When Erich Mrak lost his job as a chef during the pandemic, he did what many of us did - he went home and started cooking. What began as homemade pasta for friends and family turned into meal kits, a small wholesale business, and eventually, a tiny 620-square-foot pasta shop that would change everything.

The name Tiny Market Co. was born in a dog park, when Erich and Danielle Soule - who was working at the café connected to his rented kitchen - started talking about the kind of business they both dreamed of running. Within weeks, she’d joined him. Within a year, they were running a pasta shop together - and dating.

Their story is one of community, care, and connection. From greeting customers on the street to remembering names in a notes app, every part of Tiny Market Co. is built around gratitude. What started as a necessity during the pandemic has grown into a tiny-but-mighty fixture in Toronto’s pasta scene - known for its handmade dishes and pasta classes that sell out week after week.

This conversation with Erich and Danielle is about small beginnings, shared passion, and the butterfly effect that can turn a rented kitchen and an idea in a dog park into something extraordinary.

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It all started with an email.

One day, Calvin and Graham Reid’s dad sent a message to his kids that simply read: “This seems wild, but what do you think about starting a gin distillery?” That single note set the Reid family on a path that turned kitchen-counter experiments into one of Toronto’s most exciting craft distilleries.

For the Reids, this wasn’t their first adventure. Years earlier, their parents sold the family home, bought a sailboat, and homeschooled their kids while sailing across the Americas - a move that shaped their fearless, “make mistakes and have fun doing it” attitude.

What began with homebrewing and a love for craft beer evolved into a passion for gin, quality ingredients, and community. Today, Reid’s Distillery partners with foragers across Canada, teaches hundreds of hospitality students through a collaboration with George Brown College, and invites visitors into an open-concept “brand gallery” where you can taste, see, and experience the distilling process firsthand.

This conversation with Calvin and Graham is about family, risk-taking, and how a single email can change everything - especially when it’s signed “Love, Dad.”

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When brothers Dustin and Daniel Gelman opened their first burger shop at the height of the pandemic, they thought it would be a one-time thing - a small, simple spot built around good food and community. Five years later, that single location has turned into nine neighbourhood favourites, each one still holding onto that same mom-and-pop feel.

Having both spent years working across the restaurant industry, the brothers knew what they wanted to build, which was a place that felt like the diners they grew up watching in movies back home in the Philippines. A spot where people know your name, your order, and where the menu stays true to the classics.

Rosie’s Burgers is about connection, comfort, and family - from bringing in their younger brother to run operations, to carrying on their dad’s legacy through the now-viral banana pudding he convinced them to put on the menu. The Gelman brothers have built a business around consistency, care, and community - and they’ve never lost sight of why they started: to create a neighbourhood place that always feels like home.

In this conversation, Dustin and Daniel share how they’ve grown Rosie’s one burger, one memory, and one customer at a time - proving that simple done right never goes out of style.

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When David Baxter first dreamed of opening a small retail bakery in Liberty Village, he imagined a cozy 1,600-square-foot space serving locals. Instead, Circles and Squares evolved into something much bigger - a wholesale operation supplying some of Toronto’s most iconic spots, from the Four Seasons to the Mirvish theatres.

But David missed one thing: seeing people enjoy what he baked. Over the years, that vision expanded beyond wholesale. Circles and Squares now has multiple cafés across the city, each one serving as a neighbourhood hub where anyone can stop in for a butter tart, croissant, or cookie made with care. From longtime regulars to first-time visitors, every customer finds something that fits their mood because no matter how you’re feeling today, they’ve got an answer for that.

Today, Circles and Squares is known across Ontario for its butter tarts - a product David never imagined he’d make 20 years ago. What started as a small dream has become a bakery built on collaboration, creativity, and care. Whether it’s experimenting with 20% of the menu, scaling recipes from a dozen to a thousand, or embracing the lessons that come from failure, David and his team know that baking (like life) is about getting comfortable with imperfection.

This week, David shares why teamwork is the true secret ingredient, the grit of a bread maker and how a little care, a lot of precision, and a good scale can make all the difference.

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When Nicole Campbell and her friend Krysta Oben started Grape Witches, there was no business plan. Just a shared love of natural wine, a few wild ideas, and a belief that wine could bring people together in a new way.

