Get to know the Humans of the Danforth

In partnership with the City of Toronto and CafTO, CBC Toronto's Serving Up Change series is profiling business owners in five neighbourhoods across the city who, on top of innovating and working overtime, have received incredible community support.

The CBC Toronto community partnership series Serving Up Change makes its final stop in East Toronto.

One of the east end's most recognizable neighbourhoods is GreekTown, a stretch of Danforth Avenue, just a few blocks east of Broadview Ave. In 'normal times', the Taste of the Danforth festival brings in the masses, but this Greek neighbourhood, the largest in North America, lives up to its moniker year-round.

Vasha Zindros has spent her life immersed in the Greek culture of the Danforth. She took over as manager of her family-run restaurant,Mezes, just six weeks before the pandemic shut down indoor dining.

"Suddenly everything my parents worked for and sacrificed seemed lost. Most of our staff have been with us for at least a decade, and suddenly their livelihood was gone," Zindros recalled.

I was meant to be the leader through that devastation. I did the only thing I could do: I told the truth. I didn't try to hide how scared I was. In doing that, I learned unequivocally what a special group of humans I'm surrounded by. They didn't expect me to lead; they took my hand and we started moving on together.- Vasha Zindros

With a supportive staff behind her, Zindros pivoted to takeout. And, with her community in mind, she offered an incentive that only a tight knit community like GreekTown would support with fervour.

"We decided that for every meal ordered for pick-up, we would donate a meal to the East End Community Food Bank," Zindros said. "We had neighbours order meals to fill their freezers, just so that they could make an impact on donations, donating meals in kind, and countless offers to help with delivery to the community centre. That early experience of generosity was truly the light that led us through the months that followed."

For Zindros, and other surrounding business owners and patrons,the survival of the neighbourhood is symbiotic.

"I've never known any other home than Greektown. The Danforth has been the backdrop of my life. I was the little girl shopping at the fruit market with her grandfather. I was the girl whose dad risked everything to start his dream of owning a restaurant. I was the girl whose dad died on the Danforth, steps away from his new restaurant, out celebrating the early success he'd found.

Giving back to Greektown, for me, means making sure that we continue being able to welcome guests to our dining room, so that we can share this community with as many people as possible."

Zindros is featured in a new multi-platform photo exhibit called Humans of the Danforth, an East End Arts initiative led by photographer Henry VanderSpek, an east ender himself.

"Humans of the Danforth is about celebrating the hard-working business people of GreekTown on the Danforth," VanderSpek explained. "Like small business people everywhere, the experience of repeated lockdowns was extremely hard on all of them. Each of the businesses featured has a unique story of how they got started. They now have equally moving stories of how they supported the community, and how the community supported them, through the tough times of COVID-19."

VanderSpek hopes the exhibit will inspire people to support their local businesses, ultimately helping them weather the storm of COVID. Despite the many small businesses lost to this pandemic, he is optimistic moving forward.

"It needs to be acknowledged that quite a few GreekTown businesses had to shut down this past year,some that were around for many years. That loss was felt keenly by many of the business owners I spoke with," VanderSpek said. "That being said, the community really supports them, and they are equally dedicated to giving back to the neighbourhood."

I heard many restaurant owners share how they don't view other GreekTown businesses as competitors but express the conviction that when their neighbour succeeds, everyone succeeds.-Henry VanderSpek

As difficult as it is forZindros to recognize the loss around her, she's committed to working toward the future.

"Last summer, on the weekend that would've been Taste of the Danforth, our neighbours in the back alley sent us photos of our staff dancing between shifts the year before," Zindros recalls.

"The caption was: 'We can't wait to get back to this view.' It wasn't a reminder of what we were missing, it was a reminder of what we were looking forward to. Beyond the food we serve, I think our hearts have been seen by this neighbourhood. They've known our joy, our pride, and they didn't forget, even when everything became harder and stranger."

The outdoor exhibit, Humans of the Danforth, will be on display until Sept. 5. To check it out, grab your smartphone, download the free STEPS Public Art App, and head over to Danforth Avenue between Chester TTC Station and Jones Avenue.

For more neighbourhood features, check out CBC Toronto's completeServing Up Change series.