urban fare catering

What urban fare catering does

Urban Fare Catering and Food Shop is a family-owned Toronto-based food retail and catering company founded in 1996 by Paul and Eva Jannetta, operating from a single storefront at 1415 Bathurst Street, Toronto, and a Shopify-powered e-commerce site at urbanfarecatering.com. The business serves the Greater Toronto Area through three integrated offerings: a neighborhood food shop (prepared foods, frozen meals under the My Mother's Homemade sub-brand, jarred soups and sauces, curated pantry and grocery items, and gifts), a frozen meal product line, and a full-service catering operation covering corporate events, weddings, and private celebrations of up to 300+ guests. The Urban Fare trademark is owned by Pattison Food Group Ltd. and licensed to Urban Fare Catering Inc.

The technology stack is deliberately lean: Shopify powers e-commerce and order management, payment processing runs through Shop Pay alongside major card networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, Discover), and the company has no disclosed API, SDK, or proprietary software. Distribution combines the physical Bathurst Street retail location (open six days, closed Sundays) with GTA-wide local pickup, local delivery, and on-site catering delivery, setup, and staffing. Marketing is primarily organic via the Shopify site, Facebook, Instagram, an email newsletter, Google Reviews, and Toronto Best Rated local SEO.

Revenue is generated through four streams: in-store retail sales of prepared and curated foods, online and in-store sales of My Mother's Homemade frozen meal products, professional-services catering (Signature Platters, Corporate Express, and full-service Events menus), and online e-commerce with CAD pricing across platters ($27–$299 CAD), frozen meals ($11.99–$23.99 CAD), pantry items, and gift certificates ($25–$100 CAD). Customer segments include corporate clients (TD Bank Financial Group, Fitness Club Toronto, RTO/ERO), event planners and private party hosts, walk-in individual consumers and families, and institutions and community organizations across the GTA.

Name

urban fare catering

Legal name

Urban Fare Catering Inc.

Website

https://urbanfarecatering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Fare Catering is a family-owned Toronto food retailer and caterer founded in 1996, operating a Bathurst Street storefront and a Shopify e-commerce site serving the Greater Toronto Area with prepared foods, My Mother's Homemade frozen meals, curated pantry items, and full-service catering for corporate and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catering and Prepared Foods

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB), Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Prepared food retail
• Frozen meal products
• Corporate catering services
• Event catering
• Homemade food shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Shop Sales: In-store sales of prepared foods, baked goods, coffee, pantry staples, and curated local products to walk-in customers at their Bathurst Street location.
2. Frozen Meal Products: Sales of My Mother's Homemade branded frozen meals and appetizers through both in-store and online channels. Products include lasagnas, shepherd's pie, curries, soups, and more.
3. Catering Services: Full-service catering for corporate events, weddings, celebrations, and private gatherings. Includes menu planning, food preparation, delivery, setup, and staffing options. Menu types include Signature Platters, Corporate Express, and Special Events menus.
4. Online E-commerce: Shopify-powered online store selling products for pickup or local delivery. Customers browse and purchase through the website with CAD pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Fare Catering operates a family-owned neighbourhood food shop and full-service catering company in Toronto, selling handmade prepared foods, frozen meals under the My Mother's Homemade private label, jarred soups and sauces, curated pantry and grocery items, and gifts. The catering division provides full-service event catering for corporate events, weddings, and private gatherings across the Greater Toronto Area, including menu planning, delivery, setup, and staffing. Products are available via a physical storefront at 1415 Bathurst Street and a Shopify-powered online store offering in-store pickup and GTA delivery.

Product overview

Urban Fare Catering and Food Shop is a family-owned food retail and catering business operating since 1996 from Toronto. The company offers a multi-product portfolio organized around a primary Food Shop (e-commerce) and Catering division. The Food Shop centers on the My Mother's Homemade sub-brand of frozen meals and homemade soups/sauces, complemented by prepared foods, curated pantry & grocery items, and gifts. The Catering division provides Signature Platters, Corporate Express Menu, and full-service Events Menu for corporate, wedding, and private events across the GTA. All offerings are available via a Shopify-powered online store with local pickup and delivery options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• My Mother's Homemade: A sub-brand featuring homemade frozen meals inspired by family recipes passed down through generations. Includes frozen entrées, soups, sauces, and comfort foods prepared in the Urban Fare kitchen.

