As ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ gears up for the grand parade of Caribbean Carnival this weekend, food — including the humble, beloved patty — is taking centre stage. Randy’s Patties, the Little Jamaica institution that’s been a cornerstone of the city’s Caribbean food culture for decades, has officially been crowned the winner of the Star’s inaugural Patty Week.
In the spirit of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s biggest annual party, the Star decided to pay tribute to the Jamaican patty, the street food found in almost every corner of the GTA. And despite the rising cost of dining out, a Jamaican beef patty is still something that can be had with whatever change is in the bottom of your bag. It’s deeply intertwined with the city’s culinary scene; the Patty Wars of 1985 (in which the federal government tried to stop Jamaican patty shops from calling it a “beef patty”) signalled that ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½â€™s population and cuisines were rapidly diversifying — a shift that helped shape the city into a globally recognized food destination.
We’re spoiled now with so many patty makers that no one can ever agree on who makes the best one. But in the spirit of the city’s fierce patty loyalties, we set out to find the one readers liked most with a weeklong Patty Bracket.
After five rounds of voting and thousands of passionate clicks from readers, Randy’s edged out Fahmee Bakery in a bracket that started with 16 contenders from across the GTA — from longtime favourites to newer challengers. The final vote saw both bakeries trade leads throughout the day, but by the end, Randy’s pulled ahead for the win.
“It’s an honour to be chosen as ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½â€™s top patty, as it has been throughout the ages,” says Randy’s manager Val Rose. “It’s even more appreciated being up against so many other stalwarts delivering a good product throughout the years. They’re all great patty companies.”
Heading into the final round, Rose was asked why she thinks Randy’s resonated with so many voters.
“It’s a bit of nostalgia, and that canÌýbe based in a company that consistently has a good product,” said Rose. “People have fallen in love with the taste (of Randy’s) and there would be no nostalgia if there was no love for it.”
After initially announcing its closure in 2022, Randy’s (1569 Eglinton Ave. W., plus a pop-up location inside the Queen’s Cross Food Hall at the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Eaton Centre) reopened with a collective of new owners almost one year ago, on Aug. 23. Hundreds lined up around the block throughout its grand reopening last year, eager for the taste and aroma that’s synonymous with Little Jamaica.
“Without Randy’s and I can confidently say there was a void, not just the food and the patties, it’s a restoration of a community feeling, the energy that was missing in the absence of Randy’s on Eglinton West,” says Rose.
“So many people walk into Randy’s and they’ll talk about going to Randy’s at high school. Those little things add up to the culture and community feeling because of one little patty shop energizing a community, giving it hope and enhancing the other businesses around it. People get a patty and everything else on Eglinton West. It transcends the food.”
While Fahmee Bakery didn’t win, owner Faiz Abdella says he’s still happy the bakery made it this far — especially since the business had to be built back from the ground up, literally, after a two-alarm blaze destroyed the bakery’s production facility. “The only reason we didn’t completely fold is that people have been rooting for us and giving us chances and opportunities,” says Abdella. Fahmee’s current storefront is at 222 Lansdowne Ave., and it continues to supply Bakery On The Go at Bathurst station. There are also plans to reopen in Scarborough later this year.
Regardless of the outcome, Abdella says he’s a fan of Randy’s, adding that the shop trained a lot of patty makers in the GTA throughout the decades to make ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ a patty-central city. To him, Fahmee’s patties need to meet a very specific set of traits — and Randy’s fits the bill, too.
Randy’s Patties, the Little Jamaica institution that’s been a cornerstone of the city’s Caribbean food culture for decades, has been crowned the winner of the Star’s inaugural Patty Week.
Richard Lautens ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star“A patty that’s flaky but not too flaky, a patty where the filling has a base to it, and you can see the seasonings. If you take a look inside the patty you should see the spots of scotch bonnet and thyme. If you look into our patties or Randy’s you can see the textures and the different flavours,” says Abdella, adding that a test of a well-made patty is that it still holds up when eaten cold.
“Also, the main thing is that when you take into a patty, the dough is supposed to be consistent in each layer. Patty dough is derived from puff pastry with beef fat and a correctly done dough should have an even texture between layers. If you rush it, the top layer will be really flaky and then there will be a weird gummy layer of dough before you get to the meat.”
Fahmee Bakery owner Faiz Abdella holds up one of the bakery’s signature trapezoid shaped Jamaican patties as one of the final two bakeries in the Star’s Patty Bracket.
Richard Lautens ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ StarThe next time you pick up a patty, whether it’s on the subway, at a restaurant, in a food court or at a bakery’s headquarters, try to think of whether there’s any other snack food that’s so intertwined with the city.
“There’s no question of the legacy that Jamaicans brought here, especially from Chinese-Jamaicans like the founders of Randy’s,” says Rose on the importance of Jamaican patties in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. “I’m sure they’re blown away by the impact they had on ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. Those guys taught other people to make patties and ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ can rival any patty anywhere.”
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation