A new food destination called GIGI Market is working towards its grand opening in Toronto and it's on a mission to bring a little more greenery to the local culinary scene. 

Soon to open at 1216 Dundas West near Ossington, GIGI Market will be Toronto's newest one-stop-shop for all things vegan and vegetarian Italian food.

It's the latest venture of Toronto restaurateur Jennifer Coburn, who is launching GIGI Market as an extension of her thriving Italian restaurant, Gia, located just next door. 

Opened in 2021, the restaurant is at the forefront of Toronto's vegan and vegetarian dining experience, and after two busy years, Coburn is ready to expand.

"GIGI Market will feel like Gia's more energetic little sister," she told blogTO in an email exchange, with an atmosphere that intends to be "fun and approachable."

GIGI Market's bread and butter will be the restaurant's favourites like the vegan corn'd beef sandwich and meatballs, plant-based lasagna and the house-made focaccia, served hot for takeout. 

Coburn also told blogTO that she has developed a number of new dishes that will be available exclusively at GIGI Market, like a Gnocchi Pomodorro and a Spelt Rigatoni Bolognese, to be sold frozen as a pre-made dinner package for two. 

While GIGI Market is replacing the long-anticipated Stefano's Sandwiches, the Stefano's menu will live on as a permanent fixture of GIGI Market's hot food offerings.

According to Coburn, this was always what she had intended for the sandwich joint. 

GIGI Market will also sell vegan products that are more difficult to find in traditional grocery stores like Future of Cheese plant-based Brie, Unreal Deli plant based corn'd beef & turkey, and Heura plant-based chicken, to name a few. 

GIGI Market is aiming for an opening in November.