- Start playing the video
- Click CC at bottom right
- Click the gear icon to its right
- Click Subtitles/CC
- Click Auto-translate
- Select language you want
New restaurant Cafe ZUZU combines fusion cuisine with community involvement
By: Lawrence Rodriguez
Lawrence is a youth journalist with FOCUS Media Art Centre
Cafe ZUZU is an 1950s Italian-style cafe located at 555 Dundas St E, in the heart of Regent Park. It opened on October 28, 2022. Cafe ZUZU is a member of Gusto 54, a company that seeks to “build the most culturally relevant and celebrated collection of restaurants and innovative culinary experiences in the world”. They have gathered a various amount of culinary establishments from cultures such as Thai, Jamaican, Mediterranean, and Italian, with Cafe ZUZU being the most recent addition to the list.
Cafe ZUZU offers a variety of Italian pastries and deserts, and focuses on community involvement. They provide a welcome and warm environment where customers can use their space to work, relax, and/or chat with friends. Cafe ZUZU plans to partner with various local organizations in the community to hold events centred around entrepreneurship in hospitality and women in leadership. Every Monday, Cafe ZUZU hosts “Macchiato Monday” where $1 from every macchiato sold will be forwarded towards Fred Victor. They are a social service agency whose mandate is to have a positive impact to change the lives of the homeless and low-income residents across Toronto. Cafe ZUZU has also partnered with the environmental company To Good To Go, who are determined to reduce the 40% of food wasted globally, which is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gases. Together, they allow surplus food to be consumed by customers that couldn't be sold during the day at a lower price.
A part of the Gusto 54 conglomerate, Cafe ZUZU is a new addition to the Regent Park area, bringing a 1950s Italian-style cafe. They host weekly events to raise funds and donations to give back to the community and have committed to serving the community by employing residents. They strive to be environmentally-friendly, partnering with environmental companies such as To Good To Go. Whether a place to work, relax, or chat with friends, Cafe ZUZU aims to be the neighbourhood restaurant where people come to escape the everyday, made by the people of Regent Park, for the people of Regent Park.
Add new comment
FOCUS Media Arts Centre (FOCUS) is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 1990 to counter negative media stereotypes of low income communities and provide relevant information to residents living in the Regent Park area and surrounding communities.
We seek to empower marginalized individuals and under represented communities to have a voice, through the use of professional training, mentorships and participatory based media practices that enable the sharing of stories, experiences and perspectives on relevant matters and issues. In brief our mandate is to empower marginalized individuals and under-serviced communities to have a voice and tell their own stories.
Recent Media
Regent Park Marks 34th Annual Sunday in the Park Celebration
Regent Park Town Hall: Councillor Chris Moise Updates Residents on Key Issues
Building Healing Pathways for Families: Inside Native Child’s Work in Toronto
We encourage comments which further the dialogue about the stories we post. Comments will be moderated and posted if they follow these guidelines:
The Community Media Portal reserves the right to reject any comments which do not adhere to these minimum standards.