This club is bringing the local queer community together through food in Toronto

A couple years ago, one person seeking great food and community in Toronto had the idea to start up a group for likeminded folks all while still working their day job, and Queer Foodies was born.

“In this work-from-home, pandemic, social media era, finding community feels harder than ever,” founder Steph August wrote in one of their first ever Queer Foodies social media posts.

They took a democratic, collaborative approach to building the group, asking the community what the club should be like and how to make sure events are safe and affirming for attendees, and of course what foods and restaurants people might like to try.

“I organized a lot of meetings and events in my previous job, so that translated well to planning events, whether that was making sure I had everything planned and organized, or making people feel taken care of,” Steph tells YourCityWithIN.com.

“I currently work in communications as part of my day job so that’s given me some experience designing Canva slides which I use to promote all my events.”

Queer Foodies now encompasses everything from bakery crawls and cookie picnics to potlucks and visits to markets and festivals.

“I’m always so humbled and surprised by how many people turn up for these wholesome and silly ideas I come up with, whether that’s bakery crawls, a cookie bake off, or an all-dessert potluck,” says Steph.

While the average number of attendees for varying events is usually around a comfortable 15 to 20 people, a whopping 60 attendees showed up for a recent bakery and art crawl that was a collaboration with a queer art crawl group.

“The biggest challenge has been wanting to offer low barrier events that are free and unticketed but never knowing how many people are going to show up,” says Steph. “As our bakery crawls grow in popularity, they are losing a little bit of the intimacy of some of the earlier, smaller versions, so I may make some changes.”

Now, events don’t just cover food, but have also expanded to include other activities like screenings of films and sports games, and Steph is always coming up with fun new ideas and open to hearing more suggestions from the community.

“I would love to do a savoury crawl, such as with pizza or stuff ‘in dough,’ like empanadas, samosas, and dumplings,” says Steph.

Upcoming events include a gluten-free bakery crawl and a bakery crawl in the Trinity Bellwoods area. Queer Foodies is also always sharing other events, so even if you’re more of a crafter, dog owner, or climber than a foodie, it’s worth checking out their social media if you’re looking to build queer community.