slice and a bay leaf provide the finishing touches. $14</figcaption></figure><br />
  8056. &nbsp;</p>
  8057. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  8058. <p>DesignAgency led the extensive renovation project, including the curation of Frenchy’s Parisian aesthetic. The restaurant’s centrepiece is a stunning brass-accented bar, which serves as a connection point between the restaurant and the wider lobby.</p>
  8059. <p>Curved edges, soft textures and a palette of rich reds introduce warmth and intimacy to the airy space. Eye-catching chandeliers are reminiscent of floating flower blossoms, and a dramatic mural depicting painted figures of women further enhances the restaurant’s feminine feel.</p>
  8060. <p>Frenchy will soon launch a regular live entertainment program, including DJ sets and jazz band performances. “The hotel is so centrally located that Frenchy is a perfect stop to meet up before going to an event downtown,” says Wong. “It will become the heartbeat of the hotel and a community hub.”</p>
  8061. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644685" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-4-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Frenchy, a new brasserie and bar on the main floor of Hilton Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8062. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644682" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-1.jpg" alt="A closer look at the murals that line the walls of Frenchy's dining room inside Hilton Toronto" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-1.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /></p>
  8063. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644687" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-6-scaled.jpg" alt="The bar at Frenchy, a new brasserie inside the Hilton Toronto" width="2560" height="1884" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-6-300x221.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-6-2000x1472.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-6-768x565.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-6-1536x1131.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-6-2048x1508.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8064. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644686" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-5.jpg" alt="Decorative chandeliers hang over the dining room of Frenchy, a new restaurant inside the Hilton Toronto" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-5.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-5-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-5-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-5-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /></p>
  8065. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644688" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-7-scaled.jpg" alt="Comfy couch seating at Frenchy, a new brasserie inside the Hilton Toronto" width="2560" height="1710" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-7-2000x1336.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-7-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-7-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-7-2048x1368.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8066. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644689" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-8-scaled.jpg" alt="The marble-topped, brass-accented bar at Frenchy in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-8-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-8-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-8-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-space-8-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8067. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644679" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-plate-3-scaled.jpg" alt="A small plate painted with a cartoon cat" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-plate-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-plate-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-plate-3-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-plate-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-plate-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-frenchy-hilton-financial-district-french-plate-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8068. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-frenchy-hilton-toronto-financial-district-bar-brasserie/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Frenchy, Hilton Toronto&#8217;s new lobby bar and brasserie</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8069. ]]></content:encoded>
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  8074. <media:copyright>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</media:copyright>
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  8078. </item>
  8079. <item>
  8080. <title>Condo of the Week: $775,000 for a Moss Park loft with its own freight elevator</title>
  8081. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/condo-of-the-week-knitting-mill-lofts/</link>
  8083. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Yu]]></dc:creator>
  8084. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 20:23:25 +0000</pubDate>
  8085. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  8086. <category><![CDATA[Condo of the Week]]></category>
  8087. <category><![CDATA[Moss Park]]></category>
  8088. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  8089. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644813</guid>
  8090.  
  8091. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 1,000-square-foot property also comes with an egg chair, an open fireplace, exposed wood beams and a bar made for parties</p>
  8092. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/condo-of-the-week-knitting-mill-lofts/">Condo of the Week: $775,000 for a Moss Park loft with its own freight elevator</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8093. ]]></description>
  8094. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644872 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/02-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="This Moss Park condo is 1,000 square feet and currently going for $775,000" width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/02-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/02-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/02-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8095. <p><strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> <a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/tag/moss-park/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Moss Park"><span data-title="Church-Yonge Corridor">Moss Park</span></span></a><br />
  8096. <strong>Price:</strong> $774,900<br />
  8097. <strong>Size:</strong> 1,093 square feet<br />
  8098. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 1<br />
  8099. <strong>Bathrooms: </strong>1<br />
  8100. <strong><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></span></a> agent:</strong> Edwin Brdlik, <a href="https://www.torontolofts.ca/Home" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Toronto Lofts">Toronto Lofts</span></a></p>
  8101. <hr />
  8102. <h5><b>The place</b></h5>
  8103. <p>A one-bedroom-plus-den, one-bathroom unit on Queen East. The condo comes with original industrial accents, its own freight elevator and one surface-level parking space. It&#8217;s within walking distance of Corktown Common and the Distillery District as well as the many businesses along Queen and King. Residents also have easy access to half a dozen TTC routes, Bayview and the DVP.</p>
  8104. <h5><b>The history</b></h5>
  8105. <p>The unit is part of the Knitting Mill Lofts, a former garment factory built at the turn of the century, when Moss Park looked more like a farm town. In 1997, new owners converted the building into 28 hard lofts—one of Toronto&#8217;s first warehouse conversions.</p>
  8106. <p>The current owner has lived here since 2004. He&#8217;s conducted a bunch of renovations over the years, like refinishing the floors and adding both a fireplace and a reading nook. Now, he and his partner need more space, so he&#8217;s putting his condo on the market.</p>
  8107. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/condo-of-the-week-ritz-carlton/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$3.8 million to live on the 25th floor of the Ritz-Carlton">$3.8 million to live on the 25th floor of the Ritz-Carlton</span></a></em></p>
  8108. <h5><b>The tour</b></h5>
  8109. <p>The building&#8217;s façade is defined by its tall windows, subtle brick details and porthole window above the entrance.</p>
  8110. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644876 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/27-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The old industrial building is steps from the Don Valley, Corktown and the Distillery district. " width="2200" height="1467" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/27-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 2200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/27-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/27-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/27-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/27-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/27-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2200px) 100vw, 2200px" /></p>
  8111. <p>Here&#8217;s the unit&#8217;s foyer, with a mirrored sliding-door closet and ceramic tile flooring.</p>
  8112. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644854 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/24-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="Here's the foyer. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/24-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/24-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/24-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8113. <p>It leads to the open-concept space. The floors are epoxy-finished concrete, and that original-brick TV nook was added in a recent renovation.</p>
  8114. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644853 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/01-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The floors here are epoxy-finished concrete. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/01-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/01-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/01-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8115. <p>A reverse shot of the living space highlights the kitchen, dining area and bedroom.</p>
  8116. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644871 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-19" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/04-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The open-concept space is defined by its exposed wood beams. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/04-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/04-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/04-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8117. <p>The owner set up a full bar in the corner (with a beer tap, of course).</p>
  8118. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644870 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/05-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="This is the loaded bar. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/05-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/05-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/05-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8119. <p>Behind the bar is this raised reading nook with an egg chair. Note the adjacent sound system.</p>
  8120. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644869 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/06-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The reading nook is equipped with an egg chair. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/06-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/06-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/06-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8121. <p>Another look at the funky space.</p>
  8122. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644868 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/07-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="More shots of the egg, just because. " width="574" height="875" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/07-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 574w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/07-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-197x300.jpg 197w" sizes="(max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px" /></p>
  8123. <p>In the other corner: an open ethanol fireplace and some decorative ductwork.</p>
  8124. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645028 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/8fireplace.jpg" alt="The open fireplace is ethanol. " width="574" height="769" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/8fireplace.jpg 574w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/8fireplace-224x300.jpg 224w" sizes="(max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px" /></p>
  8125. <p>The open layout makes the loft feel as long as a bowling alley. That blue door on the right leads to the HVAC system.</p>
  8126. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644865 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/12-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="That door in the blue wall leads to the home's HVAC system. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/12-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/12-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/12-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8127. <p>Now for the kitchen, which has an attached peninsula, a six-burner gas cooktop, quartz counters and a double-drawer dishwasher next to the fridge.</p>
  8128. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644863 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/14-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="A mix of new and old in the kitchen: ceramic tiles with modern millwork. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/14-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/14-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/14-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8129. <p>The dining room and designer light fixture are framed in distressed wooden beams.</p>
  8130. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644867 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/09-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The dining area, framed by wood pillars. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/09-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/09-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/09-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8131. <p>Most of the posts and beams are original, but the owner installed new ones in the ceiling around the bedroom to create an enclosure.</p>
  8132. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644864 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/13-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The beams around the bedroom are actually new. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/13-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/13-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/13-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8133. <p>Here&#8217;s the bedroom, equipped with floating nightstands, a sound system and reclaimed-wood lighting.</p>
  8134. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644860 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/17-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The floating nightstand and cube light fixtures are a nice touch. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/17-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/17-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/17-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8135. <p>Frosted sliding Plexiglas doors separate the bedroom from the rest of the home.</p>
  8136. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644859 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/18-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The bedroom can be enclosed by frosted plexiglass. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/18-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/18-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/18-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8137. <p>That walkway on the right leads to a laundry room and walk-in closet.</p>
  8138. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644861 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/16-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The walkway on the right leads to the laundry and more storage. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/16-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/16-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/16-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8139. <p>The stacked washer and dryer and clever shelving save space.</p>
  8140. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644856 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="A peek inside the laundry room. " width="574" height="875" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 574w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-197x300.jpg 197w" sizes="(max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px" /></p>
  8141. <p>Here&#8217;s the walk-in closet.</p>
  8142. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644855 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="And this is the walk-in closet, hidden behind sliding doors. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/23-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8143. <p>The bathroom is next to the kitchen and features more ceramic tiles, a shower with a rainfall head and a sauna-like bench.</p>
  8144. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644858 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg" alt="The sauna-like bench in the bathroom is a nice touch. " width="1000" height="656" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1.jpg 1000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-300x197.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-1-768x504.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
  8145. <p>The freight elevator, meanwhile, is a blast from the past.</p>
  8146. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645031 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-Condo-of-the-Week-Knitting-Mill-Lofts-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/30elevator.jpg" alt="Here's that private freight elevator. " width="1552" height="1266" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/30elevator.jpg 1552w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/30elevator-300x245.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/30elevator-768x626.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/30elevator-1536x1253.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1552px) 100vw, 1552px" /></p>
  8147. <hr />
  8148. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  8149. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/condo-of-the-week-knitting-mill-lofts/">Condo of the Week: $775,000 for a Moss Park loft with its own freight elevator</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8150. ]]></content:encoded>
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  8155. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  8156. <media:title></media:title>
  8157. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  8158. </media:content>
  8159. </item>
  8160. <item>
  8161. <title>Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler</title>
  8162. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-diego-reyes-chantecler/</link>
  8164. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Maddy Mahoney]]></dc:creator>
  8165. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 17:14:42 +0000</pubDate>
  8166. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  8167. <category><![CDATA[Bloorcourt]]></category>
  8168. <category><![CDATA[Chantecler]]></category>
  8169. <category><![CDATA[Diego Reyes]]></category>
  8170. <category><![CDATA[French]]></category>
  8171. <category><![CDATA[Kitchen Diaries]]></category>
  8172. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645352</guid>
  8173.  
  8174. <description><![CDATA[<p>Stocked with second-hand appliances, parsnip ice cream and a rare cookbook from the chefs at Noma</p>
  8175. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-diego-reyes-chantecler/">Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8176. ]]></description>
  8177. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645358" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-001-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Diego Reyes standing in his kitchen wearing a light-coloured button up shirt" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-001-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-001-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-001-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-001-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8178. <p>Diego Reyes, the head chef at <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-chantecler-the-new-bloorcourt-location-of-parkdales-favourite-french-restaurant/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Chantecler">Chantecler</span></a>, doesn’t enjoy cooking for himself. When solo, he’s all about one-pot meals that are tasty and easy to execute (basically, the exact opposite of the fussed-over nouveau French plates he puts out at his Bloorcourt restaurant). Cooking brings him joy only when it’s communal, like hand-rolling cavatelli with a friend while sipping through a couple bottles of wine.</p>
  8179. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-afrim-pristine-cheese-boutique/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Afrim Pristine, the co-owner of Cheese Boutique</em></span></a></p>
  8180. <p>When Reyes was growing up in Quito, Ecuador, cooking was synonymous with family time. “Whenever there was something to celebrate, we’d butcher a pig and cook it together,” he says. Reyes moved to Toronto in 2002, when he was 13, and some of his early memories of acclimatizing to life in Canada are food-related—including an early trip to <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/mandarin-chinese-buffet-brampton/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mandarin">Mandarin</span></a>, his first all-you-can-eat buffet. (Reyes left the restaurant deeply disappointed in his inability to eat more.)</p>
  8181. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645367" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-013-scaled.jpg" alt="A counter with drawers in Reyes's kitchen. On it is a stand mixer and a large soccer trophy" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-013-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-013-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-013-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-013-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-013-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-013-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8182. <p>Two years ago, Reyes moved into his Brockton Village one-bedroom. To furnish his apartment, the chef turned to Facebook Marketplace. After finding a mint-condition Robot Coupe (an expensive restaurant-grade food processor) for a third of its usual price, he developed a bit of a compulsion. The table, kitchen dresser, chicken paintings, vintage scales and cast iron pans were all Marketplace scores. The soccer trophy, though, is Reyes’s—he’s since hung up his cleats, but he used to be pretty serious about the sport.</p>
  8183. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645372" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-023-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at his second-hand stand mixer" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-023-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-023-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-023-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-023-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-023-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-023-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8184. <p>Reyes’s kitchen doesn&#8217;t have a dishwasher, but that’s hardly a deal-breaker for him. And while some chefs may throw a fit over an electric stove, Reyes loves his. “Gas stoves are overrated,” he says. “They reek and are a nightmare to clean. Give me induction any day, followed by electric and then live fire. Gas is dead last for me.”</p>
  8185. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645361" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-006-1-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the oils and spices the chef keeps beside his stove" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-006-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-006-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-006-1-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-006-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-006-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-006-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8186. <p>His fridge is stocked with tasty low- or no-prep snacks. Yop&#8217;s drinkable yogurts, cheap mozzarella (for grilled cheeses), cured meats and eggs are all staples. The more interesting items are reserved for guests. He’s planning to roast that chicken and serve it with Brussels sprouts and oyster mushrooms. As for the steak, he’ll sear it and plate it with crispy pan-fried potatoes and a chopped tomato salad enlivened by cilantro and green onions—a go-to side he eats with breakfast, lunch and dinner.</p>
  8187. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645363" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-008-scaled.jpg" alt="A shot of Reyes's fridge, which has a full chicken, wine and Yops" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-008-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-008-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-008-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-008-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-008-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-008-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8188. <p>For everyday groceries, Reyes shops at Mike’s No Frills on Lansdowne. He’s consistently impressed with the quality of its produce and how much Ontario-grown stuff it carries. Shopping local is important to him, so he’ll also swing by Vince Gasparro&#8217;s Meat Market (he thinks their chicken and bacon are outstanding) as well as nearby farmers&#8217; markets (Trinity Bellwoods and Wychwood Barns are his favourites). Every once in a while, he’ll pop over to <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/torontos-first-family-of-cheese/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cheese Boutique">Cheese Boutique</span></a> or <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/eataly/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Eataly">Eataly</span></a> to splurge on something imported, like really good olive oil or an esoteric cheese.</p>
  8189. <p><a class="article-link" href="https://torontolife.com/tag/kitchen-diaries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Taylor McMeekin, the new executive chef at the Drake Hotel"><span data-title="Related: Inside the kitchen of Taylor McMeekin, the new executive chef at the Drake Hotel"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside the kitchen of Taylor McMeekin, the new executive chef at the Drake Hotel</em></span></span></a></p>
  8190. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645365" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-010-scaled.jpg" alt="A closer look at the top shelf of Reyes's fridge" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-010-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-010-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-010-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-010-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-010-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-010-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8191. <p>Reyes hates clutter, so he stores perishables in this dresser: there’s a drawer for fruit, one for hard vegetables and one for bread.</p>
  8192. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645371" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-020-scaled.jpg" alt="Three open drawers for veggies, fruit and bread" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-020-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-020-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-020-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-020-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-020-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-020-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8193. <p>Although Chantecler bakes its own bread, Reyes often opts for convenience at home. He’ll pick up loaves from Brodflour, which also supplies the restaurant with freshly milled Canadian wheat.</p>
