The Foodist Market, a new organic grocer, takes over Pulp Kitchen’s space on Queen East
The Foodist Market, a new small grocery shop in Leslieville, has only been open for a few days, so it’s no surprise that many of the deep, white shelves lining the walls of this former juice bar are still bare. The shop should be fully stocked in a matter of days, but until then there are still plenty of organic goodies in store to draw the locals. Standouts include over-the-top rich and porky lonza (cured pork loin), pancetta and capicollo from Niagara Food Specialties, cheeses from Monforte, breads from nearby St. John’s Bakery, salsas and chips from Toronto’s Mad Mexican and, of course, locally grown veggies, eggs and meats. Despite these, the focus here is on organic first, local second.
Owner Dolores Golob, a resident of the area for over 18 years, got tired of waiting for someone to open an organic grocer, so she did it herself. “I’m first generation Italian Canadian, and I grew up with nothing but fresh, wonderful food,” the former nurse and clinical researcher told us. “Everything came from our garden, each fall we bought a whole pig and made our own salamis; I was making gnocchi by the time I was five!” Golob grew up in Sudbury, where her mom was a chef. “She was an amazing cook; everything was from scratch, all the pasta, everything. I still make my own pasta all the time.”
As for the store’s unusual name, Golob explains that everyone interested in food calls themselves a foodie nowadays. “I wanted a name that suggests a level of seriousness about food, like a cardiologist is a heart specialist. Well, a foodist is a food specialist!”
The Foodist Market, 1129 Queen St. E., 416-465-5221
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