Eatdrink #82 March/April 2020

14 | March/April 2020
Ellie Rachel Cook
Co-wner, The Root Cellar, LOLA Bees & On
The Move Organics, London
hrootcellarorganic.ca
facebook.com/londonontariolearningapiary
onthemoveorganics.ca
By Bryan Lavery
As a long-time sustainable food advocate, Ellie
Cook is co-founder and co-owner of Old East
Village’s farm-to-table organic restaurant The
Root Cellar, and the natural urban beekeeping
project LOLA Bees. She is also a co-owner of
On The Move Organics.
As an avid beginner beekeeper,
unconventional special events coordinator,
and environmentalist, Ellie strives to create
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opportunities for people to engage with the
local food system. The Root Cellar is the only
genuinely farm-to-table restaurant in London.
“Since we opened our doors in 2012, our
ethos at The Root Cellar has been to support
and grow our local, sustainable food system,
says Cook. “My partners and I aren’t as
much restaurateurs as environmentalists
who approach our work through the lens of
local food. Our menus are simple, familiar
and seasonal, and we’re pretty fanatical
about our sourcing practices. Because of the
incredibly hard work of our sister company,
On The Move Organics, we’re able to purchase
directly from dozens of small organic farms
surrounding London.”
“As business owners, we’re also interested
in how far we can push the envelope of
sustainability. In 2019 we joined Green
Economy London, and that’s been an
invaluable resource for us. We’ve been avid
composters since day one and go to great
lengths to divert all our organic waste from
the landfill. These days we’re increasingly
interested in reducing food waste and
packaging, tracking/reducing/offsetting our
carbon emissions, and learning more about
regenerative and urban agriculture and
supporting pollinators.”
“My food philosophy continues to evolve
as I learn more about sustainable agriculture.
These days I’m particularly interested in
the intersections between food, place, and
sustainability. Also relevant is whether my
picky kids eat the food I prepare!”
Roula Dereza
Owner, Merla-Mae, London
merlamae.com
By Sue Sutherland Wood
Roula Dereza, charming owner and businesswoman
at Merla-Mae Ice Cream, has been
making customers happy for many years
with a simple yet effective set of values. “My
parents were always entrepreneurs and taught
me the value of hard work and dedication,”
Roula shares. “Even now, my mother [Julie
Stavrou], who is retired, still comes in on a
daily basis to make sure everything is up to
par. That alone makes me very passionate
to strive to be successful, to continue my
parents’ legacy.”
Many of Merla-Mae’s faithful customers
are now bringing their own children (or even
Roula Dereza (left) & Julie Stavrou