Seems there are a lot of retrospective post out there at this time of year, featuring favourite experiences or popular posts. Being that I haven’t posted yet this year (because I’ve been busy with lots of exciting projects, including the sold out Death Row Meal Club, Taco Edition), I thought this would be a fun jump off point for a year of exciting content on CommunityFoodist.com. Thanks as always for reading, and for your support I do this for you guys.
So, Im going to do a few things here. Firstly, is a recap of the most popular posts in the history of this site, and lets go with a top 10. Shall we?
Eat. Drink. Learn. Rest. Repeat. - one of the best culinary events in Ontario. This post has had more than 3.5 times more hits than any article on here. Wow.
Picnic - my first visit to the fundraiser for Slow Food, held by Evergreen Canada at Brickworks. I understand that they will not be doing this event again, and will be instead looking at new models of fundraising and different events. Looking foward to seeing what happens with this.
Welcome to the Neighbourhood Fanny - this reminds me I need to pay another visit to Fanny, soon. It has been a while, and recently Geoff Hopgood was consulting with them on their menu. Interested to try the food again.
Jarcake - I was reading about 2012 food trends and this was on the list, food in jars. Seems I was ahead of the curve :)
Chocolate Schmeared Pomegranate Shortbread - absolutely adore these cookies, and thought about making them again during the holidays but didnt get to it. Might make some this week.
The Elvis Brownie - stay tuned for something along these lines coming soon. Been working on a recipe for about a month now.
I had a tour of the facilities that assemble Longo's prepared meals recently at their head office in Vaughan, and I did a little crowd sourcing on what you all wanted to know about their process. The facility is quite impressive, as is the team that runs it. I almost expected it to be much larger than it is, but it is efficient and provides product for Longo’s stores across the GTA. The facility produces and packages things like fresh salads, stir fry kits, and even sausages and packaged nuts. It is cool to have the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see how things are processed and packaged, and to be able to understand how this food makes its ay to the stores, and on to our tables.
Our world is one of rushing, especially for families and for those who have long work days (which seems to be most of us, these days), and eating out is not always feasible or desirable. The prepared meals, and other prepared foods from Longo's are a good option for busy lifestyles. Seeing it first hand I saw quality product, a clean environment, and a commitment to value. I know Alexa has spent a lot of time eating at Longo's Maple Leaf Square store, and she has good things to say, as well. The sausages they make are a family recipe, and made with only the best meat, I was impressed. Think I might have to go down to the store next week and pick some up.
Here are the answers to your questions, from the various experts at Longo’s.
I think I might be cheating on my food system. I know, the horror!
A big part of supporting local is going to the farmers markets and supporting the people who produce our food. In an ideal world we would all have time to do this, at least once in a while, but life is busy. That is when we turn to family owned business who support these farmers and other small producers for us, allowing us to make that connection with our food. In the last two months I have spent more time at Longos Markets, as most of you know, being a part of their Taste Ontario Ambassador Program. This allowed me an opportunity to meet the people at the store at Maple Leaf Square, and other locations to get a feel about what the modern Longos is all about.
I do have a connection to Longos from being a kid, and I talked about that in my original post. It is certainly nice to see that Longos has maintained their focus on supporting local farmers, and has asked me to experience this and t story. This is not an advertisement for Longos, as my opinions are formed unobtrusively and without bias. I do really like shopping at Longos, especially at the MLS store.
Asking questions about our food is a big part of what I do, and what I preach, and I like when I get the answers I look for. This makes my choice to do business with someone a good one. To date, this has been a very positive part of my experience at Longos.
On one of my early visits with Alexa, the other blogger who is a part of this program, we were approached while shooting pictures in the produce department, but none other than the produce manager Brad Boin. I have been approached before while taking pictures in places, and some of the time the methods by which I was approached were not the friendliest. In this case, Brad was inquisitive, and happy to meet us and engage us in conversation. “Have you tried the Ontario melons, yet?” Was the answer to our inquiry about what was fresh from Ontario. “You have to try it, hold on, Ill be right back”, and off he went, returning with a cut up melon for us to munch on while we chatted. Now, I am not sure if any other customer would receive this treatment, but I would hope so and believe it to be true. Longos seems to be big on “try before you buy” marketing practices.
On another occasion, I was investigating Corks, a wine and beer bar in the lounge area of the MLS store that has a strong focus on only selling local. They have a Starbucks, Aisle 43 (wine store), and The Loft (for cooking classes). There is WIFI there, but I always find it spotty. This is a great hidden gem for a visit before an event at the ACC, and you can grab a cheap bite, as they have specials every day after 4PM in store. Why spend a fortune on tickets to a game or a concert, and on food?
There are many experts in Longos and I would invite you to go and chat with them yourself, they are very knowledgeable and friendly. I love the coffee and tea guy at MLS, where they have a special roasting machine where beans get all toasty right before your eyes, he is quite a resource. While you are there, don’t forget to check out the selection of cheeses, it is quite impressive.
Seems I have been won over as a result of this program. Not the worst thing in the world, is it? Kudos to Longo's for supporting farmers from the beginning, and upholding that commitment.
On a final note, today I visited the Longos head office, and let me tell you, it is very impressive. I will be sharing more of this story with you soon, so stay tuned for that. I went on a short tour of the facility where they package the fresh foods, like the stir fry kits, green salads, fruit salads, and packaged nuts. A very impressive facility, with much care taken in the process and quality of ingredients. More soon.
Food, for me, is all about time and place. The memories of my childhood drive my love of food, and the intrinsic processes surround preparation, and mostly the enjoyment. I like to feed, eat, and just be around food and the people who love it. Recently I was approached to embark on a unique food experience, along with fellow food blogger, and generally fabulous person, Alexa Clark. Lex and I are going to be a part of Longo's new Taste Ontario Ambassador Program, and I am very excited about this opportunity.
Here is the breakdown in the words of the fine folks at Longos:
Longo’s is pleased to announce its new Taste Ontario Ambassador Program. The goal of the ambassador initiative is to showcase Longo’s leadership in fresh and local food by developing an integrated program that builds awareness of Longo’s best quality, selection and variety of fresh foods from Ontario. Toronto based foodies, Alexa Clark and Joel Solish have been selected to launch this exciting initiative. Alexa and Joel both have a passion for local food and are well known, knowledgeable and respected bloggers within the Toronto and Canadian food circuit.
So, why did I choose to do this? Longos is a Canadian, family-owned company, where my family has shopped at for decades. Lex wrote a great post as a part of the program launch, and before continuing I would love if you would read her post. She outlines perfectly what we are getting into, and talks about our personal promise of transparency. Yes, we are being compensated, but no, we are not being hired to write unobjectively. We are just providing our opinions and perspective. If we dislike something, and I hope we do not, you will hear about it. What I hope to show you is that Longo's is one of the good guys. We all need to go to a grocery store at some point in a normal month, so at least we can support business that are supportive of our local economies and farmers (you know this is VERY important to me, personally).
"Longo's is eager to share some of the stories that have come from our long relationship with Ontario farmers and providers, and there's no better way to do this than to invite our new Longo's Taste Ontario Ambassadors to have an insider view, and have them share their experiences with you."
I have lot's of great ideas and have already been doing market research, and was at one of Longo's stores yesterday picking up a few items, and having nice chats with the very knowledgable staff. I look forward to bringing everyone on this journey with me, and I welcome any and all questions. If anyone wants to come on a shopping excursion, just let me know, I would love it.
