The Bread Spread

Recorded on April 22, 2021 - We speak with serial entrepreneur and chef Katy Chan who shares with us how she bridged her passion for food and love of design to create a life that allows her to value her profession as a restauranteur.

Record on May 4, 2021 - A vision for art, food and all spaces big and small, artist Aharon Ozery takes us through how his love of art paved the way to creating a life of continuous creativity in the restaurant and Sesame Butter manufacturing industry.

Recorded on May 11, 2021 - Mimi shares with us her journey into the cannabis retail world, which is just forming and is akin to the wild west. Prioritising the values of the company, she tries to bring an empathetic approach to everything she does, and it shows, as Superette continues to grow.

Recorded on April 20, 2021 - Obsessed with all things food, drink, including hospitality, we speak to Niki about her start in the food industry and how vision and hard-working ethics have helped her to be the neighbourhood spot people have grown to love.

Recorded on April 15, 2021 - Cheryl Torrance, a.k.a Uncle Chuck, shares with us her love of food and community. Having experienced a challenging time in her early adult life, she tells us how she now enjoys being invited to any dinner table to share in the everyday celebrations.

Recorded April 26, 2021 - Alon Ozery and Liza chat about why Alon wanted to start a podcast and how his sabbatical from Ozery Bakery has allowed him new ways to express his creativity, particularly when they defy logic. He shares the importance of investing in a brand and giving back and the importance of living an authentic life. We decided to turn the tables here at Upfront Toronto and provide a bit of insight into who we are. We take a closer look at Alon Ozery, using the same interview style we use with our guests. As Liza speaks with Alon, we learn about the importance of creativity in growing his business and how he feels the element of creativity diminishes as a business grows. We discuss why he wanted to start a podcast and how his sabbatical from Ozery Bakery has allowed him new ways to express his creativity, particularly when they defy logic. He shares how his love of food began as a child, with his grandmother and aunt making fresh pita in Israel. Family would gather and the sharing of food was a memorable experience. Those memories eventually sparked the idea for Pita Break, now known as Ozery Bakery, and eventually Parallel Brothers (of which he is a co-founder with his two brothers, Guy and Aharon). Parallel specializes in making sesame butter, AND they have a restaurant that showcases the sesame butter in all of their dishes. Alongside his brothers, these outlets allow Alon to share his love of food and hosting, while watching the enjoyment food brings to the people around him and beyond.

He shares the importance of investing in a brand and giving back and the importance of living an authentic life. He takes us through the trajectory of his life, how he realized that after a certain age that life doesn’t continue forever, at which point he began to question ‘what else?’.

His desire to connect includes a vision to link the city and Toronto Island with a pedestrian bridge and in the not-so-distant future he hopes to play host to a F*CK Covid street party, on Geary Avenue, with the businesses in the area.

Enjoy!

 

Recorded April 19, 2021 - Leo Baldassarre of Famiglia Baldassarre learned early that generosity is key to doing business, in addition to being an active part of the community. He shares stories that are sure to inspire and make you love pasta too! Famiglia Baldassarre is located in a hole in the wall on industrial Geary Avenue. The unassuming storefront is surrounded by a variety of artisan businesses, located just north of the train tracks.  Not only does Leo make one of the best pastas in the city, he also has a very interesting story. He started making pasta while living in his mothers basement. All he had was a table, a sink and a fridge. “That’s all you need to start a business,” he says. Initially selling to friends, he quickly knew he was onto something and soon after began selling pasta to Toronto’s top Italian restaurants.

Smell memory - When trying to mimic his Nonna’s sauce, he got very close to the taste that he remembered but there was something missing. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was. When a friend lit a cigarette in the neighbouring room the combination of the sauce and cigarette smoke took him back in time to his Nonna’s kitchen. That was the missing piece.

Covid was and still is a challenging time for him both personally and business wise. He feels that he has been in battle mode during the past year. With the restaurant industry being hit hard, Famiglia Baldassarre lost all of their wholesale business during the first week of Covid. It has forced him to stay present while navigating the uncertainty.

Famiglia Baldassarre is known for their lunch line-ups. But don’t be fooled; Leo explains, only one person is allowed into the store at one time (for the moment). The customer is never rushed and gets the full experience. All that a line-up means now, is what is necessary for businesses to survive. It means that they are doing just ok.

