Food + Drink Spring 2022

Decadent cakes, hearty mushrooms and eatery news you can use.

March 29, 2022 | Janice Quirt | Food + Drink

The Grammy Di chocolate Bundt cakes are available in an original iced version or the “Plain Jane” as shown here.

Grammy Di’s Chocolate Bundt cake

Mulmur’s Jackson Oswald so believes in the chocolate Bundt cakes his grandmother, Dianna Oswald, makes, he started a business – Grammy Di Cakes – to share them with others.

Grammy Di first started baking the moist, luscious cakes 55 years ago and they continue to be beloved by her children, grandchildren and friends. Jackson launched the business in October after graduating from university. One of Dianna’s sons, Jackson’s Uncle Chris, is the CFO.

The moist, rich Bundt works as an everyday dessert or a special occasion treat, he says. “When I was a kid, birthdays at Grammy’s were the best because that meant Grammy Di’s chocolate cake with a twist – she baked money inside, so we were always searching for toonies and loonies,” says Jackson. “My favourite way to enjoy a slice is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – Kawartha Dairy complements it the best.”

Now we can all enjoy frosted or unfrosted chocolate Bundt cakes for birthdays, Sunday night dinners or other celebrations. Cakes come in 7-inch and 10-inch sizes. Want to try it before buying a whole one? It’s coming soon to the dessert menu at Rustik Local Bistro in Orangeville. Delivery is available within a 20-kilometre radius of the bakery at Airport Road and 5 Sideroad. Cakes can be frozen and are peanut- and nut-free, with no added preservatives or artificial flavours, of course – Grammy Di knows what she’s doing.

Produce Alert: Garlic tasting kit

Albion Hills Community Farm now has an online store featuring winter produce and baked goods. We’re tempted by the Garlic Tasting kit with six of the farm’s organic garlic bulbs labelled by variety, including Ukrainian, Italian, Sicilian, Korean, Persian and Salt Spring. Sounds to us like a garlic bread taste test waiting to happen.

It’s all in the delivery!

Shelburne’s Shine Baking Co. has made a name for itself as a local go-to for vegan, gluten-free and nut-free breads, cookies and cakes. Now they’re moving beyond their farmers’ market work to offer a wider range of pickup and delivery fare. Owner Rosie Cornelius has added pizzas, quiches, soups, Buddha bowls, “cheese” sauces for pasta and much more to her menu of bakery hits.

Our favourite beer makers now offer delivery across Headwaters – some with fees waived for minimum orders. In addition to the lagers, ales and sours you’re after, watch for clever subscription packages from Caledon Hills Brewing Co., Sonnen Hill Brewery and Badlands Brewing Company to keep you in the know about new brews. At GoodLot Farmstead Brewing Co.’s site, you can add merchandise to your cart, including caps, T-shirts and branded golf discs (they’ll be useful when GoodLot’s recently expanded disc golf course reopens in May).

Cherry blossom, sun oyster and blue oyster mushrooms grown by Whispering Pines Mushrooms.

Mushroom mavens

Creemore has a new stop for fungi fans. Renee and Antony Brlec opened Whispering Pines Mushrooms on Mill Street in Creemore in December 2021 after connecting with shoppers at the Creemore Farmers’ Market. The couple started growing on a large scale about two years earlier and now also sells wholesale to restaurants and CSA programs.

The store offers a dizzying array of fresh-picked mushrooms, which are cultivated indoors on organic and sterile substrates in controlled environments, and then packaged in market boxes to extend shelf life. Intriguing – and visually stunning – varieties include the bright yellow sun oyster mushroom, which Renee and Antony say has a buttery flavour, and the cherry blossom oyster mushroom, which is pink, dense and meaty.

The shop also stocks mushroom coffee and tea blends, powders, tinctures, pickled mushrooms, grow kits, chocolates, honey, black fermented garlic and artisanal drinks.

Alton’s new Gather Café at Headwaters Wellness offers salads, wraps and wood-fired pizza.

New spots to visit

Come for the yoga and osteopathy, stay for lunch and coffee. Natalie and Craig Kipling recently added a full café to their Headwaters Wellness in Alton. Gather Café features wood-fired pizza, salads, wraps and breakfast items. This version of wellness includes a coffee bar, sweet treats and ice cream too. “Gather Café is a neighbourhood café where happiness, health and community come together,” says Natalie.

At Avani Rolls and Bowls on Main Street East in Shelburne, customers choose from a range of burrito-inspired bowls and poutine, but with savoury toppings such as tikka masala and butter chicken. Packed with protein and vegetables, these are fun and satisfying takeaway meals.

Inglewood’s new Lost Bear Market – a sister operation to the village’s Coywolf Coffee also on McLaughlin Road – is a one-stop shop for homemade soup, freshly made sandwiches, and frozen stews and lasagnes. You’ll also find local and artisanal staples including milk, eggs, cereal and nut butters – and don’t miss the refrigerated jars of Inglewood-made Wild Culture Ferments sauerkraut and kimchi.

After 20 years of bringing roasted coffee to Creemore and area, the Creemore Coffee Company is setting up shop. You’ll find Creemore Coffee Roastery Store at the old community centre beside the post office in New Lowell. Owner Louise Priest has gathered local hits – Alba Lisa Mexican products out of Alliston and Creemore’s Damn Good Dips – and sourced others from out of area: bagels and blueberry buns from Toronto-based Gryfe’s Bagel Bakery, Scarborough’s Fahmee Bakery Jamaican patties, Parviz Bakery African hand pies from Oakville, pizzas from Barrie’s Pie Wood Fired Pizza Joint.

Drop by for a fresh cup of java, roasted by Louise’s husband, Trevor, paired with a quick bite and take-home gourmet picks for later. “The delicious smell overload coupled with the education on coffee is what makes coming here so much fun,” says Louise.

A shift at Spirit Tree

Change is in the air at Caledon’s Spirit Tree Estate Cidery. Owner Tom Wilson recently announced the shop’s indoor bistro space will now hold only private events. They’ll host their own ticketed dinners – think inventive menus paired with ciders – and offer the space for private functions.

Until the weather warms up, the ever-changing bistro menu – and their regular Friday and Saturday pizza nights – is entirely takeaway. Order everything from a burger with aged cheddar on a brioche bun and house-made frites to a charcuterie box online or at the bar in the shop.

By late spring, the cidery’s outdoor bistro bar will be open and ready for customers with service at two dozen picnic tables, each seating up to six guests. About 10 tables will be under a marquee tent. A covered porch area will also be available for private functions of up to 30 guests. “This latest evolution we are announcing will continue that long tradition of great products and knowledgeable service to our faithful customers,” says Tom.