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TORONTO, JULY 22, 2020: Covid-19 has decimated Toronto’s culinary tourism industry and with so few tourists in town, food destinations such as the historic St. Lawrence Market—known for an array of vendors and the iconic peameal bacon sandwich—are bearing the brunt. Some market vendors say business is down 40 to 60 per cent versus last summer. Enter Chef Scott Savoie, whose own culinary tourism business, Toronto Food Tours is on hold due to Covid-19. Fearing the worst for his long-time food vendor partners at the Market, Chef Scott has shifted his focus to a curated food delivery service.
Chef Scott is Toronto’s original “food tour guy,” a pioneer of Toronto’s culinary tourism industry. This gregarious chef has spent close to a decade building a food tour empire, using his insider knowledge and East Coast charm to capture the hearts and palates of clients from around the world. “If you can’t come to the St. Lawrence Market, we’ll bring the Market to you,” said Chef Scott and his business partner Suzanne Stamcos. “Our mission at The Chef Scott Shop is to deliver the freshest artisan foods, signature products, Chef Scott-curated grocery baskets and food boxes to your door from the historic St. Lawrence Market. The Market has been around since 1803 and we want to make sure it’s around for the next 200 years. The St. Lawrence Market is a huge draw for Torontonians, as well as tourists, and it’s a piece of history that must remain vibrant and at the heart of the city. They truly need our support!”
Chef Scott Shop (chefscottshop.ca) offers more than 500 products from over 20 different independent market vendors. Each item in The Chef Scott Shop is carefully selected, curated and taste-tested by Chef Scott himself. He’s even got a Market Fresh Cottage Box and recently brought in 1,500 lbs of live lobster fresh from Nova Scotia. “Our goal is to offer a taste of place featuring local Ontario and Canadian products. We are proud to support the small local independently owned market vendors,” added Chef Scott, who isn’t a stranger to adversity having suffered a stroke in 2015 that would severely affect his speech and coordination, but which ultimately led to a new beginning with Toronto Food Tours. “We are proud to have worked with Chef Scott for several years now supplying fish and seafood for his market feast dinners and his maritime lobster suppers. We really appreciate the business that Chef Scott brings to all the merchants at the market. It has certainly helped a lot during these unprecedented times,” said George Vasiliades, a manager at the St. Lawrence Fish Market.
The Chef Scott curated St. Lawrence Market Weekly Grocery Basket comes with weekly recipes, a bouquet of fresh flowers and even chocolate covered strawberries to satisfy your after-dinner cravings. This Iconic Market Food Box is a collection of the best products of Chef Scott’s favorite St Lawrence Market vendors. The delivery area is Toronto, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Bolton, Caledon, Newmarket, King City, Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Markham, Scarborough, Pickering, Whitby, Ajax, Oshawa, Bowmanville. Contact for other locations. A small delivery fee applies outside of the city. And, $5 from every box purchased will go to support The Stop Community Food Centre. |