  8194. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645370" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-019-scaled.jpg" alt="A close up of the bread drawer, which contains two loaves of bread" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-019-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-019-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-019-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-019-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-019-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-019-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8195. <p>In the freezer, you&#8217;ll often find vacuum-sealed culinary experiments. Right now, there&#8217;s some fermented carrot pulp, parsnip ice cream and vegan parsnip purée. Reyes does most of his recipe testing at home, where there are fewer distractions, and he’s always looking for innovative ways to reuse kitchen scraps. A big part of his culinary ethos is zero-waste—or at least minimal-waste—cooking.</p>
  8196. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645369" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-016-scaled.jpg" alt="A look inside the chef's freezer" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-016-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-016-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-016-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-016-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-016-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-016-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8197. <p>There’s also evidence of the chef’s sweet tooth. Nestlé products will do in a pinch, but he prefers locally made stuff. Currently, he has <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/ruru-baked/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Ruru Baked’s">Ruru Baked’s</span></a> Vietnamese coffee–flavoured custard ice cream.</p>
  8198. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645368" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-015-scaled.jpg" alt="Reyes holding ice cream from Ruru Baked" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-015-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-015-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-015-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-015-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-015-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-015-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8199. <p>Reyes likes to pop by Lola’s for coffee, though it’s more for the conversation than the drink itself. He does have a coffee maker at home, but he tries not to indulge too often.</p>
  8200. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645362" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-007-scaled.jpg" alt="Reyes' coffee set up includes a grinder and a drip coffee maker" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-007-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-007-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-007-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-007-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-007-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-007-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8201. <p>Shortly after he moved to Canada, Reyes’s dad introduced him to mackerel canned in tomato sauce. To this day, he thinks they’re absolutely delicious and will eat them on top of rice (along with a tomato salad, of course). Kidney beans with rice is another late-night staple.</p>
  8202. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645355" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-004-scaled.jpg" alt="A look inside one of the pantry shelves, which mostly contains beans" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-004-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-004-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-004-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-004-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-004-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8203. <p>He likes to keep a healthy supply of jam and honey on hand. He’ll eat either on a bagel with peanut butter as a snack.</p>
  8204. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645356" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-005-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at Diego's jam collection" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-005-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-005-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-005-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-005-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-005-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-005-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8205. <p>Another reason Reyes doesn’t fuss too much about cooking for himself is that he prefers restaurants. “I spend way too much of my budget on eating out,” he says. “I don’t even want to think about it.” When he’s travelling in a new city, he’ll sometimes hit up three or four restaurants in a single day. At home, his favourite spots are <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/viaggio/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Viaggio">Viaggio</span></a>, Pho Linh and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/giulietta/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Giulietta">Giulietta</span></a>.</p>
  8206. <p>Similarly, he doesn’t keep any cocktail-making supplies at home. For a good drink, he’d rather go to one of his favourite bars: <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-cry-baby-the-secret-cocktail-bar-behind-a-dundas-west-art-gallery/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cry Baby">Cry Baby</span></a>, <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/project-gigglewater/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Project Gigglewater">Project Gigglewater</span></a>, <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/a-look-inside-le-tigre-rosedales-new-all-pink-martini-bar/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Le Tigre">Le Tigre</span></a> or<a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-electric-bill-australian-cocktail-bar-civil-liberties/" class="article-link"><span data-title=" Electric Bill"> Electric Bill</span></a>. And while you won&#8217;t find any beer in the house (he’s not a fan—it makes him feel bloated and sleepy), he does keep a supply of wine. Typically, he looks for low-intervention European bottles.</p>
  8207. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645364" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-009-scaled.jpg" alt="A close up on Reyes's European wine" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-009-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-009-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-009-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-009-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-009-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8208. <p>On the shelves of chefs and food aficionados alike, you’ll likely spot <em>The Noma Guide to Fermentation</em>, a surprisingly digestible 500-page ode to culinary preservation. A rarer find is <em>A Field Guide to Fermentation</em>, a slimmer, more technical manual penned by Noma R&amp;D wizards Lars Williams and Arielle Johnson. Reyes received the book, which was self-published and remains elusive, as a gift from Luke Kolpin, Noma’s production chef. However, you won’t see too many pickled items on the menu at Chantecler—Reyes thinks people often overdo it. &#8220;I don&#8217;t like fermenting just to make something cool,&#8221; he says, &#8220;only for the sake of using every part of our ingredients to prevent waste.”</p>
  8209. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645373" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-024-scaled.jpg" alt="Reyes holding two cookbooks by the staff at Noma" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-024-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-024-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-024-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-024-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-024-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-024-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8210. <p>Reyes likes to collect cookbooks from big-name restaurants he’s itching to visit. These compendiums are like sneak peeks into the world’s gastronomic greats. But, in his opinion, the Alinea book was a letdown—it promised culinary fireworks but fizzled out instead. On the flip side, <em>Flour and Water </em>by Thomas McNaughton is a treasure trove of foolproof pasta recipes that always hit the mark. It all boils down to the author and recipe testers: just because a restaurant has Michelin stars doesn&#8217;t mean its cookbook will dazzle.</p>
  8211. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645366" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-011-scaled.jpg" alt="A look at the rest of the chef's cookbook collection" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-011-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-011-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-011-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-011-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-011-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240227-TorontoLife-KitchenStories-DiegoReyes-BG-011-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8212. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/kitchen-diaries-diego-reyes-chantecler/">Inside the kitchen of Diego Reyes, head chef at Chantecler</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8213. ]]></content:encoded>
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  8218. <media:copyright>© Brent Gooden 2024. All Rights Reserved</media:copyright>
  8219. <media:title></media:title>
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  8221. </media:content>
  8222. </item>
  8223. <item>
  8224. <title>How to up your pillow game for a better night’s rest</title>
  8225. <link>https://torontolife.com/life/polysleep-pillow-game/</link>
  8227. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Stephanie Matas]]></dc:creator>
  8228. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 13:45:53 +0000</pubDate>
  8229. <category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
  8230. <category><![CDATA[Shopping]]></category>
  8231. <category><![CDATA[sponsored]]></category>
  8232. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=642814</guid>
  8233.  
  8234. <description><![CDATA[<p>Master the art of zzz’s with a pillow customized just for you</p>
  8235. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/polysleep-pillow-game/">How to up your pillow game for a better night’s rest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8236. ]]></description>
  8237. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do you toss and turn at night, dreading the sound of the alarm? You’re not alone. Only 16 per cent of Canadians </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1533009&amp;s=1532996" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="say"><span style="font-weight: 400;">say</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> they sleep soundly seven nights a week, and a third report less than three. Luckily, there’s a way to help alleviate nighttime restlessness—a plush pillow upgrade.</span></p>
  8238. <h5><b>Pillow power </b></h5>
  8239. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A pillow is so much more than a place to rest your head. Studies show the correct firmness and support for your head is critical for a toss-free night. Though a quality mattress is important for proper sleep, the right pillow can help prevent back, neck and shoulder aches and can even improve your overall health and mobility. </span></p>
  8240. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-643039 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE3.png" alt="A young woman with brown hair sits on a bed hugging a white memory foam pillow." width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE3.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE3-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE3-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE3-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  8241. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If your pillow’s fill, contour, height and ability to control heat aren&#8217;t right for you, your sleep can be negatively impacted. For side sleepers, one that’s too soft won’t provide enough neck support, causing you to extend uncomfortably sideways. Stomach sleepers hyperextend the neck backwards, so a firm pillow exaggerates this position further. Similarly, sleeping on your back with too much support pushes the neck awkwardly forward.</span></p>
  8242. <h5><b>Transform your sleep</b></h5>
  8243. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The key to a restful night starts at the head of the bed. No matter what your sleep position, the </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1533017&amp;s=1532996" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Polysleep Pillow"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Polysleep Pillow</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can help eliminate tension with its four layers of high-quality adjustable memory foam, so you can find the perfect mix of comfort and support. Simply add or remove the hybrid-viscoelastic foam inserts into or from the zippered cover to adjust the firmness and height from two to nine inches to best suit you. </span></p>
  8244. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-643045 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE4.png" alt="Left: Four memory foam pillow inserts stacked vertically with a purple mesh-lined pillowcase on top. Right: A young woman with blonde hair smiles and sits on a bed hugging a white pillow. " width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE4.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE4-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE4-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE4-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  8245. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Made from high-quality antimicrobial and latex-free materials, it protects against mould, fungi, viruses and bacteria, too. Say goodbye to flip-flopping and snuggle into its breathable, silky-smooth, 100-per-cent-cotton cover, which ensures maximum cooling throughout the night. It’s also machine washable for an easy refresh.</span></p>
  8246. <div style="position: relative; margin-bottom: 25px; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 25px; height: 0;"><iframe loading="lazy" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BaI76Gq36RU" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><br />
  8247. </iframe></div>
  8248. <h5><b>Customized comfort</b></h5>
  8249. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Help ease everyone in your home, whether your children, a partner or overnight guests, into a deep slumber by adding this ultra-luxurious touch to your beds. They’ll appreciate the thoughtfulness, as they can easily customize their pillow to improve the length and calibre of their rest. </span></p>
  8250. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adequate sleep is </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1533025&amp;s=1532996" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="shown"><span style="font-weight: 400;">shown</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to improve mental cognition, vitality and mood, reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, strengthen the immune system, improve problem-solving skills, enhance memory performance and help with managing weight. In addition, a well-adjusted pillow helps alleviate pressure on joints and the spine, reducing the risk of cervical injuries and making it easier to move and exercise. </span></p>
  8251. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-643049 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE1.png" alt="A young woman with brown hair drinks a cappuccino while lounging on a white bed. " width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE1.png 1200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE1-300x225.png 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE1-768x576.png 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-INLINE1-803x603.png 803w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
  8252. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Still uncertain? Just ask the plethora of grateful, </span><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1533045&amp;s=1532996" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="satisfied sleepers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">satisfied sleepers</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> contributing to the Polysleep Pillow’s impressive rating of 4.7 stars out of 5. “What can I say? It’s perfect—the perfect thickness and the perfect softness. It’s now my favourite pillow! So comfortable,” says Neoma S. “It’s incredible. You can actually choose the thickness. It’s like I have five pillows in one. I’ve changed many pillows. This one is a keeper,” says Francesco L.</span></p>
  8253. <p><a href="https://sr.studiostack.com/c/link?l=1533017&amp;s=1532996" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link-img"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-643038 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-TIPBOX.jpg" alt="A female with her eyes closed and hand against her face lies sideways on a white pillow." width="1280" height="900" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-TIPBOX.jpg 1280w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-TIPBOX-300x211.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-TIPBOX-768x540.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></p>
  8254. <div id="pressboard-ad-sponsorship-msg"></div>
  8255. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/life/polysleep-pillow-game/">How to up your pillow game for a better night’s rest</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8256. ]]></content:encoded>
  8260. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/02/TL-POLYSLEEP-FEATURE-1200x628.png" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  8261. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  8262. <media:title></media:title>
  8263. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  8264. </media:content>
  8265. </item>
  8266. <item>
  8267. <title>Inside the apartment of the city’s most dedicated Barbie collector</title>
  8268. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/barbie-collector/</link>
  8270. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  8271. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 13:01:36 +0000</pubDate>
  8272. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  8273. <category><![CDATA[Barbie]]></category>
  8274. <category><![CDATA[Barbie collection]]></category>
  8275. <category><![CDATA[collectibles]]></category>
  8276. <category><![CDATA[collectors]]></category>
  8277. <category><![CDATA[Great Spaces]]></category>
  8278. <category><![CDATA[interior design]]></category>
  8279. <category><![CDATA[Mattel]]></category>
  8280. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645293</guid>
  8281.  
  8282. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring vintage collectibles, artwork and decor from the world’s most famous series of dolls</p>
  8283. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/barbie-collector/">Inside the apartment of the city’s most dedicated Barbie collector</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8284. ]]></description>
  8285. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645294" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_2338.jpg" alt="Barbie collector Léah Fugère" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_2338.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_2338-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_2338-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_2338-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8286. <p>Like many young girls, Léah Fugère played with Barbie dolls as a kid. In 2010, when she was 20, she came across a Pinterest account of Fashion Royalty dolls—a line of high-end dolls with posable bodies­—arranged into dioramas. “It was so beautiful,” she says, “like a little world.” Fugère started collecting her own dolls, styling them in dinner party dioramas, domestic scenes and rock bands.</p>
  8287. <p>In 2015, when Mattel released its line of “made to move” Barbies with posable bodies, Fugère began scooping them up as well, but she mostly kept her hobby to herself. “I worried that people would think I was weird,” she says. Then, in 2022, she came across the Instagram account of Azusa Sakamoto, also known as Azusa Barbie, an unabashed Barbie girl who lives in LA. “I was like, <em>YOLO—I’m going to do that too</em>,” says Fugère.</p>
  8288. <p><a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/inside-parkdale-apartment-retro-toys-antique-barbies-fisher-price-collectibles/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: Inside a Parkdale apartment brimming with antique Barbies, retro Fisher-Price toys and other curiosities"><em><strong>Related:</strong> Inside a Parkdale apartment brimming with antique Barbies, retro Fisher-Price toys and other curiosities</em></span></a></p>
  8289. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645295" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9665.jpg" alt="Fugère's Barbie collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9665.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9665-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9665-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9665-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8290. <p>She repainted her Parkdale apartment in teal and pink—the same hues as her favourite Barbie Dreamhouses. She grew her collection of Barbie accessories, including purses, cars, clothes and furniture. “At first, I decorated my dollhouses to look like real houses; then I decorated my house to look like a dollhouse.”</p>
  8291. <p>Fugère owns at least 75 dolls, plus more than 50 Barbie-sized purses, nine Barbie vehicles (five cars, a boat and three bikes) and more than a dozen miniature Barbies for her Barbies. She estimates she’s spent over $40,000 on her collection and credits Greta Gerwig’s <em>Barbie</em> movie with reducing the stigma around her passion. “I’ve met some of my closest friends through the doll community,” says Fugère. “We bring our minis—doll versions of ourselves—to monthly meetups. It’s a place where I feel like I can be myself.”</p>
  8292. <figure id="attachment_645296" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645296" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645296 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9597.jpg" alt="Original Barbie Dreamhouse" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9597.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9597-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9597-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9597-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645296" class="wp-caption-text">Fugère keeps her original Barbie Dreamhouse, which she bought at a yard sale in the Beaches for $20 in 2022, on a shelf in her bedroom. “I normally see them sell for at least $300”</figcaption></figure>
  8293. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645297" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9672.jpg" alt="Barbie car" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9672.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9672-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9672-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9672-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8294. <figure id="attachment_645298" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645298" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645298 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9646.jpg" alt="Barbie's bestie Midge" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9646.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9646-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9646-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9646-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645298" class="wp-caption-text">Fugère has a special affinity for Midge, Barbie’s best friend. Her most treasured item is a vintage Midge with bendable legs, which she found at a Salvation Army for $3</figcaption></figure>
  8295. <figure id="attachment_645299" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645299" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645299 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9560.jpg" alt="Barbie clothes organizer" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9560.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9560-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9560-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9560-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645299" class="wp-caption-text">Barbie clothes and accessories are organized in labelled bins. “You have to be super scrupulous if you have a small space,” Fugère says. “I use clear containers, because otherwise, it’s out of sight, out of mind”</figcaption></figure>
  8296. <figure id="attachment_645300" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-645300" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645300 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9537.jpg" alt="Julia, one of the first Black Barbie dolls" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9537.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9537-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9537-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9537-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-645300" class="wp-caption-text">Fugère paid $95 for a vintage Julia, one of the first Black Barbies. It’s the most she’s paid for a doll. “I wanted her for a while. I bought her from a member of the Barbie club that I co-founded”</figcaption></figure>
  8297. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645301" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9699.jpg" alt="Barbie living room" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9699.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9699-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9699-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9699-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8298. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645302" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9661.jpg" alt="Barbie art" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9661.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9661-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9661-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_9661-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8299. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645303" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_1935.jpg" alt="Léah Fugère with her Barbie collection" width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_1935.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_1935-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_1935-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_1935-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8300. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/barbie-collector/">Inside the apartment of the city’s most dedicated Barbie collector</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8301. ]]></content:encoded>
  8305. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SAP_2338-1200x628.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  8306. <media:copyright>Shlomi Amiga Photography</media:copyright>
  8307. <media:title></media:title>
  8308. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  8309. </media:content>
  8310. </item>
  8311. <item>
  8312. <title>Sort-of Secret: Comma, a Korean restaurant on Queen West serving raw marinated crab</title>
  8313. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/</link>
  8315. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  8316. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 13:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
  8317. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  8318. <category><![CDATA[Comma]]></category>
  8319. <category><![CDATA[Korean]]></category>
  8320. <category><![CDATA[Queen West]]></category>
  8321. <category><![CDATA[raw marinated crab]]></category>
  8322. <category><![CDATA[seafood]]></category>
  8323. <category><![CDATA[Sort-of Secret]]></category>
  8324. <category><![CDATA[Victoria Kim]]></category>
  8325. <category><![CDATA[Whisky]]></category>
  8326. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645075</guid>
  8327.  
