Toronto woman goes viral after hosting free buffet for passengers on the TTC
Izzy Petraglia, a freelance writer and publicist, turned a TTC subway commute into an extraordinary act of generosity and community building by hosting a free buffet for passengers on Monday.
Petraglia brought her passion project to life when she and a few friends set up a full buffet table aboard a Line 1 subway train at around 7 p.m.
Inspired by a viral New York City subway Thanksgiving dinner video she saw months ago, Petraglia said she had long dreamed of recreating something similar, ahead of launching her own cookbook.
'I saw the video and thought, 'That would be cool to do one day.' A few weeks ago, I finally said, 'You know what? I'm going to do it,'' she told Global News.
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Petraglia said she prepared all the food herself the day of, serving a variety of dishes and treats, including spicy miso cucumber salad, pancit bihon, sweet and spicy tofu, noodles and cookies.
'The ube white chocolate cookies were by far the biggest hit,' she said.
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Petraglia and her friends serve a variety of homemade dishes on the TTC including ube white chocolate chip cookies. (via Izzy Petraglia). Izzy Petraglia
The culinary journey began at Glencairn Station and ran up to Finch and back down again, lasting nearly two hours.
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Along the way, curious passengers began to take notice and participate in the feast.
'At first, people were just laughing or taking photos,' Petraglia said. 'But then some came up to grab plates.'
'One woman had just worked a 12-hour shift and told us she could cry from how hungry she was. That meant a lot to me, and when I realized that's why I did it.'
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A handwritten flyer listing all ingredients was handed out with each plate, ensuring passengers with allergies had full transparency.
While Petraglia did receive some backlash online over hygiene concerns, she said her team made hygiene a top priority, regularly sanitizing and serving the food themselves rather than letting people self-serve.
'I was careful, we sanitized, we listed all allergens, served people, and we did it as safely as possible,' she told Global News.
The subway feast wasn't just a one-off stunt, according to Petraglia, who plans to do another one in a few months. 'I love gathering people over food,' she said. 'Everyone on the TTC is in their own little world. I wanted to get people out of that and talking to one another.'
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A group of passengers on the TTC enjoy the spontaneous feast. Izzy Petraglia
In the meantime, Petraglia is continuing to develop her cookbook, bake for friends and dream up new ways to connect with her city, one plate at a time.
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Amid rising inflation, a worsening housing crisis, and growing food insecurity in Toronto, Petraglia said she's grateful her initiative could provide a warm meal and a moment of connection to those who needed it.
'Food is how we connect, it always has been,' Petraglia said.
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