Curious Idler August edition

After 36 years, Toronto-based Amsterdam Brewery Company has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Royal Unibrew of Denmark.
After 36 years, Toronto-based Amsterdam Brewery Company has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Royal Unibrew of Denmark.

 

Brew news – Amsterdam Brewery acquired

After 36 years, Toronto-based Amsterdam Brewery Company has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Royal Unibrew of Denmark. Originally established in 1986, Amsterdam Brewery relocated brewing operations to the Industrial Park in Leaside in 2012. It later expanded its Leaside operations with the opening of a full-service restaurant, the Amsterdam Barrel House, on Laird. Now the company behind “Amsterdam good beer” is starting a fresh chapter with its new Danish owner.

Citing high international freight costs, supply chain challenges and a hope to lower their CO2 footprint, CEO of Royal Unibrew Lars Jensen stated that “the acquisition we are doing today is very important for the future growth of Royal Unibrew in the Americas region. The transaction is expected to finalize later in 2022 with the purchase price being reported as 44 million dollars CAD.

Yummy and versatile basil.
Yummy and versatile basil.

Presto pesto! 

The Leaside Garden Society is continuing its speakers’ series with special guest Yvonne Tremblay, hosting an online Zoom meeting on September 8th at 7:00 p.m. Tremblay is a noted food nutritionist, author, and editor who will share the secrets to cooking with fresh herbs from the garden to the table. The evening will include a demonstration on how to turn one of her favourite herbs, basil, into a delicious pesto. The Leaside Garden Society always welcomes guests and new members. Visit leasidegardensociety.org for more information.

The $5.5 billion headache

So, what can you buy these days with 5.5 billion dollars? How about a 19 km, 25-stop LRT line and about 10 years of traffic headaches for anyone trying to travel across the city via Eglinton Avenue? With the construction expected to be substantially complete later this year and an operational date sometime in 2023, the line will be serviced by Bombardier’s low-floor Flexity Freedom trains. With communities across the city inconvenienced for so many years, the Idler hopes that Metrolinx and the TTC will consider providing all residents within 2 km of the construction chaos a free one-month Presto pass. It would give us an opportunity to confirm their claims that transit times across the city will be cut by an estimated 60%.

A fond farewell

Green-thumbed Leasiders will be sad to learn that Davenport Garden Centre, at 1466 Bayview Ave., has closed. For years this green oasis provided a wide assortment of green goodies, from annuals and perennials to native plants, along with essential garden supplies. As many of you will know, 1466-1500 Bayview is slated for a new development that will also see the (we hope temporary) closure of Valu-Mart. For those already missing Davenport Garden Centre, you can catch part-owner Carla, a popular figure at 1466 Bayview, at one of Davenport’s other locations, the nearest being at 368 Davenport Rd.

Pagnello’s – tiny perfect!

Dan Tanenbaum recently wrote in LinkedIn:

“Last year my favourite antique store closed. As a retirement gift to the couple who ran this store for nearly 50 years, I commissioned a miniature to be made of the façade of their beloved antique store.” With apologies for the long URL, here’s a miniature version of Pagnello’s to bring back fond memories: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dan-tanenbaum-96053229_last-year-my-favourite-antique-store-closed-ugcPost-6951597357134229504-4j7p/?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

Leaside Life now available at…

If you are reading this, we assume you’ve already received your free monthly issue of Leaside Life, but if you are ever looking for additional copies or we missed delivering to your door, you can now pick up extra copies from our new magazine racks throughout the neighbourhood. Racks are located at the following locations:

  • Bank of Montreal – 1670 Bayview Ave.
  • The Bagel House – 1548 Bayview Ave.
  • TD Canada Trust – 1511 Bayview Ave.
  • Leaside Pub – 190 Laird Dr.
  • Sobey’s – 147 Laird Dr.
  • East York Eats – 858 Eglinton Ave. East