Don't be fooled, The Mystic Muffin is far from just a bakery with a vast selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups and more. Owner Elias Makhoul moved to Canada from Lebanon at the age of 21. When I asked him what the hottest selling item on the menu was, he had a hard time deciding on just one. Among several other healthy pita/sandwich hybrids, the tuna and chicken potato seem to be the flavours of the month while the falafel remains a consistent best seller, and i personally vouche for that! "The Super Wonita salad is always a hit item with the ladies especially" he exclaimed as he also pointed out an empty sold out tray that prior to the lunch time rush, contained their delicious lentils with rice dish available on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Lentil soup, loaded with 11 different vegetables as well as my personal favourite, the chicken and rice soup go hand in hand with any pita or sandwich.
As far as baked goods go, The Mystic Muffin's sales are dominated by their irresistible apple cakes and banana loaves. Not only did I learn that they usually sell fifteen to twenty of each a day but I also continued to discover what a comic Elias is when he swore that sales sky rocketed as soon as he recently wore shorts to work again. Elias also had no problem telling me about his favourite menu item that keeps him going all day, the egg plant sandwich or as he likes to call it
"The John Glenn Sandwich".In his words "lt has low gravity and is easy to digest like eating a sandwich on the moon.
My Morning Ritual
Running a local business can consume a lot of energy, so I asked Elias what his thoughts were on the matter. He began yet again with his brilliant sense of humor and in between chuckles told me that "in the winter, no heat is needed because his two lovely employees Wonita and Steffie take care of that on their own, while in the summer since they're also cool girls, no air conditioning is needed either! He proceeded to tell me that after a recent inspection he qualified for a one thousand dollar rebate from Ontario Hydro, so it looks like things are pretty green at the Mystic Muffin.
Every year, the restaurant holds bi-annual cooking camps funded by sales of the official Mystic Muffin apparel and coffee mugs. Elias proudly showed me the photos of the most recent one consisting of 44 kids who made $340 in sales in one day. He once again had me laughing when he joked that the next camp would take place at the "Roger's Centre with 30,000 kids, referring to himself as
"the Billy Graham of cooking" or better yet
"the Benny Hinn of falafel" 
With the
St. Lawrence Market directly south and the polar opposite Moss Park right around the corner, The Mystic Muffin sits in a very diverse and at times unpredictable neighbourhood which lead me to wonder if he would ever consider relocating. His answer was exactly what I expected, "Never". After seventeen years of business, it's no surprise. "It's my baby" he said and "the only way I'm leaving this place is if I drop dead". On a historical note, Elias told me the story of the original owner of the building since 1935 who had a heart attack in the kitchen in 1963, who's son then sold it to the current landlord. In fact both two out of the landlord's three daughters once worked at the restaurant and went on to marry customers.
Back to the present, I was curious whether or not whether we could expect a second location anytime soon, I mean that would mean twice as much apple cake for Toronto, right? However don't hold your breath, I agree with Elias when he answered with a big "no way" and explained it's not necessary to be greedy and to be content with what fortune you have" if you want the goods, you had better make your way to Jarvis and Richmond to the one and only Mystic Muffin.
Last but not least, I thought I'd find out what Elias might be doing had he never opened the Mystic Muffin and he froze deep in thought for a moment. If there is one thing he's sure of, the last place he ever wants to be is stuck at a computer in an office. He considers himself as an entrepreneur as well as a self taught businessman and that's what he always wants to be. He plans to run for mayor in the October municipal election and his slogans are as follows: "A vision can bring you money but money cannot bring you a vision" and my personal favourite "Vote for me, I'll make you a sandwich. Vote for
pantalone, make your own." With that being said I think we all know who to vote for. Start your day at The Mystic Muffin sometime and you'll find out exactly why they're 100% Local Hero material!
