By Chava Fine
Kosher consumers who have previously been stuck in the Toronto Pearson Airport with few options in sight can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Grodzinski Bakery is providing a variety of kosher options at three locations in Terminal 1; CIBO Express Gourmet Market, Fetta Panini Bar and Heirloom Bakery Café.
The kosher food service, which has been available at these locations since September 2012, includes sandwiches in wraps and buns, Danishes, and yogurt parfaits with granola and fresh fruit.
Despite being a relative newcomer to the Canadian kosher food scene, opening their doors in Toronto in October 1999, Grodzinski Bakery has a rich history dating back to 1888, when they first opened their doors in London, England.
“We try to provide a quality product,” said owner, Daniel Grodzinski. “Back in England, my Father always purchased the highest-quality ingredients for the bakery. Today, if we have to choose between a lesser-quality ingredient and a higher-quality ingredient, we go for the higher quality.”
Some of the products which Grodzinski is most proud of are their children’s cookies and their honey cake, which he believes is “the best honey cake around.”
As a result of their crowd-pleasing, high-quality products, the Toronto Bakery has evolved leaps and bounds since its 1999 opening.
In 2002, the bakery opened an additional location in Thornhill, and for the past three years, they have been supplying the Second Cup coffee shops along the Bathurst corridor.
Grodzinski’s products are also carried at the Timothy’s Coffee Shop on Eglinton Street beside the Village Shul, in addition to Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrooke Hospital and Sick Kids Hospital.
The emergence of Grodzinski Bakery’s products at Pearson Airport was a direct result of their products being spotted at a Second Cup location by the management of OTG, the outfit that manages the kiosks and cafes at Pearson airport.
According to Grodzinski, the demand has been steady for their products at Pearson.
“The quality is such that half of the demographics of people purchasing our products are people looking for kosher items, and the other half are people who do not observe kashrut.”
Winlai Wong, Executive Chef with OTG Management at Toronto Pearson Airport, is happy with the response of consumers to the new kosher options.
“At OTG, we work to ensure that we provide quality food for every traveler’s need. At our current locations in Toronto Pearson Airport, we are providing a high quality kosher grab-and-go program, though our partnership with Grodzinski Bakery. We’ve had great success with the program.”
Wong is enthusiastic about bolstering the kosher options in Pearson Airport.
“We are excited to expand this program even more throughout Terminal 1 and also into Terminal 3 in the upcoming months as we continue to open more locations.”
As for Grodzinski Bakery, Daniel Grodzinski is looking to broaden the audience for his bakery’s products in the future.
“We want to continue to provide a quality product to as large a proportion of the Jewish community as we can possibly manage. We want to reach the Jewish community and beyond.”