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Soul Provisions: A delicious beacon of refreshment for Toronto locals

TORONTO, ON., July 14, 2020 — Soul Provisions in Oakwood Village Toronto — During the summer of COVID-19 that doesn’t really feel like summer, one little shop is serving its neighbours some sweet relief in the form of cool treats.

Soul Provisions at 571 Vaughan Road in Toronto’s Oakwood Village is dishing out the craziest and most delicious popsicles you’ve ever heard of.

Orange Ginger Lemonade with a Hibiscus Flower, Coconut Lime with Raspberries, and Strawberry Basil are just a few examples that have families swarming the place for dessert, minutes after dinner is done.

“I wanted to create a little joy and levity in the neighbourhood,” says Soul Provisions owner Sara Schwartz Geller.”

She opened up shop last February dishing out hot and hearty soups that sold out instantly but then the pandemic hit and it was time for a new game plan and Soul Pops was born.

There are plenty of options for the grown-ups too with a selection of Cocktail SOUL POPS including Margarita With A Mango and Pink Sangria. There’s even Jack and Coke. Plus, popsicle and wine pairings are coming very soon.Sara Schwartz Geller, owner, Soul Provisions

“It’s definitely a tough time to launch a new business…I think what has made us successful in this moment is that we are going with the current instead of against it and we’ve created exactly what people need right now.”

So how do they come up with all those unique and tantalizing flavours? Schwartz Geller attributes the creativity to her kids and local kids in the neighbourhood.

“I have a stack of notes that kids keep bringing me.. I keep them all. I have these cute little lists developed by six-year-olds and some of the ideas are pretty good.”

Schwartz Geller runs the business with her partner Matt Janssens whose daughter came up with the Watermelon Gummi Shark popsicle.

“I still have dreams about that one,” she says.

There are plenty of options for the grown-ups too with a selection of Cocktail SOUL POPS including Margarita With A Mango and Pink Sangria. There’s even Jack and Coke. Plus, popsicle and wine pairings are coming very soon.

And even though Schwartz Geller didn’t intend on creating the perfect popsicle stand, she succeeded while still managing to accomplish her primary goal.

“We really need some love at Oakwood and Vaughan,” she says. “I’m trying to breathe life and love into that corner.”

story by David Goldberg