I hope everyone had a great weekend and, if you’re in Canada or the United States, a great long weekend! Today is a day off work in Canada because Canada Day, July 1, fell on a Saturday this year. Our neighbours to the south (and northwest – let’s not forget Alaska) will probably be taking today off to create a four-day weekend and allow them to prepare celebrate July 4.
To celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial (150 years!), the posts for the month of July will consist of things Canadian – places, foods, events or just stuff I love about Canada. To start, I thought it fitting that I write about one of my favourite spots in the city of Toronto, the St. Lawrence Market. The market is heaven for cooks and foodies. This place checks all the boxes of this blog – the travel, the food and the cool!
I am extremely fortunate that I live near the #1 Food Market in the world (according to National Geographic )! The market is incredible and it’s very easy to get very spoiled having such great vegetables, fruit, fish and seafood, cheese, meat etc. so close by. It is the best grocery store you could wish for!
The St. Lawrence Market is one of my favourite places to recommend and to take people from out of town. Let’s be honest, it’s just plain fun, and could it have a better name?
While Canada may be celebrating 150 years, the St. Lawrence Market will be celebrating its 214th birthday this year (November 3). The Market has been open since 1803 – when Toronto was known as York and we were Upper Canada.
Peter Hunter, who succeeded John Graves Simcoe as Lt. Governor of Upper Canada, proclaimed: “Whereas great prejudice hath arisen to the inhabitants of the town and township of York and of other adjoining townships from no place or day having been set apart for exposing publicly for sale, cattle, sheep, poultry and other provisions, goods and merchandise brought by merchants, farmers and others for the necessary supply of the town of York and whereas great benefit and advantage might be derived to the inhabitants and others by establishing a weekly market at a place and on a day certain for the purpose aforesaid”.
The south building is in the same location it has been in since 1845. The south building has been rebuilt twice, the last time in 1968. The building still holds a part of the original building that also once stood as Toronto City Hall.
St. Lawrence Market seems to have always been the place to go, especially on Saturdays. Original town bylaws even “prohibited the selling of butter, eggs, fish, meat, poultry, and vegetables between the hours of 6am and 4pm on Saturdays, except at the market”. I will warn you that it is a popular spot, especially with tourists. Going on a Saturday? Be prepared to wait a little bit longer than during the week, fight a few crowds and be photographed.
St. Lawrence Market was the original meeting place for Torontonians and, over 200 years later, it still is. On Saturdays, there is still a farmer’s market from 7 am – 3 pm. The farmer’s market is a great spot to support your local farmer. Nothing beats shopping local, especially for freshness and taste!
[Note, the farmer’s market traditionally takes place in the North building, however, the North building is currently undergoing an archeological study and will eventually be rebuilt. If you are coming to the farmer’s market, please go to the white tent located to the SOUTH of the South building.]
There are over 120 vendors in the market. Besides the farmer’s market, here are some of the places (in no particular order) that I love to go when I’m doing my shopping!
Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard. Proudly Canadian since 1948, these mustards are amazing! There are 36 varieties of handmade mustards which fall under the categories of spicy, sweet and savoury. (The horseradish is also fabulous.) They always have samples that you can try with either peameal or pretzels. How good is the mustard? Pete has me bring it out to him in Calgary.
Carousel Bakery. Follow in Anthony Bourdain’s (and Emeril, Chuck Hughes, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay…) footsteps and have the famous peameal bacon sandwich. They are also great for their Portugese egg custard tarts, and, on Friday and Saturday only, for their Montreal-style sesame and poppyseed bagels.
For meat, I like seeing Bob and Tom at Upper Cut Meats. Not only are they super nice, they will debone, or spatcock, chickens for you (and they don’t blink an eye when you ask them for the back bones). They are always happy to answer questions like “I’m having xxx people over, how much do I need?”.
When the farmer’s market is not open, I love buying my berries from the “King of the Berries”. The berries are always gorgeous and perfectly arranged. They look like “show berries” (to quote my niece).
For cheese, I love Alex Farm Cheese – or ,as I affectionately call them, “my cheese pushers”. Ask them about a cheese and be prepared to try some different samples. Don’t be surprised if you walk away with far more cheeses than you originally planned to buy!
For rice, lentils and grains, head downstairs to Rube’s Rice.
For fresh pasta, look no further than St. Lawrence Pizza & Pasta. You can see Aziz making his homemade stuffed ravioli.
There are also a lot of spots both upstairs and downstairs that sell prepared foods, so grab a picnic table and have lunch outside.
Where: 93 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1C3; When: Tuesday – Thursday – 8am – 6pm; Fridays – 8am – 7pm; Saturdays – 5am – 5 pm (Closed Sunday and Monday)
