Fifth Town’s retail shop (Image: Sutha Kamal)

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company, the much-loved artisanal Prince Edward County cheese company, has wound down its operations—for now at least. Founder Petra Kassun-Mutch made the announcement on Facebook:

“Over the past two years, I watched the colour slowly drain out of something that was special [and] innovative and [that] pushed the envelope on several important environmental and social fronts–and something I felt was possible because of all the things others had taught me along the way. Now [there’s] nothing left to drain. The doors have closed on FT. My gratitude to all the staff, present and former, and the community who participated in making it happen over the past four years, and a special thanks to those who tried to tough it out in hopes of a better next phase. Even with doors closed, and whether you loved it or were of the ‘Told you so’ crowd, we together created something positive that will, in spite of its physical closing, endure for years to come.”

Kassun-Mutch stepped down as president last year, and the interim president, Christine Legein, told Post City that while the company has not completely shut down, it has ceased wholesale production of cheese as it attempts to restructure. Founded by Kassun-Mutch in 2002 on 20 acres of farmland, Fifth Town was a true innovator. Its 4,800-square-foot facility won a LEED Platinum accreditation in 2009, and its idiosyncratic cheeses with quirky monikers—Bonnie and Floyd, Morning Moon, Nettles Gone Wild—had (and still have) a devoted following. The company’s website has announced that the retail store in Picton will remain open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a full range of inventory for the time being.

(Image: Dominic Bugatto from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

It looks like the Real Jerk’s long, drawn-out tenancy saga is about to come to an end—the last chance to grab a roti at the Riverside institution will be May 31. The Caribbean restaurant, which fought an eviction notice earlier this year and won a reprieve in February, will be out of its Queen Street East location by the end of the month, according to a report in the National Post. In March, owners Ed and Lily Pottinger were ordered to pay the courts an extra $5,700, the difference between what the Pottingers were paying in rent and the amount the building’s erstwhile new tenants had agreed to hand over to the building’s owner, Bill Mandelbaum (there were rumours an Irish pub was going to open on the site). Ed assured the Post that they had reached an “amicable solution with the landlord” and that they’d announce a new location soon. The Pottingers say they’ve been checking out nearby properties, so perhaps the Real Jerk’s sunny mural will once again beam down on customers on Queen East. [National Post]

Brad Long at last year’s Toronto Taste (Image: Renée Suen)

After almost five years, chef Brad Long is quietly handing over Veritas, his “local fare” restaurant on King Street East, to the owners of neighbouring bar Betty’s. Noting the lack of drama in the restaurant’s closing, Long tells us, “It’s not a very sexy story, sorry. But my landlord and partner asked me to sell so they can do something else, and they’ve always been great to me, so I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ ” Long was quick to add, “It’s not like I don’t have enough to do.” By which he means, of course, his bustling Café Belong at the Evergreen Brick Works. “I’ll definitely be concentrating on the café—it’s going crazy, and as far as I’m concerned, it still needs my full attention.” But it seems one business is not enough for Long: “There are certainly other projects going on but I don’t think any will be ready for quite a while.”

One of the partners behind the new project is Alex Bartlett. He’s the current GM of Betty’s—a King East institution since 1992, loved for its long beer list, summer patio and classic bar fare—and was recently spotted at a local antique shop, picking up old industrial light fixtures and a pair of swinging saloon doors. It looks like an extreme makeover is in the works. As for the menu: out goes the local and fine fare of Veritas and in comes something more along the lines of Betty’s standard pub grub. Bartlett hopes to open the doors of this new watering hole sometime mid-summer.

(Image: Signe Langford)

Living and breathing no more, L.A.B., the often-experimental College Street restaurant, shuttered last week after two years. The reason? It turns out owner and chef Howard Dubrovsky has a mean case of creative ADD—that and, he admits, the College Street address might not have been the best business decision he’s ever made. “I just don’t think that end of College was the right spot for this concept. I can see a sushi place or something doing amazingly there, but it just wasn’t the right place for me.”

After two years in his molecularly inclined kitchen, the award-winning pastry chef is ready for something new, though he’s not sure what just yet. “I’ve had some interesting offers—I’m sort of imagining a dive bar, but then I think about the wine business, and I’d love to do a book, but mostly, right now, all I want to do is nap,” he tells us. “Closing a restaurant is like breaking up, there’re a lot of feelings. There’s some relief in not having to worry about all the little things that would keep me up at night but at the same time, I kind of don’t have a purpose right now.” L.A.B. was Dubrovsky’s first restaurant, and he soon discovered that as owner he was spending much of his 80-hour workweeks doing anything but cooking. “I did it all as needed: dishwashing, accounting, payroll, shopping for last-minute groceries.” So while he’s keeping mum about what the future holds, he is saying this much: “In my next venture, I’d like to be a cook again.”

