WindsorEats is bucking the work-at-home trend.
After 17 years of remote working, Co-owner Adriano Ciotoli is pleased to announce the company that showcases the best food and drink in the region will have a home of its own.
"We're looking at becoming a food and drink and tourism hub," he said of the new space at 400 Erie Street East on the edge of Via Italia. "We're looking at it as a launching point for a lot of our cycling or scooter tours, and even creating walking tours that venture out into the area, like a Via Italia food tour."
Ciotoli and his team are busy renovating the building. He hopes to start using the space for cooking and mixology classes as early as next month.
"There are classes we want to do in February inside that building!" he laughed. "We're working on putting together the bar right now, so we'll be able to do cocktail-making classes."
The new building also boasts a spacious fenced-in outdoor yard the company can use to host "boutique" festivals without seeking approval and permits from the city.
"We could easily, whenever we have new ideas pop up, put it together, without having to jump through all those hoops," explained Ciotoli.
There are advantages too for the restaurants it often teams up with, especially if the pandemic continues to lag on.
"If restaurants or facilities have just half capacity -- to hold on to space for us, is really difficult for them," Ciotoli said.
However, WindsorEats will still host the kind of events it's become well-known for, including Friday Night Lights, Dinner on a Pier, and the Outdoor Food Hall in Lanspeary Park.
