Lakeshore Food Co.

First post in two years. But here we are.

You are invited to a special culinary experience!
Join us for "Hoppers by Chef Eranga" - a pop up showcasing the vibrant flavours of Sri Lankan hoppers.
Reserve your spot by going to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/hoppers-by-chef-eranga-a-sri-lankan-brunch-first-seating-tickets-972527805847

Lakeshore Food Co. updated their phone number.

What can we do from abroad? Some of you have asked how to help.

Our friends at Kimbula Kithul have organized a Feed Fundraiser for Sri Lanka in partnership with Sarvodaya (registered 501(c)3 in the USA.), a nationwide community movement in place since the 1970s to serve all Sri Lankans. We will be making a donation, and so can you. To donate internationally to Sarvodaya USA page visit: https://sarvodayausa.org/donations/donate/. You can also donate to Savodaya's SL-based foreign account (see image "To Donate Internationally"), but please mark the donation as "Feed Love Fundraiser".

Repost from Kimbula Kithul: “Our beautiful island home of Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic crisis. Our people face hours long queues for fuel & gas, our currency is fallen, we have 10+ hour long power cuts, we face food shortages from a badly implemented organic policy - and yet we have tried throughout to remain resilient & help each other and push for a local solution.

But the most vulnerable amongst can wait no longer, and we are now in need to activate more largely at home and abroad, with diaspora Lankans & compassionate allies to ensure that the young and old do not go hungry or worse.

Our Feed ❤️ Fundraiser for Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 is in partnership with Sarvodaya a nationwide community movement in place since the 1970s to serve all Sri Lankans. They are a registered 501(c)3 in the USA.

Our only goal is to raise USD 300,000 for 10,000 Family Food Packs and 110 Community Kitchens. Please see this post for all campaign details. The link to the Sarvodaya USA page for international donations is in our bio.

Our incredible global network of food & drinks friends have jumped on board to amplify this raise and you will hear more from USA, Canada, UK, Singapore & Australia soon & we’ll also be hosting sessions on the situation in the weeks ahead. If you/your brand would like to join us as an ambassador DM us please 🙂

Thank you all for your thoughts for us here. Sri Lanka is our home & heart and we know together she will rise again ✊🏾"

A CRISIS ON THE ISLAND

The trip to Sri Lanka was a last minute decision to visit my parents and spend quality time with my extended family. During my stay, I started to experience first-hand the beginning of the island's crisis.

As much as I tried to be positive and understanding of the slow recovery from the aftermath of COVID-19 – this was different – it started with a few hours of power cuts which escalated to almost 8 hours a day. I grew up with power cuts in the dry season due to the lack of rain, but modern day Sri Lanka requires a lot more electricity to function, and diesel powered plants are the answer. However, diesel isn’t available since the country has run out of foreign exchange to import this valuable commodity. The country's foreign debt has been ballooning over the past decade and future projections were off due to the decline in tourism after the 2019 terrorist attacks, that were followed by the global pandemic.

When I started to notice the long queues at the gas stations for diesel and people carrying empty cans, I realized this was just the beginning of Sri Lanka’s problems. The following week, there were queues for petrol, live gas and for kerosene. At one point there were queues as far as 1 km in both directions of the gas station. This was happening all over the island and people were waiting overnight for fuel. Some were sleeping inside their vehicles. It was then that I decided to stay close to my parents home to avoid the chaos, except for my trip to the mountains on the train.

During my stay, I cooked and ate my amma’s most delicious recipes, chatted with my thaatha about bygone days, hung out with my cousins and my brothers whose kids are now teenagers. I also saw friends whom I haven't seen since I left the island 20 years ago. Life has moved on.

Sri Lanka is in a state of emergency. Protests are erupting across the country and citizens are demanding changes. What is happening right now means the beginning of a new era. This charming and beautiful island with so much history deserves a better future. I'm hopeful that a new generation will come forward and help the country come out of this crisis stronger.

A special message to our friends and customers: I will be visiting Sri Lanka for a long overdue trip later this month until the end of March to spend quality time with my parents, family and friends. My father’s ailing health and the past two years have been tough for myself and my aging parents. I hope to return rested and inspired to bring fresh ideas on Sri Lankan Eats.

Please follow us on Instagram, where we'll sharing stories of food adventures in Sri Lanka: https://www.instagram.com/lakeshorefoods/

We would like to thank our loyal customers who have followed and supported us since the summer of 2020 – when we started the Sri Lankan Eats pop ups – and to the many faces and friends we’ve made along the way through pickups, deliveries and private events. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to cook for you, it means so much! We look forward to seeing you in the spring.

- Chef Eranga

Lakeshore Food Co. updated their address.

