Village Squire, 1979-02, Page 15own cooking and baking goods from the Hill 'n Dale Bakery at
Belmont all natural foods of course. The price is a little steeper
than you'll find at your neighbourhood supermarket, but for
many it's worth it. Bread. for instance. is 98 cents a loaf the day
we checked in. Doughnuts were $2.15 for a dozen. You could buy
48 oz. of granola -type cereal for $2.90.
The store opened Oct. 11 under the management of Pam
Showier of Stratford. Though one tends to think of such a store
catering to the concerned younger generation out to find an
alternative to adulterated foods, she says that the most support
comes from the middle-aged people, not the young.
While you can get food to work with in your own kitchen at
Grains. Beans and Things. next door at the Mediterranean, you
can get foods that are already prepared. Such things as
homemade pastries. quiche, sausage rolls, frozen yogurt are all
there to tempt your palate.
Next door to Grains. Beans and Things on the other side, you
can find a shop handling seafood. Just around the corner from
that again is the Leslie Cheese House outlet. This is the third
outlet for the famous Stratford company. The main branch of
course is out on Erie Street and it's become a regular shopping
place for visitors to the city for years. They carry a full line of
cheese and also put together picnic baskets for those who want to
picnic by the river in the summer.
The company has had a second outlet for years at the Stratford
Farmers Market but only recently opened up the third in Festival
Square. It's a large, bright. spotless looking shop with a large
cooler counter down one side filled with cheeses. The Cheese
House specializes of course in its Millbank cheese produced a
few miles away in Perth County. As well as the tart cheddars.
though. there are also such cheezes as Stilton. Ricolta. Oka,
Camembert and Koch.
The bottled juices that provide a tasty accompaniment for the
gourmet picnic baskets from the Cheese House are available
here too.
An interesting sidelight in the shop is the coloured
photographs of the making of cheese. And twice weekly there are
cheese tasting sessions held.
By this time as you wander down the corridor, the smell for
food from the Cookery buffet in the Engine Shed will probably
have captured you and you'll have to stop in. But if you escape
that there are more temptations up on the main floor.
Greeting visitors when they first arrive through the main doors
of the mall is Crunchy's. a candy counter owned by Linda
Kleinheinz of Toronto and operated by Marjorie Porter of
Stratford.
Here the snacker and the sweet tooth can run wild. The
coulter contains all sorts of candies and dried fruits and nuts.
Even those who are diabetic can sample here since imported
candies. biscuits and chocolates especially made for diabetics are
available.
Just around the corner again from Crunchy's is the informal
Cafe Moliere, an outdoor style cafe that's indoors. protected
from the weather. A summery canope overhangs the little tables.
Here the shopper can again be tempted whether for lunch or
just for a stop during busy shopping outings. There are
homemade soups and sandwiches available and tasty pastries.
Even just getting a cup of coffee becomes a little more
complicated because there is Expresso. Cappuccino and Coffee
Moliere as well as regular coffee. With a little imagination or a
very bad memory, you might even see yourself relaxing outdoors
on a sunny summer day instead of coming indoors out of the
winter weather. That's what a trip to this tempting collection of
food places can do, make you get a little carried away.
Pam Showier of Stratford manages the Grains, Beans and Things
outlet in Festival Square.
February 1979, Village Squire 13