Ruby Eats is a quaint food shop that occupies the space at 742 Queen Street East. Looking through the windows outside, you see a store that is immediately inviting and notably fresh. Inside, you’re taken into a sort of chef’s pantry – one of those delightful experiences that showcases how local ingredients and quality products are the inception to any great meal.
Helmed by the amazing folks from Ruby Watchco – Chef extraordinaire Lynn Crawford (we’re fine with admitting we were a bit starstruck when we met the Pitchin’ In star), interior design expert Cherie Stinson (who’s as sweet as she is beautiful), food and wine connoisseur Joey Skeir (and also Cherie’s beloved husband), and appropriately lauded Chef Lora Kirk (whose passion for cuisine is evident and invigorating) – Ruby Eats is one of those stores where the essence of food comes to life. It’s about making high-end and delightfully palatable cuisine an at-home possibility.
The focal point of the space is the mini-market: baskets of fine-looking, locally-sourced produce that begs to be brought home. The shelves along the walls are adorned with everything from high-end mustards to Italian-made pastas to Ruby Eats’ own hand-crafted wares, like their marmalades and pickled vegetables and caramels and flavoured butters – made just a few doors down at Ruby Watchco, of course. Kitchen utensils and Le Creuset cookware are ready additions waiting to be purchased by Ruby Eats’ clientele.
The French country meets Muskoka cottage vibe is calming and provides the perfect backdrop for the products to be highlighted. Chef Lora Kirk describes part of the essence of Ruby Eats as an extension of Ruby Watchco: being able to speak to food lovers’ sensibilities and helping to make the exploration of food accessible and approachable, while showcasing that going local is a true thing of beauty. It helps that the restaurant is so acclaimed, and diners often look to the changing menu for inspiration in their own kitchens.
Ruby Eats brings some of the most notable culinary elements from Watchco to their fans’ homes – like the Brown Derry Dressing, a favourite among regulars. Daily, fresh squares and desserts and treats will be on display, and coming soon will be some prepared foods – ready-to-eat blissful bites no doubt. Cooking demos will help customers understand ingredients and how to properly prepare them, and the ideas of classes are being tossed around – fingers crossed these thoughts become reality.
The Queen East stretch of Toronto is a haven for foodies and culinary neophytes alike. And even though Ruby Eats has some well-established competition, it seems unlikely that the team will have any difficulty cultivating a loyal customer base. The products – both food and hardware – are the stuff every kitchen should be made of, and it doesn’t hurt having the notable group of Chefs Crawford and Kirk, and Stinson and Skeir behind the endeavour. Ruby Eats is poised to bring culinary greatness to Toronto’s already evolving scene. Ruby Eats, 742 Queen Street East, Toronto, 416 901 3355.