Our online shop is open for orders in January! A few new items have made it onto the menu: Red Finger Chili Lunu Miris, our take on a Sri Lankan chili sambol and Thalana Batu, a smashed eggplant dish. Alongside some favourites like Kukul Mas, a slow braised bone-in chicken curry.
Place your order on www.lakeshorefood.ca

👋🏾 What have we been up to? Since the province loosened restrictions, we’re catering private events for small gatherings in Toronto. Cooking and serving in people’s homes is always a fun and rewarding experience!
🙏🏾 Thanks for your patience while we juggle the different sides of our small business. We’re planning to resume orders in the coming months, with a few new items for the winter. Stay tuned!
📸: Manuel García Photo

Hey folks, our summer pop ups are done for this year! We will be taking some time off to enjoy what's left of the summer. In the meantime, we've opened up the online shop for pickups and deliveries, September 1st-3rd and September 8th-10th.
Visit www.lakeshorefood.ca to place your order!

Have you tried Kithul palm syrup? It has woody, floral, smoky and even savory notes and is used widely in Sri Lankan cuisine.
What's your favourite use of Kithul? Ours is Kiri Peni, which is a creamy buffalo milk yogurt with palm syrup drizzled on top!

Sri Lanka's 'Kithul' Palm Syrup: An Ancient Sweetener In Need Of Saving Sri Lanka's most popular sweetener is disappearing, due to the destruction of rainforests, inconsistent yields, intensive labor and a fading workforce. And turning the tide isn't going to be easy.

Thanks for the feature, TasteToronto! We hope to introduce more people to our modern takes on Sri Lankan cuisine at our pop ups this summer!

TasteToronto | Grab southern Sri Lankan dishes with a modern twist through Lakeshore Food Company this weekend Grab southern Sri Lankan dishes with a modern twist through Lakeshore Food Company this weekend at Henderson Brewing.

Our Sri Lankan Eats pop up is this weekend (July 24 & 25) at Henderson Brewing Co.! We'll be there 1 to 6 p.m. (or until the food runs out). Grab a table on their outdoor patio or in their newly reopened indoor taproom, to enjoy some food and a pint!

Lookout Leslieville, we'll be back at Black Lab Brewing for a whole weekend of Sri Lankan Eats! Bring your friends and family (doggies too) for some food and a pint on Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8. We look forward to meeting you!
Event details here: https://fb.me/e/ClJsBEOE

Toronto is now in Stage 2 of reopening! Outdoor dining and socializing in small groups is now permitted. We look forward to seeing you in REAL LIFE for our first pop up this year on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25 at Henderson Brewing Co. RSVP here: https://fb.me/e/D9sSHuYv
Since we’re allowed to do more now, we’ll be focusing on pop ups and private events this summer, and have closed our online shop for orders.

The long history of the origins Sri Lankan short eats by Roar LK.
What is your favourite short eat? Do you have a fond memory from your childhood?
Read the full article here: https://roar.media/english/life/culture-identities/the-long-history-of-short-eats

The Long History of Short Eats Everybody has a short eats-related memory. Mine is going to the Perera & Sons kiosk at the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) after weekend morning swims, aged 7, with my grandfather. Always the same order: fish pattie, chicken Chinese roll, Milo. Perera & Sons, patties and rolls became forever associate

Ayubowan 🙏🏾
With all the new followers, I thought it was time to introduce myself! I'm Eranga Herath, the chef behind Lakeshore Food Company, where we specialize in modern interpretations of Sri Lankan cuisine.

I grew up in a suburb of a coastal town of Sri Lanka called Negombo. I came to Canada to study technology, and was planning to head home, but after taking a side job working in a diner, I discovered a passion - making delicious food that makes people happy. I enrolled in the George Brown Chef School where I learned to cook classical French and Italian. I've since worked at a range of high-end restaurants in the city, and I'm also the Chef de Cuisine of Storys Building.

I believe Toronto is an exciting city for food. Although there is a large Sri Lankan community, I noticed there aren't many Sri Lankan food options downtown. I hope to bring Torontonians the special foods I grew up eating, with a modern twist.

The dishes I create for Lakeshore Food Company tells stories about where I'm from. My modern take on classic Sri Lankan dishes are inspired by family gatherings where we would eat spicy fish croquettes, fried shrimp on coconut sticks, and my favourite: aachchi's chicken curry.

Last summer, my partner and I started doing Sri Lankan Eats popups at breweries around the city to recreate communal cooking and feelings of a weekend gathering with family and friends. Now the popups are virtual - you can order through our website to experience the flavours of Sri Lanka. 🇱🇰

Thank you for reading! 👨🏾‍🍳
📸 by Aaron Navarro, BlogTO

Parippu Vadai

A spicy crispy lentil fritter made with Chana dal, green chilies, curry leaves and spices. These are packed with herbs for added flavour.

This classic fritter is a perfect play on textures of ingredients. Balanced heat using fresh green chilies while curry leaves adds the earthy herby flavour that transforms during cooking.

We serve Vadai as a short eat and pair it with Pol Sambol🔥.

Lakeshore Food Co. updated their business hours.