TORONTO — Five years after plans were announced to develop and launch a flagship Longo’s grocery store within Maple Leaf Square (MLS), the dream has become a reality. The latest unit in the family owned and operated chain of 23 grocery units opens its doors today, Oct. 6.

Featuring 48,000 square feet of retail space, the location is more than a grocery store as it boasts a grab-and-go area, a full-service wine and beer bar in a Loft space that will also house cooking demos and wine tastings, a wine retail area where customers can purchase a selection of Peller wines, as well as a pharmacy.

According to Patrick Rodmill, president of Watt International, a retail agency that helps retailers define their brand to increase sales, “this store is the personification of everything Longo stands for. Everything you see, touch and taste is a symphony for the senses,” explained Rodmill at the concept’s media preview. “We wanted to ensure a pleasant aesthetic while creating a value message. We wanted to bring the fresh tradition to the downtown experience.”

TORONTO — With the fall season in full gear, the fourth annual Picnic at the Brick Works took place at the transformed and rejuvenated Evergreen Brick Works facility in Toronto on Oct. 3.

What is quickly becoming an annual tradition for Toronto foodies featured a virtual tour of the culinary regions of Southern Ontario, from Muskoka to Niagara, and all points in between.

TORONTO — This past weekend, prominent Torontonians played host to the sixth annual Grand Cru, a celebration of fantastic food, the world’s best wines and cutting-edge medical science.

Founded in 2005, Grand Cru is a city wide event, where individuals host intimate dinners in their homes, prepared by local and global culinary icons, and paired with the best wines from around the globe. Since its inception, the event has raised $7.5 million for the Toronto General and Western Hospital foundations.

This year’s slate of chefs included New York’s Daniel Boulud and Scott Conant (of Toronto’s new Scarpetta restaurant), plus a brigade of Toronto’s top toques like Massimo Capra of Mitsura; Mark McEwan of North 44, Bymark and One; Jamie Kennedy of Jamie Kennedy Event Catering; David Lee of Nota Bene; Victor Barry of Splendido and Ryo Ozawa of EDO.

TORONTO — Major grocery chain purveyors are kicking it up a notch, competing with other retail and foodservice operators in a bid to appeal to a discerning urban crowd.

According to the Toronto Star, Longo’s is set to open a 48,000-square-foot store at the base of the new Maple Leaf Square condominium building in Toronto. Aside from the usual meat and produce, the store will be stocked with 400 varieties of cheese, in-house hardwood-smoked meats, stone-oven pizza and 28-day aged Kobe beef. It will also be outfitted with a lounge, a fireplace and a Starbucks.