  8328. <description><![CDATA[<p>And pairing it with scotch whisky</p>
  8329. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/">Sort-of Secret: Comma, a Korean restaurant on Queen West serving raw marinated crab</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8330. ]]></description>
  8331. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644069" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-scaled.jpg" alt="Raw marinated crab in spicy sauce at Comma, a Korean restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8332. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-sort-of-secrets">
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  8416.  
  8417.  
  8418. <div class="feed-card-page--split__image">
  8419. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-golden-horseshoe-bbq-texas-style-barbecue/"  data-label="Slot 3">
  8420.    <img class="collection-card-top-stories__image" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-life-restaurants-golden-horseshoe-bbq-barbecue-serving-2-scaled-803x603-1709654131.jpg" alt="Sort-of&#x20;Secret&#x3A;&#x20;Golden&#x20;Horseshoe&#x20;BBQ,&#x20;a&#x20;new&#x20;pop-up&#x20;attracting&#x20;crowds&#x20;with&#x20;Texas-style&#x20;barbecue" />
  8421. </a>
  8422. </div>
  8423.  
  8424.  
  8425.  
  8426. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__meta">
  8427.  
  8428.  
  8429.                    <a class="card__label" href="https://torontolife.com/category/food/">
  8430.            <span class="topic-link__text">Food &amp; Drink</span>
  8431.        </a>
  8432.    
  8433.  
  8434. <h2 class="feed-card-aside--split__headline">
  8435.    <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-golden-horseshoe-bbq-texas-style-barbecue/" class="sjmvm-link-643920 sjmvm-title-643920">Sort-of Secret: Golden Horseshoe BBQ, a new pop-up attracting crowds with Texas-style barbecue</a>
  8436. </h2>
  8437.  
  8438.  
  8439. </div>
  8440.  
  8441. <div class="feed-card-aside--split__sponsored">
  8442.    
  8443. </div>
  8444.  
  8445.  
  8446. </article>
  8447.  
  8448. </section>
  8449.  
  8450. <p><strong>The sort-of secret:</strong> <a href="https://www.commatoronto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Comma">Comma</span></a>, a family-owned modern Korean restaurant on Queen West<br />
  8451. <strong>You may have heard of it if:</strong> You’re on the hunt for raw marinated crab<br />
  8452. <strong>But you probably haven’t tried it because:</strong> It’s only been open since September</p>
  8453. <p>There’s no shortage of <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/korean/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Korean">Korean</span></a> restaurants in Toronto. Koreatown has its row of spots along Bloor West selling hot stone-bowl bibimbap and tteokbokki. And in <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/north-york/" class="article-link"><span data-title="North York">North York</span></a>, specifically around the intersection of Yonge and Finch, there are even more Korean kitchens. But there’s a lot of overlap in the food that’s available. There are endless options for Korean rice dogs, sundubu, bulgogi and Korean fried chicken—but things like ganjang-gejang, or raw marinated crab, a dish that’s just started to gain popularity in North America, are a bit harder to find.</p>
  8454. <p>Victoria Kim wants to change that. With her new <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/queen-west/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Queen West">Queen West</span></a> bar, Comma, she hopes to elevate Korean bar snacks—and make scotch whisky their go-to drink pairing.</p>
  8455. <figure id="attachment_644074" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644074" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644074" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-owners-scaled.jpg" alt="Comma's chef-owner Victoria Kim and her daughter Emily Kim" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-owners-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-owners-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-owners-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-owners-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-owners-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-owners-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644074" class="wp-caption-text">Chef-owner Victoria Kim (left) with her daughter Emily Kim</figcaption></figure>
  8456. <p>Kim and her family aren’t new to Toronto’s restaurant scene. Comma is their third restaurant, including the Grange food court’s now-closed Fiesta Burrito and Myeongdong Gyoza Kalguksu, a Korean restaurant with locations in the Annex and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/thornhill/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Thornhill">Thornhill</span></a>. It’s Kim’s background in the industry that inspired the menu at Comma. “Our staff meals would usually be Korean, but then we’d try adding new ingredients and experiment on the dishes,” says Joseph Kim, who has worked at all three of the Kim family restaurants and is now co-head of marketing for Comma. “We’d make all these crazy combinations—but then put them aside because Myeongdong is a more traditional restaurant. Comma is where all of that creativity shines.”</p>
  8457. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644067" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-1-scaled.jpg" alt="A chef holds a crab above a container of marinade" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8458. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644071" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-garnish-scaled.jpg" alt="A chef sprinkles chives on a plate of raw marinated crab" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-garnish-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-garnish-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-garnish-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-garnish-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-garnish-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-garnish-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8459. <p>Another departure from standard Korean fare is that all the food at Comma is imagined with a scotch pairing. While beer’s carbonation or the smoothness of soju pair well with typical Korean bar snacks like <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/fried-chicken/" class="article-link"><span data-title="fried chicken">fried chicken</span></a>, dishes at Comma are designed to go well with whisky. A long-time scotch lover, Victoria discovered that the spirit&#8217;s peatiness pairs well with the earthiness of Korean dishes. So, while there are a few <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/cocktails/" class="article-link"><span data-title="cocktails">cocktails</span></a> at Comma, Victoria says they’re proud to serve Ardbeg scotch whisky, and she’s always happy to provide guests with recommendations.</p>
  8460. <figure id="attachment_644075" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644075" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644075" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-pancake-scaled.jpg" alt="A tri-colour Korean seafood pancake filled with blue crab" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-pancake-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-pancake-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-pancake-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-pancake-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-pancake-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-pancake-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644075" class="wp-caption-text">The tricolour pancake, looking like a tasty pie chart</figcaption></figure>
  8461. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8462. <figure id="attachment_644073" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644073" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644073" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-grilled-seafood-jajamyeon-scaled.jpg" alt="Jajangmyeon, a Korean dish of noodles and seafood" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-grilled-seafood-jajamyeon-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-grilled-seafood-jajamyeon-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-grilled-seafood-jajamyeon-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-grilled-seafood-jajamyeon-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-grilled-seafood-jajamyeon-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-grilled-seafood-jajamyeon-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644073" class="wp-caption-text">Jajangmyeon in its sizzling-hot cast-iron serving dish</figcaption></figure>
  8463. <p>At Comma, the goal is to experiment. “The name of the restaurant signifies an ongoing journey with food and food cultures,” Joseph says. The bar bites are all twists on classic Korean recipes. One of the most popular dishes so far is the tri-colour pancake, which gets its pinwheel-like design from the three different sections of potato, seafood (squid, shrimp) and kimchi. It&#8217;s a three-in-one dish that combines a trio of popular Korean pancakes into a single aesthetically pleasing one. Another must-try is the grilled seafood jajangmyeon. Typically, jajangmyeon is served quite simply: thick wheat noodles dressed with an inky-black fried bean sauce, which has a nutty, almost caramel-like flavour. At Comma, they add squid, mussels and shrimp and serve it all on a sizzling-hot plate.</p>
  8464. <figure id="attachment_644077" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644077" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644077" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-soy-raw-marinated-crab-scaled.jpg" alt="Soy-marinated raw crab" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-soy-raw-marinated-crab-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-soy-raw-marinated-crab-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-soy-raw-marinated-crab-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-soy-raw-marinated-crab-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-soy-raw-marinated-crab-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-soy-raw-marinated-crab-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644077" class="wp-caption-text">A dish of the soy-marinated raw crab</figcaption></figure>
  8465. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/my-doctor-was-like-you-cant-do-this-anymore-a-qa-with-vartan-fresh-a-mukbang-artist-who-turned-to-professional-eating-to-save-his-familys-restaurant/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: A Q&amp;A with Vartan Fresh, a Toronto mukbang artist who left the family business to eat professionally"><strong>Related:</strong> A Q&amp;A with Vartan Fresh, a Toronto mukbang artist who left the family business to eat professionally</span></a></em></p>
  8466. <p>And then, of course, there&#8217;s the raw marinated crab. Though the dish has become trendy on <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/tiktok/" class="article-link"><span data-title="TikTok">TikTok</span></a> (<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/raw-marinated-crab?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="with mukbang artists noisily slurping up the jiggly sweet raw crab meat">with mukbang artists noisily slurping up the jiggly sweet raw crab meat</span></a>), there aren’t many places in Toronto that offer it. There are a few in North York and a couple in Thornhill, but south of Bloor, anyone with a craving for raw crab would be hard pressed to find it. It’s difficult to prepare, says Joseph, which makes its appearance on Comma’s menu all the more impressive. They make it two ways: a soy-marinated version and a spicy one. Regardless of how it&#8217;s sauced, raw marinated crab is an umami bomb: the cold crab meat retains its sweetness, and the tomalley (a green paste also known as crab fat, technically a digestive gland) provides an addictive straight-from-the-sea flavour. Each of Comma’s variations is a veritable bap doduk, or rice thief—a dish so good you end up eating bowls and bowls of rice with it. The spicy crab in particular will easily make two bowls of rice disappear: the heat level is no joke, so rice plays an important tempering role.</p>
  8467. <figure id="attachment_644078" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644078" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644078" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spicy-raw-marinated-crab-scaled.jpg" alt="A plate of spicy, raw marinated crab" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spicy-raw-marinated-crab-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spicy-raw-marinated-crab-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spicy-raw-marinated-crab-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spicy-raw-marinated-crab-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spicy-raw-marinated-crab-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spicy-raw-marinated-crab-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644078" class="wp-caption-text">And this is quite obviously the fiery-hot version, paired with a snifter of Ardbeg whisky</figcaption></figure>
  8468. <p>It’s a dish that Joseph worried wouldn’t have a place at Comma. But, after they put it on the menu, customers went wild for it, snapping photos and spreading the crab gospel online. Eating raw crab is especially postable because of how fussy it is: you need to put on plastic gloves and dig out the jiggly meat with your fingers. “And the whisky just pairs so well with seafood,” says Joseph. “You get the whisky, which has a very fine and delicate flavour. Then the marinated crab and the spiciness, which can be a bit overbearing. But, all together with rice, you can make the perfect bite.”</p>
  8469. <p>At Comma, the team is always looking for the next perfect bite. Fried chicken and beer are an iconic couple for a reason, but Joseph says they’re on the lookout for the next classic pairing—and it just might be raw crab and whisky.</p>
  8470. <p><em>Comma, 490 Queen St. W., <a href="https://www.commatoronto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="commatoronto.com">commatoronto.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/commatoronto/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@commatoronto">@commatoronto</span></a></em></p>
  8471. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644079" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of Korean dishes, including raw crab, at Comma" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spread-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spread-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spread-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spread-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-spread-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8472. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-comma-korean-queen-west-raw-marinated-crab/">Sort-of Secret: Comma, a Korean restaurant on Queen West serving raw marinated crab</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8473. ]]></content:encoded>
  8477. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-comma-korean-queen-west-crab-claws-scaled-1200x628-1710526347.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  8478. <media:copyright>RYAN NANGREAVES 9053013344~</media:copyright>
  8479. <media:title></media:title>
  8480. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
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  8482. </item>
  8483. <item>
  8484. <title>House of the Week: $1.5 million for a St. Clair walk-up with its own retail on the street</title>
  8485. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-weston-pelham-park/</link>
  8487. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  8488. <pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:23:14 +0000</pubDate>
  8489. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  8490. <category><![CDATA[House of the Week]]></category>
  8491. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  8492. <category><![CDATA[Weston-Pelham Park]]></category>
  8493. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644734</guid>
  8494.  