Leo’s advice for those entering a business or in the business, is invaluable. He learned early that generosity is key to doing business, in addition to being an active part of the community. He shares stories that are sure to inspire!

Recorded April 13, 2021 - Lesley Mattina of OMG Baked Goodness gives us a peek into the neighbourhood bakery that all families go to when celebrating occasions together. She shares her passion and relationship with the kitchen and her love of community. Lesley Mattina is the baker that kids have grown up to love, in her Dundas West neighbourhood. She opened OMG Baked Goodness in 2007 at 1561 Dundas Street West and has been baking from scratch every day since. She gives us a peek into the neighbourhood bakery that all families go to when celebrating occasions together.

Whenever she walks into a kitchen she feels as if it gives her a big hug. An average work week for her consists of a minimum of sixty hours. She shares her insights relating to commercial production bakeries and dispels the myth that frozen isn’t as good as fresh, with her Bake At Home products, in the OMG experience.

Her life and business philosophies are all about community. She lives around the corner from the OMG bakery and has an affinity for Christie Pits park, where she walked her dog. Trinity Bellwood is another favourite but is a bit wild for her these days.

If you want to get to know your local, hard working and conscientious neighbourhood baker, jump in and listen to our conversation. This woman has stamina!

You will enjoy it!

 

Recorded April 1, 2021 - We chat with Matias Balmaceda, owner of Completo, Latin American Churrasco Sandwiches and Tacos. Matias shares with us his story, his thoughts on city planning, his love of nature and proving that coming from hardship can pay off. We had the pleasure of interviewing Matias Balmaceda of Completo. Completo is a budding chain of fast casual Latin American restaurants. Matias and his ex-partner Bret proved the concept with a pop-up a few years ago in bustling Kensington Market, serving ‘Latin Fresh Fast Food’. Soon after they opened a tiny take-out location located at 5 Coady Avenue in Leslieville, which has an intimate and inviting front patio. They prepare made to order inexpensive sandwiches and tacos, which are loaded with avocado, salsa and your choice of protein. One of our favourites is ‘The Veggie’, a house made chickpea/black bean patty on a toasted bun, which is one of the best vegetarian sandwiches in the city, in our opinion. I'm told that the pork and steak sandwiches are also amazing! Even the fries are done just right; nice and crispy with the right amount of salt. The energy and service is always great, at both the Coady location and the new location at 337 Broadview Avenue. Matias still visits Kensington Market for Peruvian food from a woman that makes "incredible'' dishes, located on Baldwin, the north side closer to Augusta.

In this episode Matias shares with us his story, his thoughts on city planning, his love of nature and proving that coming from hardship can pay off. He is of Chiliean background and tells us that the first thing he does when visiting Chile is to get a loaded Churrasco Sandwich. Unable to cure that craving in Toronto, he opened his own place making the Classic Churrasco Sandwich the main feature. Matias is the classic entrepreneur and a self proclaimed ‘masochist’. He is always positive, while working his ass off, and with his partner Andrea, they make things happen.

 

Recorded April 1, 2021 - David Mattachioni, owner of Mattachioni Restaurant shares his passion behind the business, his upbringing, work history and why Kensington Market is his favourite neighbourhood. In this episode we talk with David Mattachioni who is the founder of Mattachioni Restaurant, located at 1617 Dupont Street in the Junction (the Triangle) and a new location located at 1501 Gerrard Street East near Coxwell Avenue. He makes the best sourdough based pizzas and bread. The restaurant portion turned bodega/store portion (since Covid) takes us back to Italy (even though Alon’s never been). Mattachioni’s goal is "to make the world a better place and become a centre for our neighbourhood and neighbours". He is a master at creating a sense of family and community at his locations. He shared with us that neighbours use the restaurant address for their package delivery because they are always there. When someone visits Mattachioni, it feels as if it’s a second home. A home with fresh pizza, crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside, like sourdough bread, with the best tomato sauce. We talk to David about his days bussing at The Octopus and being the main pizza guy at Terroni’s for 14 years. He also spent a couple years in Prince Edward County making pizza at Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard. He opened a second location during Covid, which is a testament to the quality of food and service that he and his team provide.

In this Episode we discuss David’s upbringing, work history and why Kensington Market is his favourite neighbourhood. You can find Mattachioni on social media.

We were very excited to have David join us on Upfront Toronto. We think you will enjoy this one!

David Mattachioni of Mattachioni Restaurant

www.mattachioni.com

Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mattachioni/