What I Did This Summer Part 4: Lauren & Shona

LAUREN: Blurry. Very blurry. I was pretty sure it was still July. Apparently I remember doing these things:

-Not reading the fine print and ending up working full –time with a part-time internship and school along with all the other stupid shit I can’t say no to

-First full summer in Montreal. So much of the hooch.

-Finding myself in a situation where I exclusively date gay men

-Went to Scotland. This was like May. Ate blood pudding, various intestines, haggis. Met all of my relatives. All of them.  My mom’s pajamas matched the wallpaper. Acquired a good accent to whip out after drinking scotch. Made too many sporran jokes. Went to a club in Glasgow with my mom and a bunch of firefighters.

-Am now a qualified professional in turning fruit into flowers

-Painted an image of someone I hadn’t seen for months only to have it shattered to bits and kicked in my face

-Licked my wounds and rewatched Arrested Development and Party Down. In quick succession.

-Felt my eyeballs vibrate in my skull for 2 days at Osheaga

-Busted my neck dancing with a hype girl at Major Lazer. Also that whole night

- Learned you can’t get manic panic out of your ceiling

- Turned into my mother (at least in looks)

-Apparently got drunk and took pictures of my mouth with really shitty/trashy red lipstick on (I ate half?) because I just found photos while looking for pictures for this…

SHONA: It was more of getting trippy, than actually going on a trip for me this summer. On those hazy days of sweltering heat, I sat at under a shady tree on the “potio” at The Hot Box Cafe . It is located at 191 Baldwin street in Kensington Market. The menu has good prices with a wide, eclectic variety of fresh food. It has been creating a buzz online and with hardcore foodies for the last 9 years. The patrons a respectful, laid back bunch.

Abi Roach, is the owner of the best darn place to celebrate 4:20 pm at the exact time. The rules are simple. Its 18 + place, with no buying, mooching or sharing the fragrant sweet leaf. No alcohol is served, and you can’t show up drunk. The minimum purhase is $4.20 to relax and enjoy. For me, it will always be watching the billowing plumes from the other tables. Blunts shaped so perfectly, that the person holding it is truly has a work of art in their hands. I am more of a feather light weight. Just watching those plumes go up into the trees is enough to give me serious munchies.

Which is a great thing to have happen at the cafe. The menu offers food with neato names and amazing flavour. Vegan, vegetarian and meat lover meals are prepared fresh, from local ingredients found in the market. A “4:20″ is a coffee/tea and a huge cookie is surprisingly priced at $4.20. “Granola Head” is a combo of vanilla yogurt, hemp seed granola and fresh fruit for $7. The “Pancake, Bacon and Cap’n Crunch Sandwich (for real)” for $12 is a unique twist on what constitutes a sandwich. One egg, 2 strips of bacon, three small pancakes, laced with Cap’n Crunch cereal, whipped creme, fresh fruit AND maple syrup.

This cafe, has to pack up and move to their other location, at 204 Augusta Ave where Roach o Rama currently resides. A strange dispute from some serious mis-communication brought about the change in address. It started with the landlord being “out of the country.” A month to month lease had been established for the 191 Baldwin location. It was the landlord’s job to tell Abi Roach, the terms of the lease were up and she was welcome to leave by Oct 1st 2012. Phil Morrison is the owner of Jimmy’s Coffee and the building. He is opening a second location at 191 Baldwin Street on that date. He didn’t let Abi Roach, owner of the Hot Box Cafe, and Roach o Rama, know what was going on. Abi found out from the media. Morrison asserts “it wasn’t my job to communicate” what she had to know.

For his part, Phil Morrison really does feel bad that there has been “hate mail” and people associating him with gentrifiaction. He is concerned about tension from the community when he makes his second, grand entrance of his coffee shop. He truly hopes that the members of the Kensington Market BIA will also agree that the neighbourhood is “somewhat lacking as a family destination” and he is on a mission to “create a safe, clean place in the Market.” Of course, Morrison has stated he doesn’t want “bunch of people hating his guts” He truly does have the warrior cry of “Change is Good.” as he is “scared to eat in half of the places.” in Kensington Market.

There will be a ton of paper work for Abi Roach. The Roach o Rama, will still sell all things pot smoking related. T-shirts, bongs, papers, vaporisers, cute little buttons and stickers that promote positive pot puffing. The cafe will be a welcome addition to 204 Augusta. She is “changing her entire business model” to ensure “everything is just right.” With hopes that the Hot Box will re open in the spring, the pot smoking community I am sure, just cant wait.

I know I can be patient, at wait for my next massive bowl of Granola Head. Hopefully, the rest of the peeps who go to the Hot Box can be as well. She does not want to “disappoint my staff and the community.”

I found my info at these two websites: The Torontoist and The Toronto Star Follow on Twitter @hotboxcafe and @KensingtonMkt for all the lastest updates and deets on this developing story.