On a warm April Monday, Leah Kalish invites me into her even warmer St.Clair bakery and cafe on her day off to chat about her passion for creating confections. Hailed for her biscotti and cheesecake, Leah wants the spotlight to remain on her recipes, though her personality is so big and lovely, it's like a salty-sweet treat that should be shared.

It's always a party with chef Andrew Richmond and the La Carnita crew: a pop-up taco and art production that, understatedly, has swept the street food scene in Toronto. At its most recent event, La Carnita drew thousands of attendees to the Brick Works for music, art and the team's inspired gastronomic creations. Richmond, a savvy designer and self-taught chef says he draws much of his love for bold Latin American flavours from his travels with wife Hassel Aviles, creator of the popular Toronto Underground Market. Recently, Richmond and I connected to discuss the madness of operating a pop-up, details of La Carnita's new permanent digs, and how he plans to deal with the hordes of loyal fans that will undoubtedly follow him to College Street.

While Toronto may have started off as another blip in his travels, chef Jeff Claudio admits he isn't packing anytime soon. Now serving his creative cuisine at the much acclaimed Yours Truly, Claudio undoubtedly draws influence from the places he's visited and loved: Sydney, Paris, and Tokyo to name a few. Claudio, who cites his family of great chefs as a source of his passion also sings praises for the city his diners hope he'll finally call his home: "I'm in a dream right now," he says, "it's crazy where everything is going."

Looking through Chris Young's photoblog, it seems like he's had the opportunity to photograph just about anyone and everyone. From Toronto sports teams, to politicians, and celebrities. Not too bad for a guy who considered photography as a second career. He has worked for several newswires, magazines and corporations, yet he still finds time to shot recreationally.

Young was born in England and spent years working outside of Toronto, but finds that there is a better work balance here. We caught up with him to find out more about how he started as a photographer and to see if he'd dish any dirt on the celebrities he's shot over the years

The TTC appointed Andy Byford as Acting Chief General Manager in February after unceremoniously dispatching former GM Gary Webster. Byford quickly made the transition to the TTC's Chief Executive Officer, a position he held in Sydney for about three years. He's also spent time working as the General Manager of customer service for the London Underground.

Since making the move to Toronto, he's preached on the need for the TTC to continue to improve its customer service — from the operators and drivers to the cleanliness of the bathrooms. In March, the Commission launched a Twitter handle, @TTChelps, to address customer's issues. The TTC receives complaints daily, if not hourly, about something gone astray, so we know that Byford's got his work cut out for him.

We recently caught up with the TTC's top man to find out what he thinks of his adopted home and whether or not "world class cities" build subways.

The Cloak & Dagger is one of those places where it's almost better to go alone. Sure there are plenty of long wooden tables to accommodate all of your friends, and sure you'll have a great time with them. But at the Cloak, sitting at a table means you're not sitting at the bar, and that is definitely where the action is.

It's just one of those rare taverns that attract just the right type of eccentric to keep you immersed in great conversation all night long. They're reliable regulars, and there's a very good chance they'll be perched at one of the stools when you make your visit. And if they're not — well, you still have Jordan to entertain you. He's been pulling pints behind the bar for close to three years, and doing his fair share of sampling as well. Which at the Cloak is necessary professional development. Someone needs to walk you through their 20+ tap selection of mostly Ontario micro brews.

I caught up with Jordan before one of his recent shifts to talk about the bar business, romantic comedies and how to move an immovable object.