Party till you arugula!
Time, too, to paint the town radicchio.
Mixed company. Mixed greens. It was all of that, and more, at one of the hottest parties of the summer in Toronto last weekend: a salad soiree in the heart of Yorkville (complete with DJ, tequila slushies and Beautiful People). Don’t forget the toasted sesame seeds, dahling.
Held to mark the opening of long-anticipated Mandy’s — the much-ado Montreal-sprung brand that now counts 11 storefronts — it was a celebration of the grandest locale yet in the bougie salad empire brought by the dynamo Wolfe sisters, Mandy and Rebecca. And a vinaigrette-whisked symbol of the never-ending evolution of Yorkville itself, which — long before there was a Nespresso or a Versace in the hood — was where burgeoning talents like Margaret Atwood appeared to do readings at the long-gone Bohemian Embassy, and where the nostalgia-misted Riverboat provided a stage to nascent artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. A spot that was a village unto itself — a Canadian counterpart to Haight-Ashbury!
Some greying heads may still remember the sophomore period of Yorkville in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, when Yuppies multiplied and it became ground zero for the Bonfire of the Vanities set. It is a muscle memory that still endures in the neighbourhood today, found in restaurants of the era, like Sassafraz, which continues, and many long gone — the so fabulous Prego, say — plus via any number of upscale boutiques — Brunello Cucinelli! Christian Louboutin! — that now mark its streets.
The explosion of condos, here with lengthening shadows, has certainly changed its DNA. Less of a village feel, for certain, although with a density that still gives oomph.
The arrival of Mandy’s here, in front of “The Rock” — the third such eatery in T.O., after one on Ossington and another in The Well — represents an even newer era of consumption here. Its salad era! Timed to a period when the rich wear hoodies and people travel everywhere simply by scrolling their IG feeds. Rebecca certainly did just that, telling me how the inspiration for this Mandy’s came from a hotel in Jaipur. That she has never been to!
“It is called Villa Palladio,” she was saying, flicking me images on her phone. “Basically, I was like: we are going to recreate this (but changing the palette from red to green).”
“Every time we open up a location, we want continuity, but we want to give each space a special charm,” she continued. Why this location — with its tony arches, checkerboard floors and palm design — hits more like a chic patisserie than a leafy crypt. Being the design buff that she is, Rebecca said she painted everything in the space herself, and seemed jazzed at pointing out other accents: “the scallop tables with bamboo legs,” those Parisian-type chairs you would find at cafes like Les Deux Magots. “Miami meets Paris … meets Jaipur,” she trailed off.
Celebrating 20 years since their first Mandy’s — inside a clothing store in Westmount, owned by Rebecca’s future hubby — and a brand that is one of the great Canadian success stories in hospitality (particularly run by women), she then emphasized the diversity of their clientele: from firemen to doctors. Even celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, who’s been spotted at one of their Montreal outposts. Interestingly, too, according to their data research: “we actually have a higher percentage of male customers in Montreal.” Not by a lot — three per cent more — but enough to nix any retrograde ideas of a salad gender divide.
The business is a true sister act, as loyalists know. Mandy, who studied Russian history and literature, is the food guru: devising not only the changing menus, but their sidelines of marinades, dressings and juices. Rebecca, who studied psychology, handles the design and branding side of things. They had no experience in the restaurant industry and have even co-authored two bestselling Mandy’s cookbooks.
In the works: yet another location in Toronto, coming to Yonge and Eglinton. Also: plans to take their brand to Vancouver and hopefully stateside.
Asked what are some things they didn’t know when they began, Rebecca laughed: “Everything!” They learned it all by doing. The biggest learning curves? “Economies of scale and working with suppliers.” That, and challenging built-in impressions. “People do not mind spending $20 on a margherita pizza, which has less ingredients,” but may balk at a similarly priced salad.
Defying any age-old tropes of sibling rivalry, it is striking how much these two sisters are in sync. They even had babies three weeks apart! “We do such different things and have such a respect for one another,” Rebecca told me. And are also good at establishing boundaries. “I trust everything Mandy does in the kitchen and vice-versa.”