  8495. <description><![CDATA[<p>The 1,800-square-foot property also comes with heated floors, two parking spots, industrial design, and recovered art</p>
  8496. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-weston-pelham-park/">House of the Week: $1.5 million for a St. Clair walk-up with its own retail on the street</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8497. ]]></description>
  8498. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645190 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo1-2000x1334.jpg" alt="This 1,800-square-foot row house (with retail) sits on St. Clair and has parking in the front and back. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo1-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo1-scaled-1536x1024-1710614676.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo1-scaled-2048x1366-1710614692.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8499. <p><strong>Location: </strong>Weston-Pelham Park<span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
  8500. </span><strong>Price: </strong>$1.47 million<br />
  8501. <strong>Last sold for:</strong> $1.1 million in 2022<br />
  8502. <strong>Size:</strong> 1,876 square feet<br />
  8503. <strong>Bedrooms:</strong> 2<br />
  8504. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 3<br />
  8505. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 2<br />
  8506. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agent: </strong>Miranda Caldwell (Miranda Heckbert); Jordan Rasberry, <a href="https://coreassets.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Core Assets">Core Assets</span></a></p>
  8507. <hr />
  8508. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The place</span></h5>
  8509. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A two-bedroom, three-bathroom walk-up nestled between the Junction and Corso Italia. The property comes with a ground-floor retail space—ideal for a storefront or an artist’s studio—along with original exposed brick and contemporary accents. It’s within walking distance of the Stockyards and Earlscourt Park. TTC riders are steps from the St. Clair streetcar and the Keele bus, and motorists are a short drive from Weston Road and Allen Road.</span></p>
  8510. <h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">The history</span></h5>
  8511. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In November 2022, the current owners purchased this classic main-street storefront and residence and immediately began renovating, in partnership with 1925 Workbench. They left the bottom retail unit untouched for future tenants to develop. Work finished in early 2024, and now they’re putting the home on the market. </span></p>
  8512. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-rosedale-ramsden/" class="article-link"><span data-title="$4 million for a Rosedale Georgian covered in custom walnut millwork">$4 million for a Rosedale Georgian covered in custom walnut millwork</span></a></em></p>
  8513. <h5>The tour</h5>
  8514. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The brick rowhouse sits two doors down from the Silverthorn library branch. A closer look at the façade reveals the display as well as the arched, frosted metal doors, inspired by the Old Heydon House Hotel down the street. The one on the left leads to the home.</span></p>
  8515. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645191 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo2.png" alt="The place is sandwiched between Silverthorn library to the east and the Old Heydon House hotel to the west. " width="978" height="1224" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo2.png 978w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo2-240x300.png 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo2-768x961.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 978px) 100vw, 978px" />
  8516. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now for the unit. At the top of the stairs is the living room, which shares a wall with the kitchen on the left.</span></p>
  8517. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645193 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo3-2000x1334.jpg" alt="Here's the living room at the top of the stairs. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo3-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo3-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo3-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8518. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This reverse angle highlights the living room’s industrial-style factory window dividers. That’s a built-in desk on the left and a skylight up top.</span></p>
  8519. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645327 size-large" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo4-2-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The window walls here are industrial-style dividers. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo4-2-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo4-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo4-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo4-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo4-2-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8520. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The kitchen is equipped with new stainless steel LG appliances, custom floating walnut shelves, lots of storage, and a marble backsplash and island.</span></p>
  8521. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645197 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo7-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The kitchen is loaded with new appliances and porcelain surfaces. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo7-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo7-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo7-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo7-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8522. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s a closer look at the open shelving. </span></p>
  8523. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645198 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo8-scaled.jpg" alt="The open shelving is a nice touch. " width="1761" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo8-scaled.jpg 1761w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo8-206x300.jpg 206w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo8-768x1116.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo8-1057x1536.jpg 1057w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo8-1409x2048.jpg 1409w" sizes="(max-width: 1761px) 100vw, 1761px" /></p>
  8524. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mudroom and back door are accessible via the kitchen walkway.</span></p>
  8525. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645200 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo10.jpg" alt="At the rear of the home is the mudroom. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo10.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo10-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo10-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo10-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  8526. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mudroom is currently set up as an office. A stairway here descends to the home’s two parking spots in the rear laneway.</span></p>
  8527. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645201 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo11.jpg" alt="This space descends to the rear parking spot and laneway. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo11.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo11-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo11-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo11-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  8528. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That antique ad for Red Rose coffee is recovered art, found </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">within the walls during renovations. </span></p>
  8529. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645331 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo12-1-scaled.jpg" alt="This antique piece was found within the walls during the reno. " width="1830" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo12-1-scaled.jpg 1830w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo12-1-214x300.jpg 214w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo12-1-768x1074.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo12-1-1098x1536.jpg 1098w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo12-1-1464x2048.jpg 1464w" sizes="(max-width: 1830px) 100vw, 1830px" /></p>
  8530. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The main bathroom has a floating vanity and subway tiles. Note the transom window above the door to give the illusion of extra height.</span></p>
  8531. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645203 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-10" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo13-2000x1334.jpg" alt="The bathroom's transom window gives the illusion of added height. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo13-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo13-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo13-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8532. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bathroom also comes with heated porcelain floors, custom shelves, a shower, and tub with a rainfall head and a built-in niche for toiletries.</span></p>
  8533. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645323 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo14.jpg" alt="The bathroom is lined with subway tiles and plenty of storage. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo14.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo14-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo14-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  8534. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s one of two bedrooms, this one with a frosted factory door and transom window. </span></p>
  8535. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645204 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo15-2000x1334.jpg" alt="This bedrooms comes with frosted factory doors. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo15-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo15-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo15-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo15-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo15-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8536. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Overlooking St. Clair is the main bedroom, which easily fits a king-sized bed.</span></p>
  8537. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645205 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-12" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo16.jpg" alt="The king-sized main bedroom overlooks St. Clair. " width="1900" height="1267" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo16.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo16-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo16-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo16-1536x1024.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  8538. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This angle of the main bedroom shows its workstation and custom sliding barn doors for the closet.</span></p>
  8539. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645207 size-full" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo17.jpg" alt="The sliding barn doors are a nice touch. " width="1900" height="1268" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo17.jpg 1900w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo17-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo17-768x513.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo17-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" /></p>
  8540. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, a peek at the 1,070-square-foot retail space, which has 10-foot ceilings and a basement with two bathrooms.</span></p>
  8541. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645208 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-House-of-the-Week-weston-pelham-park-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo18-2000x1334.jpg" alt="A peek at the 938-square-foot retail space at street level. " width="2000" height="1334" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo18-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo18-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo18-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo18-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo18-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8542. <hr />
  8543. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.  </em></p>
  8544. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-weston-pelham-park/">House of the Week: $1.5 million for a St. Clair walk-up with its own retail on the street</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8545. ]]></content:encoded>
  8549. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/photo1-scaled-1200x628-1710614740.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  8550. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  8551. <media:title></media:title>
  8552. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  8553. </media:content>
  8554. </item>
  8555. <item>
  8556. <title>Real Weddings: Inside a glamorous Oscars-themed celebration</title>
  8557. <link>https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-glamorous-oscars-themed-celebration/</link>
  8559. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  8560. <pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:36:48 +0000</pubDate>
  8561. <category><![CDATA[Style]]></category>
  8562. <category><![CDATA[jacob kadar penner]]></category>
  8563. <category><![CDATA[kimberly bruce]]></category>
  8564. <category><![CDATA[Real Weddings]]></category>
  8565. <category><![CDATA[Sofia]]></category>
  8566. <category><![CDATA[Weddings]]></category>
  8567. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644994</guid>
  8568.  
  8569. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring a multi-denominational ceremony, designer garments and dinner at Sofia </p>
  8570. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-glamorous-oscars-themed-celebration/">Real Weddings: Inside a glamorous Oscars-themed celebration</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8571. ]]></description>
  8572. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Kimberly Bruce, a 26-year-old account manager, first met Jacob Kadar Penner, the owner of a construction management company, in 2017, when he was shopping for a winter jacket at Holt Renfrew. The two began dating a few months later, and in February 2020, Penner proposed while the pair was on vacation in Mexico. Their Oscars-after-party-themed wedding took place in November 2023 in Yorkville’s Sofia restaurant, with 125 guests. Here’s how it all came together.</em></p>
  8573. <hr />
  8574. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="full-bleed wp-image-645002 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-17-min-scaled-e1710441520817.jpg" alt="The couple sitting together inside the hotel" width="1708" height="1465" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-17-min-scaled-e1710441520817.jpg 1708w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-17-min-scaled-e1710441520817-300x257.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-17-min-scaled-e1710441520817-768x659.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-17-min-scaled-e1710441520817-1536x1317.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /></p>
  8575. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>We first met in the fall of 2017. I was in Holt Renfrew, trying on winter jackets. I had no idea which one to buy.</p>
  8576. <p><strong>Kim:</strong> At the time, I was studying political science and communications at Laurier, in Waterloo. But I’m from North York and was back home visiting my family. I had popped into Holt Renfrew to browse and saw Jacob looking super flustered, surrounded by jackets. I walked past him, pointed at the jacket he had on and said, “That’s the one.” Then I went on my way.</p>
  8577. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>I thought Kim was gorgeous, so it felt like an opportunity to be seized. I bought the jacket Kim picked, then I went to go find her in the store.</p>
  8578. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-644997" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-3-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Kimberly in her getting-ready outfit" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-3-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-3-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-3-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-3-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-3-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-3-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8579. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>I thought Jacob was cute, but I didn’t think much of the initial interaction. I’m a chatty person, so I thought it’d be a nice opportunity to give someone a little confidence boost. I was excited when he came to find me later, though. He thanked me for my help, and we exchanged numbers.</p>
  8580. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>Kim and I texted for a bit after that. We tried to meet up, but Kim was heading back to Waterloo soon for school. I was living in downtown Toronto at the time, on Queens Quay, and had just started my own construction company.</p>
  8581. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>A few months later, in February 2018, I was moving condos in Waterloo and I pocket-dialled Jacob without realizing it. A few minutes later, I noticed I had a missed call. The contact card said Jacob. I thought, <em>Jacob who?</em> I called him back and was like, &#8220;Who is this?&#8221;</p>
  8582. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645001" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-16-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Jacob standing in the restaurant where the couple got married" width="1703" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-16-min-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-16-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-16-min-2000x3006.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-16-min-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-16-min-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-16-min-1362x2048.jpg 1362w" sizes="(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px" /></p>
  8583. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>It was kind of awkward at first, but Kim quickly made the connection, and we smoothed things over. We started talking.</p>
  8584. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>After that first pocket-dial, we’d call each other and chat on the phone for three or four hours at a time. It felt really easy to talk to Jacob.</p>
  8585. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>At the time, my job had me in a truck, driving around for most of the day. I had a lot of time to talk. Our conversations covered a bit of everything—work, what I was building, what Kim was studying in school, her next steps. We talked about our families too. I grew up in Bloor West Village, and my family is Jewish and Eastern European.</p>
  8586. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645003" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-19-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride walking while the groom holds her train" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-19-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-19-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-19-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-19-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-19-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-19-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8587. <p><strong>Kim:</strong> I grew up in North York. My mom is Filipina and my dad is from Ghana. In March, after a couple of weeks of chatting, Jacob told me he was going to be passing through Waterloo. He asked me out to dinner.</p>
  8588. <p><strong>Jacob:</strong> I wasn’t really passing through Waterloo. I was driving back from Niagara, but I just wanted an excuse to see Kim.</p>
  8589. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>Jacob was going to pick me up, then we’d go out to a restaurant in downtown Waterloo.</p>
  8590. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645007" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-23-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride and groom walking past the Chanel store" width="1703" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-23-min-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-23-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-23-min-2000x3006.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-23-min-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-23-min-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-23-min-1362x2048.jpg 1362w" sizes="(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px" /></p>
  8591. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>I kissed Kim for the first time right after I picked her up. We’d been so close and chatting for so long. It just felt right.</p>
  8592. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>It’s funny that that was our first actual date despite having known each other for a couple of months. I was always so attracted to him.</p>
  8593. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>Over dinner, I remember we were talking a lot about her plans for the future.</p>
  8594. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645025" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-59-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride wearing a fur cape over her shoulder" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-59-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-59-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-59-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-59-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-59-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-59-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8595. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>I had a lot of big questions about coming out of university.</p>
  8596. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>I tried to help her navigate it without being too self-interested, because obviously I wanted her to move to Toronto. I was happy when she eventually did decide to come back to the city.</p>
  8597. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>I moved to Toronto for work in May and started seeing Jacob more often. We were still on the phone a lot, and we’d go on dates. We tried new restaurants, went for walks down by the lake and had picnics in the summer.</p>
  8598. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645024" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-70-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride and groom walking down the street together, blurred" width="1703" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-70-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-70-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-70-2000x3006.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-70-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-70-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-70-1362x2048.jpg 1362w" sizes="(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px" /></p>
  8599. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>Sometimes, Kim sat with me in my truck while I drove around. We’d talk about design stuff, and she met my crew. She developed a really close friendship with my lead hand, Tony, who is a close friend of mine as well. Kim and I started to become inseparable.</p>
  8600. <p><strong>Kim:</strong> Jacob and I moved in together in August 2019, into a condo loft on Queen West. It’s a really nice open-concept place with 19-foot ceilings.</p>
  8601. <p><strong>Jacob:</strong> One day, when Kim was at work, I surprised her by building a little wood makeup station. There were vanity lights and a mirror, plus LED lights that spelled out her initials. I knew Kim needed this space, and I wanted to do something nice for her. Afterward, Kim said a friend had told her, “If he does something like this for you, he must really love you.” At that moment, I thought, <em>Damn, I really do love her.</em></p>
  8602. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-644999" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-10-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Kimberly standing in her wedding dress in the hotel elevator" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-10-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-10-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-10-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-10-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-10-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-10-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8603. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>Ever since our first date, I really liked how confident Jacob was in me and my capabilities. The guys I used to date were obsessed with themselves, but Jacob is really selfless. I&#8217;ve never felt like I have to prove myself to him. Even before we moved in together, I’d been casually showing him pictures of rings.</p>
  8604. <p><strong>Jacob:</strong> I was stealthily taking notes and saving photos. I knew she wanted a cushion-cut diamond ring in white gold with a thin band of diamonds. By January 2020, I had the ring ready. We had a trip booked to Mexico in February, so I figured it’d be the perfect time to propose.</p>
  8605. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>My friends were all texting me, telling me Jacob was definitely going to propose on that trip. I didn’t agree. When we got to the hotel and Jacob was in the shower, I searched through all of his bags. I remember texting my friends and being like, “I told you! There’s no ring. It’s not happening. Maybe in the summertime.”</p>
  8606. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645005" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-21-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride and groom standing outside the Chanel store holding hands" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-21-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-21-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-21-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-21-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-21-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-21-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8607. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>I knew Kim would be trying to look for it, so I kept it on me the whole time. I was very nervous and wanted to plan something meaningful but not corny. I decided to get the hotel manager in on it. Early in the trip, one of our dinner reservations got cancelled, so I got the manager to say that he was gifting us a special dinner package on the beach to make up for it.</p>
  8608. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>I had no idea it was planned. It was the perfect night for it. There were lights in the sand guiding us down to the beach and a full moon in the sky.</p>
  8609. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>I had written out what I was going to say, but I couldn’t figure out the right time to do it. Right after we finished our appetizers, the waiters came to take our plates away, and Kim said, “You know, this would have been the perfect place for a proposal.” I was like, <em>Well, that’s the sign I needed</em>. So I got down on one knee and proposed. I don’t remember everything I said. It definitely wasn’t the speech I had prepared, because I was so emotional. But I remember it ended with both of us crying and holding each other.</p>
  8610. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645009" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-25-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride and groom kissing, in black and white" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-25-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-25-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-25-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-25-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-25-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-25-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8611. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>We started planning our wedding when we got home, which was just as the pandemic hit. We originally wanted to do a big traditional wedding with 200 guests. We booked a hall downtown, the Rosewater, for November 2021. But then the venue went bankrupt and we had to start over again.</p>
  8612. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>Everything was getting cancelled. Our bachelor and bachelorette parties got cancelled twice. So we decided to put things on hold.</p>
  8613. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>In January 2023, we had dinner at Sofia, an Italian restaurant in Yorkville. It was our first time there, and I loved it. I said to Jacob, “This would be a super cool place to host a birthday party.” Then, on the way home, we realized it would be a great place to have our wedding.</p>
  8614. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645011" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-33-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The interior of Sofia, where the couple got married " width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-33-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-33-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-33-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-33-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-33-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-33-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8615. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>We’d have to make some compromises. For example, it’s smaller, so we couldn’t have as many guests. But our friend group had become smaller over the years anyhow. And we liked the idea of having a more intimate event instead of a big spectacle.</p>
  8616. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>We loved the vibe at Sofia. It’s very loud, with red furniture and big white chandeliers. It was bright enough that we didn’t need to do much to it, so no crazy floral arrangements. We booked a date in November 2023 for 125 guests. We went with an Oscars-after-party theme.</p>
  8617. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645008" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-24-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple standing together on wedding day" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-24-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-24-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-24-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-24-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-24-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-24-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8618. <p><strong>Jacob:</strong> For my outfit, I went with a classic black tux from Armani. It had a <em>Mad Men</em> vibe to it, with big lapels.</p>
  8619. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress. I ended up finding mine on Instagram. I follow a page that profiles the latest royal fashion looks. I had seen a few outfits worn by Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton that I was drawn to. They weren’t bridal dresses, but I looked up the designer, Safiyaa, and found out that they had a wedding-inspired line. You can order online and they’ll use your custom measurements. The one I chose was really beautiful. It’s cape-style with a beaded mesh top. I’ve never seen anything like it before.</p>
  8620. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-644998" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-7-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Kimberly in her cape-style wedding dress" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-7-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-7-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-7-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-7-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-7-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-7-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8621. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>The morning of the wedding, my party got ready at my parents’ home in High Park. It was a pretty relaxed morning. It didn’t feel too rushed.</p>
  8622. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>My parents booked me a suite at the Hazelton for my bridal party. My glam squad of hair and makeup artists got started at 4 a.m. I was oddly relaxed throughout the whole process, though. I wasn’t your conventional bridezilla freaking out about everything. I felt very calm.</p>
  8623. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645013" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-50-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Kimberly walking into the restaurant with her dad" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-50-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-50-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-50-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-50-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-50-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-50-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8624. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>Both our ceremony and reception happened inside the restaurant. It was a bit unconventional. Instead of a traditional aisle down the middle, Kim and her father walked in together and around the restaurant to get to the front, where I was waiting. We also wanted to incorporate both of our backgrounds, so we had a rabbi who does interfaith marriages, which isn’t common.</p>
  8625. <p><strong>Kim:</strong> My mother is Catholic, and she’s pretty religious, so it made her feel good to have him speak to the Catholic faith.</p>
  8626. <p><strong>Jacob:</strong> Kim and I stood under a chuppah for the ceremony. Then we did a traditional breaking of the glass.</p>
  8627. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645026" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-53-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride drinking wine during the ceremony" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-53-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-53-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-53-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-53-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-53-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-53-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8628. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>After the ceremony, Jacob changed into a traditional Ghanaian men’s wedding outfit, called an agbada. My dad wore one too. He got them made for him and Jacob when he was back in Ghana a few months before the wedding.</p>
  8629. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>For dinner, we selected some items from Sofia’s menu as options for our guests to choose from, as if they were dining at the restaurant. It was all made to order, which we liked. The offerings included carpaccio, branzino and tiramisu.</p>
  8630. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645023" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-68-scaled.jpg" alt="A selection of food from Sofia that was served at the wedding " width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-68-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-68-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-68-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-68-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-68-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-68-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8631. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>After dinner, the dance floor opened up, and it turned into a bit of a party. Around 2 a.m., when the DJ had to leave, the staff at Sofia gave us the mics and we got hooked up to the sound system for makeshift karaoke.</p>
  8632. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>We stayed at Sofia until about 3:30 a.m., then about 20 of our friends came back to the Hazelton with us for an after-party.</p>
  8633. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>We stayed up all night and rolled into One Restaurant for breakfast the next day.</p>
  8634. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>I felt sad that our wedding day was over. I wish it could have lasted longer—it was the best day ever. I always thought that having a wedding would be stressful or difficult, but it was such a fun night.</p>
  8635. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645021" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-61-scaled.jpg" alt="The bride and groom presiding over the table settings at their wedding" width="1703" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-61-scaled.jpg 1703w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-61-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-61-2000x3006.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-61-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-61-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-61-1362x2048.jpg 1362w" sizes="(max-width: 1703px) 100vw, 1703px" /></p>
  8636. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>We were happy that everything came together the way it did. There were no regrets.</p>
  8637. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>Being married to Kim doesn’t feel any different in terms of our relationship. We’ve always been strong.</p>
  8638. <p><strong>Kim: </strong>Right now, we’re trying to figure out whether to rent or buy our next place. We want to start a family and have kids together. But, before that, we’re planning our honeymoon.</p>
  8639. <p><strong>Jacob: </strong>We’re deciding between a big Europe trip or a tropical getaway like Bora Bora or the Maldives. Regardless of where we go, we’ll need a lot of time and no responsibilities. We’re hoping that comes to fruition later this year.</p>
  8640. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645015" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-56-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The couple kissing on their wedding day" width="1709" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-56-min-scaled.jpg 1709w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-56-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-56-min-2000x2996.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-56-min-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-56-min-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/515-KJ-Submission-56-min-1367x2048.jpg 1367w" sizes="(max-width: 1709px) 100vw, 1709px" /></p>
  8641. <h5>Cheat Sheet</h5>
  8642. <p><strong>Date:</strong> November 19, 2023<br />
  8643. <strong>Venue: </strong>Sofia Restaurant<br />
  8644. <strong>Photography:</strong> 515 Photo Co.<br />
  8645. <strong>Officiant:</strong> Brother Jeremy<br />
  8646. <strong>Florist:</strong> Pistil Flowers<br />
  8647. <strong>Catering:</strong> Sofia Restaurant<br />
  8648. <strong>Cake:</strong> Velvet Lane Cakes<br />
  8649. <strong>DJ:</strong> A.B Live Custom Entertainment<br />
  8650. <strong>Bride&#8217;s hair and makeup: </strong>Kevin Kodra, Christina Smith and Malina Hem<br />
  8651. <strong>Bride&#8217;s main dress: </strong>Safiyaa (dress), Amina Muaddi (shoes)<br />
  8652. <strong>Bride&#8217;s reception dress: </strong>Nadine Merabi<br />
  8653. <strong>Groom&#8217;s main outfit: </strong>Giorgio Armani (tuxedo), Christian Louboutin (shoes)<br />
  8654. <strong>Groom&#8217;s reception outfit: </strong>Giorgio Armani</p>
  8655. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/style/real-weddings-inside-a-glamorous-oscars-themed-celebration/">Real Weddings: Inside a glamorous Oscars-themed celebration</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8656. ]]></content:encoded>
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  8661. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  8665. </item>
  8666. <item>
  8667. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Sounds Good, the newest addition to Toronto&#8217;s burgeoning listening bar scene</title>
  8668. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-sounds-good-cocktail-listening-bar/</link>
  8670. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  8671. <pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
  8672. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  8673. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644738</guid>
  8674.  
