583 Danforth Avenue
There are not a lot of foodie places in Toronto that feel like home for me. My journey with food did not start until after I left university and moved to Ottawa and had to learn how to cook for myself. For real. Like, to survive, all the time. I remember coming back to visit and stopping by this new store on Yonge near Bloor called Kitchen Stuff Plus. My heart skipped a little when I went inside for the first time.
I had worked at kitchen wares stores before (yes, even though I knew nothing about food) so I knew immediately when I saw the prices that this store had GREAT deals. Like, really good and the quality was excellent. I may never have made a pie before but I knew the pie plates were bright, beautiful and reasonably priced. One of the last times I had been there was back in 2012! It was the same location and felt like coming home. In 2013 I bought my cast iron Dutch oven from them for my birthday gift to myself which I still use to this day. It made the move.
Kitchen Stuff Plus On The Danforth
I knew that if I was going to make it to Taste Of The Danforth I would be near one of their now many locations so it was perfect! Two big foodie events in one day. Bring it.
They gave me a coupon on the way in and I had a feeling, like all the coupons I ever get, it would not be applicable to whatever I pick up. It is just always the case so I held onto it but did not get my hopes up.
Shopping
My space is very limited so I did not plan on buying anything large but when I saw this package of 7 stainless steel straws…
For just over $7 I knew it was a good deal. I recently attempted to buy some on eBay and they never came. I got my money back but did not have straws for when I left the house. You know I am a huge fan of decaf iced drinks and do not want to contribute to more waste with plastic straws.
The Tour
This place is a hell of a lot larger than the one I went to that first time on Yonge Street.
It was wide AND deep. It was like a big kitchen store now with just about everything you could want. Wow!!!
There was a moment my heart hurt though. You see the off white burnt brown edge ceramic pieces? I had that small casserole dish on the bottom right (less than $10!) which I kept using even when the handles broke off. Lots of memories. It did not make the move.
Thankfully there were new highlights to take my mind off the past like this adorable owl mug!
This is the sweetest donut sugar container ever and only $8. I mean seriously?! That one was almost impossible for me to resist.
And yes, more owls.
And more donuts! OMG, I wanted to buy everything!
But!!!
There was one item that the store did not have that I have been searching and searching for… Yes, just about every kind of wooden cutting board you can imagine but not one marble board. Damn it. Those are really hard to find. I thought if I could find it in a store, this would be it. A clue to what is coming up for me soon…
Onward!
I love that Kitchen Stuff Plus has always has colourful, well, everything. From plates to appliances, everything is bright and fun. Of course you can go more serious foodie kitchen with black or stainless steel (which I also love). So much variety!
The old Le Cuistot cast iron dishes they used to sell (not to be confused with Le Crueset which I did) have now been replaced with Crockpot cast iron. Fascinating!
More Shopping
OK I could not leave without something that had those adorable owls on them. I left my reusable shopping bags when I left BC that I got at Chong Lee. It was time for something new and fun.
They put my stainless steel straws inside my reusable bag making me a pretty environmental foodie for the day.
I was right, BTW. The coupon was not applicable to either purchase! I knew it… I still only spent $15 and helped the environment at the same time. Not bad at all.
Finding Home
As someone who has lived across the country a few times, it still feels weird to be back where I started. Like the past ____ years have not gone by. Going to Kitchen Stuff Plus helped me take one step backwards and a few forward. It took me right back to the days I did not know how to boil an egg and see how far (literally and figuratively) I have come as a human being, how much more there is to explore and discover.
This is going to be fun.
I just ADORE browsing in stores like that! I could spend hours looking at everything. But I rarely actually buy anything because I have limited cupboard and counter space in my kitchen and I already have everything I need.
Me too Debra! So much to look at and check out. Yes, that’s my issue too, space. Although I am seriously wishing I had picked up that donut sugar container now!