CHEF ‘MOM’ FARAH with some tasty BROS BBQ 2 jerk chicken on rose pasta. Photo by Tom Godfrey.

Chef Falak Farah is the manager and chef of BROS BBQ 2, one of Long Branch’s newest restaurant that prides itself on its Florida Style and Caribbean cuisine.

Farah highly recommends her jerk chicken on rose pasta as one of their top dishes that people seem to love.

Foodies are catching on to their curry and stew chicken, oxtail, ackee and salt fish, fried and steam fish.

She says her small pickup and takeout restaurant at 3371 Lake Shore Blvd. W., is well-known for its ‘exclusive’ home-made Hennessey smoked BBQ sauce. There is also a Smokey southern hot BBQ sauce with a hint of habanero and a medium with a hint of southern spices.

“People lover our Henny sauce that we make ourselves,” says Farah. “We are the Lake Shore’s first Southern BBQ place featuring Hennessey sauce.”

She only uses fresh ingredients and all meals are made to order.

“Everything is cooked to order and people love the way we cook our salmon and shrimp,” Farah insists. “They also love our jerk chicken for all the love that goes into it.”

It has been a natural journey for Farah to learn Caribbean cooking. She was born in Jordan and found the joy of Caribbean cooking after marrying a Jamaican husband in Canada. She has cooked in a number of places before PRO BBQ, which opened a few months ago.

“We go to Jamaica every year and I learn more things,” Farah says. “People like the food because more of them are coming back.”

She is among the businesses allowed to remain open these days because there’s no dining in.

“I have many Jamaican friends and love the food,” Farah vows. “You have to try our jerk chicken poutine. You will come back.”

Also highly recommended is the rose pasta, with salmon or shrimp, which is extra: jerk or lemon pepper salmon with rice and peas. Or you can order a large rack of Texas beef ribs for $27.

BROS BBQ 2 is located at 3371 Lake Shore Blvd. W., near Twenty Sixth Street. You can place your order by calling 416-252-2270. Free delivery for orders of more than $30.

POLICE ARE warning to lock all your doors at home to prevent thefts as it gets darker earlier.

Toronto Police are warning homeowners to lock their doors to avert thieves as darkness falls earlier these days.

Police say they have seen an increase of residential break and enters in some parts of the city as crooks make the rounds to homes taking advantage of unlocked doors.

Officers say some of the thefts took place in 13 Division and 53 Division while the occupants were home. The targeted dwellings are in the Lawrence Ave. W. and Bathurst St. area.

Police warn that the thefts can take place anywhere in the city, where doors maybe inadvertently be left open and as it gets dark about 4:30 p.m.

In most of the cases the occupants were not unaware they were being robbed and only realized in the morning, police say.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents but property stolen included purses, wallets and clothing, police allege.

Residents are asked to remain vigilant and make sure their doors are locked at all times. It is also encouraged to leave some lights on, or have them come on automatically, in your home to deter crooks.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com.

GHOST BIKE being laid where cyclist was hit and killed by cement truck. Charges now laid.

Toronto Police have charged an Oshawa dump truck driver in connection with the death of a retired school teacher who was riding his bicycle in the Royal York Rd., and Judson St. area.

The 48-year-old man, who has not been identified, was charged by Traffic Services on December 10 with not making a safety turn and careless driving causing death under the Highway Traffic Act.

The incident occurred on November 20 around 4:43 p.m. involving a cyclist and a green cement truck at the busy Mimico intersection.

John Offutt, 59, a recently retired teacher, received high praise for his work in the classroom by former students on social media.

“He was a teacher who quit his real estate job to help kids succeed in a low income neighbourhood,” former student A. Hafeez wrote on social media. “It is truly amazing that someone would do that.”

Hafeez says Offutt was a good man who loved his students and wanted them to succeed.

Police allege Offutt was travelling southbound on Royal York Rd., when the cement truck made a right turn from southbound Royal York Rd. to westbound Judson St.

“The cement truck made contact with the cyclist,” investigators wrote in a press release. “The cyclist succumbed to his injuries at the scene.”

Officers said following their investigation and consultation with the Prosecutor’s Office, it was determined that charges should be laid.

The driver is slated to appear at Old City Hall Court on April 29, 2021, in Room C.

Offutt’s death has angered area residents and members of the Judson Street community, who have been complaining to the City for years that ML Ready Mix is an uncooperative neighbour.

