Inside Freebird, a swanky new market in Etobicoke for house-made pizza, pasta, pastries and groceries
Freebird, a new market for all things artisanal in south Etobicoke, is the pandemic outgrowth of 10tation, a 22-year-old catering company that operates out of the same building. When Covid put the kibosh on large gatherings, owner David D’Aprile saw an opportunity to leverage his commissary kitchen toward a neighbourhood-focused market complete with specialty groceries and an extensive prepared foods section. And thus, Freebird Market took flight.
It’s quite an operation: a nearly 10,000-square-foot production space, under the direction of executive chef Jason Maw, produces a truly impressive array of food that can be used to either to round out a home-cooked dinner (think tasty preserves, soups and marinated meats) or supplant it entirely with vac-packed, ready-to-serve meals.
Lining the shelves are a mix of house-made specialties and high-end grocery products from other makers. Flavours range from classic to creative—the salad dressing section alone stocks everything from Greek and white balsamic to an espresso-spiked coffee-based concoction.
The wide range of ready-to-serve meals, meanwhile, has virtually everything needed to minimize the effort-to-reward ratio for dinner. Some are stand-alone dishes, like Peruvian seafood stew and beef bourguignon, but it’s also a game of mixing and matching components. It’s possible to pick up a tender beef agrodolce, osso buco or lemon pepper Wagyu steak, then add on sides like mashed potatoes or blanched heirloom carrots.
At the counter, you’ll find a rotating range of salads, sandwiches, fresh pasta, Roman-style pizza and roasted meats. One heavy hitter is the impeccable porchetta sandwich, carved to order and topped with sautéed red onions, arugula and special sauce.
And that’s just the savoury stuff—dessert is no afterthought here and includes adorable tiramisu jars, freshly baked bomba and delicate mini cakes, to just a few of the sweet treats.
Organic beverages are also on offer here, including a line of house-made juices, like the activated-charcoal-and-lemon-infused Afterparty. Tea (including stuff from top-notch Quebec-based company La Bonne Fille) and coffee is available at the counter. A liquor licence is forthcoming, at which point Freebird hopes to get into the wine game, stocking lesser-known labels you won’t find at the LCBO.
There’s no seating, however, so you’ll have to enjoy your goodies at home...or on the way home.
Freebird Market, 232 Norseman St., thefreebirdmarket.com, @freebirdmarket
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