A look inside Forest Hill’s fancy new 7,200-square-foot Summerhill Market store

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Name: Summerhill Market Forest Hill Contact: 484 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-941-2574, summerhillmarket.com, @summerhillmkt
Neighbourhood: Forest Hill Previously: EDO Restaurant Covid-19 safety measures: Two monitored entrances with a maximum capacity of 46; hand sanitizer stations and social-distancing stickers throughout. Accessibility: Fully accessible. There is a set of service elevators until the permanent elevators (located in the middle of the store) are installed in May

The latest addition to Summerhill Market’s mini empire—the fourth and largest outpost of the gourmet grocer—is not in Summerhill, but Forest Hill. Spanning two-floors, the 7,200-square-foot space was extensively renovated from its previous life as a restaurant. The main floor is dedicated to fresh produce, dairy and dairy alternatives, grab-and-go meals and all of your typical daily essentials. Upstairs is where customers will find refrigerator cases stocked with the brand’s popular heat-and-eat items, a butcher, a deli and cheese counter, and all kinds of frozen food and pantry staples. Also, unique to this location: an extensive selection of kosher goods.

Those who follow the city’s food scene might be excited to learn that chef Ted Corrado (The Drake) will be overseeing the market’s line of 800-plus house-made items. In addition to adding more restaurant-quality dishes and finessing Summerhill’s established recipes, Corrado is adding frozen and prepared foods from some of his industry peers, including dim sum from Patois chef Craig Wong. “I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with others in my community, so that’s what you’re going to see a lot of,” says Corrado. “It’s a weird situation that we’re in right now, so it’s all about helping to support each other. It’s a win for everybody.”

The main entrance faces Eglinton Avenue:

There’s also a set of checkout counters at the rear of the store, plus a pretty nice staircase leading up to the second floor:

Besides the usual fresh produce, shoppers might find unique items like pink pineapples:

For all your dairy (and alternative-dairy) needs:

The main floor’s focus is on grab-and-go items, including sandwiches and salads:

The bakery carries house-made cakes and loaves but also breads by Epi and Brodflour; spongy light Japanese cheesecakes; and Gertie’s peanut butter pies:

Ted Corrado (right) poses with Rocco Terrazzano, who heads Summerhill Market’s meat department. Terrazzano is responsible for selecting, aging and overseeing the preparation of the store’s Canadian-raised beef:

Corrado shows off some of the new flavours he’s already added to Summerhill Market’s ready-to-heat line, including these Miami short ribs seasoned with a Korean-style marinade:

Dedicated shelves for kosher products are stocked with a curated selection of goods from local producers:

This is the kosher section, continued:

The second floor is where you’ll find new and featured items:

The space is also is dedicated to Summerhill Market’s house-made heat-and-eat items, like prime rib dinner or turkey dinners with all the trimmings:

New dishes Corrado has introduced include saag paneer and matzo ball soup:

Corrado tweaked the store’s heat-and-eat spaghetti by using his grandmother’s recipe for slow-braised pork and veal meatballs:

Look for the “New and Improved” sticker for Corrado’s takes on heat-and-eat items including the super-crispy southern fried chicken. Fans of Summerhill’s chicken pot pie, fear not: Corrado says he’s not touching the recipe for the brand’s most popular item.

He’s also not changing the chicken and shrimp wonton soup recipe. It’s one of his faves:

Summerhill’s line of semi-prepared meals includes dishes like cured Cornish hen with kabocha squash or beef Wellington wrapped in house-made puff pastry:

Corrado also brought in a chef to focus on a line of vegan prepared foods, including a vegan polenta with mushroom ragout:

Corrado is also bringing in various frozen meals from industry friends who have pivoted to prepared foods during the pandemic. Here are frozen ramen kits from Guelph-based Crafty Ramen:

Besides house-made charcuterie, fish and chips and lobster bisque, Corrado is working on a line of barbecue dishes for the deli. For them, he’ll consult Nick Chen-Yin of Smoke Signals Bar-B-Q:

Summerhill Market is known for having a sweet selection of specialty vegan, gluten-free goods and keto treats:

This is where the store’s elevator will live one day hopefully soon (construction was delayed because of you-know-what). For now, it is a wall of chips: