Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson, the artisanal cheesemaker’s new Liberty Village shop
Earlier this month, the Stratford-based Monforte Dairy Company opened its first stand-alone store in Toronto on a quaint strip in the increasingly gentrified Liberty Village. A mainstay on the farmers’ market scene, Monforte, owned by cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen, was lovingly bullied by its many fans into opening a shop so they wouldn’t have to contend with erratic market hours to get their fix of goat gouda. Christina Stapper, a veteran of the market circuit and manager of the new Jefferson Avenue location, is understandably pleased by the new indoor digs: “Now I don’t have to stand in the rain and try to hawk cheese,” she joked.
In spite of the move indoors, the shop’s interior and offerings betray the brand’s market table origins. The decor is endearingly eclectic and homey, and the shelves are lined with edible items by local producers who have sold alongside Stapper at numerous markets in the city. There are bags of fair trade coffee beans from Toronto-based Merchants of Green ($3 for a cup, $9 for a half-pound), jars of soup from the adjacent bakery Sweet Everythings and an assortment of olive oils from Sarafino, a small importing and distribution company based in Uxbridge.
The Liberty Village shop offers a wide selection of seasonal artisanal cheeses, all made with GMO-free milk sourced from Mennonite farmers. Aged varieties include Little Prince ($10.50), a goat cheese covered in ash, Bliss ($12), a cow and sheep’s milk triple cream, and Toscano ($4.95/100g), a sheep’s milk cheese. The fridge is packed with tubs of cream cheese ($7.50) available in three varieties: Rosa (chèvre with quince), Elsie (chèvre with pesto) and straight-up. Stapper offers daily cheese samples served with a smear of Sarafino’s clementine and hot chili-pepper marmalade. Grilled cheese sandwiches ($5) are made with De la Terre bread and any of the cheeses available that day, and the dairy’s rich buffalo milk ice cream is stocked as well (although supplies are always limited). Stapper expects to introduce a wider variety of baked goods from Sweet Everythings—pies, cookies and muffins— in the coming weeks.
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- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Clementine marmalade and clementine and hot chili-pepper marmalade
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Olive oils and vinegars imported from Italy by the Uxbridge-based company Sarafino
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Bags of coffee from the Toronto-based company Merchants of Green
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Monforte carries a selection of fresh bread from De la Terre bakery in Vineland, Ontario
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Toscano ($4.95/100g), an aged sheep’s milk cheese
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Bliss ($12): triple cream cheese made from cow and sheep’s milk
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Little Prince ($10.50): ashed goat cheese
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- Monforte's brown paper bags are adorned with illustrations by owner Ruth Klahsen's son, Ben
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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- The location was previously home to Scratch Bakery
- (Image: Susan Keefe)
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
- Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson
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Monforte on Jefferson, 125 Jefferson Ave., 647-700-8598, facebook.com/MonforteOnJefferson, @MonforteDairy
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/monforte-on-jefferson/&title=Introducing: Monforte on Jefferson, the artisanal cheesemaker’s new Liberty Village shop&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nov12-monforte-cheese-intro-624x409.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_176565" align="aligncenter" width="656"] (Image: Susan Keefe)[/caption]
Earlier this month, the Stratford-based Monforte Dairy Company opened its first stand-alone store in Toronto on a quaint strip in the increasingly gentrified Liberty Village. A mainstay on the farmers’ market scene, Monforte, owned by cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen, was lovingly bullied by its many fans into opening a shop so they wouldn’t have to contend with erratic market hours to get their fix of goat gouda. Christina Stapper, a veteran of the market circuit and manager of the new Jefferson Avenue location, is understandably pleased by the new indoor digs: “Now I don’t have to stand in the rain and try to hawk cheese,” she joked.
In spite of the move indoors, the shop’s interior and offerings betray the brand’s market table origins. The decor is endearingly eclectic and homey, and the shelves are lined with edible items by local producers who have sold alongside Stapper at numerous markets in the city. There are bags of fair trade coffee beans from Toronto-based Merchants of Green ($3 for a cup, $9 for a half-pound), jars of soup from the adjacent bakery Sweet Everythings and an assortment of olive oils from Sarafino, a small importing and distribution company based in Uxbridge.
The Liberty Village shop offers a wide selection of seasonal artisanal cheeses, all made with GMO-free milk sourced from Mennonite farmers. Aged varieties include Little Prince ($10.50), a goat cheese covered in ash, Bliss ($12), a cow and sheep’s milk triple cream, and Toscano ($4.95/100g), a sheep’s milk cheese. The fridge is packed with tubs of cream cheese ($7.50) available in three varieties: Rosa (chèvre with quince), Elsie (chèvre with pesto) and straight-up. Stapper offers daily cheese samples served with a smear of Sarafino’s clementine and hot chili-pepper marmalade. Grilled cheese sandwiches ($5) are made with De la Terre bread and any of the cheeses available that day, and the dairy’s rich buffalo milk ice cream is stocked as well (although supplies are always limited). Stapper expects to introduce a wider variety of baked goods from Sweet Everythings—pies, cookies and muffins— in the coming weeks.
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Monforte on Jefferson, 125 Jefferson Ave., 647-700-8598, facebook.com/MonforteOnJefferson, @MonforteDairy){kind=link}
Monforte makes some nice cheese, but they really need an interior designer.
I cannot the pic with hose sitting outside …very cool toronto
stick to farmers markets monforte
I find this a piece of refreshing food news that is truly grassroots, local, and very much reflects what my Toronto looks like. Toronto is more than trendy and unrealistic King West/Yorkville street facades. Nice to see you change it up T. Life
Wouldn’t be surprised if “liberty villager” works for the PR wing of the dairy board, or, some generic cheese making company… Also, “jd” doesn’t seem to have a clue how hard it is to make money doing what Monforte do making quality products. Why would Monforte invest in a flashy shop? Finally, I think that hose sitting outside is intended to wash down losers like “Nic”…