MARILYN CORNWELL: Marilyn's Photos - Sep 11 2026

Parking lot gastronomy conjures up a lot of trucks with guys making bbq stuff. It says that it takes "the form of food truck hubs, pop-up events, and casual tailgate-style eating outside strip plazas or specialied restaurants. Well that seems to be confirm my squeamish thoughts. That's the Canadian definition.

I read the expression in the NY times, so checked out the U.S. version - "an egalitarian, low-barrier culinary movement defined by food trucks, pop-up sheds, and mobile kitchens servicing bold flavours on paper plates." It sounds much more high-class in the U.S., don't you think? And the examples? It showcases LJ's Lil' Cafe in Cypress, CA "started as a small 200-square-foot shed in a Home Depot parking lot in Cypress, California, this viral burrito spot generated over $1 million in its initial footprint before expanding." No there's a big-style success story.

A big difference is the U.S. has dedicated, permanent parking-lot hubs. There are bylaw restrictions in Canada causing fewer pop-ups in parking lots, and it is expensive to get a street permit. Even with those limitations, I found an article on the 10 best food trucks in Canada. It includes the Cheese Boutique Food Truck. That strikes a personal chord. I shopped there for years when I lived in Toronto - it is a European-style delicatessen and food store. It was in my neighbourhood area, first on Bloor West, and then moving to an expansive store on Ripley Avenue - a great name for a street - where it is now located. What I enjoyed most was the cheese "cave" - quite the experience with the huge wheels of parmesan and blue cheese being aged for specific restaurants. Cheese are turned daily.

This seems to have moved out ofo the parking lot gastronomy, even though they do have a food truck. Afrim Pristine is the 3rd (some articles say 4th) generation family member running the business. He is one of the world's youngest cheese masters. I saw his documentary on travelling through Europe on a cheese tour. It seems to me he might be the Canadian version of Anthony Bourdain, with that Canadian style of being engaging, unpretentious, and passionate.

Canadians love cheese. And we aren't in the top cheese-consuming countries. Of course it would be France with 25 to 27 kilograms per year. We come in at 14 kilograms per year. But that seems to be enough to support many cheese food trucks in Toronto - Meltdown Cheesery, Fo' Cheezy Food Truck, Gorilla Cheese/Burger, Gangster & Cheese.

I don't think I will be checking out the Home Depot or Costco for food trucks anywhere between here in Niagara and Toronto. Those parking lots are crammed to the brim with cars looking for parking spots. However, I would love to get to the Cheese Boutique soon to experience that floor to ceiling culinary extravaganza and smell the cheese cave.Besides we can go to Upper Canada Cheese Company in Jordan, home of the Guernsey Girls dairy cows, and be served from the luxury of their Cargo Kitchen set in the vineyards and orchards of Jordan.

I went looking for some virtual gallery and virtual home display software. This is where you load up your pictures and they are displayed on a wall in a gallery or home setting. You can load up your own wall/furniture setting as well. This one is clearly labelled - canvy.com. It is easy to use and fun to do. There are others that have more professional gallery spaces, with 3D views an videos that can be created. This is a booming business for galleries and artists. They allowed me to try it out with their logo displayed. Go to download something and the pricing options pop up.

I was trying out some of the Sun and Moon Series pictures so I could choose which ones to print for the living room.