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All stories relating to Whole Foods

Top Chef Texas crew spotted in Vancouver, presumably filming the finale

(Image: heydrienne)

Rain, Lululemon, hippies and now… Top Chef? Eater drew our attention to a series of tweets that suggest the entire Top Chef Texas crew is filming the show’s finale in that most Texan of cities, Vancouver. Judges Tom Colicchio and Emeril Lagasse were allegedly spotted dining at Hawksworth, while Owen Lightly, a catering chef, tweeted that he “Saw a bunch of contestants from Top Chef Texas in Whole Foods on Cambie today shopping for ingredients.” If the rumours are true (and it seems like they are), that would mean the Lone Star State ponied up $400,000 to host the series and was then shut out of the finale. Does that qualify as messing with Texas? Read the entire story [Eater] »

The Informer

Gimme Shelter

December 30, 2011 | 1:05 pm

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Condomonium: $899,900 for a three-bedroom penthouse suite overlooking the Oakville lakeshore

ADDRESS: 60 Old Mill Road

NEIGHBOURHOOD: Oakville, Ontario

AGENT: Agnes Chaitas, Coldwell Banker Terrequity Realty

PRICE: $899,900

THE PLACE: A two-level, three-bedroom penthouse suite with ample terrace space overlooking Sixteen Mile Creek and the Oakville lakeshore. The building’s equipped with a gym, indoor pool and guest suites.

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The Dish

Rumours & Rumblings

July 28, 2011 | 10:45 am

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LINK: the disgruntled Whole Foods buyer speaks to Gawker (from South Korea)

Yesterday we told you about an unhappy former bulk foods buyer at the Yorkville Whole Foods whose verbose screed of a resignation letter made its way (inevitably) to Gawker, and thus to the rest of the world. Gawker managed to track him down in South Korea, and got his take on the aftermath. Apparently, the letter was not meant for public consumption, although he acknowledges that sending it out to the whole Midwest region was probably not the best way to keep his criticisms internal. He also said that despite having worked at a variety of other retail gigs (from Walmart to Rogers Video), “not a single one even came close to making me feel the way Whole Foods did.” Read the whole thing »

The Dish

Rumours & Rumblings

July 27, 2011 | 4:12 pm

10 Comments

A kiss-off letter from a disgruntled former Yorkville Whole Foods buyer makes it to Gawker; Internet explodes

Is the cat out of the bag for Whole Foods? (Image: Alisha Vargas)

A disgruntled former employee of the Whole Foods Market in Yorkville has become an Internet sensation after an incredibly long and pissy letter penned to his employers made its way to Gawker. The author, a former bulk foods buyer for the high-end grocery chain, sent his resignation out late on a Friday night (after more than a couple of brews, we presume), and the letter is peppered with funny one-liners, Star Trek references, self-aggrandizement and jabs at his co-workers and Nickleback. But beneath the petty barbs typical of any unhappy employee, there’s actually a fairly scathing indictment of Whole Foods and their sometimes-hypocritical (alleged!) practices. Some highlights, after the jump:

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The Informer

Gimme Shelter

February 9, 2011 | 12:35 pm

8 Comments

Home of the Week: $4.2 million for an Av and Dav condo that questions the supremacy of the detached house

ADDRESS: 238 Davenport, Suite 303

NEIGHBOURHOOD: Casa Loma

AGENT: Dorann Gottlieb and Erica Gottlieb, Prudential Sadie Moranis Realty

PRICE: $4,195,000

THE PLACE: This two-storey condo is hidden in plain sight at Av and Dav, directly above the sleek headquarters of interior design powerhouse Powell and Bonnell. The coveted space (one of only seven units in the building) offers a bunch of features more common to houses: four bedrooms, three baths, nearly 4,000 square feet of interior space, a six-burner gas stove, a fireplace, a patio and a 200+ bottle wine fridge. This property is likely to convert any die-hard house dweller to the condo way of life.

