There’s something magical about visiting a big food market!

Maybe it’s that your senses get overloaded with all the colour, variety, smells and sounds of this gathering place. And maybe it’s the gathering itself – being with others on a common mission to find the freshest fare for a special meal. I love it! It’s one of the few times when I love a crowd… even as I endlessly wait my turn for the Cheese Guy!

When I lived in downtown Toronto, some great Saturday mornings were spent discovering, sampling and meal-planning at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. With expandable bags in tow, we’d come early for a quick breakfast and then start the hunt for all the things we couldn’t get at our local grocers – exotic fruit, artisan cheeses and fresh seafood. Each new item needed proper nestling in our bags, often until there was no more room – the signal to stop. But the market’s magic then continued at home! I mean, how much fun was it to unpack those bags, lining everything up on the counter like it was Christmas morning… trying to decide what to eat first!

To this day, whenever I see an indoor or an outdoor food market, my pulse quickens! So it’s no wonder that I’ve painted some of the markets I’ve visited on my travels, but this is the first time I’ve painted my hometown market proudly standing with its other iconic Toronto neighbours… recalling those tasty Saturday mornings.

This painting has been sold.