Santa’s Back on Saturday

Bring your puppies, cats, budgies, hamsters and even your fish for your annual photo opportunity with Santa. This year, there are two stops: Pet Valu (240 Carlton) from 11 am to 2 pm and Menagerie Pet Shop (549 Parliament) from 3 pm to 6 pm. It only costs $10 for a wonderful souvenir of a snowy Christmas.

Santa's return brings back memories of a great friend, Wendy, who didn't quite make it for a second photo.
Sterling Brass at the Ben Wicks

Five instruments and a scintillating singer perform Christmas carols for you on Sunday afternoon, December 21, at the Ben Wicks (424 Parliament). Don’t miss this annual performance – back again by popular demand.

Christmas Day Once again, Cranberries (601 Parliament) is hosting its annual Christmas feast. A three course dinner with appetizers, turkey and trimmings and dessert will be offered in two sittings (at 5 pm and 8 pm). $24.99 per person. Reservations are needed since the restaurant sells out each year (416-925-6330).
Find out a lot more about the menu, hours and restaurant by clicking on our new link: .
http://cranberriesincabbagetown.blogspot.com/

Food shop news St Jamestown Steak & Chops (516 Parliament) now has two new offerings from Quebec for your Christmas feast - foie gras from La Ferme and fresh duck breasts. Check with Mark as well about your Christmas turkey.
Patty at The Epicure Shop (473 Parliament) is offering a Canadian Christmas for you. She’s got Rain Coast Crisps (2 for $11.99, save $2), Kicking Horse Coffee (at $12.99, again for a $2 savings) and Greaves Jams (2 for $6.99) . There’s no tax on her Gift Baskets and she has a nice selection of homemade mincemeat pies, short bread and gingerbread.
At Daniel et Daniel (248 Carlton), Christmas Yule Logs are highlighted. You can pick one up in either mocha, chocolate or hazelnut. They’re priced by weight. These aren’t their only offerings, of course. You can make it a lot easier to buy all their goodies by using their Gift Card – with optional values. Movies at the Library
Parliament Library (269 Gerrard) is hosting a screening of the fabulous film, “Detective Jones and the Case of the Missing…” Bumbling detective Jim Jones and his photographer sidekick are called upon to solve the mystery of a building that suddenly disappears from Regent Park. Saturday, December 20, 3 pm.

Last Minute Shoppers
We can flock to the Farm – the Riverdale Farm Shop that is. They have plenty of goodies left for you and this year, they’re providing gift certificates as well. (Winchester & Sumach)

Carlton & Parliament The Committee of Adjustment of the City of Toronto will be holding a meeting to consider the plans and applications by George Foulides who owns the old JavaVille site at Carlton and Parliament (493 Parliament). The meeting will be in Committee Room 2, Second Floor at City Hall at 9 am on Wednesday, January 7. The file number is A0988/08TEY.
George is asking for permission to demolish the current structure and put up a three-storey non-residential building in its place. He is seeking approval for two variances: to increase the non-residential density from 1.0 to 2.90 times the area of the lot and to be exempted from the required eleven parking spaces.
This meeting serves two purposes. The Committee will consider George’s plans and requests. In addition, it will consider any public comments that it receives either by letter, by fax or by a personal appearance during the meeting.
If you want further information, you can contact either Doug Fisher at the BIA (416-921-0857) or Sean MacIntyre at Pam McConnell’s office (416-392-0207).

Scam report…
If It’s Too Good To Be True…then don’t believe it. Ruth at Cranberries reports that she ran into one of these crazy scams.
She got a phone call from a man in the USA, in Delaware. He asked about catering for a group of students visiting Toronto for four days. They would need lunch and dinner for each day. He then emailed her with his request and she gave him a full run-down on their menu, services and prices. Everything was credible and explained in detail.
Suddenly, a cheque for $4800 arrived in the mail. Two days later, she got a panicky phone call from this guy, telling her that 11 students had cancelled. Could she send back a refund for $2200 to cover their costs? Of course, the scam is simple – it takes about two weeks for a cheque written in the United States to clear in Canada and by the time it’s proven to be a dud, the guy would be long gone.
Ruth isn’t dumb. She didn’t try to cash the first cheque, didn’t send a refund and called the police.

Christmas News

Carlton and Parliament

The proposal for the new building at this corner has been released to us. It’s now in the hands of the City of Toronto and the owner expects that public meetings will begin in earnest in January.

This is a major location for all of us in this area. Its fate has been discussed widely for the past two years.

