Father's Day Gift Ideas for Food Lovers

My dad Jacques and me

Father's Day is on Sunday June 19th this year.  

You have no clue what to do with or for your dad, right?

My dad has been gone for a long time so I won't be celebrating Father's Day and he wasn't much of a gift guy anyway.  When we asked him what he wanted he always said "nothing", but we always got him something anyway.  He was the kind of guy that did things for himself and was the shopper in the family so he would get what he needed.  Yes that's how I learned how to shop and why I probably do the same thing.

I know some people aren't the best gift givers and really don't have a clue what to do.   I am going to help you with some really great choices.  These are all geared to the food lovers.  Maybe your dad is a DIY'er or maybe fancies himself a budding chef, or maybe he can't cook anything but likes to stay fit and healthy, or he would just prefer to spend time with you.  Well I got you covered in this list of great options for your Food Loving Dad. All of these are curated for Toronto but even if you are outside of Toronto you can use some of these ideas or some of them can be delivered or maybe a visit to Toronto is in order.

UNIQUE GIFTS

There is a great online store that has a whole section of unique gifts for Men and this Avocado Tree Starter caught my eye as a really unique gift.

RESTAURANTS

Maple Leaf Tavern has been around for decades and had bit of a reputation but the new owners have brought the place back to life with a lot of spit and polish and a whole new look and menu.  This place is beautiful and warm and comfortable to spend time in.  The food is fantastic and it is a place that you can take the family or just hang out with friends.  One side is a more formal sit down restaurant while the other side of the bar is a more bar style atmosphere with booth seating and stand up tables and the bar.  They have restored it down to the original brick and built it up in places that needed modernization.  Maple Leaf Tavern has some Father's Day Specials that will make it worth your while to take Dad and the family there for.

Mascot Brewery is a great new Restaurant/Bar located in the hip entertainment district in the centre of what I call condo ville downtown.  They just opened and have 3 levels.  On the main level is the bar/restaurant and the middle level is a club space but the upper level is a rooftop patio.  They have great burgers and fries and their own beer.  If your dad is young at heart he will love this place.

Paramount Fine Foods  is offering a free hummus and pita with every two entrees. Treat your dad to a Middle East meal in the GTA. All of their items are made in house and are fresh and healthy. The pitas are made fresh in a wood burning oven. They also have a pastry and cookie section that includes Baklava.  There are over 30 in the GTA.  
To find the nearest location: http://www.paramountfinefoods.com

Aga Khan Lam Burger

Aga Khan Museum - Why not get some culture in and check out the museum and their New Patio Menu, Highlights at Diwan include:

• A choice of chicken, lamb, and prawns ($12 each) prepared on the outside grill.

• A generous mezes platter of Middle Eastern and South Asian delights designed for sharing ($28)

• Paratha Tacos, offering an innovative twist on the traditional taco with Shawarma-style Chicken and Shirazi Salsa garnish ($7); and a range of mocktails and cocktails, featured daily.

Diwan’s full grill menu is offered 11:30 am–6 pm Tuesday to Sunday. From Thursday to Saturday, sharing platters and other light mezes are available from 6–8 pm. A full patio menu and photos can be downloaded here.

MAKE YOUR OWN BEER/WINE

Is your dad a beer connoisseur?  Do you think he would like to make his own beer?  There's a place he can learn how to do that at the Toronto Brewing Co.

If he isn't a beer drinker but fancies a great bottle of wine then he can learn about wine and make his own wine at the Wine Butler

CULINARY TOURS

Looking to give your dad an experience instead of a thing?  What about giving him a Culinary Adventure tour with the Culinary Adventure Co.

Toronto Food Tours is locally owned and operated by partners Chef Scott Savoie,  and John Anderson, a local restaurateur and pub owner for over 25 years. They are dedicated to featuring the culinary & cultural diversity of the city through Food Tours, Drink Tours, Edible Escapades, Cooking Classes  & Tastings.  

CLASSES

Is your dad a BBQ guy but he isn't always great at it?  Why not take a BBQ class with him at the  Weber Grill Academy

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES

Chef's Plate is great for those single fathers who don't have time to shop for groceries,  prep food, cook it and clean up afterward.  Yeah that's most of us.  My friend uses this service because he is a bit clueless in the kitchen and this helps him learn and make real food instead of doing take out all the time.  What they do for you is pre measure and package ingredients  and provide recipe instructions so you just open the ingredients and cook it up fresh.  It's great for small condo kitchens that don't have space to store lot's of spices and pantry ingredients.  It literally will just give you the spices and other ingredients needed for that recipe.  There is no waste except for maybe the containers it comes in.  There is always a deal to get you started too.

Rexfords Chicken Souvlaki

Rexford's is a new food system that is perfect for someone that is health conscious but doesn't have time to cook or just doesn't know what or how to make something nutritious.  They started by providing refrigerators to local gyms and stocking the pre prepped meals for people to eat after their workouts.  They have now expanded to deliver to pick up points like gyms or directly to you. All of the meals are around 500 calories and low in fat, sodium and sugar.



The Healthy Butcher is a great place for the serious meat lover to get your meat delivered directly to you.  They have other things too and you can shop for all of your Big BBQ needs.  The meat is antibiotic free and I believe organic too.  You can even order up all the fixings to your Dad's place and go and make hime a great meal while he relaxes and enjoys a great meal.

Fresh City Farms is a local food deliver service that can deliver salads in jars, lunch bag meals that you prep like the Chef's Plate meals and they deliver local produce and other products.  You set up the service you like and they will deliver it to you weekly.  You can put your order on hold if you are away and change it and modify it anytime.

EVENTS

Here's a fun idea of something you can do with your dad on Father's Day.  If he loves the combo of a beach, a brew, BBQ and music then this is the perfect event for him at Beach BBQ and BREWS

Waterfront Artisan Market (WAM) presented by The Waterfront BIA in partnership with Toronto Market Company (TMCo), brings together a carefully curated mix of 50 top artisans, crafters, chefs and bakers. This unique open-air market will take place over six weekends at HTO Park (339 Queens Quay West – between Rees Street and Spadina Avenue). Explore new items and foods from exciting up-and-coming vendors on May 28-29, June 18-19, July 1-3, July 30-Aug 1, September 3-5 and October 8-10 from 10am-6pm. Visit waterfrontartisanmarket.com for more information.

Enjoy Father's Day with your dad as long as you can because you never know when the time will come when you won't be able to so appreciate the time you have now.


*This list has been curated by me and I have not been compensated for this post.  All of the opinions are my own.  The photos are my own except for the Aga Khan Burger provided by Holmes PR and the Paramount photo provided by Liquid Communications .