What began as late-night tastings and “natural wine raves” turned into one of Toronto’s most joyful, community-driven wine collectives - a place where wine isn’t intimidating, it’s inclusive. Grape Witches challenges old-school thinking, celebrates hybrid grapes as the future of wine, and makes the world of natural wine accessible to anyone who’s curious.

Through collaboration, creativity, and a few truly chaotic ideas (including renting out Medieval Times for a wine event), Nicole and Krysta have built a brand that proves you don’t have to be perfect to start something meaningful - you just have to start.

I sat down with Nicole to talk about how Grape Witches pivoted during the pandemic to open the wine shop of their dreams, how she and Krysta balance friendship and business with the mantra “clarity is kindness,” and why, for them, wine is a vehicle for joy, connection, and community.

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It all started with an order of 300 banana butterscotch cupcakes with maple buttercream made by his mom. And from there, Ness Levy helped turn Short & Sweet into one of Toronto’s most beloved bakeries.
Sixteen years later, their very first customer still comes by, and the shop has become a safe, joyful space for everyone to celebrate - especially meaningful for Ness, who grew up with a nut allergy and wanted cupcakes to be inclusive for all.
In this heartfelt episode, Ness shares what it’s like to build a family business from scratch, the lessons learned when you have to “fake it til you bake it,” and the happy dances that remind him why every win matters. And along the way, he shares how one of our conversations even inspired a brand-new cupcake flavour.

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Tomer Markovitz didn’t take the easy route into the restaurant world. In fact, he nearly got fired five times from his first kitchen job. But instead of walking away, he stuck around and fell in love with the rhythm, energy, and chaos of hospitality.

For Tomer, food has always been about love. Love for his craft, his Libyan roots, and his daughter, Romi, who inspired the name of his Toronto bakery and café. Romi is also the first taste tester and has the final say on what’s “Romi-worthy.” If she doesn’t approve, it doesn’t make the menu.

In this conversation, Tomer talks about the lessons he’s learned from the kitchen to the front of house, why true love is hospitality, and how going back to the basics - and remembering your “why” - keeps everything grounded.

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At Jrew Creations, creativity comes in two forms: golden Jamaican patties and hand-stitched crochet. Co-founders Andrew Foster and Jaime Aludos built a business that blends their passions and heritages - Andrew’s family of cooks and Jaime’s love for crochet, inspired by her great-grandmother. 

Their journey hasn’t been easy. When their first storefront flooded, they watched helplessly front row, eating spring rolls as water filled the space - a memory so vivid they haven’t touched one since. But from that moment, they rebuilt stronger than ever.

Now, their store has become more than a space for food and fashion. It’s a place where communities collide. Patty lovers discover crochet art, crochet fans leave with warm patties, and strangers connect who might’ve crossed paths before but never met.

In this conversation, Andrew and Jaime share how they built something beautifully unconventional - a business stitched together with food, art, and a deep love for community.

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In many South Asian languages, Nani means grandmother and for Parry Sohi, she’s the heart behind every scoop.

What began as a cupcake truck has grown into Nani’s Gelato, a small-batch brand that handcrafts every scoop in-house and blends Asian, Indian, and Italian flavours into something completely its own. Inspired by the way his mother and grandmother cooked - fresh ingredients, daily care, and no shortcuts - Parry built a business grounded in love, precision, and flavour.

Every day starts with a spoonful, a taste test to make sure each batch meets his gold standard. And to ensure that same quality carries across all locations, he sends out mystery shoppers on a 50-point checklist - a kind of “undercover gelato squad” dedicated to keeping that Nani’s touch alive.

In this conversation, Parry shares how he’s building a brand that celebrates culture, family, and craftsmanship - one scoop at a time, all inspired by the love of a grandmother’s kitchen.

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For Leighton Walters, coffee isn’t just a drink. It’s where he found belonging. Growing up in Australia, cafés were a second home, a place where he discovered community, connection, and purpose.

But his story hasn’t been without struggle. After enduring more than 66 hospital visits growing up, that resilience shaped the way he sees the world and fuels his drive to create spaces where comfort and connection are always on the menu.

When he moved to Toronto, he brought that same spirit with him - along with quality ingredients Canadians had never tasted before. At Found Coffee, Leighton is on a mission to inspire change: rejecting low-quality industry staples, designing cafés around people instead of the other way around, and raising the bar for what a daily cup should be.

In this episode, Leighton shares his journey of building a new home in Canada, how his health challenges gave him perspective, and why bringing Canadians a truly great cup of coffee is about so much more than taste.

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