What's in Store with Marissa Papaconstantinou: Longo's Leaside

2023-06-26

Hey everyone, it’s Paralympic medalist sprinter and Canadian record holder Marissa Papaconstantinou! I’m proud to continue exploring my Greek heritage in partnership with Krinos Canada by visiting some amazing spots around the country spreading #FetaCulture.

First up, Longo’s Leaside (93 Laird Dr, East York, ON M4G 3V1), just southwest of the Ontario Science Centre where I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of the bionics exhibit. This Longo’s location actually used to be an old locomotive shop for the Canadian Northern Railway. The character of the store comes through as soon as you walk in as they kept a lot of the historical elements like the original wooden ceiling.

I thought there would be no better place to start my conversation with store manager Steve Gigis than at the deli counter. Feta cheese is at the top of my list of favourite foods, it’s a super tasty topper to many of the meals that fuel my busy schedule as a professional athlete. Lucky for me, Longo’s Leaside carries all sorts of Krinos feta varieties like Greek Barrel Aged, Sheep’s Milk, or Goat’s Milk, and in all different shapes like wedges or ready-to-use crumbled feta.

“Krinos products are special to us because they provide us product from Greece, it’s DOP, and because of that the cheese just has a different texture than anything else produced elsewhere,” Steve noted when asked why he carries Krinos feta. “Krinos feta is creamy & soft, and comes in different sizes for all families.”

At the core of Steve’s store is a commitment to freshness, quality, and catering to the community they operate in. “We only offer products to our customers that I would be proud to offer my own family,” he says. “We’re just north of the Danforth so we have a large Greek customer base looking for products made in Greece.”

Steve showed me around to even more Krinos products dotted around the store like the Attiki Honey, Roasted Sweet Red Peppers, and the Fillo Twisters which he mentioned were a customer favourite.

In the end, everything comes back to the feta. “It has to be the feta cheese,” when Steve was asked about his favourite Krinos product, “it’s a phenomenal product, a homerun for me!”

That’s all from me for now! Make to stay tuned for my next visit on the Krinos Canada Kitchen Blog.