The drawings illustrated here give you a preliminary look at the owner’s ideas. A new, three-storey building will replace the old JavaVille structure. Its first floor will hold commercial or retail space and the top two floors will contain commercial office space.

Whenever opportunities arise for public viewing or discussion of these plans, we will announce them here in the Newsletter.
Christmas gifts from Tim Hortons

Constable Dave Smith handles the crossing guard program in 51 Division. At his initiative, gift mugs were given to each of the Division’s guards by Tim Hortons as a bit of Christmas cheer and thank-you to them for their work with our children.
Zena works at the intersection at Parliament and Winchester and is well-known and popular in our area.
Our thanks to Tim Hortons for these gifts. Nauman and Amin represent the local group who operate the beautiful store in the Winchester (537 Parliament) and at the gas station (581 Parliament). Tim Hortons regularly supports our community with efforts like this. They support the Cabbagetown Festival and the Short Film & Video Festival as well as many smaller projects in Cabbagetown.

Soup SaleSoup is a cooperative operating from 603.1/2 Parliament. Its members include designers, artists, crafts people and internet experts. On Saturday December 13 from 10 am to 4 pm, they’re hosting a one-day craft sale featuring fine greeting cards (fresh back from One-of-a-Kind), jewellery, buttons and pins, fine handcrafted clothing and lots more. Don’t miss it!


Ahhhh, Whiskey
This Tuesday is the big day for JAM's whiskey tasting, From Islands to Highlands. 6:30 pm. (195 Carlton) Bring a gift for the food bank as well and Av Atikian will forward it along. This is a tutored session under the guidance of The Scotch Ambassador from Diaggio Limited. $25 will get you in the door and a chance to taste four single-malt whiskies. Reservations are suggested, (416) 921-1255.

Sharon’s
Sharon (here with Jesse) reports that she’s open for the next two weeks on Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm to handle the Christmas rush. Edward Gorey Christmas cards are still in stock. She also has lots of specials available in the store (scarves from $9.99 and samples at 50% below retail). She urges anyone who needs a little Christmas cheer to stop by. (503 Parliament)

The Epicure Shop Patty is introducing new cheese dips and spreads and so she’s offering one free tub of Feta Spread with every Cheesy Dip that you buy. It’s a great bargain for anyone who’s Greek (and everyone else who wants to be). From December 12 to 15th, you can save the tax on any purchase of an Epicure Gift Basket. Patty also has 7-to-10 year-old raw milk cheddars from Quebec plus an assortment of shortbreads, gingerbreads and mincemeat tarts. (473 Parliament)

Turkey time St Jamestown Steak & Chops (516 Parliament) is taking orders for your Christmas turkey. When you want to move away from the traditional spread, Mark can give you hams, rack of lamb, beef tenderloin and lots of other fine choices. Janice Williams and Claudia Salzmann are grilling Mark about his choices.

Christmas Toys Number 9 Audio & Technologies Group (222 Gerrard) held their 5th annual Christmas party last weekend. Over 100 guests attended and each was asked to donate a toy to be given to the Yonge Street Mission. George Rondina (above - with Cathy Rondina and Anne Keyes of YSM) reports that they collected enough toys to fill a pick-up truck, plus a generous gift certificate for Long & McQuade.

On the horizon…
Cranberries (601 Parliament)......is again open on Christmas day. In past years, they’ve offered a real feast and the restaurant has been packed for two sittings. This year, they have extra space with their new facilities and it should be even better. If you want to enjoy a turkey dinner with all the trimmings but don’t want the hassle, make a reservation.

Ben Wicks (424 Parliament)......is getting ready for the annual Christmas sing-a-long with the Sterling Brass. December 21, 2 to 5 pm. Good vibrations.

Into the New Year Dennison Smith and Matthew Remski from Renaissance Yoga (391 Ontario at Gerrard) have announced their winter programs. Starting on January 7, they’re offering on-going Yoga Asana classes. Fundamentals of Yoga is a twelve-week program available on both Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:30 pm. Every Sunday at 10:30 am, you can drop-in for a Level One Yoga session and on Thursday at 7:30 pm, they hold a drop-in Candlelight Restorative Yoga session. The advanced Yoga Philosophy Program also starts on January 7 (from 7 to 9 pm). You can check their website for details on other programs that begin later in the year: http://www.renaissanceyoga.ca/

International News Here’s Rick O’Clee who’s making his regular seasonal visit to Cabbagetown from Ramsgate in England. Rick is father and father-in-law to Laila and John Jay (The Cobourg). He’s a good cook which explains why he was hanging around St Jamestown Steak & Chops and how he developed his friendship with Terry Michelin and now with Mark. Welcome back, Rick and all the best for this Christmas season.

