Posted on

Danforth East Arts Fair Applications Now Up

Not to be confused with the Art of the Danforth Art Walk (April 23rd – May 2nd) the artists application for the Danforth East Arts Fair (Sep 18-19th) is ready!

The Danforth East Arts Fair will be held at East Lynn Park on September 18 and 19, 2010. This high-quality show grew from consistent demand for crafts at the Danforth East Community Association’s weekly farmers’ market.
Our inaugural arts fair, held in September 2009, attracted approximately 2,000 people per day. Artists from our own neighbourhood and from as far away as Peterborough and Sarnia shared their wares.  People were thrilled to have a new event in their community.
Join us this year: Grab an ice cream cone, a cappuccino or brunch, and then come wander through the park. Pick up some some soap, some new art, and maybe even a few Christmas presents to stash away early!

Posted on

Danforth Gem – Celena’s Bakery

By Gillian Grace

So fresh-pastry-starved was Danforth East, that I suspect we would have been grateful for any bakery. But Celena’s, which is having its grand opening this weekend, is not just any bakery — it’s a really good one. A worthy croissant can be hard to find in Toronto, but theirs is rich and buttery; the chocolate croissant (available only on weekends) is the decadent, Parisian ideal.

As any specs-wearing customer can attest, everything is made fresh daily, in house (to arrive on a Saturday morning is to experience temporary, albeit fragrant, blindness as your glasses fog up from the baking). An open plan kitchen lets you see the fresh loafs as they’re brought out from the oven. The interior is laid out for perfect sunny morning lolling, with lots of space for strollers and a wheelchair-accessible washroom.

It’s run by husband-and-wife team Celena and Richard, who met at the culinary management program at George Brown. Running a bakery of her own has been Celena’s dream since she was 16, and, when the couple started to get serious about their business plan, friends urged them to open in the neighbourhood. The two spent four months gut-renovating a former framing store, and soft-opened February 6th. Most mornings, they’re in the store kneading and mixing by 4:45 a.m.

So far, the whole wheat bread (baked in a tin to lend it the shape and height of a traditional sandwich loaf) is one of their more popular items, as is a roasted garlic sourdough (try it for an extra-tangy grilled cheese). Celena and Richard make all their own preserves, which they use to make the filling for their Danishes. Also much adored are their scones, which come in three kinds, blueberry-chocolate, strawberry and cheese. Place a special order for birthday cakes and larger numbers of cupcakes; individual cupcakes and smaller gâteaux are up for grabs in the fridge.

Up next? Celena’s is hoping to introduce meat and chicken pot pies, joining other savoury offerings such as a daily soup and pizza, as well as espresso, lattes and cappuccinos.

Posted on

Community Workshops

My son and I attended one of the Art of the Danforth community workshops on the weekend and it was terrific.  Led by artist, Heidi Popsil, we made silhouettes (to be part of the installation on the outside of the Coxwell library) and painted flags to be part of the ‘Tibetan prayer flag’ installation at the Big Hole at Woodbine and Danforth.  I think it will be wonderful for my son to walk along during the Art of the Danforth and see his artwork there along with all the other artists.

There are several more of the free family workshops at the Coxwell library.  Families of all kinds are welcome to attend these one-off workshops.  If you missed this one, there are five more chances to take part!  And that’s not all there are lots of community workshops happening in advance of the art walk.

Check out all of the free workshops that are available this month!

FAMILY ARTS WORKSHOPS

Folk artist Heidi Pospisil will lead families in making colorful life sized silhouettes and multi-colored flags to be strung  together in dramatic display. All workshops at Coxwell Public Library, 1675 Danforth (just east of Coxwell)  Space is limited! If interested, please sign up at the library reference desk or by calling 416-393-7783.

Wednesday, March 10 – 6pm to 8pm
Friday, March 19 – 2pm to 4pm (March break)
Saturday, March 20 – 2pm to 4pm (March break)
Wednesday, March 24 – 6pm to 8pm
Wednesday, March 31 – 6pm to 8pm

EAST DANFORTH PEOPLE AND PLACES

All workshops at LucSculpture Studio & School, 663 Greenwood, just N of Danforth)
Join multidisciplinary artist Gomo George in sifting through facts, gossip and feelings about places and people in this area.   Come prepared with your contributions to be woven into displays that explore who and what make up this strip.

Thursday March 18, 6:30 – 8:30 PM – Special focus on the Roxy / Allanby Theatre
Thursday March 25, 6:30 – 8:30 PM – Special focus on the Linnsmore & Crossroads Taverns
Sunday April 4    10 am – noon –
Thursday April 8, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Thursday April 15, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE EMPTY STORES?