  8675. <description><![CDATA[<p>Featuring a former Alo sous-chef in the kitchen</p>
  8676. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-sounds-good-cocktail-listening-bar/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Sounds Good, the newest addition to Toronto&#8217;s burgeoning listening bar scene</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8677. ]]></description>
  8678. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644776" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of dishes and drinks at Sounds Good, a listening bar in Toronto's west end" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-spread-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8679. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-new-restaurants">
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  8793. </article>
  8794.  
  8795. </section>
  8796.  
  8797. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Sounds Good<br />
  8798. <strong>Contact:</strong> 1756 Dundas St. W., <a href="http://soundsgoodtoronto.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="soundsgoodtoronto.com">soundsgoodtoronto.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soundsgoodtoronto/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@soundsgoodtoronto">@soundsgoodtoronto</span></a><br />
  8799. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> Brockton Village<br />
  8800. <strong>Owner:</strong> Dylan McArthur<br />
  8801. <strong>Chef:</strong> Carson Corbeil (<a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/alo/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Alo">Alo</span></a>)<br />
  8802. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> One step at entrance; accessible washroom</p>
  8803. <p>In 2020, Dylan McArthur wasn’t sitting around wondering when the world was going to return to normal—the self-described “nerdy audiophile” was dreaming of opening an event space that would house both a sit-down restaurant and a listening room as well as a separate area for ticketed parties. “I wanted a space with a sound system unlike any other in Toronto—specifically designed with an early American horn-based system and full powered amps,” says McArthur. The DJ and owner of the label Tambourine Party Records was passionate about his dream, but he knew he couldn&#8217;t do it alone. “My interest and expertise was in building a truly superior sound space, but if I was going to make all aspects of my idea work, I would need a proper team of collaborators with a vision that aligned with my own.”</p>
  8804. <figure id="attachment_644778" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644778" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644778" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-team-scaled.jpg" alt="The team at Sounds Good, a listening bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-team-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-team-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-team-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-team-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-team-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-team-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644778" class="wp-caption-text">From left: Rob Turenne, Dylan McArthur, Kathy Marsh, Carson Corbeil and Ludovic Bacs</figcaption></figure>
  8805. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/sort-of-secret-the-little-jerry-torontos-first-listening-bar-for-serious-audiophiles/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: The Little Jerry, Toronto’s first listening bar for serious audiophiles"><strong>Related:</strong> The Little Jerry, Toronto’s first listening bar for serious audiophiles</span></a></em></p>
  8806. <p>He brought on hospitality vet Rob Turenne (Quetzal, Bar Isabel, Parts and Labour) as a consultant to build out the restaurant portion of the space, and Turenne loved the project so much that he stayed on as general manager. Through his industry connections, Turenne hired chef Carson Corbeil (a former sous-chef at a little place called Alo) to make music in the kitchen. Now, Sounds Good—the latest addition to the city’s burgeoning <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/listening-bar/" class="article-link"><span data-title="listening bar">listening bar</span></a> scene—sits at the corner of Dundas and Lansdowne, offering hi-fi grooves, high-low snacks and, of course, bass-induced adrenalin highs.</p>
  8807. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  8808. <p>Featuring wholesome bar snacks that employ punchy global flavours without ties to any specific place, it’s a menu that prefers pop to pomp. There are deep-fried dumplings with miso, chili and sesame and a <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/hot-plate-toronto-steak-tartare/" class="article-link"><span data-title="tartare">tartare</span></a> made with local beef, aged cheddar and house pickles. Plates of pillowy gnocchi pop in brown butter enriched by tender squash and burrata. And crunchy-on-the-outside falafel arrives on a bed of creamy house-made tahini, hummus and bright tabbouleh.</p>
  8809. <figure id="attachment_644762" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644762" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644762" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-falafel-scaled.jpg" alt="Falafel served on house-made hummus" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-falafel-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-falafel-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-falafel-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-falafel-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-falafel-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-falafel-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644762" class="wp-caption-text">The falafel are served on a mound of house-made roasted-garlic hummus and finished with roasted beet drizzle, pickled onions two ways (turmeric and red wine vinegar), sesame and za’atar. $16</figcaption></figure>
  8810. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8811. <figure id="attachment_644764" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644764" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644764" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-salmon-crudo-scaled.jpg" alt="Salmon crudo" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-salmon-crudo-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-salmon-crudo-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-salmon-crudo-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-salmon-crudo-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-salmon-crudo-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-salmon-crudo-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644764" class="wp-caption-text">Thin slices of salmon are lightly cured in sugar and salt for 30 minutes, then joined by beets, house chili oil, lemon juice and olive oil. The dish is finished with dollops of chili yogurt, umami-forward fried capers, crispy shallots and Maldon salt. $15</figcaption></figure>
  8812. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8813. <figure id="attachment_644777" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644777" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644777" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-tartare-scaled.jpg" alt="&quot;The Burger&quot; is chef Carson’s cheeky take on the steak tartare at Sounds Good" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-tartare-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-tartare-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-tartare-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-tartare-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-tartare-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-tartare-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644777" class="wp-caption-text">Corbeil’s take on steak tartare starts with Canadian tenderloin that’s hand-chopped and folded into a house-made beef-fat mayonnaise along with mustard, brunoise shallots, capers and diced gherkins. On top: chives, grated Grana Padano and shaved cured egg yolk. Fried rice crackers are served on the side for scooping. $18</figcaption></figure>
  8814. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8815. <figure id="attachment_644761" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644761" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644761" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-duck-wings-scaled.jpg" alt="Fried duck wings" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-duck-wings-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-duck-wings-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-duck-wings-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-duck-wings-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-duck-wings-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-duck-wings-1639x2048.jpg 1639w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644761" class="wp-caption-text">These duck wings are confited for four hours in duck fat, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorn and shallots, then flash-fried. They’re tossed in a house-made Thai chili sauce and garnished with roasted peanuts, chilies, Thai basil and a pile of julienned dehydrated ginger. $17</figcaption></figure>
  8816. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8817. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  8818. <p>There’s a rotating list of batched <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/cocktails/" class="article-link"><span data-title="cocktails">cocktails</span></a> as well as all the highball hits and crushable beers to match the low-key vibes of the soul, jazz and funk that fill the space. The real focus, though, is the <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/wine/" class="article-link"><span data-title="wine">wine</span></a> program, built by vino guru and assistant general manager Kathy Marsh. All the bottles are low-intervention or fully biodynamic, thoughtfully produced, and a little weird (but in a good way). Like the food menu, the wine list doesn’t focus on certain regions but is a reflection of places Marsh has visited or people who have taught her what she knows about wine.</p>
  8819. <figure id="attachment_644763" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644763" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644763" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-old-pal-cocktail-scaled.jpg" alt="An Old Pal cocktail" width="2560" height="2048" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-old-pal-cocktail-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-old-pal-cocktail-300x240.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-old-pal-cocktail-2000x1600.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-old-pal-cocktail-768x614.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-old-pal-cocktail-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-old-pal-cocktail-2048x1639.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644763" class="wp-caption-text">The negroni-esque Old Pal is a batched cocktail composed of stirred rye, Campari and dry vermouth. $16</figcaption></figure>
  8820. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  8821. <figure id="attachment_644779" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644779" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644779" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-scaled.jpg" alt="Bottles and glasses of red and white wine sit on a table in front of a speaker at Sounds Good, a listening bar in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-wine-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644779" class="wp-caption-text">A few bottles from the current wine selection. Viñátigo&#8217;s Listan Bianco is a volcanic white from the Canary Islands that has a beautiful smoky minerality ($16 glass, $75 bottle); Bombolla is a crisp, natural cava with mousse-textured bubbles and a clean finish ($15 glass, $70 bottle); and GioGio is a fun, accessible Italian red from Piedmont with notes of dusty strawberry and crunchy tannins ($17 glass, $80 bottle)</figcaption></figure>
  8822. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-915-dupont-japanese-listening-bar/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at 915 Dupont, a Japanese-inspired listening lounge, restaurant, cocktail bar and café"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at 915 Dupont, a Japanese-inspired listening lounge, restaurant, cocktail bar and café</span></a></em></p>
  8823. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  8824. <p>On the main floor, walnut booths lined with mid-century-modern seafoam cushions sit on stark concrete flooring and run the length of the Dundas-facing windows. A spindled walnut bar suggestive of ’70s-style speakers faces a tiled DJ booth that’s tucked away, decidedly not centre stage. Meanwhile downstairs, there’s room enough for 120 party people in a space minimally illuminated by coloured strip lights and filled with enough speakers to power a music festival.</p>
  8825. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644769" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-scaled.jpg" alt="The main-floor dining room at Sounds Good" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-3-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8826. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644774" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-scaled.jpg" alt="Looking from the DJ booth to the bar at Sounds Good in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-5-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8827. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644765" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Two-top tables in the main-floor dining room of Sounds Good, a listening bar in Toronto" width="1920" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-1-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-1-2000x2667.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  8828. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644767" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-scaled.jpg" alt="The DJ booth at Sounds Good, a listening bar in Toronto's Brockton Village neighbourhood" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-2-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8829. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644771" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-scaled.jpg" alt="The bar at Sounds Good, a cocktail bar and listening lounge in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-4-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8830. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644775" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-scaled.jpg" alt="Mirrors hang on the walls by the bar at Sounds Good, a listening lounge and event space in Toronto" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-300x225.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-2000x1500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-space-6-803x603.jpg 803w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8831. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644760" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-basement-scaled.jpg" alt="The basement event space at Sounds Good is dimly lit with red neon lighting" width="2048" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-basement-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-basement-240x300.jpg 240w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-basement-2000x2500.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-basement-768x960.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-basement-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-sounds-good-listening-bar-brockton-village-basement-1638x2048.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  8832. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-sounds-good-cocktail-listening-bar/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Sounds Good, the newest addition to Toronto&#8217;s burgeoning listening bar scene</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8833. ]]></content:encoded>
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  8838. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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  8842. </item>
  8843. <item>
  8844. <title>Surreal Estate: $15 million for an old-world mansion with an arcade and two basketball courts</title>
  8845. <link>https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-armour-heights/</link>
  8847. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  8848. <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 19:53:55 +0000</pubDate>
  8849. <category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
  8850. <category><![CDATA[Armour Heights]]></category>
  8851. <category><![CDATA[Hoggs Hollow]]></category>
  8852. <category><![CDATA[Surreal Estate]]></category>
  8853. <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category>
  8854. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644444</guid>
  8855.  
