Grocery Stores
Nuthouse
The Nuthouse stands out among the restaurants and discount stores in Blansdowne - just look for the giant walnut jutting out from the storefront. "It's iconic," co-owner Liza Lukashevsky says. The Nuthouse has been in business only a month and already the giant walnut has been generating buzz.
Liza and her husband and Nuthouse co-owner Alex live just down the street, and they've found it difficult shopping within the neighbourhood for healthy food for their children (now aged six and eight). So she and Alex decided to open up their own health food store.
Liza's parents owned Whole Earth Natural Foods (McCaul St), one of the first health food stores in Toronto so, Liza says, showing me a framed photo of Whole Earth, running a health food store is in her blood. So far, The Nuthouse has been doing well. "Families are starting to take over," Liza notes of the generally "tough neighbourhood," and people are becoming more interested in healthy eating, particularly in vegan and sugar-free options and raw and organic food.
The Nuthouse sells much more than nuts, and mostly in bulk, which makes it cheaper than the packaged products at other health food stores. The store sells Dark City coffee beans, which is the brand served at The Common. Types of beans include espresso ($13.99/lb) and fair trade organic cherry bomb ($14.99/lb).
The store's organic candy is very popular, especially with parents who want to give their children healthy treats. The candy display contains racks of giant glass tubes based on an Argentinean design reminiscent of stoppered test tubes or rockets poised to launch. Candy offerings include chocolate espresso beans ($6.99/lb), organic gummi bears ($6.99/lb), fruit juice slices sweetened with fruit juice and coloured with vegetables like beets ($4.99/lb) and sugar-free carob balls ($2.10). The Nuthouse also sells organic dried fruits, including strawberries ($20.99/lb), which are very hard to find, peaches, pears ($5-7/lb) mangoes and cranberries ($9.99/lb).
As the name suggests, The Nuthouse also sells nuts, lots of them. These nuts are fresh and sourced from California, and sold either raw or dry roasted in a small family facility in Toronto. Nuts sold at the shop include organic varieties, and wheat- and gluten-free options. A popular item is the gluten-free Tamari almonds ($7.89/lb), which are hard to find. Liza says she's noticed that lots of people have problems with gluten, especially diabetics, since it's been discovered that gluten increases blood sugar. "People are getting sick," Liza says. "They're now finding ways of helping themselves with food."
The Nuthouse also sells apricot kernels, also known as bitter almonds ($9.99/lb), which contain the vitamin B-17 and so are considered by some as a natural form of chemotherapy. A notice on the glass case warns to take only up to 3-4 bitter almonds a day, as an overdose can lead to cyanide poisoning.
Nuts generally cost between $5 - $11/lb, and include varieties like macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts and walnuts. The store's trail mixes are also very popular, and are named after streets in Toronto, like the Brock N Roll mix, the Bloor St mix and the Margueretta mix (each at $6.49/lb). They also sell a variety of baking and cooking products like ground hazelnut and pecan (a gluten-free flour substitute), flour (Teff flour at $1.99/lb) and grains like lentils (du Puy lentils at $6.99/lb) and organic spelt kernels ($1.79/lb). While most health food stores sell these in boxes, The Nuthouse sells them in bulk from a glass case, which keeps them fresher.
The store also sells individually packaged items, like Kombucha drinks, honeycombs ($6.75) and jars of honey from New Zealand (Airborne floral honey, $9.89) and France (Miel d'Acacia, $13.99). They also sell vegan products like Daiya cheese ($4.59) and gluten-free and nut-free cakes, breads and crackers (e.g. Sweets of the Earth spiced carrot cake, $11.99).
The Nuthouse is also very much involved in giving back to the community. Every time a customer requests a plastic bag, the five cent fee goes directly to the Environmental Alliance. Liza also mentions her plan to have FoodShare boxes at the store. FoodShare is a non-profit organization that provides low-cost healthy food to the community, and soon, Liza says, the Nuthouse will be stocking FoodShare boxes containing fresh Ontario vegetables.
Writing by Jaclyn Eunice Qua Hiansen. Photos by Dennis Marciniak
Discussion
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Sorry - what?
More the better, I guess!
