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Caroline Aksich

Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.

Latest from Caroline Aksich

Inside the kitchen of Ryusuke Nakagawa, the executive chef at Aburi Hana

Inside the kitchen of Ryusuke Nakagawa, the executive chef at Aburi Hana

Stocked with three kinds of miso paste, a hefty collection of Japanese cookbooks and Popeyes take out

What's on the menu at Paros, Yorkville's clubby new Greek restaurant

What’s on the menu at Paros, Yorkville’s clubby new Greek restaurant

Including flaming saganaki

What's on the menu at Porzia's, chef Basilio Pesce's long-awaited lasagna restaurant

What’s on the menu at Porzia’s, chef Basilio Pesce’s long-awaited lasagna restaurant

The popular pandemic pop-up finally has a brick-and-mortar home

Inside the kitchen of Juan Alvarez, the head chef at Rosalinda

Inside the kitchen of Juan Alvarez, the head chef at Rosalinda

Stocked with Mexican candy, an impressive hot sauce collection and vegan ice cream

Ten pick-your-own-flower destinations within driving distance of Toronto

Ten pick-your-own-flower destinations within driving distance of Toronto

The best farms for sustainable bouquets, Instagram-worthy sunflower fields and more

The best diners and dairy bars within road-tripping distance of the GTA

The best diners and dairy bars within road-tripping distance of the GTA

They're serving soul-soothing comfort food with a big dollop of nostalgia

What's on the menu at Ristorante Sociale, Enoteca Sociale's splashy new sister restaurant with dining room dancers and bottle service

What’s on the menu at Ristorante Sociale, Enoteca Sociale’s splashy new sister restaurant with dining room dancers and bottle service

It's not exactly a carbonara copy

Where the owners of Somun Superstar eat pierogies, burek and Bosnian baked goods in Toronto

Where the owners of Somun Superstar eat pierogies, burek and Bosnian baked goods in Toronto

The couple takes us on a tour of the city's greatest Slavic hits

Sort-of Secret: Pho Ngoc Yen, a hopping Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in a Mississauga industrial park

Sort-of Secret: Pho Ngoc Yen, a hopping Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in a Mississauga industrial park

The airport-adjacent spot is popular for its short rib pho, bar snacks and warm hospitality

Where to eat and drink in Prince Edward County, according to these Toronto chefs who moved there

Where to eat and drink in Prince Edward County, according to these Toronto chefs who moved there

Jamie Kennedy, Alexandra Feswick, Albert Ponzo—and many others—weigh in

"We’re cranking out 60,000 pizzas a month": Piano Piano chef Victor Barry on his plans for worldwide frozen pizza domination

“We’re cranking out 60,000 pizzas a month”: Piano Piano chef Victor Barry on his plans for worldwide frozen pizza domination

Barry is now the proud owner of General Assembly’s line of frozen pies

What's on the menu at Chantecler, the new Bloorcourt location of Parkdale's favourite French restaurant

What’s on the menu at Chantecler, the new Bloorcourt location of Parkdale’s favourite French restaurant

The bistro is back—and this time it comes with a big park-facing patio

What's on the menu at Prequel & Co. Apothecary, a whimsical new Queen West cocktail lounge from the owner of BarChef

What’s on the menu at Prequel & Co. Apothecary, a whimsical new Queen West cocktail lounge from the owner of BarChef

Just don't call it a speakeasy

What's on the menu at Lao Lao Bar, a new restaurant and cocktail lounge from the owners of Sabai Sabai

What’s on the menu at Lao Lao Bar, a new restaurant and cocktail lounge from the owners of Sabai Sabai

Not even an expropriation order from the city could keep Seng Luong and Jason Jiang down

Six of the city's tangiest, creamiest, cheesiest fondues

Six of the city’s tangiest, creamiest, cheesiest fondues

Including a smorgasbord of dippables from Wvrst, a funky blue-cheese blend from Caren's and a vegan fon-dupe from Avelo

What's on the menu at Bitter Melon, a new spot on Spadina for "Toronto Chinese" small plates and cocktails

What’s on the menu at Bitter Melon, a new spot on Spadina for “Toronto Chinese” small plates and cocktails

Including a Taiwanese take on a Korean corn dog and tteokbokki with an Italian twist

What's on the menu at AP, chef Antonio Park's new restaurant on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre

What’s on the menu at AP, chef Antonio Park’s new restaurant on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre

Including premium fish, Osetra caviar, Wagyu beef and a fleck of gold leaf here and there