A quick list of handy Christmas goodies

Stores across Cabbagetown have stocked up on basic supplies that you’ll need for your holidays.

Wayne at Royal Home Hardware (485 Parliament) is always ready to offer advice. His tips help the BIA stay on a steady course all year long. At Christmas for $4.99, he’s ready to put a bow on it. Home Hardware are holding their Christmas Gift Sale and Wayne will guide you through the complexities of it all.

Nearby at Loonie or Less (480 Parliament), Kyle has “the biggest roll at the best price” – 40 square-foot rolls of Christmas wrap for $1 each. Then for every dollar that you contribute to Red Door Family Shelter, he’ll make a matching gift of six toothbrushes.

At The Epicure Shop (473 Parliament), Patty has filled the store with seasonal treats like homemade shortbreads, ginger breads and Dufflet mincemeat pies. If you order one of her personalized Gift Baskets before December 12, you’ll receive a 15% discount. And if you order any three trays from her catering specials, you’ll get a free pastry tray with your order. And don’t forget the Italian ceramic plates and bowls – they make perfect gifts for your foodie friends.

Among our favourite seasonal displays are the flower arrangements that sprout up on street corners and bring colour even during gray December rainy days.

Fairway (520 Parliament and Winchester) has a wide range of trees, holly, mistletoe and decorative plants.

Gerry and Carl are back beside No Frills (Parliament and Spruce). Their Christmas trees come from lots in Muskoka and Orillia. Gerry and his father have sold trees in Cabbagetown for the past 56 years. Welcome back, guys.

Anh at Mini Mart (460 Parliament) has brought back her miniature trees.
Parliament Smoke (609 Parliament at Wellesley) has small Christmas trees and an assortment of seasonal decorations.

And at Jamestown Milk (592 Parliament at Wellesley), the amaryllis are selling for only $7.99 – a beautiful bargain.

If you’re mailing Christmas parcels and cards, Guru at the Canada Post desk in Shoppers Drug Mart (467 Parliament) is open from Monday to Saturday until 9 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.

Mark your calendars

Big Mamma’s Boy (554 Parliament) announces that the last She Dance for 2008 will happen on Saturday, December 6. The music starts at 10 pm. There’s no cover charge. Then, on Tuesday December 16, they’re holding their second (in a regular series) of Big Mamma’s Cabarets featuring Jennie Brooke and Michael Barber. Cabarets start at 8 pm with a $10 cover.

December 16 brings some relief from all that shopping and wrapping. Get over to JAMCafe (195 Carlton) for their scotch whiskey tasting – From Islands to Highlands features four single malts in a tutored experience with the Scotch Ambassador from Diaggio Limited. Please also bring a holiday food-bank donation and JAMCafe will forward your gift. $25 plus tax and gratuity. Call for reservations (416) 921-1255.

The Ben Wicks Pub (424 Parliament) holds its annual Christmas Sing-a-Long featuring the Sterling Brass on Sunday December 21 from 2 to 5 pm. We’ve been there before and can honestly testify that it’s a genuine treat to hear Silent Night played on a tuba.

Proposals for change

David Weenen (left) and Paul Dineen (right) talk to David Orsini following his presentation.

The BIA has engaged David Orsini, a landscape architect from Sunarts Design, to prepare a Master Plan for future change on Parliament, Carlton and Gerrard. He’s looking at the physical features in these areas in order to make them friendlier for pedestrians, more inviting for shoppers and greener and more sustainable environments.
David showed his initial proposals to members of the BIA in their Annual Meeting last Wednesday evening. These ideas include developing green areas on the wider boulevards on the north sides of Winchester and Spruce at Parliament, expanding and rebuilding Anniversary Park at Gerrard, gateway brickworks on the street at Wellesley and at Sherbourne and Carlton, a “bike corral” in a bump-out area on Parliament near Jet Fuel, bigger street level gardens in sidewalk tree pits and hanging floral baskets along the street.
At this time, these are initial proposals. David is now getting feedback and is preparing his ideas in a coherent plan. When that’s available, you will be invited to see it at the BIA office and to comment on it.

