Photography by Revelateur Studio
More than a third of fruits and vegetables destined for the food industry end up in landfills because they are undersized, discolored or oddly shaped produce. Loblaw’s No Frills stores sell economy packs of this imperfect produce; now a hospitality entrepreneur has seized on the concept. IMPerfect Fresh Eats, on Toronto’s Adelaide Street West, claims to be the first Canadian restaurant to offer imperfect produce. (The menu boasts another first: instead of prices across from food listings, “GF,” “DF” and “V,” for gluten free, dairy free and vegan, appear.) The long, narrow space flows efficiently while offering a sense of calm to those eating in. The seating area evokes al fresco vineyard dining, with programmed undulating light effects playing on flowers and foliage that hangs from a suspended wooden trellis. A linear condiments bar separates the dining area from the high-traffic entry where customers queue to pick up their takeout orders. A chevron pattern applied to the walls, suggestive of roof rafters, sounds a farm-inspired theme.