Sort-of Secret: Grateful Chicken, chef Brandon Olsen's fried chicken comeback

Sort-of Secret: Grateful Chicken, chef Brandon Olsen’s fried chicken comeback

Also on the menu: Basque cake and champagne

Inside Good Egg's refreshed Kensington Market space

Inside Good Egg’s refreshed Kensington Market space

How the food-focused bookstore got a second life

Inside Flying Books, the travelling bookstore that finally found a permanent home

Inside Flying Books, the travelling bookstore that finally found a permanent home

How Martha Sharpe built a single-shelf operation into a literary fiefdom

Inside Art Metropole's new College Street space

Inside Art Metropole’s new College Street space

A tour of the non-profit indie bookstore run by an artist collective

Inside Little Ghosts, Toronto's haunted indie bookstore for horror enthusiasts

Inside Little Ghosts, Toronto’s haunted indie bookstore for horror enthusiasts

A tour of the city's hub for devotees of the macabre

Where to eat, drink and stargaze during TIFF

Where to eat, drink and stargaze during TIFF

More than a dozen newish spots worth visiting during the film fest

Inside Muskoka Beer Spa, a hop lovers’ utopia in cottage country

Inside Muskoka Beer Spa, a hop lovers’ utopia in cottage country

For those who like to retox as they detox

Summer Camp Guide

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Discover our top-rated summer camps for kids of all ages

Best New Restaurants

Toronto Life ’s Best Restaurants returns for its 10th-anniversary edition on June 8

Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants returns for its 10th-anniversary edition on June 8

General admission tickets are now on sale for Toronto’s biggest culinary night, featuring top chefs, restaurants and drinks

Big Stories

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

When Sami and June Suomalainen died, it fell to the executor of their wills, a lawyer they hardly knew, to sell their million-dollar midtown home and split the proceeds among their inheritors. Seven years and six lawsuits later, the beneficiaries haven’t seen a cent

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

This year’s list includes a 150-square-foot omakase counter, a Parisian brasserie in the Annex, Korean comfort food, Filipino karaoke and a Summerhill seafood spot that’s reinventing the raw bar

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

After years of false starts, months of nail-biting negotiations between the league and the players’ union, and an 11th-hour scramble to build a roster, Toronto finally has its own major-league women’s basketball team. Now it just has to live up to the hype

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Slowikowska is the first Canadian to join the cast of Saturday Night Live in more than 25 years. She’s also this season’s breakout star. Now all she has to do is keep crushing it

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

The man who represented the infamous drug lord is unapologetically flashy—he has a Lamborghini and two Maseratis and wears $1,200 Louboutins. But did he become an accomplice to his client’s crimes? Deepak Paradkar says he was just doing his job. The FBI says he crossed a line

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

We’re not over it, but they are. Six months after that devastating defeat, the Jays take the field once more, bent more than ever on winning the World Series. Dispatches from the dugout

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My dad was the infamous Rolex Killer. The news of his crimes nearly broke me. And ever since, my family has been hounded by reporters, podcasters and true crime fanatics—a whole new circle of hell

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Larry David is the indisputable king of brutal honesty. But if anyone comes close, it’s Robby Hoffman, the suddenly everywhere comic from whom no group is safe

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Pamela Sugiman, a former arts dean at Toronto Metropolitan University, was a key player in the school’s push for diversity, equity and inclusion. When the backlash against DEI arrived, she was demoted. The school says it was a coincidence. She disagrees

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

Scenes from the rent-for-life revolution

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

It’s hard out here for a 20-something

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

Desperate wannabe parents are betting their life savings on unproven treatments and false promises

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Last spring, a chatbot convinced Allan Brooks that he had discovered a revolutionary mathematical theory. He says it nearly destroyed him

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Homegrown innovations that will transform lives for the better

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

When Valentino was abducted, I knew three things: he’d been taken by his father, he was somewhere in India and I would not rest until I found him

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The towing industry has been hijacked by criminals and kingpins who fleece customers, beat up dissenters and shoot their enemies. Inside the brutal turf war for the city’s wrecks

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

If this city stands any chance of solving the housing crisis, it will need buildings with multiple units in residential neighbourhoods—a move that has many residents saying, “Anywhere but here!”

Just Listed

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

As luxury buyers become increasingly focused on wellness, privacy, and long-term livability, a new generation of custom homes is emerging – one defined less by excess and more by thoughtful design

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

This rare property features 2 houses on 1 lot

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

A testament to time presiding over one of Uxbridge's most storied streetscapes, this magnificently preserved circa 1880 residence commands its prominent corner lot with the quiet confidence of a true architectural landmark

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

A commanding architectural statement in prestigious Stonegate–Queensway, this newly completed custom residence by Bali Homes Group presents a refined interpretation of contemporary luxury living

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

Guelph is having a moment