Products and services

• My Mother's Homemade Frozen Meals Homemade frozen meals and entrees under the My Mother's Homemade private label brand, including Shepherd's Pie, Meat Lasagna, Moroccan Chicken, Butter Chicken, Steak and Mushroom Pie, Vegan Root Shepherd's Pie, Scalloped Potatoes, Traditional Mac & Cheese, Ratatouille, and Vegetable Samosas. Made fresh in-house and frozen for convenience, targeting busy GTA consumers seeking homemade-quality weeknight meals and freezer stocking.
• Prepared Foods Freshly prepared ready-to-eat foods including salads, sandwiches, grilled proteins, and comfort dishes sold in-store and online for daily meals and quick pickup, targeted at GTA walk-in customers and online shoppers.
• Homemade Soups and Sauces Jarred soups (Potato Leek, Pureed Broccoli, Butternut Squash & Apple, Curry Lentil, Chicken Noodle, Tomato Fennel) and sauces (Roasted Garlic Salsa, Tomato Basil Sauce, Boomerang BBQ Sauce) prepared in-house and sold to retail and catering customers.
• Pantry and Grocery Curated selection of local and specialty grocery items including Federicus and Romeus extra virgin olive oils, Cosman & Webb maple products, M21 teas, Rummo and Bianca Farina pasta, Reids and Copperpot Nuts snacks, preserves, and beverages, sold alongside Urban Fare's own prepared offerings.
• Gifts and Decor Curated gift collection including Wild Flicker candles, Twilight Collection candle holders, Peony Bouquet artificial flowers, and gift certificates in $25, $50, and $100 CAD denominations for special occasions.
• Frozen Meal Packages Curated bundles of frozen meals designed for stocking home freezers with multiple meal options at bundled pricing for consumer customers.
• Signature Platters Pre-made catering platters for events including Tea Sandwiches, Crudité & Dip, Cheese Tray, Signature Hors D'oeuvres, Wrap Platter, Sweet Tray, Italian Antipasto Platter, Asian Skewers, Thai Taster Platter, Beef Tenderloin Platter, Smoked Salmon Platter, and Fruit Tray, with prices ranging from $27 to $299 CAD.
• Catering Services Full-service catering for corporate events, weddings, celebrations, and private gatherings across the GTA, with menu customization, dietary accommodations (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free, halal), and delivery, setup, and staffing options for events of 10 to 300+ guests.
• Corporate Express Menu Streamlined catering menu designed for corporate lunch meetings and office events, offering breakfast packages, lunch combos, individual meals, and salads with gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free options, targeted at GTA business and institutional buyers.
• Events Menu Full-service catering menu for weddings and special events, featuring buffets, plated dinners, and food stations with professional service for large-scale private celebrations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by TD Bank Financial Group for corporate catering needs for years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Pattison Food Group Ltd.minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMarks and trademarks are owned by Pattison Food Group Ltd. and licensed to Urban Fare Catering Inc. for use in their business operations. Urban Fare Catering Inc. is owned and operated by Paul & Eva Jannetta.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationShopify powers the Urban Fare e-commerce website, providing the platform for online sales, order management, and customer account functionality. Shopify collects and processes personal information for website operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• McEwan Catering: Toronto premium full-service catering brand by chef Mark McEwan offering corporate, wedding, and private event catering. Directly competes for the same GTA corporate and wedding catering accounts.
• Daniel et Daniel Catering: Long-established Toronto full-service catering company serving corporate events, weddings, and private gatherings across the GTA. Directly comparable in service scope, customer base, and event-driven business model.
• Pusateri's: Toronto upscale Italian specialty food retailer and caterer operating physical shops plus full-service event catering. Closely mirrors Urban Fare's hybrid food-shop + catering model in the same GTA market.
• Longo's: GTA specialty grocery chain with in-store prepared foods and a dedicated catering division. Comparable hybrid retail-plus-catering model serving the same affluent Toronto suburban customer base.
• 10tation Event Catering: Toronto event catering company specializing in weddings, corporate events, and large-scale celebrations across the GTA. Competes head-to-head for wedding and corporate catering contracts.

Broad incumbents

• HelloFresh Canada: Canada's largest meal-kit subscription service, offering prepared ingredients and ready-to-eat meals with national e-commerce distribution. Adjacent competitor for at-home meal occasions and frozen/prepared-meal share of stomach.
• Sobeys Inc. National Canadian grocer and parent of Pattison Food Group Ltd., which owns the 'Urban Fare' trademarks licensed to Urban Fare Catering Inc. Strategic incumbent relationship and potential channel partner for frozen-meal wholesale.

Emerging players

• Fresh City Farms: Toronto prepared-meals maker and online grocer focused on locally sourced, made-from-scratch meals. Overlaps with Urban Fare's My Mother's Homemade positioning on homemade, locally produced prepared food.
• Impact Kitchen: Toronto-based prepared food retailer offering healthy ready-to-eat meals, frozen meals, and online ordering. Overlaps with Urban Fare's prepared-foods and frozen-meals retail model with a narrower health-focused menu.
• Summer Fresh Salads: Canadian prepared-foods manufacturer of hummus, salads, dips, and frozen meals sold through grocery retail across Canada. Comparable in frozen/prepared product manufacturing model though at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UrbanFareCateringandFoodShop
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbanfarefoodshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-fare-catering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about urban fare catering