Evelyn A lives in Parkdale, Toronto with her ginger husband and their daughter, Lil’ Busy. When she isn’t Yelping or hanging in her hood with her fam, she’s reading (too much) news, watching sitcom reruns and searching for her next great muse, likely a dive bar with stellar snacks. Which inevitably leads to Yelping. Everything leads to Yelping…
What did you do before you worked for Yelp?
Ouff! It’s hard to remember a time before Yelp. I’ve been deeply embedded in the Toronto community for over a decade. Before the big Y, I was farming moustaches with the fine folks at Movember for men’s health, and I’m still a hardcore Mo Sista. Back even further, I was doing comms at Hart House at U of T for their arts, working with their theatre and student community, which was incredibly rewarding.
What’s your favorite thing about representing Toronto on Yelp?
Toronto makes it so damn easy to represent, I genuinely believe your grandma could rep TO on Yelp and beyond. Canada’s biggest city cares about diversity, local business and knows how to eat, drink, park and most importantly, party. My favourite thing about repping Toronto on Yelp is the parties, the ones I get to throw with lovely local businesses for Toronto’s champions, Yelpers. Yelp Gets Lit is an example of one coming up that’s open to anyone with a Yelp account, join me if you’re in Toronto!
What’s a great local business that you discovered because of Yelp?
I have sourced many delicious meals and buzz-worthy cocktails on Yelp over the past five years, but I’m going to keep it real and tell you about my dry cleaner and tailor, King West Village Cleaners. I’m short, they can hem anything in any amount of time. I have a kid, they can get out any stain in any amount of time. They’re basically my best friend.
How would you spend a perfect Saturday in Toronto?
This is my favourite question ever. Thank you for asking. My husband and I talk often about how great we are at weekending. We’re humble, I know…
My favourite Saturday starts with puttering around Parkdale and making my way slowly towards Ossington and West Queen W, grabbing a tea from Crafted Coffee and a hand-held breakfast from somewhere on Ossington which lately, has been Schmaltz, or sometimes rolls from from Golden Turtle. Once fueled up, I usually head to Trinity Bellwoods Park. Whether you’re making sure a tiny person doesn’t die on the playground like I am, or having a drunk hipster-watching picnic, this place is for you.
After park time, if you’re feeling a cocktail, I suggest Northern Belle. It’s got a great local beer list, killer cocktails and cheese plates if you’re feeling munchy. From here I either head home through Little Portugal and pick up something to cook for dinner at one of the bad-ass butchers, or I take Queen W and end up buying beautiful things I can’t afford. Coal Miner’s Daughter is perfect for this.
If this day full of Toronto’s finest hasn’t made you too sleepy, I suggest going deep into Parkdale for dinner and drinks. Lately Tennessee Tavern and Pretty Ugly are my go-tos for nighttime goodness.
Could you tell us a little bit more about Yelp’s Winter Break in Banff coming up later this month?
Yelp Winter Break: Banff hasn’t even happened yet, and it’s already the highlight of my career! From November 30-December 3 Yelpers will converge in beautiful Banff, AB for a long weekend in a winter wonderland. Specials include 50% off lift tickets and equipment, incredible hotel deals, big ol’ parties and so much more. If this sounds like something you might want to join in on, there’s still room! Check it out!
Just can’t get enough of Evelyn A? Follow her on Yelp! If you still want more, follow Yelp Toronto on Instagram, Twitter, she continues to explore Toronto and beyond.
