Introducing: All the Best Fine Foods—the Rosedale gourmet emporium returns

Introducing: All the Best Fine Foods—the Rosedale gourmet emporium returns

All the Best’s new 2,500-square-foot home (Image: Renée Suen)

True to its name, All the Best Fine Foods has been offering high-quality ingredients and prepared foods since 1984. The purveyor of gourmet goods is known for its Rosedale home, but restoration work on the heritage building meant taking temporarily residence in a tiny neighbouring trailer for over four years. The reopening of the Summerhill institution has been a long time coming, not just for regulars, but also for the store’s founder and CEO, Jane Rodmell, and COO, Susan Bowman.

Toronto’s Pencil Design is responsible for the store’s upscale general-store feel. Fresh baked goods greet patrons as they enter the shop. Custom shelving, crafted from reclaimed hemlock, extends from floor to ceiling along the store’s entire left wall, and the shelves are stocked full of hard-to-find brands (like Cipriani), unique gifts (like handmade dishware by Ontario potter Tara Gilchrist), curated knick-knacks and cookbooks chosen by the people at The Cookbook Store. Other additions include a coffee bar and nine tasting stations featuring new, special or seasonal foodstuff.

Rustic country design melds with modern finishes in the middle of the 2,500-square-foot room, where bright display cases showcase the store’s celebrated prepared and frozen foods, from seasonal soups and side dishes to mains. The seasonally driven meals are certified by Local Food Plus, meaning they are sourced exclusively from local farms.

Executive chef Olivia Bolano is in charge of the team of chefs and bakers working at All the Best’s 4,000-square-foot production kitchen in Leaside, which prepares foods daily for the retail store and full-service catering division. Expect to find popular staples like the chicken pot pie ($8.95–26.95) and the popular tarte tatin ($14.95), which features Lincoln Line Orchard apples on Rahier’s buttery puff pastry. In the freezer, look for lobster pies, cheese logs, oven-ready rolls and cottage-ready cookie dough.

The added retail space also translates to a greater number products put out on display, allowing All the Best to cater to customers with dietary sensitivities. The store carries items like flourless orange almond cake and Splendido’s gluten-free quinoa bread (available Tuesday through Sunday; $8).

All the Best Fine Foods, 1101 Yonge St., 416-928-3330, allthebestfinefoods.com