Bellies are full once again on the ground floor of Christ the King Centre, now that the Magical Bistro has set up shop.
The Magical Bistro offers the downtown 50+ apartment complex and the general public home-cooked meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Tania Wiwczor took over the lease in early July, and is already providing comfort food to the homes of many.
“I have residents who order a few meals a week because they are going to be away and their partner cannot cook,” she said. “Then, there are those who just want a break from cooking altogether, and I will even take the elevator up and deliver.”
Evidently, Tania has already built a strong connection to her clients. Some come for a hot cup of coffee and wait while she hails them a cab. Other customers live alone and come down to eat and chat.
Wiwczor has a history in the catering business, having once owned a mobile lunch truck situated on Fielding Road. She then dabbled in real estate for a decade but missed her passion for cooking hearty foods for the masses.
Self taught, she watched her grandparents and then her Ukrainian father and Italian mother cook everything from gnocchi to cabbage rolls.
As she got older and began raising children, she decided to put all those memories and recipe boxes together, bringing her chicken or eggplant parmesan and other hearty, comfort foods to the public.
“I have a friend who works at Christ the King Centre,” she said. “When he called me to check out the space as it was up for lease, I immediately envisioned the old Lola’s in Copper Cliff and knew I wanted it.”
The locale was once the home of the old Butter Cup Café. More recently, it housed Zaher’s Small Batch Hummus and a pop-up seafood venture.
“These residents often follow their sense of smell and want to know what’s cooking down below. Everyone loves homemade food,” she said.
Wiwczor and her son, Carter Sagle, are in the kitchen each day prepping magical meatballs, lasagnas, cutlets and her scrumptious carrot cake.
“Since I was young, my mom’s food has always been magical. It’s why we call this place the Magical Bistro,” Sagle said
Breakfast is served between 8-10:30 a.m., and the western sandwich is always a big hit.
Wiwczor has not had the time to advertise and create a social media presence just yet.
“I just hit the ground running,” she said. “With the centre’s client base and word of mouth, the feedback has all been wonderful.”
There's no doubt Wiwczor has found her passion. She said she is living her best life and the bistro is buzzing with energy.
“I love being in the kitchen all day,” she said. “And when I go overboard and make too much, I supply the people who are on the street with the leftovers.”
The current hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Magical Bistro offers customers the option to dine in or take out. Catering is also offered to local businesses.
It’s located at 12 Elgin Street at the base of Christ the King Centre.
To learn more about Magical Bistro, visit the business's website or Facebook page.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