From this article, and others I've read about the Lansdowne/Bloor neighbourhood, I can see that ever-so-slowly the place is cleaning up but not being gentrified, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
My question is: can the residents of this neighbourhood, which I recall to be predominately working class, blue-collar workers and a hodge-podge of immigrants, really care to spend their money on honey priced at $9.89 and $13.99, dried strawberries at $20.99/lb and carrot cake for $11.99?
I'll stick to the Bulk Stop in Bridlewood Mall.
I can't always get to Kensington on my way home anymore so even if it is a little pricey it's worth it to have something of the sort near by. And Strickly Bulk wasn't all I dreamed it to be when I first checked it out. (The lovely cashier was clearly a family member who had 3 boys sitting at the front talking to her and I don't think anyone said anything to me the whole time I shopped... plus, I found the selection of bulk lacking.)
As far as health & safety goes, I think you need to have a little faith that the operators are keeping it clean. And I prefer to have less packaging at the end of my trip than heading to a regular grocer.
In short, yes, the neighborhood needs it and I will be checking it out soon!
anyone know of a good place i can pick up some muslin bags?
As far as the unallure of some for bulk, it's not always about the price, but the desire to not buy overpackaged foods that have a far higher footprint to get to us!!
There are definitely less kms travelled for these fresh goods!!!
Thanks for this great new addition to the Westend!!!
Pippa. Jon Otis and Adelaide
Families have always lived in the neighbourhood, they just weren't as pasty and well-off as your family.
exactly.
...... hope to see ya ......all the best ......alex and liza (the pasties)
Can't wait to stop in.
It Looks fantastic.
Warmly,
Alicia and Andy
When Whole Earth first opened, there was very little interest and information about whole foods We had a solid base of customers in the McCaul/Dundas area, consisting of hippies, marxists, art students and lunatic fringe:) but our store was considered radical by the public at large. Over the years, nurses and docors started drifting in...and more and more Moms and Dads, looking for new ways to eat. Of course, Toronto is a more sophisticated place now and Liza and Alex have covered all the bases...They have combined solid wholesome products like lentils, rice, and whole grains etc with many of the new power foods that I'm interested in...things like chia seeds, ground flax, and apricot kernals..They also offer products that weren't available to the Whole Earth Commune. I like the fact that they have combined the old with the new...I like the way they are always seeking out new products that are interesting and healthy yet sticking to the basics at good prices.
I also like all the thought that went into the woodwork and the general feel of the store. Some of the stuff in there is from old factories and most of shelving and counters are built by hand. This makes shopping a pleasure . Whole Earth Foods on McCaul was the same in that way. Michael Ormsby and Jonathan Borah made everything in the store by hand from old wood replaned and recycled from Tepperman Wrecking Company. This was a new concept for TO in 1971. We even built our own wooden fridge, although it didn't work that well. It was beautiful though...with hand carved ornament on it. Alex and Liza have used an amazing amount of creativity and devotion toward every detail in their store too. That giant nut is awesome. I like the door too...How old IS that??? This Mom is proud!!
what is with the haters?
The prices say by the pound....you do not need to buy the whole pound...I actually found this place much cheaper, cleaner, and closer than kensington market or even Ossington and Bloor ones.
I love it!
My number one reason for loving it so much is because of all the amazing gluten-free products. I use to have to make special trips to get the gluten-free flours that I needed, and now its just steps away from my house. And I have to tell you, gluten-free stuff is NOT cheap, and the prices at Nuthouse are some of the better ones that I've seen around the city.
Secondly, buying bulk is handy for two reasons: principally, you get only how much you need and no more. Let's say I want 3 lbs of nuts or merely a handful to munch on - I'm covered. And as a bonus, there's much less packaging involved in the process, which means the environment wins. You're also less likely to be ingesting trace amounts of horrible industrial chemicals that will be found on plastic packages.
As to the contamination issue, I'm not even slightly worried. Between the risks I take with the baskets, ttc vehicles, shopping carts, entrances, cash, and all the other things-I-touch-every-day-and-don't-think-twice-about-that-don't-get-me-sick-and-in-fact-strengthen-my-immune-system, I'm not sweating the nuts, you know?