  8856. <description><![CDATA[<p>What Armour Heights house would be complete without heaps of gold, a movie theatre, a grotto, soaring arches and planters imported from Europe? </p>
  8857. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-armour-heights/">Surreal Estate: $15 million for an old-world mansion with an arcade and two basketball courts</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8858. ]]></description>
  8859. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645086 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-1" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273909print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="This 12,000-square-foot mansion in Armour Heights is selling for $15 million. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273909print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273909print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273909print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273909print-scaled-2048x1364-1710522874.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8860. <p><strong>Neighbourhood: </strong>Armour Heights<br />
  8861. <strong>Price: </strong>$14,998,000<br />
  8862. <strong>Size</strong><b>: </b>12,000 square feet<br />
  8863. <strong>Bedrooms: </strong>5+1<br />
  8864. <strong>Bathrooms:</strong> 8<br />
  8865. <strong>Parking spots:</strong> 12<br />
  8866. <strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Real estate">Real estate</span></a> agent:</strong> <a href="https://sothebysrealty.ca/en/real-estate-team/the-brind-group/about/adam-brind/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Adam Brind,">Adam Brind,</span></a> Sotheby&#8217;s International Realty Canada</p>
  8867. <hr />
  8868. <h5><b>The place </b></h5>
  8869. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A six-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion known as the Rosewood Estate, sitting on 1.1 acres of land at the southern edge of Earl Bales Park. The place comes with two basketball courts (indoor and outdoor), a palace-like dining hall and materials imported from France. It’s within walking distance of the Don Valley Golf Course, and motorists are a short drive from the 401. </span></p>
  8870. <h5><b>The history </b></h5>
  8871. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The house was originally built in 1939. The current owners bought it in 2016 and immediately began a three-year renovation to modernize the space. Now the North York manor is back on the market for a buyer seeking an old-world aesthetic and tons of recreation. </span></p>
  8872. <p><em><strong>Related:</strong> <a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-norman-jewison/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="$8.5 million for Norman Jewison’s former office loft">$8.5 million for Norman Jewison’s former office loft</span></a></em></p>
  8873. <h5><b>The tour  </b></h5>
  8874. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The estate sits at the end of a private drive and is surrounded by nature. Its façade is limestone with cedar roofing and comes with large stone planters imported from France. And yes, that&#8217;s an outdoor basketball court to the right of the stone walkway leading to the ornate front door. </span></p>
  8875. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645088 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-2" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273854print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Those stone planters were imported from Europe. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273854print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273854print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273854print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273854print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273854print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8876. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the foyer: Parisian-style plaster moulded ceilings and an original staircase with iron rails.</span></p>
  8877. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645089 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-3" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273874print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The Parisian-style plaster-moulded ceilings define the foyer. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273874print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273874print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273874print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273874print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273874print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8878. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are archways, wide French doors and custom millwork throughout the home. </span></p>
  8879. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645090 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-4" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273875print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="There are wide French doors throughout the property. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273875print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273875print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273875print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273875print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273875print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8880. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s one of the eight bathrooms, this one on the main floor. It has French wallpaper and a sink standing on gold legs. </span></p>
  8881. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645091 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-5" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273876print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Plenty of funky wallpaper in this home's eight bathrooms. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273876print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273876print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273876print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273876print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273876print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8882. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The kitchen is equipped with twin walnut-marble islands, two dishwashers, gold detailing and tons of storage. </span></p>
  8883. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645092 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-6" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273878print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Both the kitchen islands are walnut and marble." width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273878print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273878print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273878print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273878print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273878print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8884. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A French-inspired home wouldn’t be complete without a double French gas oven by La Cornue. </span></p>
  8885. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645094 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-7" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273879print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The French oven is by La Cornue. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273879print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273879print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273879print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273879print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273879print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8886. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The breakfast space has built-in bench seating and a view of the backyard gardens. </span></p>
  8887. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645095 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-8" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273881print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The breakfast zone overlooks the backyard gardens. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273881print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273881print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273881print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273881print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273881print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8888. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just next door is the living room, which comes with one of the mansion&#8217;s three marble gas fireplaces.</span></p>
  8889. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645096 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-9" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273884print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The living room holds one of three gas fireplaces. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273884print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273884print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273884print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273884print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273884print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8890. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This massive archway leads to the Victorian-style 18-seat dining room table.</span></p>
  8891. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645098 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-11" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273886print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="An 18-seat dining table, framed by a stunning arch. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273886print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273886print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273886print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273886print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273886print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8892. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&#8217;s also an office on the main floor, with walnut cabinets, retro sconce lighting and another marble fireplace.</span></p>
  8893. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645100 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-13" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273888print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The office is covered in walnut. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273888print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273888print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273888print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273888print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273888print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8894. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now for the main bedroom, with jaunty French wallpaper, a fireplace and refinished hardwood floors.  </span></p>
  8895. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645102 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-14" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273890print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The main bedroom's vaunlted ceilings are covered in more French wallpaper. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273890print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273890print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273890print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273890print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273890print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8896. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here&#8217;s the ensuite, complete with a soaker tub, a makeup station and a shrouded-glass shower. </span></p>
  8897. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645103 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-15" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273891print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The glass shower here almost looks like a closet. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273891print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273891print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273891print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273891print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273891print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8898. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also in the ensuite is this super-wide double vanity with gold and crystal accents. </span></p>
  8899. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645104 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-16" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273892print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Gold fixtures adorn the ensuite vanity. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273892print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273892print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273892print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273892print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273892print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8900. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The place also has two dressing rooms. This one is loaded with custom shelving, perfect for sneaker heads. </span></p>
  8901. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645105 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-17" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273893print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Here's one of the two dressing rooms. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273893print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273893print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273893print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273893print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273893print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8902. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the other dressing room, with blush-painted closets and built-in full-body mirrors. </span></p>
  8903. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645106 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-18" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273895print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The scond dressing room looks like a Yorkville boutique. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273895print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273895print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273895print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273895print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273895print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8904. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The indoor basketball court comes with vaulted ceilings and a view of the surrounding forest. </span></p>
  8905. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645111 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-20" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273900print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The indoor basketball court, overlooking the yard, of course. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273900print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273900print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273900print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273900print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273900print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8906. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moving to the basement reveals the sunken entertainment zone, with more storage and Parisian ceilings. </span></p>
  8907. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645112 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-21" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273901print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="This sunken rec space is in the basement. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273901print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273901print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273901print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273901print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273901print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8908. <p>Nothing says fun quite like a trio of pinball machines.</p>
  8909. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645116 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-22" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273905print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Nothing more French than triplet of American pinball machines. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273905print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273905print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273905print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273905print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273905print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8910. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Down the hall is the 11-seat cinema, with soundproof walls and a vintage popcorn machine.</span></p>
  8911. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645114 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-23" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273906print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The 11-seat, sound-proof cinema. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273906print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273906print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273906print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273906print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273906print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8912. <p>The LeBron James–inspired gym has floor-to-ceiling mirrors.</p>
  8913. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645115 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-24" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273904print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="Future residents can work out like King James in the basement fitness centre. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273904print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273904print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273904print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273904print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273904print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8914. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The backyard grotto comes with an in-ground pool and pool house, plenty of lounging space, and dense greenery. </span></p>
  8915. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645113 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-25" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273907print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="The backyard descends into Earl Bales Park. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273907print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273907print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273907print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273907print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273907print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8916. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, a shot of the manor at dusk. </span></p>
  8917. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645118 size-large" title="Toronto-Life-Surreal-Estate-armour-heights-26" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273910print-2000x1333.jpg" alt="One final look at the home at dusk. " width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273910print-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273910print-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273910print-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273910print-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/171273910print-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
  8918. <hr />
  8919. <p><em>Have a home that&#8217;s about to hit the market? Send your property to <a href="mailto:realestate@torontolife.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="realestate@torontolife.com">realestate@torontolife.com</span></a>.</em></p>
  8920. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/surreal-estate-armour-heights/">Surreal Estate: $15 million for an old-world mansion with an arcade and two basketball courts</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8921. ]]></content:encoded>
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  8926. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  8927. <media:title></media:title>
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  8931. <item>
  8932. <title>Law &#038; Order Toronto recap: Crack pipes, politicians and plenty of shady dealings</title>
  8933. <link>https://torontolife.com/culture/law-order-toronto-recap-crack-reporter-episode-four-rob-ford/</link>
  8935. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Toronto Life]]></dc:creator>
  8936. <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:36:04 +0000</pubDate>
  8937. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  8938. <category><![CDATA[law and order recap]]></category>
  8939. <category><![CDATA[law and order toronto]]></category>
  8940. <category><![CDATA[Rob Ford]]></category>
  8941. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=645033</guid>
  8942.  
  8943. <description><![CDATA[<p>A very Toronto breakdown of episode four, “Crack Reporter”</p>
  8944. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/law-order-toronto-recap-crack-reporter-episode-four-rob-ford/">&lt;em&gt;Law &#038; Order Toronto&lt;/em&gt; recap: Crack pipes, politicians and plenty of shady dealings</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8945. ]]></description>
  8946. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-645034 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3147-1.jpg" alt="Kathleen Munroe in Law and Order Toronto" width="2048" height="1364" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3147-1.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3147-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3147-1-2000x1332.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3147-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3147-1-1536x1023-1710520536.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></p>
  8947. <p><em>In Toronto’s war on crime, the worst offenders are pursued by the detectives of a specialized criminal investigations unit. Now, some of those investigations are getting the television treatment with</em> <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/law-and-order-toronto/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Law &amp; Order Toronto: Criminal Intent">Law &amp; Order Toronto: Criminal Intent</span></a>, <em>a new, super-local and somewhat verbosely titled expansion of the famous franchise, now airing on CityTV.</em></p>
  8948. <p><em>Though each story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event, many of the cases and places on screen will feel familiar to Canadian true-crime fans. But will they pass muster with the people who know the city best? <span style="font-weight: 400;">Once again, we’re weighing the evidence, consulting the experts and issuing a verdict on what the show got right and wrong about Toronto</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">and the IRL headlines behind each episode.</span></em></p>
  8949. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>This week—at last!—the long-rumoured, eagerly anticipated Rob Ford episode that was </em></span><a href="https://www.blogto.com/film/2024/01/torontos-law-order-series-crack-smoking-mayor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="hinted at in a series trailer"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>hinted at in a series trailer</em></span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <em>back in January. “People kept tagging me on Twitter when that came out,” says Robyn Doolittle, the former</em> Toronto Star <em>investigative journalist who uncovered the crack smoking video with her colleague Kevin Donovan. Now a corporate law reporter at the</em> Globe and Mail<em>, Doolittle joins us for this week’s recap, taking a break from her busy schedule that no longer includes staking out strip clubs.</em></span></p>
  8950. <hr />
  8951. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Episode four takes us back to an era that sounds too bonkers to be true: a controversial but wildly popular mayor gets caught smoking crack on video, denies the whole thing before blaming it on his “drunken stupors,” and goes on to run for re-election. The episode hits all of these beats with character Craig McCreigh as the mayor, a populist with a strong voter base. “The people of this city love his rough and tumble ways,” Inspector Holness tells Graff and Bateman<em>—</em>which is an understatement (</span><strong>+3</strong>).</p>
