Rina Camarra, who owns Mastro’s Restaurant, a 60-year-old eatery in North York, is an example of the history hidden in Toronto that the annual food festival Winterlicious can highlight.
The Wilson Avenue Italian eatery, near Dufferin Street, is one of more than 200 restaurants in Toronto participating in the Winterlicious Festival’s 20th anniversary this year from Jan. 26. to Feb. 8.
Camarra, the 84-year-old owner of the restaurant, has always kept the menu dedicated to an authentic Italian experience.
Camarra said Mastro’s first opened in 1964 with 12 tables on a two-lane street without a sidewalk. It is now Mastro’s 60th anniversary.
The restaurant has seen many storms over the decades, including recessions, epidemics, and the growth of Toronto as a city. It has weathered them all.
Camarra said many of the people who lived in the community have left, moving to Vaughan and other parts of the Greater Toronto Area.
Although the neighbourhood around Mastro’s has changed, the restaurant has become a destination for regular diners, she said.
Rina Camarra, owner of Mastro's Restaurant, proudly stands by a photo of her with Justin Trudeau. Photo credit: Iqbal Alibhai
Camarra said that these regulars come from far and wide to eat at her restaurant, bringing their children and their children’s children.
“Sometimes they’ll call me from the States. We know we’re gonna be in, reserve a table for us because we’re going to be there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and we would like to be there [all] three,” Camarra said.
Winterlicious is one of two festivals, the other being Summerlicious, which runs between May and June, offering Torontonians the chance to explore Toronto’s cuisine.
Camarra said she has participated in Winterlicious in the past and found it to be even more successful than the Summerlicious festival.
A Toronto news release said Winterlicious first began in 2003 as a way of increasing business during the slow months of January and February.
Toronto said that the festival became important to the city and its businesses when the SARS epidemic hit and there was a decrease in diners.
The release said patrons can choose from pre-fixed menus with different price points, between $20 and $55 for lunch and $25 to $75 for dinner.
The release recommends reserving a table early because the popularity of Winterlicious makes it hard to get a table on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Toronto said since the program began, participating restaurants served more than eight million meals, and generated over $353 million in stimulus for local restaurants.
For Camarra, Winterlicious is a chance to make a one-time customer a customer for life.
“We found that a lot of new people came, who weren’t just coming once, they came again and again,” she said.
Mastro’s is only one of the many different culinary tastes available to Torontonians for a reduced price, with over two hundred other restaurants waiting to be enjoyed.