2009 BIA program
At the Annual Meeting, BIA members also approved a budget and a program for 2009. Among the highlights:

Robert McEnirney, the BIA's treasurer celebrates his new budget with George and Cathy Rondina
A committee is working on a review of the annual Festival to see whether it needs to be more focused and revitalized.
A second committee is working with David Orsini on the streetscape Master Plan and will have priorities to implement his ideas once they’re approved.
Music on Parliament Street will again appear next May and June.

Sean McIntyre from Pam McConnell's office.

There will be a more integrated approach to publicize BIA events, using printed brochures and the internet to tell residents about restaurant and business activities. John Jay (left-from the Cobourg) and Daniel Megly (right-Daniel et Daniel) listen to David Orsini's presentation

Following up on the streetscape study, the BIA will undertake a second design study, this time looking at the buildings in our commercial areas. Our intention is to determine what standards are needed to accommodate both the community’s desire for historic preservation and our commercial activity. It’s hoped that we can add these guidelines as essential steps in any redevelopment projects that may come to the BIA in the future.

Carol and Calvin - who knew?

Cabbagetown Preservation Association
In their meeting last week, the CPA members heard Paul Dineen and Doug Fisher talk about their perceptions of retail life in the BIA.
Paul addressed the coming expansion of Regent Park, threats from big box stores and the streetscape plan. Doug gave details about the way the community is served by our businesses.
This was the third in a series of CPA meetings about Parliament Street. Earlier this year, George Rust D’Eye spoke about the heritage features of our buildings. Later, Rick Merrill tackled the topic of a renewed streetscape on Parliament.
Overall, the series has shed light on the importance of our commercial strip for Cabbagetown residents.
The CPA has been very vigorous over the past year. The Tour of Homes has been a great success and the springtime garden tours and the Halloween ghost tour have been added successfully as well. Cabbagetown People continues to be a strong part of the CPA program and the Museum is rapidly settling into its new home in Riverdale Park. The CPA Newsletter has become an important voice for community news and updates. All of this has been welcome indeed.

JavaVille Good news about the property at Carlton and Parliament. The owner, George Foulides, has submitted preliminary plans to the City of Toronto for a brand new, three storey commercial building on the site. The ground floor will house an operating business and the upper two floors will have office space for rent. George expects the public consultations to start in the winter.

JAMCafe As announced last week, JAMCafe (195 Carlton) hosts its Sangiovese tasting dinner on Tuesday, December 2. It looks good – wine from four regions plus a sparkling reception will accompany four food tasting courses. Please call (416) 921-1255 for reservations.
Av wants us to remind you that this is also an opportunity to support the food bank – so please bring a holiday food-bank donation.

Lounge 51
When The Laurentian Room closed a year ago, we really felt the loss. It was an exciting venue, a place that gave Cabbagetown a great upper-end restaurant and club.
Now, Lounge 51 (51A Winchester) has opened in its place and all indications are that it’ll be a worthy replacement. Both the CPA meeting and the BIA Annual Meeting were held here this week. It’s a good big space for private parties and meetings and it’s also open on weekends with entertainment and fine dining.
On Friday, November 28, Carol Taylor is singing. On Saturday from 9:30pm, TomKatz’s DJ Thomas Hall is playing Top 40, house, R&B and your requests. For more information, call 416-921-5100.

The Miracle at the Beer Store
The Beer Store on Gerrard (at Ontario) has gone hi-tech in its search for more and more green solutions to modern living. As we all know, our beer and wine bottles are now recycled through the Beer Store system. At Gerrard, they’ve figured out a way to avoid the hassles in all of this handling. Just take your bottles to the side door ramp, select the proper machine and toss them into it one-by-one. You can watch them get crunched instantaneously. When your load has been delivered, press the green button and you’ll get a printed receipt. Run inside and cash it in (for beer or money, take your pick!) Voila – the end to those messy bottle-return blues.

Foxy Boutique And when you’ve got your bottle refund, spend it at nearby Foxy Boutique (251 Gerrard). Michelle is very pleased with the funky new lines that she’s offering for the holiday season. Her store is jammed full of vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. If you remember, please mention this blurb and she’ll give you a 10% discount. Just another reason why we think those Gerrard Street stores are a real treasure for Cabbagetown shoppers.

Karaoke Fundraiser at Big Mamma's Boy

Big Mamma's Boy (Parliament) is holding a fundraiser for the Cabbagetown Youth Centre on Friday November 21 at 7 pm. Join John Stevens as host and sing along to your heart's content.