  8952. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645067" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0013-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The actor who plays the mayor in Law and Order Toronto" width="2560" height="1703" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0013-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0013-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0013-min-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0013-min-768x511.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0013-min-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0013-min-2048x1363.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8953. <p>The actor in the Ford role is short, wiry and swarthy, bearing almost no physical resemblance to the man himself, who died of cancer in 2016. “I’m glad they didn’t cast someone who looks exactly like him—that can be a distraction,” Doolittle says. (Remember Damian Lewis in that <a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/fact-or-fiction-accurate-rob-ford-movie-run-this-town/" class="article-link"><span data-title="godawful fat suit"><span style="font-weight: 400;">godawful fat suit</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">?) And yet, the performance has an unmistakably Fordian essence. “He really nailed that Ford confidence,&#8221; Doolittle says. &#8220;Like, I can do whatever I want and I’ve got my base and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.” </span>(<strong>+3</strong>).</p>
  8954. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tatiana Wynn is a young journalist who works at the city’s most prestigious media outlet, </span><em>Toronto Life</em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> magazine (<em>a</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>hem</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">]). She is super ambitious and totally obsessed with work, and she doesn’t have time to blow-dry. “They definitely got my top knot right—the classic woman reporter on the go, just throwing your hair up,” says Doolittle (</span><strong>+2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Seeing Tatiana eat, sleep and breathe her job took Doolittle back a decade. “I would show up at city hall at 8 a.m. and leave 12 hours later” (</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8955. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At one point, we hear that Tatiana specializes in “stories that piss people off,” which Doolittle would like to see rephrased as stories that piss </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>the right</em> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">people off. “Holding power to account is the highest calling. My goal was to go after stories that are important” (</span><strong>-2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8956. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tatiana is working on a bunch of important stories. She recently “broke the story on the police promotion scandal,” says Graff.  She&#8217;s &#8220;not the chief’s favourite person, but an annoyingly good journalist,” says Holness (</span><strong>+2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Now she’s looking into the Kingsway Social Housing Project as well as the Eglinton Crosstown “boondoggle&#8221;—both excellent Toronto references (</span><b><strong>+2</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8957. <p><strong><em><strong>Related: </strong></em></strong><a href="https://torontolife.com/culture/law-order-toronto-recap-episode-three-the-real-eve-david-buller-murder/" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="Law &amp; Order Toronto episode three—paint brushes and poisonings">Law &amp; Order Toronto <em>episode three—paint brushes and poisonings</em></span></a></p>
  8958. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A mysterious bubble-wrapped package has arrived on Tatiana’s desk with a video inside, and it&#8217;s all she can think about. This is a big scoop. Big enough, she promises, that her boss is going to take her for “drinks at the Four Seasons” as soon as she locks it down—probably because they&#8217;ve been “screwing since the fall.” <em>Sigh</em>. “I know that it’s part of a story, but I wish that just once we had a female reporter in a movie or TV show who wasn’t having sex with her editor or her source,” Doolittle says. It feels like a worn-out trope and doesn’t have anything to do with the murder (</span><strong>-3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).<br />
  8959. </span></p>
  8960. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for drinks nestled in Toronto’s bougiest banquets? “There is no way journalists would ever meet at the Four Seasons. In our world, the darker, the dingier, the better,” says Doolittle (</span><strong>-4</strong>).</p>
  8961. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tatiana goes to meet a source at Union Station, and we see her walking through the SkyWalk. But the bridge connects Union to the <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/rogers-centre/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Rogers Centre,">Rogers Centre,</span></a> and we’re pretty sure she wasn’t coming from a Blue Jays game (</span><strong>-2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Either way, it’s a trap. Tatiana is murdered in an alarmingly violent fashion when her assailant comes up behind her and slashes her throat. “I definitely received some serious threats while I was on the Ford story,” Doolittle says. “I think we ended up going to the police about two different incidents that were more than just your typical people being rude on the internet” (</span><b><strong>+2</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8962. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645051" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D3_EP104_SC9PT_SW_0101-min-scaled.jpg" alt="Tatianna having her throat slit" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D3_EP104_SC9PT_SW_0101-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D3_EP104_SC9PT_SW_0101-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D3_EP104_SC9PT_SW_0101-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D3_EP104_SC9PT_SW_0101-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D3_EP104_SC9PT_SW_0101-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D3_EP104_SC9PT_SW_0101-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8963. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What was it like to watch her alter ego get murdered? “On the one hand, it’s kind of fun and it’s entertainment. But, on the other hand, journalists around the globe are being murdered, targeted and harassed for the work that they do, which is not funny at all.” This means Tatiana’s death is both tragic and plausible (</span><strong>+2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). “I’m just glad they didn’t push me in front of the subway,” says Doolittle. “I didn’t want the <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/ttc/" class="article-link"><span data-title="TTC">TTC</span></a> to take me out.” Speaking of…</span></p>
  8964. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Bateman and Graff arrive at the crime scene, they&#8217;re under the impression that they’re dealing with yet another victim of a somewhat recent rash of <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/im-more-vigilant-than-i-was-before-how-torontonians-feel-about-the-rise-of-violence-on-the-ttc/" class="article-link"><span data-title="transit violence">transit violence</span></a>, a depressingly accurate flick at a very Toronto reality (<strong>+3</strong>). But, wait—her throat has been cut with military precision, and the bad guy made off with her laptop. When the victim is identified as star journalist Tatiana Wynn, our investigators realize that whoever killed her was using the subway attacks as cover. “This guy knew what he was doing,” Graff says. Though not enough to avoid the SkyWalk security cameras, which is kind of Murder 101 (<strong>-2</strong>).<br />
  8965. </span></p>
  8966. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Graff and Bateman visit Tatiana’s Seaton Village apartment, which is totally where she would live and a possible </span><a href="https://torontolife.com/real-estate/meghan-markles-seaton-village-house-sale/" class="article-link"><span data-title="shout-out to Meghan Markle"><span style="font-weight: 400;">shout-out to Meghan Markle</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (</span><b><strong>+2</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">). They find her secret hard drive, eventually landing on a folder called “Mayor,” which is Fort Knox–level encrypted. “I wasn’t using encryption in 2013, but I would put the more sensitive stuff on a drive that I would keep hidden,” Doolittle says (</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8967. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What about the mayor? Graff and Bateman aren’t sure yet. But the secret file is enough to take them down to city hall to question Toronto’s top bureaucrat, who doesn’t think much of Tatiana: “Relentless do-gooder, woke as hell, up my ass every time I take a breath,” Mayor McCreigh tells Graff and Bateman when they ask if he knew the victim. It&#8217;s a level of contempt that feels on-point to Doolittle. “The word <em>woke</em> wasn’t in the cultural lexicon in 2013, but I guess the <em>Toronto Star</em> definitely had a reputation of being left-wing. I think there was a time when both Rob and Doug considered me a giant pain in the ass” (</span><b><strong>+4</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8968. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McCreigh referring to the police as “the boys in blue” while being interviewed </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">by a <em>woman police officer</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is so perfectly Fordian (</span><strong>+2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Bonus points for Bateman’s subtly but definitely clenched jaw (</span><strong>+1</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).<br />
  8969. </span></p>
  8970. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s a murder to solve, but also, it’s election season! And yes, the scenes that look like city hall’s council chambers are actually city hall&#8217;s council chambers. The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>L&amp;OT</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> crew shot at night to avoid disrupting the wheels of democracy. “Seeing the real council chamber definitely made it feel like Toronto,” says Doolittle of the unique spaceship-style space (</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Mayor McCreigh’s two biggest competitors are Liz Harding, a lefty idealist with an affordable housing agenda, and John Graham, a pro-business dealmaker who wants to sell off public housing to developers to put money in the city’s coffers. These characters feel like a pretty good representation of the city’s political spectrum (</span><strong>+4</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">), and also a thinly veiled homage to <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/olivia-chow/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Olivia Chow">Olivia Chow</span></a> and <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/john-tory/" class="article-link"><span data-title="John Tory">John Tory</span></a>, Ford’s main competitors in the 2014 election. </span></p>
  8971. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645068" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0045-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The detectives inside Toronto city hall" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0045-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0045-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0045-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0045-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0045-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC16_AM_0045-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8972. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Council is in session, but the mayor is late. Graham thinks he’s “probably sleeping off a hangover.” Harding says he could be “coaching hockey.” Both are fairly overt and accurate Ford references (</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). </span></p>
  8973. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Graham is a city councillor with four sons at UCC and a spouse who works in the non-profit sector. This is not a good look for his mayoral campaign. “Our kids should be in public school in my ward,” he tells his wife. Financially, this is a stretch (</span><strong>-2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). (Unless, of course, he’s accepting bribes from a bunch of shady developers…but we’re not there yet.)<br />
  8974. </span></p>
  8975. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At last, we learn what was on Tatiana’s hard drive. The whole city watches the crack video air on a breaking update from CityTV News. In it, we see McCreigh take a huge hit off a crack pipe while proclaiming, “Hey, man, nobody’s gonna tell me what to do. I’m the goddamn mayor.” It’s a little more succinct than Rob Ford’s real-life anti-Trudeau rant, but the spirit is there (</span><b><strong>+2</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">). At first, McCreigh tells the cops that the video was shot two years ago, before he went to rehab, but when that doesn’t hold, he admits to being a regular at a bar on Tuesday nights, where he goes to get his drink on and escape the pressures of political life. These weekly benders seem to be an open secret in political circles, not unlike what Ford infamously referred to as his “drunken stupors” (</span><strong>+2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). </span></p>
  8976. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Graff tells McCreigh that this video is going to get in the way of his re-election campaign. “No it won’t. My base is strong,” McCreigh answers. So was Ford’s. </span><a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2013/05/27/mayor-fords-popularity-not-affected-by-drug-allegations-poll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="A May 2013 poll"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A May 2013 poll</span></span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">following the scandal had him tied with Olivia Chow at 36 per cent support (</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8977. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645060" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC36_SW_0150-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The actor who pays a character inspired by Rob Ford" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC36_SW_0150-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC36_SW_0150-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC36_SW_0150-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC36_SW_0150-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC36_SW_0150-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC36_SW_0150-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8978. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In classic populist politico fashion, McCreigh calls the crack video “fake news.” While the language is more 2024 than 2013, Dolittle says demonizing the media is something the Fords did constantly. &#8220;They would frame the <em>Star</em> as a political opponent to cast shadows on our reporting” (</span><b><strong>+3</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8979. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Okay, so McCreigh smokes a little crack and seems to have a serious drinking problem, but is he a murderer? That’s the theory Graff and Bateman are running with—until they get a closer look at the video. They see a reflection and identify the person as Aldo Carbone of Carbone Construction. So maybe Tatiana’s big story was not just about the crack-smoking mayor but also about who was setting him up. This opens up the list of possible suspects—and reflects what happened back in 2013. “When people talk about what happened, it’s usually framed as this high-profile politician with an addiction issue, but there was also the big public-interest part of the story,&#8221; says Doolittle. &#8220;Ford’s behaviour opened him up to being blackmailed and influenced&#8221; (</span><strong>+4</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).<br />
  8980. </span></p>
  8981. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aldo Carbone and the gang hang out at a pub called Gavigan’s. Points for shooting in what appears to be Scotland Yard, an Esplanade pub that is the home base for the city&#8217;s English football fans (Go Spurs! [<strong>+1</strong>])). Graff and Bateman show the bartender a picture of Tatiana, and it turns out she stopped in a couple of weeks before, looking for our favourite crack-video-shooting construction guy, Carbone. She sat at the bar for a couple of hours and drank soda water, which is how investigative journalists often spend their time. “I can’t tell you how many bars and strip clubs I hung out at because I had received a tip that Ford might be there. I used to try to get my guy friends to come along,” Doolittle says (</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8982. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carbone turns up dead at the bottom of his construction pit, and now the cops’ theory that Tatiana’s murder is tied to the development community becomes more than just a hunch. The Rob Ford story was about drug dealers and organized crime, but in the <em>L&amp;OT</em> universe, it comes down to fat-cat developers making behind-the-scenes deals with ethically compromised politicians. <a href="https://torontolife.com/city/winners-losers-greenbelt-scandal-doug-ford/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Sound familiar?">Sound familiar?</span></a> (</span><b><strong>+4</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8983. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An impromptu press conference erupts beside the Toronto sign when candidates Harding and Graham are questioned about the crack video. Harding won’t comment on the mayor’s drug use but seizes the moment to talk about affordable housing, which is a very Olivia Chow thing to do (</span><strong>+4</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Graham positions Harding&#8217;s refusal to comment as some kind of failure of leadership, telling the media that “a vote for Liz Harding is a vote for Cracky McCreigh.” Points for the insensitive nickname (</span><b><strong>+2</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">) and because this is exactly the kind of nonsensical political sound bite that somehow wins votes (</span><strong>+3</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8984. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645070" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC26_AM_0144-scaled.jpg" alt="One of the candidates standing outside the Toronto sign" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC26_AM_0144-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC26_AM_0144-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC26_AM_0144-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC26_AM_0144-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC26_AM_0144-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_DAY8_EP104_SC26_AM_0144-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8985. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The cops visit Graham after we learn about his connection to Aldo Carbone. It turns out that our pro-business candidate has been running his own side hustle, accepting bribes to fast-track permits (so</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <em>that’s</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> how he’s paying for UCC [</span><b><strong>+2</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">]). But he says he didn’t kill Tatiana. “I have an alibi,” he tells the cops while holding up what looks like a pretty easily fabricated iCal that our usually intrepid investigators somehow let slide (</span><strong>-2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p>
  8986. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the big debate, the candidates are trading barbs on the city’s major issues. “It’s easy to say we need more affordable housing. I need the Leafs to win the cup,” says Mayor McCreigh, who has implausibly managed to steer the conversation away from his crack-smoking video, which came out yesterday (</span><strong>-2</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">). Candidate Harding tells voters that she is “not here to look at my face on a screen or name a street after myself.” Her Kingsway Social Housing Project went through when the mayor didn’t show up for the vote, and now she’s the candidate to beat. Except—big reveal—it turns out that her husband, Todd Harding (the guy from the football bar!), is the murderer. He leaked the video to Tatiana to give his wife an edge in the election and then killed her when he realized she was investigating the set-up. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
  8987. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Graff gets Harding’s hubby to confess by promising to keep the story under wraps until election day—but later admits that he “may call <em>Toronto Life</em> himself” with the scoop. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>What?</em> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The guy has a “fondness for karaoke” but hates politics (</span><b><strong>+3</strong></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">). And now Bateman has made a reservation to celebrate over—what else?—&#8221;drinks at the Four Seasons.” Do we smell a romantic subplot on the horizon? </span></p>
  8988. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-645064" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC38_SW_0034-min-scaled.jpg" alt="The detectives discussing getting a drink together" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC38_SW_0034-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC38_SW_0034-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC38_SW_0034-min-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC38_SW_0034-min-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC38_SW_0034-min-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LOTCI_D4_EP104_SC38_SW_0034-min-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  8989. <p><strong>FINAL VERDICT</strong></p>
  8990. <p><strong>Accuracy score: </strong>+61<br />
  8991. <strong>Judge’s notes: </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Ford brothers mash-up recalls the city’s most infamous chapter with some 2024 injections. And it’s almost as entertaining as the real thing. </span><br />
  8992. <strong>Best Toronto cameo: </strong><em>Toronto Life</em>!<br />
  8993. <strong>Worst Toronto cameo:</strong> Endless media layoffs.<br />
  8994. <strong>Most meme-worthy line: <span style="font-weight: 400;">“I don’t remember, detective. I was smoking crack.”</span></strong></p>
  8995. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/culture/law-order-toronto-recap-crack-reporter-episode-four-rob-ford/">&lt;em&gt;Law &#038; Order Toronto&lt;/em&gt; recap: Crack pipes, politicians and plenty of shady dealings</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  8996. ]]></content:encoded>
  9000. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3147-1-1200x628-1710520495.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  9001. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
  9002. <media:title></media:title>
  9003. <media:description type="html"><![CDATA[]]></media:description>
  9004. </media:content>
  9005. </item>
  9006. <item>
  9007. <title>What&#8217;s on the menu at Azura, a new Mediterranean restaurant on the Danforth serving blind tasting menus</title>
  9008. <link>https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-azura-tasting-menu-restaurant-the-danforth-greektown/</link>
  9010. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rebecca Fleming]]></dc:creator>
  9011. <pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 13:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
  9012. <category><![CDATA[Food & Drink]]></category>
  9013. <category><![CDATA[Adam Ryan]]></category>
  9014. <category><![CDATA[Azura]]></category>
  9015. <category><![CDATA[greektown]]></category>
  9016. <category><![CDATA[Joshua Mott]]></category>
  9017. <category><![CDATA[Mediterranean]]></category>
  9018. <category><![CDATA[Openings]]></category>
  9019. <category><![CDATA[tasting menu]]></category>
  9020. <category><![CDATA[The Danforth]]></category>
  9021. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644594</guid>
  9022.  
  9023. <description><![CDATA[<p>No two menus are the same</p>
  9024. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-azura-tasting-menu-restaurant-the-danforth-greektown/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Azura, a new Mediterranean restaurant on the Danforth serving blind tasting menus</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  9025. ]]></description>
  9026. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644553" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-scaled.jpg" alt="A chef at Restaurant Azura in Toronto puts the finishing touches on a dish" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  9027. <section class="feed feed-aside feed-in-post js-sjmcm-module sjmcm_embedded-list-split-show-3_more-new-restaurants">
  9028.    <h2 class="feed-in-post__header">More New Restaurants</h2>
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  9061. </h2>
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  9079. <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-hot-pork-deli-sandwich-counter/"  data-label="Slot 2">
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  9131. </h2>
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  9142.  
  9143. </section>
  9144.  
