Toronto woman goes viral after hosting free buffet for passengers on the TTC

A Toronto woman is going viral for giving a whole new meaning to “fast food.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.


Spirits maker Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the U.S., the company announced on Thursday.
The facility, which bottles Crown Royal products, will close in February in a move aimed at improving its North American supply chain.

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About 200 jobs will be affected.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that is crucial to improving the efficiency and resiliency of our supply chain network,” Marsha McIntosh, Diageo’s president of North America supply, said in a statement.
Diageo said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.
The company said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
McIntosh added the company’s Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at its Canadian facilities.
© 2025 The Canadian Press

Toronto police say a 33-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly striking two men with his car Wednesday evening.
Officers say they responded to reports of a collision in the area of Don Mills Road and Gateway Boulevard in the city’s North York neighbourhood just before 10:30 p.m.

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Police say two men got into an argument, leading to one man getting into his car and hitting the other man with it.
They say the man then put his car into reverse, striking a second man.
A man in his 50s was transported to hospital with serious injuries and the second man, in his 20s, had minor injuries.
Police say the suspect from Markham, Ont., faces several other charges as well, including two counts of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and dangerous driving.
© 2025 The Canadian Press

A court document shows a Lindsay, Ont., man facing charges for allegedly breaking into an apartment was carrying a crossbow when he was confronted by a tenant.
The resident, Jeremy David McDonald, is also facing assault charges in the incident on Aug. 18 — a fact that has generated widespread interest in the case.
Police information filed in court alleges that Michael Kyle Breen damaged a window and screen at McDonald’s home and carried a crossbow.
The court document says the 41-year-old Breen is charged with break and enter, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.

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Police have said that Breen, who is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing next week, was already wanted for unrelated offences.
McDonald, the 44-year-old resident, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after he allegedly “did endanger the life” of Breen.
Premier Doug Ford blasted the decision to charge the apartment resident, saying last week that it shows “something is broken.”
Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson wrote in a statement Wednesday that he recognizes the incident has generated significant public interest and “emotional” responses, but called some of the reaction “unjust and inaccurate.”
Robertson wrote that individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property, but the law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced.
“This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances,” he wrote.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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