The Company We Keep is a one-stop shop for specialty grocery items, baked goods, savoury treats, local treasures, curated wines, and homemade pies.

Started by good friends Jenn Hornak and Nika Mistruzzi, the cafe, market, and bottle shop opened in September 2023.

The two met while working in the restaurant industry and always shared the dream of someday opening something of their own.

During the pandemic, Mistruzzi, an avid baker, started Sunday Morning Pies, a delivery service offering ready-to-bake pies. A year later, she called Hornak to ask if she wanted to leap into a new adventure.

The concept for the spot started with wine and pie, an award-winning combination in my eyes.

"I was always gearing and staying towards the wine world. And Nika's thing was baking. And so our idea was always to have wine and pies," Hornak shared.

The shop typically features a selection of 10-15 wines at a time, each expertly hand-selected.

There's something for everyone. A robust glass of pinot noir with a hint of wild plum ($11). Or a lighter creamy verdicchio with citrus notes of sour apple and pear ($10).

On Fridays and Saturdays, you can even get a flight of three wines to try ($20), and there’s also the weekday happy hour from 2-5 pm ($7 a glass).

When it comes to pie, the fillings vary seasonally, with flavours like Strawberry Rhubarb selling out quickly. Another popular, tried and true, is the Queen of Hearts with bright red sour cherries ($25 for 7 inch, $35 for 9 inch).

Each pie is carefully decorated with gorgeous cutouts of dough on top and features a buttery, flaky crust. There's a freezer packed with raw, unbaked pies galore, ready to be topped with sugar and placed in the oven. Or you can buy a slice of the day.

The Night Sky Blueberry ($8.50), topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream ($2.50), is heavenly. Sweet and tart, it makes for the perfect summer slice.

For something savoury, the mini Chicken Pot Pie ($13) is great for two or to enjoy on your own. The filling is creamy and decadent with pieces of tender chicken and vegetables.

If you want even more wine and pie, you can participate in their wine club or join their monthly pie subscription.

The cafe menu also features a variety of breakfast and lunch options, many of which are suitable for various dietary needs. Being gluten-free herself, Hornak emphasized how important it was for their shop to "focus on trying to accommodate allergens across the board."

One of the most popular breakfast items, which happens to be vegan and gluten-free, is the Farinata ($35 for 10 inches). Made with chickpea flour, potato, onion, and fragrant rosemary, it has a soft inside and crunchy exterior, thanks to the cooking process.

"It's cooked in a cast iron and finished in the oven, so it's nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It's kind of like a pizza meets Frittata - because it creates its own crust. It's really delicious," explained Hornak.

Baked off every morning and served by the slice, this menu item sells out quickly, and I can understand why. It was one of my favourite bites.

Another good breakfast option is the Frittata Sandwich ($13). The vegetarian frittata, made with tomatoes, onions, and potatoes, is served on a soft, pillowy house-made milk bun slathered with a spicy and citrusy mayo.

For lunch, you can't go wrong with their rotating Brassica Salad ($13). Featuring a variety of vegetables like cabbage, kale, and roasted broccoli and served on a bed of quinoa, it's fresh and delicious.

I like salads with texture and contrast, and this one has just that with the addition of dehydrated Saskatoon berries, crunchy sunflower seeds, and pickled onion and celeriac. For some extra protein, there's also the option to add chicken skewers ($6) or tofu ($5).

To drink, try a glass of their refreshing Iced Tea ($4), often made with discards from pie fillings.

The Strawberry Rhubarb is a sweet herbal tea made with strawberry tops and rhubarb roots, and the Apple Ginger is a black tea made from apple peels and leftover ginger.

There's also a number of cookies ($1.50 - $3.25). My favourites were the classic Vanilla Shortbread dusted with sugar and the Orange Ginger and Molasses. There are also gluten-free options, like the Almond Florentine.

Everything gets served on beautiful mismatched antique tableware, many of which come from Hornak's personal collection.

The table and chairs are all second-hand, from family, friends, or Facebook Marketplace. The armoire, a refurbished piece picked up from the side of the road, now houses many of the pantry items for purchase, such as granola, jams, and coffee beans.

It's touches like these that give the space a rustic, cozy, and charming feel.

In the grocer section, you’ll find numerous grab-and-go items - a carton of fresh eggs, a pack of bacon, watermelon salad, sparkling beverages, kimchi from Avecjayden, frozen croquettes, fresh bread baked by Blue Collar Bakery, and even meatballs made from Mistruzzi's mother-in-law.

"Community is huge and really important, and so when you look around the shop, there are artists, food producers, beverage producers… And we know and care about all of the people that have their products in here," says Hornak.

This notion of community is also reflected in the store's name.

"My parents had a toy shop and it was named Family and Company. When I thought of the name, having the word [company] felt special. And it embodied what we were doing," Mistruzzi recounted.

Every month, the store hosts community events including trivia nights, vintage pop-ups, evenings of live jazz, collage making and their women in wine series.

Hosting such events allows community members to utilize the space for a variety of creative needs and is also a chance to welcome new and familiar faces.

Creating such a space is in large part due to the close-knit team of staff - Naomi, Kayla, Lilian, Daniel, Jess, and Salina, many of whom Hornak and Mistruzzi met while working in the industry.

And there's more to look forward to at the small shop, with patio seating coming soon, so you can enjoy your slice of pie and glass of wine outdoors.

The Company We Keep is located at 634 St. Clair Ave West.