St. Lawrence Market

Sixty-four years before Canada even became a nation, the block north of Front Street, west of Jarvis Street and south of King Street in downtown Toronto was proclaimed Market Block. Today this Canadian Les Halles still reigns as Toronto’s premier food market. Having expanded beyond the original block into a vibrant hub of butchers, fishmongers, and fresh fruit and vegetable vendors; it has become the meeting place for purveyors of fine food products from across the nation and around the world.

There is truly a sense of history apparent upon entering this enormous hall. The high ceilings and soaring black steel-riveted girders recall the architecture of the great European rail stations that so inspired the Impressionist Painters. There are authentic smells and sights everywhere. Meat is butchered in plain view, sausages hang from beams, enormous cheese wheels are stacked one upon the other, live shellfish bathe in basins of seawater, and fluorescent lighting is everywhere. A few of the stands have invested in slick design and have a more cultivated contemporary look but overall, the Saint Lawrence Market is an old style food hall. No references will be made to Harrods, Lafayette or Au Bon Marché here. If these are the white-collar gourmet mega stores of Europe, the Saint Lawrence Market is the blue-collar food hall of the colonies. The only French manicures here are in front of the counters.

The market is open Tuesday through Saturday. It is most vibrant on weekends, when additional stands open in the outdoor common spaces between buildings, and Torontonians and city visitors flock to shop, soak in the atmosphere and sample the delights that abound.

One of the longest lines on Saturday morning is consistently in front of the counter at the Carousel Bakery. The ‘Famous Peameal Bacon Sandwich’ on offer here is the original. This savory sandwich of juicy pork loin that has been rolled in corn meal, then sliced and served warm on a soft roll, is a breakfast and lunch favorite. The Carousel Bakery has been serving this sandwich for over 30 years from their location on the Upper Level of the South Market. This culinary treat which has become the first stop for many visitors, is a direct legacy from the 1800’s, when the Market Block was home to the William Daves Company, the largest pork processing and packing company in Canada and all of the British Empire. It is this history that gives Toronto its longstanding nickname of “Hogtown."

Italian-Canadian Robert Biancolin, who owns the Carousel Bakery with his brother Maurice, will enthusiastically share his passion for and knowledge of the Market’s history. One gets the sense that the vendors are here to do business and sell goods, yet are very proud to be part of this unique neighborhood in the historic heart of the city. The Saint Lawrence Market has helped feed Torontonians for over two centuries and continues to be a defining facet of the culinary cultural life of this ethnically diverse city.

The Carousel Bakery is located at stand 42 on the Upper Level of the South Building at Saint Lawrence Market, 93 Front Street East, Toronto.

For more information on the Saint Lawrence Market visit www.stlawrencemarket.com