Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood of beauty, heritage, cultural diversity and inclusion. We are Anita Bostok and Norman Hathaway and we’re proud to contribute this regular feature where you get to know the people and businesses that make Cabbagetown so special. If you’d like to be featured or would like to nominate someone please get in touch.
Gene Carpenter, Linda Jong, Mohammad Mashal
These three friends came to Toronto from BC with the dream of having their own restaurant. With a strong background in cooking, they worked over the past few years at various locations including The Drake Hotel. With the desire to create an eating environment of fast, healthy, great tasting but casual food, close to downtown, Cabbagetown was the perfect choice. Fattoush, 253 Gerrard St. E.. Opened just over a year ago during COVID, they’ve been overwhelmed by community support and generosity. The good life for them is “experiencing great food 24/7, taking it slow and enjoying the Cabbagetown vibe”. Watch for the patio out front very soon.
Minh Hao
After gaining several years of experience working in other clinics, Minh opened the Old Cabbagetown Physiotherapy clinic at 255 Gerrard St E. Since 2007 he has worked with Cabbagetown’s diverse population, helping the community to overcome different conditions. He has enjoyed getting to know the neighbours and watching the little ones grow up. His passion for healing began in high school when the young athlete and science enthusiast learned firsthand how to overcome sports injuries. Minh earned his degree of chiropractic medicine and acupuncture in Toronto at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and traveled to Australia to study physiotherapy. His favourite thing to do away from work is taking his two kids on road trips.
Hilary MacMillan
Everything in the store at 224 Carlton St is a Hilary MacMillan design. The boutique carries cruelty-free women’s fashions in sizes XS to 4X, and a brand-new home collection. She opened the Cabbagetown shop about four years ago when she found the large space that was the ‘perfect nook with a neighbourhood vibe.’ Since the start of the pandemic, the online component of the store has become huge, but she opens for in-store shopping by appointment and for special shopping events. Hilary is very excited to be launching the swimwear line on May 16th. A Toronto native, Hilary loves to travel and is passionate about scuba diving. She also loves films, catching the TIFF festival every year, and wandering through local markets where she is always on the lookout for new brands.
Wes
Being fond of tacos and especially of making taco sauces, was all the inspiration Wes needed to open Pastor Taco at 245 Gerrard St E. While living in Mexico and working in leather factories, Wes was introduced to the authentic tacos that he has brought to Toronto. In addition to his time in Mexico, Wes has traveled a great deal with trips to Asia, Honduras, the Caribbean, and the US. Wes has lived in Cabbagetown for thirteen years and is happily married. During the Pandemic, Wes noticed the empty buildings along Gerrard and thought this area was a natural due to the great local support. His other great interest is wine. He is a wine agent in Niagara region, and he will soon be opening a bottle shop as an extra draw to his popular Taco restaurant.
