TORONTO — THR & Co., a new Toronto restaurant from the owners of the city’s Harbord Room, will open in May in the space that was formerly Messis, reports Toronto Life.

The new eatery will seat 70 inside and 70 outside. The menu will feature pizza, pasta and sharing plates inspired by the flavours of Spain, Italy and North Africa with Curt Martin as chef de cuisine. [Toronto Life]

TORONTO — USA Pears held its Canadian culinary student-recipe finals this week at George Brown College and crowned Allegra Jimenez, a student from Vancouver Island, the winner of the annual cooking competition.

Jimenez’ dish combined Red Anjou pears with Canadian prosciutto and blue cheese, garnished with Bosc pear chips and candied-beet salad.

TORONTO — It seems the move toward healthy food is becoming more noticeable with news that the Canada Bread Company is preparing to close its bakery in Shawinigan, Que., due to a considerable decline in consumer demand of snack cakes in recent years.

"We are conducting a strategic review to identify category expansion opportunities. Based on the outcome of this work, there could be potential in the future to utilize this plant to support other manufacturing requirements,” said Richard Lan, president and CEO, Canada Bread.

TORONTO — It was a time to lunch and learn in Toronto yesterday as chefs and executives representing Patak’s Original, which includes Indian sauces, pastes, chutney and pickle products, united to show media how to incorporate Indian cooking into Western foodservice culture.

The lunch lesson began with product history. “What’s unique about Patak’s in Canada is the relationship with the South-Asian community and everyone else,” explained Jean Francois Dery, regional GM – Americas of AB World Foods, Patak’s parent company. “We buy the best ingredients, and we make sure we have quality control.”