Delighting our clients by treating them, our ingredients and our world with love and respect.

Sustainability

Having been a jewellery store since 1947 (first as Albert’s Jewellers, and then as Rica’s Jems), 718 Queen Street East had to undergo an extensive renovation in order to create the new home of LPK’s Culinary Groove. It was very important to the LPK’s team to have as little environmental impact as possible, and as such, several greener, more responsible choices were incorporated during the new store’s renovation. Today, LPK’s continues to be as environmentally responsible as possible by using certified organic, fair trade and local ingredients. We are deeply committed to sustainability and follow several more eco-friendly steps during the daily operations of our new store.

We made the following more environmentally responsible choices for our renovation:

  • The original oil furnace was removed and replaced with an energy efficient gas furnace.
  • LPK’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is brand new, and as energy efficient as possible.
  • All paints used were low VOC.
  • Flooring in the kitchen is marmoleum.
  • Flooring in the retail space is made from sustainable, reclaimed pieces of sucupira hardwood.
  • Lighting in kitchen and basement is florescent.
  • Lighting in the retail section includes retrofitting for energy efficient LED lights.
  • All equipment was purchased new.
  • Both our range and convection ovens are gas-powered.
  • Our gas range is Enodis rated.

LPK’s Culinary Groove is a vegetarian company. We do not use gelatin or rennet-containing cheeses in our kitchen. Our vegan desserts contain no animal products or byproducts, and our gluten-free desserts are free of gluten-containing grains and ingredients with hidden gluten (e.g. vanilla, vinegar).

We use the following certified organic ingredients in our desserts:
(l – local, ft – fair trade, c – Canadian)

  • Organic Meadow (l) dairy products and eggs
  • Harmony Organic Dairy (l) dairy products
  • Cocoa Camino couvertures, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and cane sugar (all ft)
  • Wholesome Sweeteners icing sugar, molasses and raw demerara sugar (all ft)
  • All-purpose unbleached Canadian wheat flour (l)
  • Hard Canadian wheat flour (l)
  • Canadian wheat pastry flour (l)
  • Cornstarch
  • Potato Starch
  • Chick pea flour
  • Honey
  • Agave nectar
  • Forbes Wild Foods Maple syrup and sugar (l)
  • Assorted dried fruits
  • Assorted dried nuts and seeds
  • Yü rice milk (c)
  • Freshly squeezed lemon, lime and orange juices
  • Canola oil
  • Fresh produce (local when possible)
  • Assorted nut and seed butters
  • Pumpkin purée
  • Coconut milk
  • Shredded coconut
  • Rolled oats
  • Apple sauce (l)
  • Apple cider vinegar (l)
  • Assorted extracts and oils
  • Quinoa flour
  • Sorghum flour

We do the following on a daily basis to ensure our carbon footprint is as small as possible:

  • We are Bullfrog powered.
  • We turn off lights when not in use.
  • Since opening in mid-November, the ambient temperature in the retail store has been about 19ºC, even on cold days. As such, the furnace is rarely used.
  • We use eco-friendly and biodegradable hand soap.
  • We use eco-friendly and biodegradable dish detergents and vinegar to clean our dishes.
  • We use eco-friendly, green seal certified all-purpose cleaner to clean all store surfaces and mop the floors.
  • We use unbleached eco-friendly, compostable paper towels.
  • We use eco-friendly, biodegradable toilet and facial tissues.
  • We are strict about our recycling, green bin and garbage disposal practices.
  • We use only #2 and #5 plastics in our kitchen, and try to minimize the use of petroleum-based products, period.
  • We use Diamant bio-plastic wrap (non-PVC, phthalate-free)
  • We use uncoated, eco-friendlier cellophane.
  • Our cardboard boxes are unbleached, made of post-consumer waste, and are recyclable.
  • Our tins contain #1 plastic windows on them, and are either reusable or recyclable.
  • All printed promo material is printed using a waterless printing method, on acid-free and chlorine-free paper, which is made from post-consumer waste.

We use the following local suppliers who carry a large supply of natural and certified organic foods and share our commitment to sustainability:

LPK's Culinary Groove pastries

LPK’s Culinary Groove makes Toronto's best-tasting organic cakes, pastries and chocolates. We strive to make each of our desserts with certified organic, fair trade, local and seasonal ingredients wherever possible. We also feature a delicious and ever-growing selection of vegan and gluten-free desserts.

We create custom-made wedding cakes and cakes for all special occasions – for a birthday, anniversary, retirement or whatever unique celebration our customers have in mind.

We are deeply committed to green practices and sustainability. We are as environmentally responsible as possible, following a number of eco-friendly steps during the daily operations of our shop.

LPK's Culinary Groove was founded by Lesia Kohut, Owner and Executive Pastry Chef. Our retail shop is located at 718 Queen Street East, just east of Broadview Avenue, in the heart of Toronto's Riverside District.