  9145. <p><strong>Name:</strong> Azura<br />
  9146. <strong>Contact:</strong> 162 Danforth Ave., <a href="http://restaurantazura.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="restaurantazura.com">restaurantazura.com</span></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/azuratoronto" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="article-link"><span data-title="@azuratoronto">@azuratoronto</span></a><br />
  9147. <strong>Neighbourhood:</strong> Greektown<br />
  9148. <strong>Owners:</strong> Joshua Mott, Adam Ryan<br />
  9149. <strong>Chef:</strong> Adam Ryan<br />
  9150. <strong>Accessibility:</strong> Not fully accessible</p>
  9151. <p>If the interior of Azura looks familiar, it’s because it used to house <a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-judaline-a-new-neighbourhood-gem-on-the-danforth/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Judaline">Judaline</span></a>, a fine-dining restaurant by co-owner Joshua Mott, who is also behind <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/her-fathers-cider-bar/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Her Father’s Cider Bar">Her Father’s Cider Bar</span></a>. Judaline was well-received by the neighbourhood, but Mott wanted to bring a sharper culinary focus to the space. Enter Azura, his new concept designed in partnership with executive chef Adam Ryan.</p>
  9152. <p>Culinarily speaking, Azura is about marrying <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/mediterranean/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Mediterranean">Mediterranean</span></a> flavours with North American ingredients. In this kitchen, for instance, a pasta dish normally seasoned with lemon might instead get its acidic punch from Canadian sea buckthorn. But the crux of the idea is the style of delivery—this is a blind tasting menu.</p>
  9153. <figure id="attachment_644564" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644564" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644564" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-team-scaled.jpg" alt="The team behind Azura, a tasting menu restaurant on the Danforth in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-team-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-team-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-team-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-team-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-team-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-team-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644564" class="wp-caption-text">From left: bar manager Shayne Herbert, executive chef and co-owner Adam Ryan, co-owner Joshua Mott, and GM Cory Brockbank</figcaption></figure>
  9154. <p><em><a href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-bar-goa-hemant-bhagwanis-new-tasting-menu-restaurant/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Related: What’s on the menu at Bar Goa, Hemant Bhagwani’s new tasting-menu restaurant"><strong>Related:</strong> What’s on the menu at Bar Goa, Hemant Bhagwani’s new tasting-menu restaurant</span></a></em></p>
  9155. <p>Anyone fortunate enough to become a regular at an establishment like this can expect to have their preferences remembered and their experience evolve with each visit. Azura is about strengthening the lines of connection between the kitchen, the front of house and the guests—a feat of coordination with big rewards for all parties. “This approach is not without its challenges, but it makes the whole process fun and engaging,&#8221; says Ryan. &#8220;Not only for guests but for everyone on our team.&#8221;</p>
  9156. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644562" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-spread-scaled.jpg" alt="A spread of Mediterranean-inspired dishes at Azura, a tasting-menu restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-spread-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-spread-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-spread-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-spread-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-spread-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-spread-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  9157. <h5><strong>The food</strong></h5>
  9158. <p>Restaurants that cite Mediterranean influence tend to skew <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/italian/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Italian">Italian</span></a> or <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/french/" class="article-link"><span data-title="French">French</span></a>—here, the inspiration draws from as far as North Africa, Spain and Turkey. Ryan aims to infuse elements of these cuisines with ingredients from closer to home. A recent menu featured delicate halibut seasoned with punchy shawarma spices and Spanish piquillo peppers, North African brick pastry tartlets with harissa and juicy Ontario tomatoes, and sweet celeriac glazed in shrimp molasses and finished with local watercress sauce. There are two tiers of tastings available: four to six courses for $72 or eight to 10 for $128. Expect a continuously rotating, meticulously constructed menu each time.</p>
  9159. <figure id="attachment_644547" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644547" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644547" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chickpea-fritters-scaled.jpg" alt="Cubic chickpea fritters are topped with labneh infused with preserved lemon, kohlrabi and Ambrosia apples, and finished with pearls of Osetra sturgeon caviar and exquisite avgotaracho" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chickpea-fritters-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chickpea-fritters-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chickpea-fritters-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chickpea-fritters-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chickpea-fritters-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chickpea-fritters-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644547" class="wp-caption-text">Cubic chickpea fritters are topped with labneh infused with preserved lemon, kohlrabi and Ambrosia apples. They’re finished with pearls of Osetra sturgeon caviar and exquisite avgotaraho, or Greek bottarga—smooth, buttery cured mullet roe with pronounced salinity</figcaption></figure>
  9160. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9161. <figure id="attachment_644563" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644563" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644563" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-tartlet-scaled.jpg" alt="A brick pastry tartlet layered with floral, mildly spicy rose harissa and a “rose” of aromatic Kumato tomatoes" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-tartlet-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-tartlet-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-tartlet-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-tartlet-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-tartlet-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-tartlet-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644563" class="wp-caption-text">These tartlets&#8217; shells are brick pastry, common in North Africa—it’s something like phyllo but more robust and less flaky. They&#8217;re layered with floral, mildly spicy rose harissa and a “rose” of aromatic Kumato tomatoes</figcaption></figure>
  9162. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9163. <figure id="attachment_644546" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644546" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644546" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-celeraic-scaled.jpg" alt="Coins of tender, sweet salt-baked celeriac glazed in molasses made of reduced shrimp stock for a deep umami hit" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-celeraic-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-celeraic-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-celeraic-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-celeraic-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-celeraic-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-celeraic-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644546" class="wp-caption-text">Here we have coins of sweet, tender salt-baked celeriac glazed in a molasses made of reduced shrimp stock for a deep umami hit. They’re accented with shrimp aioli, pickled celery, blood orange and watercress sauce for a fresh, vegetal note</figcaption></figure>
  9164. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9165. <figure id="attachment_644544" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644544" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644544" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-cannoli-scaled.jpg" alt="Cannoli is reimagined at Azura as a savoury vehicle for Wagyu flatiron tartare seasoned with za’atar and pomegranate" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-cannoli-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-cannoli-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-cannoli-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-cannoli-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-cannoli-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-cannoli-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644544" class="wp-caption-text">Cannoli is reimagined as a savoury vehicle for Wagyu flat iron tartare seasoned with za’atar and pomegranate along with more traditional tartare elements (capers, Worcestershire, lemon zest, shallots, olive oil). Also inside is caramelized onion paste and boquerones, or white anchovies—a nice counterpoint to the richness of the beef. The shell is made of smoked flour, and the ends are dipped in airy whipped mascarpone and more za’atar</figcaption></figure>
  9166. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9167. <figure id="attachment_644554" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644554" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644554" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-pork-secreto-scaled.jpg" alt="Iberico pork secreto—a prized cut from the outside of the shoulder—is marinated in koji rice to enhance its flavour and texture" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-pork-secreto-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-pork-secreto-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-pork-secreto-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-pork-secreto-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-pork-secreto-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-pork-secreto-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644554" class="wp-caption-text">Ibérico pork secreto—a prized cut from the outside of the shoulder—is marinated in koji rice to enhance its flavour and texture. It&#8217;s then dressed in a glossy cocoa nib–infused demi-glace and served with sautéed radicchio and fennel, dried olives, grapefruit, fennel pollen, and orange blossom water</figcaption></figure>
  9168. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9169. <figure id="attachment_644548" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644548" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644548" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chocolate-mortadella-scaled.jpg" alt="This is chocolate “mortadella,” ruby chocolate with chopped pistachios and chunks of white chocolate, topped with extra-virgin olive oil, sticky balsamic glaze and powdered Iberico pork fat." width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chocolate-mortadella-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chocolate-mortadella-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chocolate-mortadella-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chocolate-mortadella-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chocolate-mortadella-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-chocolate-mortadella-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644548" class="wp-caption-text">This dynamite dish will quickly disabuse anyone of the notion that chocolate and pork fat don’t go together. It&#8217;s chocolate “mortadella”: ruby chocolate with chopped pistachios and chunks of white chocolate topped with extra-virgin olive oil, sticky balsamic glaze and powdered Ibérico pork fat. Served on brioche, this is one of the most unusual and addictive desserts we’ve ever tried</figcaption></figure>
  9170. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9171. <p><figure id="attachment_644552" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644552" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644552" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-olive-oil-cake-scaled.jpg" alt="An olive oil cake dotted with poppy seeds is layered with concentrated fig jam and topped with sweet potato buttercream, floral bergamot tea and a delicate tuille" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-olive-oil-cake-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-olive-oil-cake-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-olive-oil-cake-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-olive-oil-cake-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-olive-oil-cake-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-olive-oil-cake-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644552" class="wp-caption-text">Fig Newtons fans, brace yourselves—this is the Fig Newton flavour profile epitomized in a gorgeous olive oil cake, dotted with poppy seeds, layered with concentrated fig jam and topped with sweet potato buttercream, floral bergamot tea and a delicate tuile</figcaption></figure><br />
  9172. &nbsp;</p>
  9173. <h5><strong>The drinks</strong></h5>
  9174. <p>There’s an optional <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/wine/" class="article-link"><span data-title="wine">wine</span></a> pairing with each blind tasting menu, including lesser-known varietals from Morocco and Croatia. <a href="https://torontolife.com/tag/cocktails/" class="article-link"><span data-title="Cocktails">Cocktails</span></a> take cues from the kitchen with a series of house-made infusions—you can order from the signature cocktail menu or opt for a spirit-free pairing designed to be every bit as complex and satisfying as its boozier counterpart. And if you’re particular about your gin and tonic, you&#8217;re in luck: Azura makes its own infused gins and tonics, from which guests can mix and match to suit their whims.</p>
  9175. <figure id="attachment_644555" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644555" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644555" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-signature-cocktail-scaled.jpg" alt="This is Azura’s signature cocktail, a heady blend of Tentura cinnamon liqueur, and house-infused peach cardamom gin and apricot brandy" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-signature-cocktail-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-signature-cocktail-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-signature-cocktail-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-signature-cocktail-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-signature-cocktail-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-signature-cocktail-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644555" class="wp-caption-text">This is Azura’s signature cocktail, a heady blend of Tentura cinnamon liqueur, house-infused peach-cardamom gin and house-infused apricot brandy</figcaption></figure>
  9176. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9177. <figure id="attachment_644551" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644551" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644551" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-lemon-basil-olive-oil-cocktail-scaled.jpg" alt="A bartender puts the finishing touches on a cocktail at Azura, a tasting-menu restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-lemon-basil-olive-oil-cocktail-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-lemon-basil-olive-oil-cocktail-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-lemon-basil-olive-oil-cocktail-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-lemon-basil-olive-oil-cocktail-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-lemon-basil-olive-oil-cocktail-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-lemon-basil-olive-oil-cocktail-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644551" class="wp-caption-text">A unique gin-based cocktail of lemon and basil emulsified with Turkish olive oil. It&#8217;s pleasantly viscous and fruity from the high-quality oil</figcaption></figure>
  9178. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9179. <figure id="attachment_644542" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644542" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644542" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-bell-pepper-cocktail-scaled.jpg" alt="One of Azura's thoughtful spirit-free pairings, this is a blend of fermented bell pepper, rosemary and apricot" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-bell-pepper-cocktail-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-bell-pepper-cocktail-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-bell-pepper-cocktail-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-bell-pepper-cocktail-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-bell-pepper-cocktail-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-bell-pepper-cocktail-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644542" class="wp-caption-text">A heavy-hitter from the thoughtful spirit-free pairings, this is a blend of fermented bell pepper, rosemary and apricot. It starts with a fiery nose and finishes smooth, sweet and complex, pairing especially well with seafood</figcaption></figure>
  9180. <p>&nbsp;</p>
  9181. <p><figure id="attachment_644556" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-644556" style="width: 1333px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-644556" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-smoked-strawberry-yuzu-soda.jpg" alt="Azura's smoked strawberry yuzu soda" width="1333" height="2000" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-smoked-strawberry-yuzu-soda.jpg 1333w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-smoked-strawberry-yuzu-soda-200x300.jpg 200w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-smoked-strawberry-yuzu-soda-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-smoked-strawberry-yuzu-soda-1024x1536.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-644556" class="wp-caption-text">Here we have smoked strawberry yuzu soda—and when we say smoked, we mean it. The strawberries, sugar and water are all individually smoked, but it somehow retains a delightful balanced fruitiness</figcaption></figure><br />
  9182. &nbsp;</p>
  9183. <h5><strong>The space</strong></h5>
  9184. <p>Streamlined yet still warm and inviting, this room has undergone a few major upgrades since its Judaline days, like the construction of an open kitchen, new fixtures and fresh lighting (including a theatrical spotlight right above the pass). There’s a strong emerald-green motif punctuated by Mediterranean-inspired pottery-lined display cases near the front. In warmer weather, floor-to-ceiling windows will open onto the buzz of the Danforth.</p>
  9185. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644557" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Looking from the back of Azura's dining room to its front, street-facing window" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  9186. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644559" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-3-scaled.jpg" alt="Four-top tables in a dining room decorated with reclaimed leaded-glass windows" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-3-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  9187. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644561" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-5-scaled.jpg" alt="The bar at Azura, a Mediterranean restaurant in Toronto's east end" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  9188. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644560" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-4-scaled.jpg" alt="Green banquette seating and two-top tables in the dining room of Azura, a Mediterranean restaurant in Toronto" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  9189. <p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-644558" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-2-scaled.jpg" alt="The dining room at Azura, a Mediterranean restaurant on the Danforth" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-space-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
  9190. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-azura-tasting-menu-restaurant-the-danforth-greektown/">What&#8217;s on the menu at Azura, a new Mediterranean restaurant on the Danforth serving blind tasting menus</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  9191. ]]></content:encoded>
  9195. <media:content xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/toronto-restaurants-azura-mediterranean-danforth-plating-scaled-1200x628-1710182039.jpg" width="1200" height="628" medium="image" type="image/jpeg">
  9196. <media:copyright>RYAN NANGREAVES 9053013344~</media:copyright>
  9197. <media:title></media:title>
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  9201. <item>
  9202. <title>Editor’s Letter: The good news about the bad news</title>
  9203. <link>https://torontolife.com/city/editors-letter-the-good-news-about-the-bad-news/</link>
  9205. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Malcolm Johnston]]></dc:creator>
  9206. <pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 18:37:53 +0000</pubDate>
  9207. <category><![CDATA[City]]></category>
  9208. <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
  9209. <category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
  9210. <category><![CDATA[doomsday]]></category>
  9211. <category><![CDATA[Editor's Letter]]></category>
  9212. <category><![CDATA[floods]]></category>
  9213. <category><![CDATA[pandemic]]></category>
  9214. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://torontolife.com/?p=644987</guid>
  9215.  
  9216. <description><![CDATA[<p>There’s a lot to be anxious about: wildfires, pandemics, flash floods, AI. But the city is prepared for every worst-case scenario, sort of</p>
  9217. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/editors-letter-the-good-news-about-the-bad-news/">Editor’s Letter: The good news about the bad news</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  9218. ]]></description>
  9219. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-582413 size-medium alignright" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-300x300-1656000555.jpg 300w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-150x150.jpg 150w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-768x768.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-1536x1536-1656000550.jpg 1536w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-100x100-1656000556.jpg 100w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-180x180-1656000556.jpg 180w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-360x360-1656000556.jpg 360w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ-2048x2048-1656000551.jpg 2048w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MJ_ED_LETTER_SQ.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
  9220. <p>No one’s yearning for a reminder of the disquieting days of March 2020, when the world stopped, so I’ll be quick to the point. After the worst of the crisis passed—after we flattened the curve and hunted the vaccines and “virtual school” came and went—we all moved on as fast as we could. And for good reason: why revisit all that trauma and discomfort? Here’s why. Canada was caught flat-footed by the pandemic, and we shouldn’t have been. Nor should we be surprised by the next one.</p>
  9221. <p>What next one? Well, SARS hit in 2003, killing 44 Canadians, and swine flu arrived six years later. That’s two contagions in the two decades preceding Covid-19. No one likes a wet blanket, but the truth is that the next virus isn’t far off.</p>
  9222. <p>Just how prepared is Toronto for future Very Bad Things? I use this broad term because it’s not just viruses that we need to be on the lookout for. The climate crisis increases the risk of wildfires, flash floods, extreme heat and other catastrophic weather events. Ransomware has ransacked most of Toronto’s hospitals at least once, plus the TTC, LCBO, Toronto Zoo and even the public library. The threat of weaponized AI is real and near—the US, Russia, China, Israel and South Korea are all working on auto­nomous battlefield robots as I type. While we’re on this grim little streak, let’s add asteroids, nuclear war and power-grid failure to the list of things to stress over.</p>
  9223. <a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/everythings-fine-ultimate-guide-every-doomsday-scenario-imaginable/" class="article-link-img"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-644988 size-full" src="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final_Cover_Van-Saiyan-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1891" height="2560" srcset="https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final_Cover_Van-Saiyan-scaled.jpg 1891w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final_Cover_Van-Saiyan-222x300.jpg 222w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final_Cover_Van-Saiyan-2000x2707.jpg 2000w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final_Cover_Van-Saiyan-768x1040.jpg 768w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final_Cover_Van-Saiyan-1135x1536.jpg 1135w, https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final_Cover_Van-Saiyan-1513x2048.jpg 1513w" sizes="(max-width: 1891px) 100vw, 1891px" /></a>
  9224. <p>The good news is that the city and province are on top of things, at least somewhat. In Toronto, a task force called Toronto Emergency Management monitors large-scale threats around the clock. Its command centre, just off the Don Valley Parkway near Eglinton, is helmed by a former police officer named Joanna Beaven-­Desjardins. She was on duty for the van attack, the pandemic and the trucker convoy. She employs a squad of crackerjack pessimists who dream up terrifying scenarios, assess their likelihood and plot how to deal with them. Her sleep patterns, you’ll be unsurprised to learn, are irregular.</p>
  9225. <p>The work that Beaven-Desjardins and her team do is equal parts terrifying and fascinating. Canada doesn’t have any supervolcanoes, but that doesn’t mean their ash couldn’t mess with our air quality in devastating ways. Nuclear reactor meltdowns: less likely than you’d think. The loss of bees, on the other hand: far more likely—and way worse. Zombie attacks, you ask? Extremely improbable, but as it turns out, not strictly impossible.</p>
  9226. <p>To fully understand how equipped Toronto is for chaos, we launched three valiant journalists—Anthony Milton, Alex Cyr and Jean Grant—into the void and told them not to come back without answers, no matter how knee-shaking. Milton spent months touring command centres, interrogating people like Beaven-Desjardins and figuring out who does what when things go sour. Grant rounded up optimal gear for suboptimal circumstances. And Cyr dug up the best ways to kit out a home bunker. The results are collected in <a href="https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/everythings-fine-ultimate-guide-every-doomsday-scenario-imaginable/" class="article-link"><span data-title="our eye-opening, expansive and occasionally amusing feature, “Everything’s Fine!”">our eye-opening, expansive and occasionally amusing feature, “Everything’s Fine!”</span></a></p>
  9227. <p>The intention isn’t to scare readers. Instead, it’s to inform, forewarn and, maybe along the way, entertain. As we learned during the pandemic, when things are bad, a little levity never hurts. And ultimately, if you must spend some time in a bunker, why not make yours the envy of the neighbourhood?</p>
  9228. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com/city/editors-letter-the-good-news-about-the-bad-news/">Editor’s Letter: The good news about the bad news</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://torontolife.com">Toronto Life</a>.</p>
  9229. ]]></content:encoded>
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  9234. <media:copyright>Toronto Life</media:copyright>
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