car2go Food Tour – November 24, 2012
On November 24, 2012, we led our largest public food tour to date on what may prove to be Toronto’s most creative food tour of the year…our car2go Food Tour.
The tour began at 10:30 AM with a briefing at the Green P at Lamport Stadium. We had an ambitious day ahead with 8 stops that would span the entire city, from the Junction to Leslieville. Our cars were ready, freshly cleaned, and lined up in a row waiting for the participants. Most of the group was new to both Foodies on Foot and car2go, so, we could not wait for them to experience the fun of our food tours and the fun of driving car2go. Our hungry foodies had their briefing, revved up their engines, and we were off just after 11:00 AM.
Within a few minutes of having way too much fun with our convoy of car2go Smart cars weaving through the streets of Toronto, we found ourselves in the Junction. We parked at a Green P (free for car2go cars) and visited 3 of our favourite specialty food stores in the area, Tea Blendz, Delight Chocolate, and Junction Fromagerie. Khadija from Tea Blendz has to be one of the most knowledgeable people in the city when it comes to tea, and, that comes across in the tasting she provided for us. Jennifer and Jeff from Delight Chocolate and the Junction Fromagerie are doing amazing things with their chocolate and cheese, supporting many organic and local farmers and food artisans to help create and sell their masterpieces. Hearing all of their stories and sharing their passion for what they do is a large part of our food tour experience. We are always glad to partner with them.
After starting to fill our bellies in the Junction, we got back into the cars and started our trek across the city. Our first stop was at Glory Hole Doughnuts, in Parkdale, for our favourite doughnuts in the city. We picked up doughnuts and coffees, and, had a meet and greet with Ashley, the fantastic Chef behind these delights, while enjoying our goodies.
From there, we made our way into Kensington Market for a stop at Sanagan’s Meat Locker. We had their legendary pulled pork sandwich, which did not disappoint. The Green P parking lot at this location offers a fantastic view of the Toronto skyline, so, we had to stop for a few great group shots from this vantage point.
Once our tummies were full of delicious pulled pork, we took the convoy into Corktown for one of the best veal sandwiches in the city at Fusaro’s Kitchen. Mario took good care of us by providing a plate with half a veal sandwich and an accompaniment of delicious penne.
At this point, we were starting to feel quite full, and the temperature was dropping, but, in the pursuit of good food, we drove on to our next destination in the Distillery District, Soma Chocolatemaker, for a Mayan Hot Chocolate to warm us up. Just what was needed as the temperature began to dip.
From the Distillery District, we hopped onto the Lakeshore, took in the great views, and ended up at our final stop, Leslieville Pumps, for a delicious beef brisket slider, fried pickle (surprisingly yum!), and corn fritter.
6 hours, 8 stops, and plenty of full tummies later, the tour came to an end. As we said goodbye, the driving continued, as our guests dispersed and made their way all around Toronto. We loved hearing our tour participants tell us their plans to keep using car2go as they went off to dinner later than evening, or, to get back across town, and, just how much fun they had discovering the delicious stops of our food tour and driving car2go throughout the city. We were happy to help them discover so many great spots where they plan to return with family and friends, and, as is always the case on tours, having them connect with the owners as much as possible. Hearing the stories of how these places come to be, and, seeing their passion first-hand, cannot help but make the experience that much better.
We have to give a special thanks for car2go. They are an amazing organization, and, quite simply, the “smart”est way to get around Toronto. If you have yet to experience car2go, we encourage you to sign up for a membership today, and, follow them for all of their great promotions, member event parties, and giveaways across the city. In the short time they have been around in Toronto, they have already done so much to give back to their members. Sign up at car2go Toronto.
Don’t forget to join us for an upcoming food tour or food event as well. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter on our homepage and visit our site for our upcoming food tours and food events.
In the delight of food,
Foodies on Foot