We’ve tried very hard over the past year to connect with the owners of the empty stores along the Art of the Danforth walk site.  Surprisingly, many of the owners of these stores are inaccessible, not even trying to rent out the sites.  Now, we would NEVER suggest we intrude on their private property with mounting some ghostly silhouettes on their outer windows.  That’s why we’re just going to talk about it.

Thursday March 11, 6:30-8:30 at LucSculpture Studio & School, 663 Greenwood
Wednesday April 7, 6:30-8:30 at Community Centre 55, 97 Main Street (@ Gerrard)

Posted on

The Nosh News

Read All About It

I became a ‘facebook friend’ of the True Brew Cafe (2116 Danforth)  and it’s really torture because every day I get an update of what’s in the oven and it always sounds delicious.  This was the latest one…

Carrot cake with cream cheese icing! Pecan cinnamon buns! Oatmeal chocolate chip bars! Vegetarian French Canadian Pea Soup today (contains no French Canadians). Grilled classic tuna salad sandwich or Grilled hummus, tomato and spinach sandwich.

I’m also a ‘friend’ of Relish Bar and Grill.  They don’t provide the daily dose of temptation, but they do provide updates about what’s happening.

Celena’s Bakery Grand Opening

Celena’s Bakery will be hosting the ‘official’ grand opening next weekend (March 13/14).  It’s at 2036 Danforth and it’s fabulous.  There will be lots of free samples to try so if you haven’t been, you  might want to drop by.  If you have been, you might want to drop by!

Carter’s Ice Cream …

…is back as of Easter Weekend (Good Friday is March 30th).  You know what that means?  Spring!

Posted on

M Cubed and Sam

If you read this blog regularly, you know at least a little bit about Mary Margaret McMahon. She’s a tireless advocate for our neighbourhood and our planet.  And today she’s on the front page of the Toronto Star. Speaking of the Star; Joe Fiorito wrote this little piece about the demise of the post office at Coxwell and Danforth this week.

Danforth Gem – Sam’s Hairstyling

Diana, one of our Farmers’ Market team sent along this recommendation for local kid hair cuts.

“There are actually 3 “Sam’s” between Monarch Park and Woodbine, but the one I go to is located beside Quattro Regazze.  Sam is a Sicilian barber, and he even has a little seat for kids to get their haircut.  My son’s haircuts are amazing.  Sam is fast (under 10 mins), precise, and has enough skill to do the job without using the scary buzzer.  My advice is to not go on a Saturday morning as the place is hopping with locals waiting to get a trim.  Daddy gets his do done there too–it’s usuaslly a dad and son morning out followeded by spaghetti at Quattro Regazze.”

Posted on

Big Hole Meeting Tonight

Reminder: tonight is the official community consultation meeting regarding the development at Danforth and Woodbine.  Attending the meeting will be: Councillor Bussin, representatives for the developer and City of Toronto Planner, Tine Major, lmajor@toronto.ca.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010 – 7 – 9 p.m.

Terry Fox Community Centre, 2 Gledhill Ave.

For more information, contact Councillor Sandra Bussin’s office at 416-392-1376 or councillor_bussin@toronto.ca

**************’

Below is the letter that DECA sent to Councillor Bussin regarding this development as a result of DECA’s community meeting and discussions on the blog.

Councillor Bussin,

Thank you for participating in the Danforth East Community Association’s meeting regarding the proposed re-zoning of the site at Woodbine and Danforth.

Residents in this community are intensely interested in developments along the Danforth.  In fact, DECA has taken the unusual step of forming a Business Revitalization Team that provides professional consultation and expertise to help local businesses with everything from graphic and store design to marketing and retailing guidance.  In the case of this development, residents are particularly interested in seeing a viable, beautiful, dynamic building because since the horrific fire in 2001, this address has been a blight on our neighbourhood.

There is no doubt; a building of this size is out of character with the existing streetscape.  As such, DECA respectfully requests that the interests of the wider community be given serious consideration and that DECA be consulted on an ongoing basis throughout the process.

The taller the building the greater the impact on our neighbourhood; notwithstanding any discord there may be about the height of the building, there are a number of areas where the community is wholly in agreement:

  • A quality retail space with high ceilings and extensive windows to attract high end tenants
  • An increased parking ratio especially regarding visitor parking and ensuring new parking for retail shops
  • Building to the City of Toronto’s Green Standards and consultation with DECA’s Green Committee regarding native trees, bicycle parking, a green roof and sustainable energy practices
  • The ability for local artists to use the retail space at no cost until leasing is complete
  • Attention to façade detail in the podium to ensure consistency with the existing three and four floor commercial strip
  • A unique top to the building, perhaps using LED lighting on the Danforth side
  • Consultation with DECA regarding Section 37 funding projects

We look forward to working with your office, the City planning department and the developer on this project.