The Epicure Shop
A nice weekend for samples at Epicure Shop. Patty is introducing Brick Street breads (100% organic) to her store and you can sample them on Friday and Saturday. Then, through the weekend, you can also enjoy a free sample bag of Reunion Island Coffee with every ten dollar purchase. (473 Parliament)

One on One Hair Stevhan Standberg (179 Carlton at Ontario) is a well-known celebrity stylist whose clients over the years have included Cindy Crawford, Sandra Bullock and Matthew Broderick. He brings 23 years of unhurried professionalism to his work with you. His emphasis in his bright and welcoming studio is on a direct, personal experience for you. You can check out his services and contact him for an appointment through his web site, http://www.oneononehair.com/

Sharon’s Sharon went shopping last Tuesday and in her own words, she did "a biggie." For men, she’s brought in hoodies and sweaters in many different styles and colours. For women, there are more sweaters, Mac & Jac and Kensie Girl samples – skirts, coats, tops and dresses. And on her more elegant side, she has silk dresses, evening gowns, scarves, hats, gloves and jewellery. She has to make room for all of her new merchandise, so she’s listed many items on sale to move them out. (503 Parliament)

Barracuda

Two timely reminders have been issued from Barracuda.

Just because it’s cold and wintry outside doesn’t mean that your plants can be neglected. In fact, now, more than ever, they need a little TLC. So get them a spiffy planter while supplies last. And while you’re at the store, pick up Vical clear glass vases on sale at two-for-$30 prices. Plus decorative accessories at 15 to 25% discounts.
And you’ve got to start thinking about seasonal deadlines: if you need some framing done in time for Christmas, please bring it to the store before December 10. (527 Parliament)

Co-operative Nursery School
Cabbagetown’s own Co-operative Nursery School has a great reputation as a family-friendly school. Registration week for new kids begins on Monday November 24 and continues to Friday November 28. During the week, interested parents can visit the school to learn more in the morning from 9:15 am to 11 am (Monday to Friday) and in the afternoon from 1:15 pm to 3 pm (Monday to Thursday.) Call 416-964-2984 for an appointment.
It’s located at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre (2 Lancaster). Find out more at http://www.cabbagetownnurseryschool.com/

Don’t get depressed… While the stock markets crash and doom-and-gloom springs up everywhere, JAMCafe (195 Carlton) is coming to the rescue: they’re offering a special three-course recession-proof prix fixe dinner for $19. Now that’s a bailout – at that price, you can eat here every night.
Av and Joe have also scheduled their special December tastings. On Tuesday December 2 at 6:30 pm, it’s an evening for sangiovese, the plush wines of Tuscany. Wines from four regions are matched with four food courses. And there’s a special Sparkling Reception. $75.
Then, on Tuesday December 16, four single malt Scotch whiskies are highlighted. The evening’s theme is “from islands to highlands” featuring samples with peat, heather, chocolate and wood. $25.
Reservations and advance payment are recommended. Tips and taxes are extra. 416-921-1255.

Dollar4U Stock up on your Christmas home needs at real bargain prices. Jafar from Dollar4U (405 Parliament) recommends his collection of ceramic angels and statuettes for a nice decorative note over the holidays. The store is also jammed with ribbons, tree ornaments and every other goodie that you may want to give yourself that festive feeling.

It’s Christmas When the hardworking (and underpaid) BIA workers swarmed onto Parliament, Gerrard and Carlton this week, they were attaching seasonal wreathes to our light fixtures. As the day began, passersby told them that “it’s too early”, “not yet” and “what’s this for?” But down came the year’s first serious snow and the chant changed “yo,ho,ho”, “Merry Christmas” and even “hey, that looks good.” It goes to show you: red ribbons and snow will do it every time – and we hope that you enjoy this year’s Cabbagetown Christmas. Many thanks to Jim from Super Foto (434 Parliament) for his fine snapshot of the guys at work.

Welcome and best wishes

Thanks Joe
Joe Novak, a favourite figure in Cabbagetown, has moved. We’ll miss him. In his time as manager at Joe’s No Frills (Spruce and Parliament), his generosity and community spirit earned him high marks. His store reflected his concern for quality and good customer service. In recognition of his contributions, he was asked to preside over the 2008 “Cutting of the Cabbage” (an ancient and deeply spiritual ceremony that launches the annual Cabbagetown Festival.) He’s moving on to a big, brand new store near Bowmanville and we wish him all the best in his new venture.

Luciano Graziano is taking over at No Frills. He comes here after a stint in a store in Whitby. He’s already met many of us as he settles into his new job and he’s learning as much as he can about his new neighbourhood. He’s quickly found out that a sense of humour helps a lot here – so he’s denying that he’s young, single, goodlooking and rich!

