Taste and Try Before You Buy
If you're a GTA resident looking for either Noni juice or frozen entrees and desserts made with no sugar, no preservatives, no colour and no MSG, then you need to know about Charlotte's Foods Corporation.
Operation out of a small-front unit on West Beaver Creek Road in Richmond Hill, Charlotte's is a veritable treasure trove of tasty treats. Make the trip there, as we did on Sunday and you may well find yourself talking to Charlotte herself, a 73-year-old-youngster, brimming with energy and armed with many a story to tell while you try the sample she dishes up as soon as you walk in. Being a canny Scot, Charlotte is a firm believer in her mother's saying, "taste and try before you buy". She says she usually gives a sample of her apple pie, but the day we were there she also had a sample of carrot cake to beguile our taste buds.
Charlotte showed us the Noni juice she sells to any and all at C$25.00 for a 1,000 ml/ 34 fl.oz bottle. Made with only fresh, wild Noni fruit, the tonic is sold by her at that price as a draw to customers. Wise woman that she is, she knows anyone walking in there in pursuit of the Noni will find it well nigh impossible to leave without a further purchase of some of her taste temptations.
As we savoured every crumb of her offerings, she told wonderful stories that took us on a wee tour of her mother's shop back in Glasgow, where Charlotte learned her craft. A chat with Charlotte and being treated to some of her stories is every bit worth the time as her baking.
She makes six different fruit pies, from wild blueberry and raspberry to Norfolk Cherry and peach. Likewise, six types of muffins are there to help you feel wonderfully righteous about eating one of them. Compare some of Charlotte's numbers to those of Tim Horton's, for instance, and you'll understand what I mean.
Charlotte's blueberry-cornmeal muffin has the highest calorie count, at 235, with 4.4 grams of fat. The raisin bran muffin she offers for your delectation will add 151 calories to your daily count along with 2.9 grams of fat.
On the other hand, the wheat-carrot muffin at Horton's, the highest count there, will hit you with 400 calories and a total of 19 grams of fat. Their raisin-bran muffin will load you down with 380 calories and 9 grams of fat. Those following calorie or carbohydrate-reduced diets would do well to look up Charlotte's Foods.
There are several squares and a cheesecake as well on the dessert list, all of which come frozen baked, or frozen unbaked. If you want a selection baked for you, you're asked to call ahead and be ready to add 2 hours to your order.
In case you're still not sold, you should know there are seven frozen unbaked entrees offered and two more microwaveable entrees. They range from a vegetable or chicken broccoli quiche to Scottish Meat Pie and Chili Con Carne. At current prices, the Scottish Meat Pie is the most expensive. It will lighten your wallet by $11.95 but you'll have 6 servings to show for it. Any of the entrees and desserts offer you the convenience of good food without the work of preparation, but with a healthy difference from many of those available in the freezer sections of regular grocery stores.
Charlotte's hours of operation are 11:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and you can reach the business at 905-709-9079. They're located at 55 West Beaver Creek Road, unit 46. You can e-mail them at nosugar@bellnet.ca.
Look into it. You'll be glad you did.
Operation out of a small-front unit on West Beaver Creek Road in Richmond Hill, Charlotte's is a veritable treasure trove of tasty treats. Make the trip there, as we did on Sunday and you may well find yourself talking to Charlotte herself, a 73-year-old-youngster, brimming with energy and armed with many a story to tell while you try the sample she dishes up as soon as you walk in. Being a canny Scot, Charlotte is a firm believer in her mother's saying, "taste and try before you buy". She says she usually gives a sample of her apple pie, but the day we were there she also had a sample of carrot cake to beguile our taste buds.
Charlotte showed us the Noni juice she sells to any and all at C$25.00 for a 1,000 ml/ 34 fl.oz bottle. Made with only fresh, wild Noni fruit, the tonic is sold by her at that price as a draw to customers. Wise woman that she is, she knows anyone walking in there in pursuit of the Noni will find it well nigh impossible to leave without a further purchase of some of her taste temptations.
As we savoured every crumb of her offerings, she told wonderful stories that took us on a wee tour of her mother's shop back in Glasgow, where Charlotte learned her craft. A chat with Charlotte and being treated to some of her stories is every bit worth the time as her baking.
She makes six different fruit pies, from wild blueberry and raspberry to Norfolk Cherry and peach. Likewise, six types of muffins are there to help you feel wonderfully righteous about eating one of them. Compare some of Charlotte's numbers to those of Tim Horton's, for instance, and you'll understand what I mean.
Charlotte's blueberry-cornmeal muffin has the highest calorie count, at 235, with 4.4 grams of fat. The raisin bran muffin she offers for your delectation will add 151 calories to your daily count along with 2.9 grams of fat.
On the other hand, the wheat-carrot muffin at Horton's, the highest count there, will hit you with 400 calories and a total of 19 grams of fat. Their raisin-bran muffin will load you down with 380 calories and 9 grams of fat. Those following calorie or carbohydrate-reduced diets would do well to look up Charlotte's Foods.
There are several squares and a cheesecake as well on the dessert list, all of which come frozen baked, or frozen unbaked. If you want a selection baked for you, you're asked to call ahead and be ready to add 2 hours to your order.
In case you're still not sold, you should know there are seven frozen unbaked entrees offered and two more microwaveable entrees. They range from a vegetable or chicken broccoli quiche to Scottish Meat Pie and Chili Con Carne. At current prices, the Scottish Meat Pie is the most expensive. It will lighten your wallet by $11.95 but you'll have 6 servings to show for it. Any of the entrees and desserts offer you the convenience of good food without the work of preparation, but with a healthy difference from many of those available in the freezer sections of regular grocery stores.
Charlotte's hours of operation are 11:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and you can reach the business at 905-709-9079. They're located at 55 West Beaver Creek Road, unit 46. You can e-mail them at nosugar@bellnet.ca.
Look into it. You'll be glad you did.
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