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The Dish

Food Porn

November 15, 2010 | 4:07 pm

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Food Porn: the city’s most beautiful cupcakes

Fancy cupcakes came roaring onto the culinary stage in 2005. Many dismissed them as the second-worst Sex in the City trend (the worst was name necklaces), but thanks to the creativity of Toronto’s baker-artists, these little treats have evolved from flashes in the pan to café standards. Meticulously constructed versions are now regularly found at wedding receptions, TIFF shindigs and bachelor parties. Here, eleven gorgeous and delectable examples that show how this childhood favourite has moved to the adult table.

Start the slide show »

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

March 6, 2010 | 11:03 am

2 Comments

Chef survey lists the top 10 food trends of 2010

Celiac-safe beer: gluten is so 2009 (Image: Joe Lewis)

Health nuts and celiac sufferers, rejoice. A survey of chefs reveals that 2010 will be the year of simplicity, sustainability and gluten-free beer. The list of top Canadian menu trends isn’t terribly surprising, as environmentally conscious diners have been forgoing imported produce in favour of all things Ontario for several years now, but considering all the poutine, burger and charcuterie joints that have been popping up in the city, we’re surprised these lists don’t show animal fat a little love. (The full lists, after the jump.)

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The Dish

Pantry Raid

March 1, 2010 | 1:06 pm

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Walmart and Whole Foods go head-to-head in organic battle

The wholesomely stocked shelves at Whole Foods (Photo by Hoodrat)

Developing a hate-on for corporations and big-box retailers is a pastime of many, but it may be time for a paradigm shift. The Atlantic’s Corby Kummer was recently taken aback by the quantity of fresh, locally sourced produce available at—cue cringes—a Walmart super-centre, which stocked many of the products sold at Whole Foods.

Kummer was so intrigued by Walmart’s selection (free-range organic eggs, all-natural, hormone-free milk and organic meat) that he decided a blind taste test was in order: Walmart vs. Whole Foods. In purchasing ingredients for the showdown, which was refereed by a panel of critics, bloggers and food lovers, Kummer spent significantly less at Walmart than he did at Whole Foods for nearly identical ingredients.

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The Dish

Culinary Curiosities

February 25, 2010 | 11:15 am

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Water buffalo cheese is the latest in artisinal dairy

Water buffalo have picky milking needs (Photo by Cathy, Sam, Max and Mai)

Two years ago, Martin Littkemann and Lori Smith were tired of milking cows, so the couple purchased 40 young water buffalo for their farm north of Trenton. Since then, the herd has grown to over 100, and they’ve launched Ontario Water Buffalo Co. The milk is sold to Vaughan’s Quality Cheese, where it’s turned into small-batch cheese and sold at Pusateri’s, Whole Foods and select Loblaws and Longo’s. It’s also been served at Pizzeria Libretto, Terroni and Buca.

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The Dish

Opening

February 17, 2010 | 12:14 pm

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Two more Whole Foods outlets are coming to Toronto

(Photo by Paul Heaberlin)

Organic über-market Whole Foods is continuing its march toward world domination by doubling its number of GTA stores. The Post reports that the two new locations, which will be the same size as the downtown outlet, will open at the Hullmark Centre near Yonge and Sheppard (right where the rumours dictated) in 2013 and at Square One next year. The suburbanization of Whole Foods comes after the company discovered that many of its Yorkville customers presently drive in from the city’s fringes. The openings are in contrast with the strategies of such supermarkets as Metro, Loblaws, Longo’s and Sobey’s, which are focusing on downtown expansions. Of course, Whole Foods has never been afraid to do things a little differently: the CEO recently announced that the store would base its employee discounts on workers’ BMI indexes.

• Whole Foods to double its GTA footprint [National Post]
• Whole Foods to give greater employee discounts to workers with lower BMI, cholesterol [New York Post]

The Dish

Aprons & Icons

January 11, 2010 | 11:53 am

2 Comments

The 13 weird things we learned about John Mackey, Whole Foods honcho

John Mackey: fan of frolf, Freidman and food (Photo by Joe M500)

John Mackey: fan of frolf, Friedman and food (Photo by Joe M500)

The New Yorker’s recent profile of John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, makes one thing pretty clear: American Apparel and Dunder Mifflin have a new rival for the title of World’s Kookiest Boss. The massive article shines some light on the enigmatic businessman, and we took particular interest, as rumours are still circulating about a third GTA location of Whole Foods.

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