Without grocery stores, urbanites would have to grow their own pumpkins in window boxes and spend hours negotiating with the family parakeet until it agreed to be milked. Let rural bounty come to you with today's Groupon: for $12, you get $25 worth of specialty and international foods at O'Neils Gourmet Foods in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
O'Neils Gourmet Foods delights palates with the world's finer flavours, hosting an epicurean selection of seafood, meats, sauces, and cheeses as well as foods from Britain, Ireland, Portugal, and elsewhere. Patrons can pack their shopping cart with a bottle of cognac and fire-roasted-pepper sauce ($9.95/730 mL) or with a carafe of Olio Carli extra-virgin olive oil ($13.25/500 mL), known for its light fruitiness and useful almond hints during games of charades. The Canadian-made extreme peach salsa with Ontario garlic ($8.99/250 mL) gives a vibrant kick to a favourite condiment, and the zesty cranberry-garlic-rum preserve ($7.99/250 mL) is ideal with pork and poultry. O'Neils' personable staff stocks shelves with customer requests and always loves to learn about the recipes or lawn ornaments that patrons craft from their products.
O’Neils Gourmet Foods
The staff at O'Neils Gourmet Foods delights in introducing foodies to their next culinary obsession, from buttery extra-virgin olive oils to spiral-sliced ham. While much of the shop's bounty is imported, aromas from prepared foods such as comforting soups and lasagnas that break free of the traditional cheese and spaghetti-o fillings also waft through the aisles. On any given day, shoppers might find a sample display of picnic snacks or one of the owners sharing warm hors d'oeuvres amid the sleek black cubbies where jars and boxes nestle. Online, customers are encouraged to share successful recipes born from the store’s unique items, be they in written, photographic, or hickory-smoke-signal form.