People are driving an hour out of town to visit Ontario's hottest new food hall
Ontario's hottest new food hall is just an hour outside of Toronto, and people have been driving there to experience the space helmed by chefs who have worked with major celebs.
Feedery in Aurora is owned by two alum from Oliver & Bonacini, one of Toronto's biggest restaurant groups behind spots like Canoe and Maison Selby.
Jamie Meireles and Guillermo Russo have both worked as O&B chefs, the latter also previously working for Gordon Ramsay and Black Hoof.
The food hall officially launched on Jan. 10, 2022, and encompasses options for burgers, fried chicken, poke, healthy bowls, empanadas, Spanish croquettas, plant-based cuisine, gelato, sorbet and baked goods.
Somewhat similar to Toronto's Kitchen Hub, the concept allows you to order takeout or delivery from an assortment of restaurants and pay on the same bill.
The burger, fried chicken, poke and bowls concepts are all by Feedery, while other options are sourced from Toronto brands: empanadas are by Gaucho Pie Co., croquettas are from a Toronto outpost of La Croqueteria and baked goods are from Sullivan & Bleeker.
Plant-based options come from Sopa, gelato comes from Coppa and there's even soda from Ontario classic The Pop Shoppe.
Feedery's chicken recipe took eight months to develop, and you can get chicken sandwiches and tenders from "Chomp Shop Fried Chicken." Smash Patties has your standard burgers and fries, Soul Bowl has bowls with toppings like steak, falafel and tofu, and Onokai Poke does a range of six poke bowls.
Fried chicken sandwiches and burgers start around $8, with poke and "Soul" bowls starting around $13. There are also more proprietary brands from Feedery in the works.
"We wanted to solve for multiple people within a family wanting different things for lunch or dinner. Traditionally you could order from three different places, but you would have three different delivery fees and have to wait three different time frames," Russo tells blogTO.
"Although this model could be compared to what a ghost kitchen does, Feedery incorporates a hospitality element due to the owners' experience, it is not tucked away in an industrial area. Quite the contrary, it is located on Yonge St. and is welcoming."
Unlike some more industrial ghost kitchen/food hall type spaces, Feedery has large windows, good lighting, inviting design, seating, music and WiFi. All orders come from a central kitchen that's visible, with all orders taken at one point of sale kiosk.
Despite the distance and wide range of options we have here in our city, the chefs say Feedery gets at least 50 visitors from Toronto per week.
Russo attributes attracting people from Toronto to "word-of-mouth, the need to try something new, the variety of the offering as well as the ownership team."
"Although this is the first location, the concept was designed with the goal of expansion, whether it be outposts of particular brands or a mix of Feedery brands into a new Feedery space," says Russo.
Feedery
Join the conversation Load comments