First up on the culinary exploratory was the aptly name, Academy of Culinary Arts. Owner Laurie Oehy gave me a tour of the 35 year old store and was extremely helpful in providing gift ideas at a range of price points and culinary ability. For example, when I gave her the challenge of finding a gift for a young woman in her 20s who loves to eat and cook but comes home tired and settles for bad take out - or worse, nuked frozen -  she immediately recommended Canadian Living’s latest cookbook, Everyday Favourites ($39.95) Every recipe has a photo, both metric and imperial measures and is laid out in the simple, instructive style that CL is known for. For stocking stuffers, high heat resistant silicone spatulas fly off the shelves. From $4.95 to $12.95, they are a flexible tool for baking, sautéing, most anything that goes on in a kitchen. At the higher end, a sure hit with an active chef would be Duncan’s Kitchen Grips: black neoprene kitchen gloves with black, red, or blue trim ($49.95). At the same price point were dressy black aprons trimmed with velvet and silk from Sauceywear– so elegant in fact, that one well put together lady of a certain age declared that they would be just the thing for wearing with nothing else at all! (No report on her husband’s response). For my mother, a caterer who has every kitchen gadget produced in the post war era, Laurie recommended the tagine, the necessary cooking vessel for producing the traditional cuisine of Morocco and North Africa. Both Emile/Henry and Le Crueset produce attractive, modern versions for $149.95. Also recommended for the chef who demands the best would be a highly coveted All Clad copper saucepan, $249.95 for ½ l size, a gift that will last a lifetime. Always popular at Christmas for discerning chefs is the Peugeot line of salt and pepper mills, priced from $34.95 and up. The premium price of the Peugeot line is justified by their durable grinder of Sheffield steel, which both crushes and grinds the pepper to produce a more uniform result.

Moving down the Avenue I came upon The Tea Emporium. This location is the oldest of 3 in the city, and I was fortunate to be given a guided tour of the store and the world of tea by the beautiful and knowledgeable co-owner, Shabnam Weber (her husband Frank is the other owner) And a guide is definitely necessary, since the variety and complexity of tea available now rivals that of wine or cheese! We started with her favourite tea pots, fashioned from cast iron in Japan. Cast iron construction means that the heat is retained for a long time, and built in tea infusers eliminates those nasty bits in one’s teeth. Her advice is to start your discovery of tea by purchasing a pot that you love and that fits in your life style and home. These elegant, minimalist vessels would be perfect with a contemporary esthetic in a downtown condominium or loft. Prices range from $120 -$140 and come with a lifetime guarantee. More traditional are the Japanese porcelain tea sets with delicate, whimsical designs. The range of loose leaf tea available is a revelation to one who has a few bags of Earl Grey and odd boxes of Celestial Seasonings in the cupboard. The Tea Emporium is also an excellent place to acquire hostess gifts, office exchange gifts or thoughtful thank you presents to patient teachers, dog walkers and other folks who make daily life less onerous. My personal choice was the Rooibos Provence, a beautiful and fragrant blend of flowers and fruit (lavender, rose petals, black currants, red currants, raisins and rosehip). To compliment my tea gift, a jar of Provence Rose Petal tea jelly, made especially for them from fresh Niagara produce and their teas. Rahier, the lovely French patisserie which is almost next store, makes delicate cookies to match their teas including Green Tea lemon shortbread, Chai Sugar Snaps and Rooibos Provence wafers. Price points are a very reasonable $7 to 8. An unusual choice for a sophisticated food lover would be their tea spice collection for rubs or marinades: I particularly liked the sound of the Chipotle Lapsang Rub with chipotle pepper, garlic and celery salt. At $6.50, it’s the perfect foodie stocking stuffer.

And speaking of Rahier, they are deservedly considered to be at the very top of Toronto’s patisseries. If you wish to dazzle your guests with one exquisitely decorated and richly flavoured cake for Christmas day dinner, you can really not go wrong here. And Christmas morning would be all the merry if one had their coveted croissants or brioche to munch on while the wrapping paper flew. One confection they offered which I have not seen elsewhere were “kabobs” of festive Christmas gummy candies – very fresh and would be fun displayed en mass on a kitchen counter or in a stocking.

Nunzio Fattore, who has been 3 years on Bayview as Nunzio’s Fine Foods, has many delicious food offerings to make you holiday celebration truly stress free. For example, if you have simply run out of time and energy (but still have money of course); their Christmas Menu could be just the answer. All of the traditional favourites are available, fully cooked and at the ready: all manner of Turkey, Prime Rib or Ham as well as all of the side dishes your family will expect, roasted root vegetables, candied yams, Brussels sprouts and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. And don’t forget the festive or traditional stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. The bill will depend upon the number of dinners, and of course, on how much extra turkey and gravy you wish to add for those late night sandwiches. Thankfully, orders will be taken up to 2 days before Christmas.

As I followed Nunzio around his well stocked store, it was apparent that he is a dedicated fine food purveyor, who is well known and well liked by loyal Bayview patrons. I asked him for what was new and interesting that people might not otherwise notice; here are some ideas for the holiday season:

1. An excellent selection of smoked salmon includes Vodka Smoked, Scottish, Kristapsens and a local hickory smoked which was well priced and quite tasty.
   
2. They have expanded the chocolate section for the season to include a wide selection from premium Italian chocolate manufacturer, Slitti. Andrea Slitti is considered the world master of dark, bittersweet chocolate – his product has been described as “the benchmark for the discriminating chocolate aficionado and the chocoholic alike.”
   
3. A refreshing finale to a meal might be frozen Gelati kisses – bite sized hazelnut and chocolate gelato treats. $11.99 for 25.
   
4. Last minute gourmet hostess gift ideas include Cobblestone Scone Mixtures, Elsa’s Story Fig Confiture from Israel, Duchy Original Organic Shortbreads and Cheese Nibbles, and the ultimate indulgence, 50 year old Pedroni brand Balsamic at $230 for 100ml.

For a tasteful and no stress end to a holiday meal, offer a cheese course from Alex Farm Products. Start with some research on their helpful website and you will walk into the spacious and well stocked store armed with a tasting list. For example, if I was serving Port après dinner, they would recommend Blue de Gex, a mellow, nutty cow’s milk blue, Fourme d’Ambert, a more assertive, piquant French blue and the traditional English vintage Stilton. If my guests were still lingering over their glasses of Pinot Noir, their suggestions would include the pungent aromas and earthy flavours of Epoisse, and L’ami du Chambertin, as well as Langres, a semi soft cheese from Champagne with a notable smoky-bacon aroma. Now, does that not sound wonderful?

Although I would never suggest that you leave all of your holiday food and food related gift shopping to a few days before Christmas, it’s comforting to know that if one had to, a quick trip to Bayview Avenue and you and your family would be assured of a splendid gourmet Christmas feast.

Academy of Culinary Arts
1703 Bayview Avenue
416 486 1859

The Tea Emporium
1592 Bayview Avenue
416 483 9547
www.theteaemporium.com

Rahier
1586 Bayview Avenue
416 482 0917

Nunzio’s Fine Food
1605 Bayview Avenue
416 480 2402