Downtown Toronto is getting a new culinary academy

A culinary academy that offers some of Toronto’s best cooking classes is expanding its reach beyond Etobicoke. 

After 10 years of operating solely at Dundas West and Burnhamthorpe Road, Cirillo’s Culinary Academy will be opening a new location on The Esplanade at Market Street.

Opening at 118 the Esplanade in early 2019, the new location will be right next to St. Lawrence Market so that cooks can easily gather supplies to test our their newfound skills after classes.

The academy is named for owner Chef John Cirillo, who also has restaurant Oregano next door to the original Cirillo’s in Etobicoke.

Cirillo's will be taking over a long vacant space once home to Cresta, an Italian restaurant that flamed out shortly after being re-branded from Pastizzi.

It remains to be seen whether the new culinary academy can break the curse of shuttered businesses that have been a common occurrence on Market Street since it was revitalized.