(Image: Josh Evnin)

After more than 50 years of purveying pork and selling salami, Kensington Market institution European Quality Meats and Sausages will close on April 7. Larry Leider, son of septuagenarian founder Morris Leider, told the Toronto Star that both rising property values and the shift towards locavore meat sellers prompted the family to consider selling up. After “testing the waters” of the real estate market earlier this month (with a reported $1.8 million asking price), they received “an offer we couldn’t refuse,” he said. The new occupants are not butchers, but fans needn’t despair—European’s Etobicoke and Brampton locations will remain open. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »

TO THE TORONTO READERS

The Courts decision on Monday was surprising and and quite disappointing in the judicial process.

It was obviously based on sentiment, not law.

The lawyer for the Real Jerk did not present ANY evidence to support their desire to prevent the proper termination notice that was given to them on December 30th, 2011 to move by January 31st, 2012.

What they presented was heresay, he said, she said testimony and a lease dated 1995 that was missing some of the pages and the signature page which relects a duly executed contract.

What WE presented was a Purchase & Sale agreement that was signed by the previous owner indicated that the Real Jerk’s tenancy was a monthly tenancy. Also a Tenant’s Acknowledgement confirming the monthly tenancy that was signed by Mrs. Pottinger, the co-owner of the Real Jerk

The decision is astonishing.

It’s a sad day for small business people like myself, or for that matter anyone else, who buys a property and deals with it within the law, then has the judicial system, who supposibly is there to protect them, make a decison without legal merit.

All legal avenues will be used to overturn this decision and any and all damages as a result of this will be aggressively sought after.

Bill Mandelbaum

(Image: Amber Dawn Pullin)

The eviction saga that cast Real Jerk owners Ed and Lily Pottinger as Davids against Bill Mandelbaum’s Goliath is over (for now, at least). A judge has granted an injunction that will allow the Caribbean restaurant to stay at the corner of Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue until the end of the year, though Ed told reporters he would be looking to move before then: “I just wanted a little more time to relocate, and I now have that. Whatever happens from now on, I’m going to be looking for a new place…hopefully in the neighbourhood.”

We predict that move will come sooner rather than later, because the rent is apparently about to go up. Way up. Mandelbaum had already lined up a new pair of tenants for the space, Rick Aulier and Scott Brockington, who were willing to pay $12,000 a month to house a new Irish pub. The decision gives the Pottingers and Mandelbaum a month to hammer out a new lease, but if they can’t come to an alternative agreement (and let’s face it, these parties haven’t agreed on much lately), the Pottingers will have to pony up the full $12,000—a big jump from the current rent of $6,300. For their part, Aulier and Brockington, who had planned to open their pub in time for St. Patrick’s Day, are out of luck. Perhaps The Real Jerk could throw some green beer onto the menu as a consolation prize?

• Real Jerk wins eviction reprieve [National Post]

Steve Gonzalez and Nick Liu at the What’s on the Table fundraiser for the Stop (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Last week we reported that Nick Liu is leaving Niagara Street Café to open his own place, an Asian brasserie. As it turns out, he’s not gone quite yet—he’ll be manning the stoves until January 29, at which point he makes way for Top Chef Canada contestant Steve Gonzalez, who’s filled in for Liu at the café on several occasions in the past. But the bigger news is that after owning the quiet restaurant off the main King Street strip for almost eight years, Anton Potvin is casting about for buyers.

“There are a number of interested parties,” Potvin tells us, “but nothing concrete yet.” Although he’d love to find a buyer who’ll do justice to the cozy, intimate feel he’s worked hard to create at the café, Potvin says he’s agnostic regarding whether they maintain the name or concept. And while he remains in charge of the wine program at the Harbord Room, he tells us he’s selling the business to pursue other opportunities outside the dining scene—although he doesn’t rule out a return in the future. “It’s gonna be sad,” he says of his quickly approaching last day as owner. “It’s gonna hit me all at once. I don’t think I will have prepared myself emotionally for it yet!”

Niagara Street Café, 169 Niagara St., 416-703-4222, niagarastreetcafe.com

(Image: Amber Dawn Pullin)

After Riverside landmark The Real Jerk announced it was being forced to close its doors (as a result of its building being sold), it didn’t take long for the restaurant’s many fans to speak out, hoping against hope that their beloved oxtail might be saved. This weekend, owners Ed and Lily Pottinger launched a campaign to protest the closure, urging diners to share their experiences at the Caribbean eatery and to sign the following petition (h/t The Grid):

“We the udersigned encourage the Mayor & City Council to help protect family run businesses like The Real Jerk. This landmark business was a pioneer in the Queen an Broadview neighbourhood.  The Real Jerk helped to revitalize this neighbourhood. Now the Real Jerk needs our help. Any future development in this neighbourhod needs to consider the vital role that small family-run business play in building and maintainig the quality of life for all residents.”

We give the campaign kudos for passion and determination (if not for spelling), but we’re wondering what can actually be done, since Bill Mandelbaum of Buckingham Properties, which has bought the building, has no obligation to renew The Real Jerk’s lease. Still, the protest rages on: staff and owners gathered today at 11:30 a.m., placards in tow, in front of that iconic smiling sun.

