Going Loco for Locavore

Walking through the plastic curtains at Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, the atmosphere is already alive and the restaurant won’t be open for a few hours. Stools are turned up on the tables, the walls are lined with quirky posters, vintage mirrors and animal heads. Loud music plays from the back of the kitchen where food is being prepared for the dinner service. The large window facing out onto Toronto’s Queen Street West is the only light needed for now; it lights up the longest table, which is made of a refurnished door and decorated with fresh flowers.

Toronto is a city bursting with chain restaurants and fast food joints, but this small restaurant isn’t the same as others. Some people may pick where they’re going to have their next meal based on convenience, instead of questioning where the food comes from. But not if you’re a locavore, a word that only came into play in 2005. Originally from the word carnivore, the definition of locavore is someone who strives to eat locally grown food whenever possible, some even sticking within a 100-mile radius.