Food Shopping on Broadway

I rarely shop at supermarkets any more. I prefer to shop at small stores where I can support local owners and find all sorts of unexpected food pleasures.

One of my favourite streets for shopping is Broadway Avenue. Not only are there lots of great restaurants, there are also some great places to buy food to take home. Here are just a few of my favourites.

Steep Hill Food Co-op
Steep Hill Food Co-op isn’t a big store, but they offer everything from organic, fair trade chocolate bars to veggie sausages and pâté, and a large selection of ready-made Indian dinners.


Take the time to look around because there are always some surprises – like Tyrrell’s English Crips in all sorts of unusual flavours (Worcestershire sauce and sun-dried tomato).


Bulk Cheese Warehouse
Bulk Cheese Warehouse is one of my favourite stores because I love cheese. Cathy Engel, one of the store’s managers, pointed out some of their newer products, such as a wide selection of Greek cheeses and house-smoked Canadian Mapledale cheddar. All the goat and sheep cheeses are on one shelf to make it easier for people with allergies to find them.


The deli section has been expanded, and they sell Mario’s gelati from British Columbia (spumoni, mango, green tea, cappuccino cookie, coconut). There is also locally-made fudge and chocolate bark with peppermint and almond-cranberry flavours for the holiday season.


Herbs ‘N’ Health Foodport
Herbs ‘n’ Health has lots of vitamins and health products, but they also have a large selection of natural beauty products (shampoo, facial cleansers) and food. There are lots of different grains and beans as well as canned soups and sauces.


I was excited to find a bag of dried chestnuts as they’re a great addition to a winter stew. They also had kits and seeds for growing your own sprouts.


Il Secondo
My impulse purchase at Il Secondo was a Saskatoon berry Danish, but I was also pleased to learn that they offer daily soup, salad and sandwich combos – and the soup is always vegetarian!


There was housemade organic whole grain granola, veggie rolls and spelt pies, onion and cracked pepper cream cheese spread, and sundried tomato tapenade in the cooler.

Calories
My last stop on Broadway is always Calories so that I can pick up a decadent dessert. The chocolate hazelnut cheesecake is my standard, but it can be hard to resist the other cakes, cheesecakes and squares. You can also take home a loaf of wild rice bread, and there are candies, scones and other treats as well.


Mini Holiday
Don’t forget to stop in at Las Palapas Mercado for a dose of tropical sunshine.

And, if you’re exhausted after all your shopping, sit down, relax and sip a glass of wine at Calories, Duck Duck Goose, or Weczeria’s. Enjoy!

See also:
Sushiro and Duck Duck Goose
Weczeria Reopens
Bulk Cheese Warehouse
Il Secondo
Las Palapas Mercado

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