(Image: The Real Jerk)

The iconic smiling sun that’s shone down on the corner of Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue for the last 22 years is about to set—and soon. Over Christmas, the building that houses The Real Jerk was sold to Bill Mandelbaum of Buckingham Properties, and rumour has it the restaurant is slated for demolition to make way for yet another condo development. Sure, it always seemed a little cheesy, and it stuck out a little in dreary grey wintertime, but the gaudy corrugated tin mural and beaming sun (the latter painted by Jamaican artist Tony Green) is a true Riverside landmark.

Owners Ed and Lily Pottinger are lying low while they consider their options, but Ed did make this statement on the restaurant’s Facebook page:

It is with heavy hearts that we send this message to all of you. Our building has unexpectedly been sold on Dec 30, 2011 and the new owner has issued an order to move as of Jan 31, 2012. We would have hoped to stay longer, long enough for us to secure a new location but this will not be feasible. While we fight the unfair order we sadly must prepare for the real possibility that our days are numbered at the corner of Queen & Broadview, a location we have very much loved for 22 years. On behalf of both Lilly and I, my manager Natalie and The Real Jerk staff I want to thank you for your loyalty and support. It has been our distinct pleasure to be part of the Riverside neighbourhood and business community. We are committed to building our restaurant again and hope you will visit us as soon as we open our new doors.

The Jamaican-born couple opened the first Jerk at Queen and Greenwood in 1984 but soon moved to the current location. The spot’s festive decor and authentic food and atmosphere made it beloved of locals and a destination for many, including the likes of Wesley Snipes, Jack Layton, Michael Jackson, Serena Williams and LL Cool J. Manager Natalie Williams told us she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of well wishes from Real Jerk regulars, not to mention the non-stop media interest. “Ed and Lilly are in Jamaica,” she said. “That’s where they were when the notice was delivered on New Year’s Day. Not a very nice way to start the New Year.”

Our advice to the legions of Real Jerk fans: keep your eyes peeled for that smiling sun. Williams says it’s going to be salvaged before the wrecking ball arrives. As for the food, get it while you can—who knows how long it’ll be before you can dig into a plate of that silky, fatty, finger-licking delicious oxtail again?

(Image: The Cook’s Place)

After supplying Toronto with coveted Japanese knives, top-of-the-line cookware and innumerable last-minute foodie gifts for 14 years, Barbara Ackerman, owner of The Cook’s Place, is shuttering her Danforth Avenue fixture for good in order to spend more time with her five-month-old grandchild. “Running this shop has made me a part of so many families in the neighbourhood,” she told us. “What I sell is about feeding the family, and to be able to share that with my customers has been incredible.”

As loyal customers hear the news, they’re dropping by and sending emails expressing sadness and gratitude and, most likely, eyeballing the stock—Ackerman plans on deep discounts starting in February. “I want to get everything sold by the third week in March,” she said. In the meantime, the New York native is taking a little time off to reunite with some friends from her old Ocean Parkway neighbourhood in Brooklyn. “When I was growing up in Brooklyn and you entered someone’s house, they would always ask, ‘Jeet?’ That means, ‘Did you eat?’ But you’ve got to say it with a New York accent. You see, I come from food.” Ackerman tells us she’s feeling sad about closing up shop, but not conflicted: “It’s the right thing to do at this point in my life.”

The Cooks Place, 501 Danforth Ave., 416-461-5211, thecooksplace.com.

Granowska’s has presided over the corner of Roncesvalles and Fern for 39 years (Image: Joey deVilla)

On the morning of Thursday, June 13, 1972, after three straight days of baking, Elizabeth Klodas and her mother Maria opened the doors to Granowska’s Bakery on Roncesvalles, which they named after the family bakery they left behind in Poland. “That first day, we sold out in five hours,” she told us. “We were both so happy but then started crying when we realized we had to start baking all over again! We thought we had baked enough to last the weekend!” Now, after nearly 40 years in business, the bakery will be closing its doors for good at the end of the month.

Elizabeth and, eventually, her daughter Kathy ran the shop, supplying hungry Torontonians and visitors like Pope John Paul II with some of the best paczki and rum babkas around. “My mom wants to retire now, and I want to respect her wishes,” Kathy said. “Plus, ingredient costs are constantly rising, margins are getting smaller and we’ve noticed that desserts aren’t as popular as they once were.” The building has been sold to a family that’s looking to turn the space into a flower shop. Kathy told us she believes it’s better to be remembered when you’re at the top of your game than to stick around past your due. Still, this might not be the end for the Roncesvalles staple: Kathy is contemplating eventually rekindling the Granowska’s flame online or even at another brick-and-mortar location—after she’s finished penning a Klodas family cookbook.

Granowska’s Bakery will close on December 31.

(Image: Jon Sufrin)

After just under a year in business, it seems that Inigo, the churrasqueira at the foot of Trinity Bellwoods Park, has shut its doors. Owner and chef Carlos Hernandez told Now’s Steven Davey that problems with his landlord were partly to blame, as were difficulties sourcing quality free-range chicken. Being across from the park didn’t help in the way of foot traffic either, apparently. And sadly, it doesn’t look like Hernandez will be opening another restaurant any time soon. Read the entire article [Now] »