food

All I will give you is what I know.
That’s all I ever try to do on this blog.

But word has gotten out (about a week ago) that one of the bright spots of the Downtown Farmer’s Market – Thibert Farm – is DELIVERING!

This means that he’s coming from Tilbury, once a month (from what I heard upon first reports), to deliver most of what he has to offer, including beef, bread, stone-milled flours, and cookies!

Again, this is bread made from wheat that he’s grown on premises, and THEN milled, and THEN baked.

Here’s a blurb from the Thibert Farm site: “The Thibert Farm is a mixed farm that raises traditional farm livestock such as Beef, Pork, Chicken, and field crops in the traditional way free from growth hormones, Genetically Modified Organisms “GMOs”, and other unnecessary chemical inputs.”

The idea that this man is taking it upon himself, not only to make this food available, but to deliver it (currently at no extra cost!) to whoever orders it is unfathomable to me. It’s a blessing of food. It’s practically Manna falling from heaven.

I will update you when I find out more.
My understanding is that he delivers in a three-hour window…and all you have to do is BE THERE to pay for it.

For more information contact:
Richard Thibert
20300 Lakeshore rd. 308
RR #1, Comber, Ontario,
N0P 1J0
Phone: (519) 682-0204
Cell: (519) 365-1254
E-Mail: richard@thethibertfarm.com

We’re lucky to have someone devoted to our food safety, and willing to do WAY MORE than his share of the ork to get it into our bellies. If you ask really nice, he seems like the kind of guy who might even cut your meet on your plate for you too, if his current commitment to food awesomeness isn’t enough already.

Check him out. I will be ordering something for sure.

Tweet This

{ 0 comments }

Monday – Beef
Tuesday – Pork
Wednesday – Chicken
Thursday – Vegetarian option
Friday – Fish
Saturday – BBQ

Traditional breakfast served daily.

This is the menu for Namaste, the newest favourite place I have in Windsor.

You don’t choose what to eat, you simply choose TO eat, and the cooks take care of the rest.

Namaste is a non-profit restaurant (Yes, a NON-PROFIT RESTAURANT) that just opened up to five-star health ratings, and is somewhere you need to know about…because a meal with a bottomless cup of coffee or tea or a can of pop costs you $5.40 with tax. Breakfast is the same.

$5.40

Every time.
Unless you get a dessert (which is unbelievably delectable because it’s baked on premises) you won’t pay more than $6 to eat a meal that you WATCHED being cooked on a stove that is likely in your mom’s kitchen.

And that’s the interesting part. It’s as if you’re eating at your friend’s mother’s house…a friend who’s mom can cook better than your own.

My dear friend Kimba is a selfless and caring dude who is behind this effort with help from his family and friends. Kimba and his sister do the cooking from 7am until 7pm.

You walk in, sit down, and decide whether or not you’re eating. Simple.

The meal of the day, which will consist of the meat for that particular day of the week, will be prepared and delivered.
My first visit was yesterday with Jhoan. The meal was fried chicken, with string beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Lots of gravy. A slice of bread and butter, and a ginger ale to top it off. I thought I was going to need seconds, but when I was done, I was stuffed with goodness far-reaching from the plate. I had to finish Jhoan’s. The soul of these people and the effort and LOVE that goes into what they’re doing is what you leave with.

Kimba is remiss to tell people that he will also be running a soup kitchen and clothing donation space out of the basement of this amazing place. You see, he has been caring for the less-fortunate for a while now. A veteran of knowing what people need is right up Kimba’s alley, and this new place, Namaste, is his way of delivering affordable, heart-warming, magnificently delicious food to Windsorites in a pinch. When you add that he’s trying to take care of those who’ve fallen on hard times, you have one of the most honourable undertakings at the moment in this city. And grass roots to boot.

I don’t recommend, I compel you to go to Namaste. It is at 188 Erie St. E. (I think) near Hotel Dieu hospital.
The sign actually reads “The Coffee Corner”, and in tiny letters, “namaste” is somewhere on that canvas.
It has four tiny tables. A few seats per table. It is the epitome of personal, and community.

Tell people you know.
They are going to need to do a volume business in this space, and at $5 per meal, with a drink included, they will eventually do it, but they’ll need you to be curious about their offering first.

The idea is that when people realize that they are getting home-cooking for such a low cost, they will return again and again with friends, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They will need to sell a LOT of meals. They know that, and they are more than willing to do the work.

Go there.
You can bet you’ll be seeing me at one of the four tables.

Tweet This

{ 6 comments }

Click To Play

We’ve been a couple of times.
Jhoan and I went on the first Saturday the Downtown Farmer’s Market was coordinated and then again two weeks later.

A pal of mine, Ken, from out of town was introduced two weeks later.
He drummed up conversations with various sellers and vendors. It was a welcome sight.

This market is such a welcomed oasis of local support, it’s difficult to convey its importance…in my humble opinion.

I’ll try to put this in perspective for you.
When I buy food at a grocery store, I fumble for parking, find a loud cage with wheels (for transporting my purchases), and make my way past mean-mugging employees and lottery ticket salespeople. Once inside, I try to find some veggies and fruit, none of which are from Ontario (often) and whom I would need Airmail postage to communicate with. Loads of “food” on the inside aisles is boxed, canned, preserved, and just plain NOT FOOD. There are babies clothes, patio furniture, vases, garden decor, pharmaceuticals, and more standing between me (in the vegetable aisle) and the eggs (opposite aisle). Don’t get me started on the impatience of the check-out experience.

I think this is common for most shoppers.
This is not a fun experience.
This is generally NOT a social experience.
It’s cold, predictable, and wrong. For me.

Going to the market, the first week, we were late. There was nothing left. Everything was bought already. But the sellers looked eager. We bought some honey and a few little things here and there, and we knew we’d have to return early the following week.

When we did, there was a symphony of food available. We not only bought the best loaf of bread we’ve ever bought as a couple, but we met the man who grew the ingredients, milled them, and baked them into bread! He was friendly! He was eager to teach us a bout his product, and how close his premises were where he made this all possible.

We bought loads of fresh vegetable, grown by the humble individuals behind the tables. With the table standing between myself and my “nourish-er”, it was the closest I’d been to a farmer. To a food producer. A LOCAL food producer! They were here, making my goal to be a locavore not just hopeful, but possible.

The other upside is the LOCAL vendors selling a range of things such as art, soaps and lotions, jewelry and more. Nothing made in China is in these tents, just the people who care more about the viability of their Windsor community than the average bear. And these are nice people to be around.

I urge you to rediscover the space where the old downtown bus depot was located. Between Chatham and Pitt Streets, east of Ouellette.
It’s something Jhoan and I look forward to perusing each week, when the rain isn’t torrential, and when we’re actually in town together.
Eat something from Essex County. It’s good for you. In more ways than one.

Click To Play

Tweet This

{ 2 comments }