Residents have been complaining about the dust, noise and pollution from a steady stream of cement trucks that daily frequent the ML Ready Mix yard, on Judson St.

“The tragic loss of life was made all the worse by the certain knowledge that it was entirely preventable,” a citizens advocacy group wrote after placing a ghost bicycle at the scene of his death.

Mimico area residents are being urged to sign an online petition to request the concrete plant be developed into green space.

Some 36 staff at Mississauga Trillium Health partners, with three sites, are in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. Courtesy photo.

South Etobicoke residents are being warned to stay away from Mississauga’s Trillium Health Partners Network after 36 staff at three of its sites are in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.

Many area residents are urged to attend Toronto hospitals for treatment rather than making a quick trip for now to hospitals in the Mississauga area. Many area residents attend Mississauga hospitals to avoid driving downtown for medical help.

The network in a statement said the three dozen affected employees have been off from work since December 8 after they tested positive for the virus.

The cases are linked to both hospital and community transmission, officials said.

“All contact tracing has been conducted and infection prevention and control measures are in place to ensure our hospital remains a safe place to receive care,” the network stated.

Officials said four units at Credit Valley Hospital and Mississauga Hospital are dealing with an outbreak.

Trillium Health Partners (THP) has two sites in Mississauga, including Credit Valley Hospital and Mississauga Hospital. Its third site, Queensway Health Centre, is across from Sherway Gardens.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said she is concerned about the situation in the hospitals as it is not getting any better.

“Trillium Health Partners is currently well above capacity and is dealing with 88 COVID patients, 20 patients in the ICU and a great number of patients awaiting their results,” Crombie said.

She noted that patients are being transferred to other hospitals and some elective surgeries are in danger of being cancelled.

“I’ve been told that the next three to six weeks will be extremely challenging for our hospitals as they continue to deal with the surge of COVID patients,” Crombie noted.

Peel region is under the province’s lockdown zone and has been for the past 17 days. No indoor gatherings are permitted unless people are members of the same household, with some exceptions, including support for seniors living alone.

Peel region last week reported an average of 459 daily cases, with Mississauga averaging 152 daily cases.

Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel Region’s medical officer of health, said cases continue to rise and still heading in the wrong direction.

“We are not yet seeing a plateau or a decrease,” Loh said. “And if we remember how the first wave in the spring worked, we don’t start going down right away.”

Although a vaccine has been approved in Canada, the doctor said residents must stay the course with wearing masks, hand washing and physical distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19.

THIS COUPLE IS All kisses as an Esso Station similar to this one behind them is being sold for possible use as a 50-storey condo. Courtesy photo.

More major changes and construction work is coming to Humber Bay Shores, which is already a pretty busy stretch of road for motorists.

The Esso Gas station at Park Lawn Rd. and Lake Shore Blvd. W., is said to have been conditionally sold and the .67-acre site is slated to be redeveloped with a suggested 50-tower condo, according to a study.

The station has been listed for sale for a while and news on social media is that it has been conditionally sold. The price was not listed.

The gas bar has been at 2189 Lake Shore Blvd. W., for decades and contains a gas station, car wash, Tim Hortons and convenience store.

Listing firm Cushman & Wakefield said on its website the site “can potentially accommodate a 50-storey tower with a total gross building area of 425,957 square feet.”

The site states the South Etobicoke area “has been a target for significant intensification, including many high-density projects.”

They said developments in the area range from six to 66 storeys mostly in the form of mixed-use residential towers with retail and commercial uses in their podiums.

The Esso site is located next to the 66-storey Eau du Soleil property.

The realtors said the redevelopment of the Mr. Christie cookie site at 2150 Lake Shore Blvd. W. site will bring transformational change to this node including the potential for a new GO Train Station at Park Lawn Rd.

Cushman & Wakefield noted the site has a waterfront location with unobstructed lake views and good access to major roads and highways.

There is also the Mimico Go Train station, 501 all-day TTC streetcar and public greenspaces as Humber Bay Park and the Martin Goodman Trail.
“The Vendor’s objective is to maximize upfront cash sale proceeds and preference will be given to offers with limited (or no) conditionality and a timely closing,” according to the realtors.

Residents of the area are passing by ongoing construction with the building of an upscale 13-storey Stay Inn Hospitality luxury hotel at 2157 Lake Shore Blvd. W., which is about half built and going up fast.

Then next year construction is slated to get underway at the former Mr. Christie site where as many as 15 high-rise condos, parks and a schools will be built in a massive mega-year project.