On a cool, sunny fall Saturday, Jonathan Kim, the owner of Phil’s Place in St. Lawrence Market, weaves smoothly through the crowds of shoppers, stopping briefly to check the quality of fresh vegetables arriving to restock his shelves. He quickly adjusts the display, calls directions to another staff member, and nods hello to passersby. He’s clearly very busy but exudes a happy, confident calm, giving each item thoughtful attention–exactly the same focus he awards every one of his customers.
Phil’s Place has been a St. Lawrence Market fixture since 1982, and in Jonathan’s family since 2002. The lower level retail space offers a wide variety of fresh produce, often coming directly from local Ontario farmers. “A lot of what we offer was picked or harvested just a day or two ago,” says Jonathan, “sometimes even that very morning.” The wide variety, freshness and appeal of the fruits, vegetables, herbs and fresh-cut flowers have earned Phil’s Place a large and loyal customer base. Phil’s Place supplies many local restaurants and caterers, and runs a healthy wholesale business in addition to their retail store, but that doesn’t stop them from continuing to serve each customer individually, including offering single-serving, hand-packed lunch salads.
Kind, knowledgeable attention to every individual customer is exactly what makes Phil’s Place so special. “We are family-run,” Jonathan notes proudly, “and we care about every individual.” Every staff member is very knowledgeable about the food and how to prepare and use it, and is happy to make recommendations to anyone who asks. Jonathan’s favourite kind of customer, he explains when asked, is “anyone who loves to experiment with food, who is curious and open-minded about food.”
