Dear reader,

In this week’s edition of Table Talk: five of our favourite roadside pit stops along Ontario’s highways and byways, what’s on the menu at the new (but also old) Lee Restaurant, how a Toronto couple turned a dilapidated PEC dairy farm into a beautiful distillery and events space, and the best locally made canned cocktails for all your weekend park-drinking needs.

Summer in Ontario isn’t summer without a road trip. And a road trip isn’t a road trip without a pit stop—not just for obligatory bathroom breaks but also for fun snacks, drinks and nostalgic comfort food. Here, five roadside restaurants that will have you saying, “Stop the car!”

After almost 20 years, chef Susur Lee closed his eponymous King West kitchen last March—only to reopen it in the new Waterworks Building late last month. See what’s on the menu at the new-and-improved Lee Restaurant. (Spoiler alert: the Singaporean-style slaw and cheeseburger spring rolls made the cut.)

Toronto couple Ryan Fowler and Taylor McIndless had always dreamed of opening up their own distillery when they stumbled upon an old dairy farm in PEC. Two and a half years—and plenty of cow patties—later, they managed to turn the dilapidated property into Wild Lot. Here’s their story.

Now that we can legally drink in (some) Toronto parks, it helps to bring beverages that don’t require bottle openers or corkscrews. And, yes, we realize that canned beer and mass-produced coolers are not new to the market—but these Ontario-made spritzes, cocktails and hard seltzers are. 

TikTok turned Josh Richards from an ordinary small-town teen into a multimillionaire, CEO and venture capitalist—and he’s still only 21 years old. In this issue, how to make a fortune via bedroom eyes, 10-second lip syncs and a signature ’do. Plus, a nostalgic trip to Ontario Place, the best roadside diners, a shocking bio dad discovery story, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.