Leo Moncel is an outstanding guide for the Culinary Adventure CompanyA Toronto Culinary Adventure Walking Tour Peter & Beverley Kerr October 1, 2017 2820 Culinary Adventure Walking Tour The Culinary Adventure Company is the largest provider of foodie tours in Canada, and they offer eight tours in Toronto. In addition to visiting local shops and restaurants, the tour guides re-tell the local history. It’s a fascinating three hours, and we learned about the previously working-class neighbourhoods of Riverside and Leslieville. Our entertaining guide Leo Moncel is a terrific raconteur. We started at Cannonball Coffee, an independent coffee shop that is refreshingly quirky, followed by a visit to Mary MacLeod’s Shortbreads a few doors down. We heard the story of a British man who travels frequently for his business. He was so taken with Mary’s shortbreads that he asked if she would send him a monthly shipment to his home in England. “Well… we don’t normally do that, but in your case Mr. Jagger – we’ll be happy to send you a package.” You can’t make these stories up! The tour is full of these interesting anecdotes. We also learned how the local Hamilton Rubber and Tire Company needed a new name and decided upon Canadian Tire. That Babe Ruth played for the Toronto Maple Leaf Baseball Club. We visited a bakery attached to St. John’s Mission and the uplifting story behind the bakery. We stopped by the very famous Ruby Watch Company restaurant that requires a reservation months in advance. A former CIBC bank now houses the ultra-chic Stephane Caras fashion house, often employed by Hollywood film costume designers. After a delicious lunch at Taboule, we moved on for a sampling of cheese at the Leslieville Cheese Market. We finished up our home-made ice cream and gelato at Ed’s Real Scoop. The Culinary Adventure Company shares it’s revenue with Mealshare, a non-profit organization providing meals for at-risk youth. In their first year of partnership, 5,000 meals have been provided. Every $25 dollars spent with the company buys a meal. Next month we’ll re-visit the always interesting Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), our visit to the fascinating Casa Loma and our dining experiences at The Drake Commissary and Ricarda’s. Travel Planner: The Leslieville Culinary Tour: www.culinaryadventureco.com/tourtype/toronto/ Mary MacLeod’s Shortbread, 639 Queen St E. marymacleod.ca St John’s Bakery, 153 Broadview Ave stjohnsbakery.com Tabule Riverside, 810 Queen St E. tabule.ca Leslieville Cheese Market, 891 Queen St E. leslievillecheese.com Ed’s Real Scoop Leslieville, 920 Queen St E. edsrealscoop.com