Barracuda Bargains The sale is still going strong at Barracuda (527 Parliament). Most of their decorative accessories are selling at 25 to 40% off their regular prices. They’ve just included two lines of garden planters at 25% discounts, one line is in granite and the other in weathered grey-stone. Nifty stuff.

Laurier Avenue starts to go green Laurier is a short elegant street running north off Wellesley, just a block east of Parliament. The residents have organized themselves to start an intriguing experiment in geothermal heating. The proposal is to dig deep holes in the middle of the street and install the equipment needed for heat exchangers for each home. And, as a bonus, when the street is rebuilt, it’ll be designed to be porous so that rainwater is diverted from the city’s sewers and back into the ground. It's a serious and very attractive concept for creating green sources for heating and cooling in heritage districts. The Laurier residents are being supported by the Don Vale Cabbagetown Residents Association.
As a first step, Toronto’s Environment Office has awarded $25,000 to the project to test its feasibility. Congratulations and best wishes to Sameer Dhargalkar and to Douglas Worts for their leadership.
You can learn more at http://www.greenlaurier.wordpress.com/

Ruby & Ray take over a favourite spotRuby’s BBQ has taken over the former Ali Baba at 415 Parliament. They’re continuing to offer Mediterranean and middle eastern dishes – good news for falafel lovers – and adding roast chicken dishes as well. This is a bright cheerful room and the food makes a visit well worthwhile.

Gourmet Burger Company Further up the street at 482 Parliament, John Ward opened his Gourmet Burger Company this week and the first reviews are ecstatic. The choices are dazzling – who knew that a burger could include “Aussie”, “smokey bacon”, “double cheeseburger”, “mushroom melt” and “spicy Cajun” choices? There are two kinds of fries, two salads, soup and onion rings. And eleven toppings or seven sauces. So far, two other people from neighbouring restaurants have told me that John serves up great burgers – honest praise indeed.

Epicure Shop The mood is certainly upbeat at Epicure (473 Parliament). It’s probably because their new paint job and new awnings are now finished and proudly in place. It takes the stress away. And the facelift has given the whole area a nice perk. To celebrate, Patty has two creamy cheeses from Quebec back in stock – Riopelle and La Sauvigne. Then if you buy one of their reusable mugs at $6.99, it’ll come complete with a free coffee and a muffin.

Cabbagetown kids will carry the Olympic torch The Cabbagetown Youth Centre (2 Lancaster) has been selected as one of a network of community hosts across Canada to take part in the 2010 Olympic torch relays. Coca Cola and ParticipACTION have designed the SOGO Active program to encourage teenagers to adopt an active lifestyle. As part of that, they will award 1,000 torch relay spots to young people who qualify through their personal activities. Watch for more announcements and, if you have teens in your family between 13 and 20 years old, be sure to register them at the CYC right away. The more active they become, the better their chances are to be chosen.

Festive Dinner At-Home

Daniel et Daniel have just released their 2008 menu for their festive dinner at home. It’s a traditional feast - roast turkey and stuffing, sweet and yukon potatoes, seasonal veggies, Christmas desserts. Of course, it’s prepared by some of the city’s finest chefs (voted the 2008 Best Caterer by NOW Magazine’s readers) and you can wrap up a Daniel et Daniel gift card for your favourite dinner guest or for yourself.

A musical celebration of Tommy Oki’s Life Tommy Oki, a long-time Cabbagetown resident and a founder of the Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre, died on September 30. A musical memorial to honour his commitment to the children and families of this community will take place on Sunday, November 16 at 9 pm at the Centre (454 Parliament) . Admission is free and donations to the Centre are gratefully received.
A long list of notable musicians is appearing, including Kingsley Ettienne, Jim Heineman, Kimeo Oki, Stacie McGregor and many others.

Christmas Bazaar
And then a week later on Saturday November 22, the Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre (454 Parliament) is holding its annual Christmas bazaar from 9 am to 4 pm.

Loonie or Less is in the Christmas mood
The Santa Claus parade is coming to Toronto again. Be prepared with Santa hats, wraps, decorations and supplies all for $1 or less. Plus energy efficient fiber optic Christmas trees for $19.99. (480 Parliament)

Cabbagetown Walking Tours To our delight, Kim Falls and three friends, Dana Valin, Ashley Piroli and Rosa Ameduri dropped into our office to get walking tour maps. They’re York University students working on a field trip. They chose a beautiful day for their tour and certainly covered it with enthusiasm and good spirits.